hen, where, how and
why did landscape
photography become
your s pecialist subject?
I met my wife over 30
yearsagoandsoon afterwards began spending
timeatherfamily’s holiday retreat on the
Suffolkcoast.I was instantly captivated by the
bigopenskiesand seascapes associated with
EastAnglia.I also became aware that this part
oftheUKwasvery fragile, being constantly
challengedby the North Sea, with each visit
offeringuniquephotographic opportunities
dueto theconstant and rapid erosion. It was at
thispointI consciously turned my attention to
recordingthisever-changing landscape, hoping
thatin someway,I was capturing a part of our
landscapethatwould soon be just a memory.Howwouldyoudescribe your style?
I prefermoreof a pictorial depiction of our
landscape,primarily because of my need to
capturea truelikeness of what I saw and felt
duringonemoment in time. I do admire and
enjoytheworkof those that offer an alternative
viewof ourlandscape through multiple
exposures,movement and the like, but I prefer
realismoverabstraction. That said, I’m not
averseto beingslightly contemporary in my
outlook,something that derives from being
a cr eativethinker with an open mind.Define a successful landscape photograph...
I feel there’s something intangible in what
makes an image successful. One could say that
images that conform to all the recognised rules
of composition should be successful, and in
some cases they are. Then there are those
images that shouldn’t work but, for whatever
reason, you’re still drawn to them. I refer to
this as the ‘X factor’. I generally conform to
the rules, but then something will catch my eye
and I’ll find myself compelled to record it. These
are the images that remain etched on my soul.Your autumn and winter landscapes are some
of your most evocative – what is it about the
colder seasons that inspires you?
Autumn and winter are definitely my favourite
seasons. For some photographers, it’s because
this is the time of year when sunrise is at
a more civilised hour, but I see autumn as the
season of fruitful mellowness where so much
in nature dramatically comes to a close. This
can often result in magical conditions, from
the honey-dripped glory of a woodland to that
wonderful warm-and-cool colour combination
of a frosty dawn. Winter in southern England
can be a dull, dreary affair which can prove
problematic in a wider landscape. Woodland,
however, can be surprisingly colourful with
hues of blue and purple and a smattering of
autumnal colour hanging on by its fingernails.60 PrAcTIcAl PhOTOgrAPhyReader Showcase Paul Mitchell
Paul Mitchell is a graphic
designer and semi-pro
photographer based
in Buckinghamshire.
He lectures, runs
landscape workshops
and has contributed
to p hotography books.
He i s a Fellow of the
Royal Photographic
Society and his
work has previously
been successful
in t he Landscape
Photographer of the
Year and Outdoor
Photographer of the
Year competitions.
paulmitchell
photography.co.uk