Ian Wilson - Photography Judge

My father was a professional photographer so I have been surrounded by photography all of my life. I also studied photography at college in the mid 80’s, in those days it was all film and darkroom produced prints. I was trained in the technical side of lighting, taking the shot and seeing it through the developing and printing stages. I remember many sessions in the home darkroom with Dad, helping with the processing of whatever job he was working on, weddings, studio shots or copy work.

For various reasons I did not pursue a career in photography at the time, but I always kept a keen interest in the field and enjoyed capturing special moments with my family, on holidays, landscapes, wildlife, flora and abstract special effects.

Another area of photography that I have recently become very keen on is astro photography. Being outside on a dark night, with a clear sky and millions of stars above is a really humbling experience. Trying to capture the beauty of the Milky Way, distant nebulae and galaxies almost becomes an obsession. Every night has something different to offer.
As I have gotten older (& hopefully wiser) my passion for photography has grown. Now that my own family has grown up and are able to support themselves, my wife and I have more time to travel this great country and capture the beauty in photographs.

The basic elements of composition, lighting and story -telling are what makes a good photo, understanding the rules and when you can break them is key to a great image.

There is nothing more satisfying than having a viewer look at a photo and their first impression is “wow”.

It’s those ‘wow’ moments photographers strive to capture.

Share this with your friends