8 DIGITAL CAMERA^ JUNE 2019
Matthew Williams-Ellis
Travel photographerLondon-based travel, documentary and
landscape photographer Matt leads workshops
and holidays. As well as shooting assignments,
he also produces cinematic travel videos called
Photo Escapes with fellow pro John Alexander.
http://www.matthewwilliams-ellis.comone
to
one
s I scribe this intro
to our latest One To
One session, I find
myself sitting on a
perch looking out
at the beautiful
Skomer Island off the coast of
Pembrokeshire, west Wales,
rather than sat at my usual office
desk typing up after the event.
This month’s pro, Matthew
Williams-Ellis, is kneeling down
before a carpet of sea-beaten
bluebells, shooting footage of
puffins flying across the cliffs,
and the air is a cacophony
of seabirds and wind.
I’ve joined Matt on an extended
and special trip to Skomer, not
only to glean his photo advice,
but to help film a video with
his professional partner
John Alexander (whose pet
photography we featured in
Digital Camera 214). The duo
are here for a four-day stint to
film their latest cinematic short
video – think travel photography
and photo challenges, presented
with a hearty dose of To p G e a r-
style banter – filmed using
Nikon DSLRs.
Matthew himself is a travel
photographer, which leads himto shoot documentary and
nature images worldwide, but he
initially trained as an accountant
after finishing his degree. “I
spent every spare minute on
photography. It was a hobby that
got out of control,” he says.
Driven to succeed, Matt built
up a portfolio in his spare time
when not working or studying,
and led his first travel holiday in- “I love exploring the world,
both on assignments and for
personal projects. I’m passionate
about the challenges that
travelling presents.”
Video has become both more
advanced and more accessible
to DSLR owners in recent years,
but it can require a different
mindset to shooting stills. I ask
where the idea for Matt and
John’s films, Photo Escapes
(photoescapesfilms.com)
originally came from... “John
knew of me from university,
and got in touch several years
later to talk photography.”
The dynamic duo soon started
filming together – at first
covering UK locations such as
the Antrim coast – in search
of the perfect locations to lead
photography holidays.
A
Pungapunga Island at
Whangapoua Beach at sunrise;
Coromandel Peninsula, New
Zealand North Island.