Dave Fieldhouse – Friends with Vision

Personal Bio:

I took up photography towards the end of 2012 and haven’t looked back since. I purchased my first DSLR and undertook an online diploma to learn the basics. Since then I have spent as much time practising, exploring and taking shots. Time is however precious and I find juggling work, family and outings with the camera sometimes tricky, so when I don’t have time to escape up a hill somewhere you will often find me with my nose buried in a photo book or magazine.

One from a miserable day in April when it didn't stop raining from sunrise to sunset. My first experience of the magical abandoned slate mines at Dinorwig. Somewhere I'm sure to go back to. As soon as I found them, I was taken by the parallel rows of cottages and spent several minutes trying to work out the best composition to show them off. In the end I went with this 5 shot stitched panorama through the trees. Sometimes one frame just isn't enough to capture the magic of a location. I like to stitch so I can go wider and wider without reducing the focal length of the lens too much (which makes things like large mountains seem tiny and insignificant). Shortly after switching from Canon to Fuji I took the new camera out for a wander along a local canal. A common scene with a couple of canal barges catching the afternoon sunlight. Indulging myself with some 'swooshery' photography at one of the UK's honeypot locations, and one of my favourites. During this long exposure image I completely misjudged the incoming tide. Feeling the water reach my knees I knew I was going to suffer a drive to my overnight accommodation with soggy feet. Fortunately I came away with a shot I liked, which compensated for my discomfort. A local scene, from a spot I had made a mental note to return to when the conditions were right. Hopefully there will be plenty more mornings like this. On an average day It's not a particularly nice view but the freezing fog this morning obscured the scruffiness in the distance, isolating the trees and hedgerows looking fabulous in their frozen state. One of those rare moments when it all comes together. The forecast was for a cold, clear morning, so the snow and clouds were a complete surprise and bonus. I waited on the fell until the sun broke through, lighting up patches of the valley floor through breaks in the clouds. It didn't take long for the snow to melt and I was treated to a careful decent under a warm blue sky.

I’d like to think my style is honest, giving a ‘real’ impression of the landscapes I visit. It has sometimes been said that I have a painterly style, but that sounds ok to me, so I’m not going to argue.

I have been lucky enough to be successful in several of the national landscape photography competitions, including a category win in the 2014 Landscape Photographer of the Year. I am also now regularly published in many photography and outdoor pursuit magazines.

Photography Type:

Mostly landscape photography in either the Peak or Lake District national parks, although I do have an interest in ‘Street’ Photography, which I try to do between meetings at work.

An exclusive residential development in Birmingham, given a post apocalyptical look with some simple processing effects. A ghostly figure looks out through obscured glass (obviously wondering what I was doing). Abstract street photography taken early one morning in Birmingham. Challenging the much written about concept that street photography should only be done in black and white. The ever decreasing steel balcony leading your eye to the colourful carpet on the floor several storeys down was the concept. Being someone who suffers with a touch of vertigo, this wasn't a comfortable shot to take. For once I trusted the forecast, which was set to be 100% cloud cover and light rain. So you can imagine my feelings when I drew back the curtains at the hotel to see a clear sky and a strong glow on the horizon. I didn't quite make it to my intended destination at the coast, but pulled over and ran to take this quick roadside shot of the first of the days light hitting the Storr and the Old Man. A location I had visited several times before, but always ended up disappointed. As I entered the Dove Valley the low lying mist was thick, so I thought I was in for a treat. However (as so often is the case), by the time the car was parked, and I had walked the 25minutes or so to my intended viewpoint, most of the mist had retreated. About 20mins after sunrise a thick fog rolled in from behind us, almost completely obscuring Parkhouse Hill. This photograph was taken just as the fog cleared, revealing a bit of blue sky as it did. Its a popular spot, so it wasn't a surprise to bump into a couple of photographers on the hill, who worked hard to keep spirits up when it looked like the elements had conspired against us (yet again).

Email contact: davefieldhousephotos@hotmail.com
Twitter: @davefphotos
Facebook: www.facebook.com/davefieldhousephotography
Blog: www.davefieldhousephotography.com/blog
Website: www.davefieldhousephotography.com