Links For British Landscape Photographers?

Tom Stanworth · Jun 24, 2007

In the UK we have a very different landscape to the US, granted. But I struggle to find examples of the best UK work out there and I am sure there is superb work being produced. Great US photography is easy to find on the internet and there are lots of big names out there as well as seriously talented 'unknowns'. Any web links that would help us Brits to see the best examples of our landscape would be truly appreciated. It is sad really, but I find myslf constantly looking at great photography from places other than the UK. While great photographs exist, I have not really come across any single photog who have really nailed it in the way Ansel Adams, Roman Loranc, Huntington Witherill, Bob Kolbrener etc have for the US....Maybe they all work out of Scottish log cabins with no internet connections to allow for websites? It seems that the many talented UK amateurs are responsible for almost all of the best work.

Dave Miller · Jun 24, 2007

Joe Cornish comes immediatly to mind http://www.joecornish.com?

roteague · Jun 24, 2007

As Dave mentioned, Joe Cornish. But there is David Ward, Tom Mackie, Peter Watson, and a whole host of others.

Baxter Bradford · Jun 24, 2007

Hi Tom, Dave and Robert

I've just exchanged emails with Dead Link Removed and have been very impressed with his B+W images, Scotland and Lake District are his main subject matter and very much in the same style as AA - although note to any AA purists, I am rubbish at determining photographic style!

He is going to be leading some courses on B+W photography for Light and Land. They deserve to be popular as I think it is a medium in which most aspire to do rather better - myself included.

coigach · Jun 24, 2007

Interesting thread. What about :

-Iain Brownlie Roy, whose book is one of my all-time faves:
Dead Link Removed

-Colin Prior
http://www.colinprior.co.uk

-Andrew Nadolski
http://www.nadolski.com

and Thomas Joshua Cooper. (Ok, he's really American but has taught here in the UK for years...
http://www.inglebygallery.co.uk/artistsDetail.php?id=22

Best wishes,
Gavin

PS, Beyond Words, a wonderful photographic bookshop here in Edinburgh, Scotland will be able to get you books by these photographers. They have a webshop: http://www.beyondwords.co.uk

Ian Grant · Jun 24, 2007

You could look at Fay Godwin, John Blakemore, Peter Cattrel, John Davies, Thomas Joshua Cooper, Ray Moore. All world class photographers.

Ian

Dave Miller · Jun 24, 2007

I think part of the problem can be found in the British mindset that tells us if its not done in oils it can’t be art. Americans seem to be less hung up on this, and therefore prepared to support their photographic artists, even those foreign born.

Tom Stanworth · Jun 24, 2007

I should have said monochrome photographers! I am familiar with Joe Cornish and David Ward, Colin Prior, Thomas Joshua Cooper, Fay Goodwin but will look up some of the other links! Cheers!

Just looked up Paul Gallaher and have seen his work before but had no links or way to get back to it, so thanks. I have not tripped over his work in some time, or seen many references to it.

Busy looking up some of the others...

Thanks!

Tom Stanworth · Jun 24, 2007

Dave Miller said:
I think part of the problem can be found in the British mindset that tells us if its not done in oils it cant be art. Americans seem to be less hung up on this, and therefore prepared to support their photographic artists, even those foreign born.

Sad isn't it...

Dave Miller · Jun 24, 2007

Tom Stanworth said:
Sad isn't it...

It is, but as someone once said; always look on the bright side of life.

Now so many pros are reproducing their work by spraying dirty water onto paper, maybe they will become accepted as water-colourists by the establishment.

Tom Stanworth · Jun 25, 2007

Dave Miller said:
It is, but as someone once said; always look on the bright side of life.

Now so many pros are reproducing their work by spraying dirty water onto paper, maybe they will become accepted as water-colourists by the establishment.

Giclée darling, Giclée. :rolleyes:

I remember one amateur and aspiring 'fine artist' trying to convince me that they were much more highly regarded than normal photographs and quite different to peasant inkjets....he was going to make sure that he got some Giclée prints made from his files and was not going to bother with photographic or inkjet prints

Bill Mitchell · Jun 25, 2007

There are actually few Famous American Photographers who are not shooting the Grand and Glorious Western Landscape.
How many US photographers can you name who are from the American South, or East, or Midwest. Clyde Butcher, who photographs the Swamps of Florida and Paul Caponigro whose best work was done in the British Isles are the only two who came to my mind.
The work of John Blakemore and Hamish Fulton are certainly in a class with theirs.

markbb · Jun 25, 2007

Even the likes of Joe Cornish earns little from his prints - he suplements his income with books, courses etc. I shall lay down a challenge to all UK photographers out there - how many of us have bought a print from a UK photographer? How many of us have anyone else's* photos on the wall? There just doesn't seem to be a market here for photographic images, bar the usual 'famous' global ones.

* I'll exclude any other member of the household in this.

Baxter Bradford · Jun 25, 2007

Tom's original post made no reference to preferred output medium, indeed talking about websites. Thus I felt there was only emphasis regarding image content.

Mark - Yes I have 2 of Mr Cornish's prints on my wall (cibachrome), a David Fleetham Flying fish (inkjet) and also am fortunate to have a B+W Faye Godwin (FB silver print) which was a very generous present some years ago.

Tom Stanworth · Jun 25, 2007

Baxter, Lucky you. I would like to have more others' prints on my walls and one day will. Once I am settled I look forward to print exchanges as I find more ' peer amateur' work I am keen to have than pro work if I am honest.

As for the market. The would not have thought that the market is other photographers and would not excpect it to be. Surely it is about a wide culture...art collectors, corporate buyers etc?

Andrew Moxom · Jun 25, 2007

I bought two of Fay Godwin's signed prints on a workshop at Duckspool in 1992, as well as a limited edition (1000) Varilux reprinting of her book LAND that was signed and referenced the workshop. It's a book that I try to keep in good shape!

Tom Stanworth · Jun 26, 2007

I think this thread has pretty well confirmed that while we have a pretty solid history of landscape photography, no photographers have been able to devote their life to it, due to financial considerations. The entire landscape photography culture seems very different to the US, if you catch my drift. I need to make a point of buying the work of a photographer who is still alive then! Might look to see what Joe Cornish's prices are like....

Tom

Ian Grant · Jun 26, 2007

Like Baxter & Andrew I have a Fay Godwin print on my wall. alongside a Peter Catrell, John Blakemore, Jorge Gasteazoro and I made a great effort to re-locate them to the Aegean, and our current abode. The rest of my collection is sat on the walls in the UK, and will go into storage.

There is not a strong tradition of buying original prints in the UK, back in the 90's the market began to expand but was hit savagely by the rapid increase in house prices.

Even in the US few if any "art" photographers as opposed to those shooting commercial landscapes make a living directly from their landscape photography, most work as academics, or in the commercial sectors of photography.

Ian

dferrie · Jun 26, 2007

What about Charlie Waite (http://www.charliewaite.com) I used to enjoy his work in some of the UK magazines, not sure if he still writes or is published in the magazines as I stopped buying the magazines when it reached a point that they became thinly disguised catalogs for Jessops et al, and then became with obsessed with all things digital. Don't get me wrong I have no problem reading about digital (this may not be the place to admit that ) but it got to a stage that even though publishing houses had dedicated digital titles, their traditionally film orientated titles were also devoting more pages to digital than film.

David

Bill Mitchell · Jun 26, 2007

I have a dozen or so of John Blakemore's beautiful landscape prints. I bought them from him in the early '80s at 100 quid each, which at the time was only about $60(US).
He met me at the train station in Derby, and along with his 10 year old son we rattled along in his 2CV back to his flat, where he showed me boxes of 16x20 prints and I decided which ones I could afford. As he left the room to fetch some others, his son asked me how much I was paying.
"100 quid." I said.
"For the whole box?" he asked.
"No, for each print."
"Cor!" he said (the first time that I actually heard the work used - I thought that it was just in paperbacks). I could almost see the calculator running inside the boy's head.
Suddently the kid literally seemed to have a new respect for his father. It was fun to see.

markbb · Jun 27, 2007

The dollar has never been worth more than a pound - I think time has muddled your memory!

circlesofconfusion · Jun 27, 2007

nobody mentioned Michael Kenna

A lot of his images are from Japan but he also a has a good deal of British images.

I like the work of David Osborn but his new website has made the onscreen images look bad. The old site was much better.

Links For British Landscape Photographers?

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