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Tim Parkin
Amateur Photographer who plays with big cameras and film when in between digital photographs.
If you ask many people who the seminal landscape photographers in the UK were I'm sure a majority would mention Joe Cornish and Charlie Waite. However who would Joe and Charlie mention if asked the same question. The answer would undoubtedly include the well known such as John Blakemore and Faye Godwin but on the colour side I can guarantee Paul Wakefield would be mentioned.
Paul is perhaps not as well known as many photographers as he has beaten his own path in advertising rather than getting the exposure in the popular photographic press, leading workshops and giving talks. However, for the landscape photography book collector there are six books of Paul's work that were published between 1982 and 1998 that are a pleasure to own and show a unique eye for composition and light.
For those of you who already know and love Paul Wakefield's work you will be familiar with the process occasional revisiting his website waiting for new photos to appear. Well not only is there some new work online but there is also a book coming out on the 14th February 2014 (you can see the cover below). In addition we'll be interviewing Paul for the Christmas issue and showing a few pictures from the book.
We're also very pleased to have been given the opportunity to announce a workshop to be led by Paul Wakefield in March of next year. Based in the West Coast of Scotland on the Assynt peninsula the workshop will be oriented around finding your photographic vision. The workshop will be assisted by Eddie Ephraums and we have been sent a full description below. It's unlikely that Paul will lead any other workshops in the near future and so this could be a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet and learn from the UKs seminal colour landscape photographers. Even unannounced this workshop is already half full so don't wait too long if you're interested. If you are interested, please contact Adrian Hollister at info@highlandphotographyexperi
The Essence of Place
Finding and photographing your connection with the landscape
Paul Wakefield - Eddie Ephraums
Open Studio Workshop centre, NW Scotland
Maximum 10 people
Tuesday March 4 until Sunday March 9
Paul Wakefield's deeply felt connection with the places he photographs, and the way he renders these feelings, have inspired many of today's great photographers. Both Joe Cornish and David Ward have written about his approach and the way it has influenced their own work, and they're not alone: Paul is a key figure in the world of landscape photography and is someone from whom we can all learn.
His relationship to 'place' remains as fresh, deeply felt, and as vital as ever, and this connection with the subject forms the basis of The Essence of Place workshop. Somehow Paul always gets to the heart, the soul, the spirit, the nature… of the subject, whether it is in his own work or reviewing that of other photographers. No wonder he continues to be such an important, yet quietly unassuming voice. Anyone who has visited Paul's website will know that he lets his pictures do the talking, which makes this intimate, small-group workshop all the more special. It is a unique opportunity to hear Paul talk in person about his photography and his love for the landscape: to discuss his influences and his approach, to work with him on location and for him to help you develop your own vision, and of course to review your work – including pictures you are invited to bring to the workshop, as well as those you will have shot on location.
The timing of this workshop coincides with the forthcoming launch of the book 'Paul Wakefield - The Landscape', published under Eddie Ephraums' Envisage Books imprint. 'The Landscape' is likely to be just as influential on photographers as books like 'Scotland: The Place of Visions' which Paul made with the celebrated travel writer Jan Morris back in the 80s. No wonder the extraordinary landscape writer Robert Macfarlane immediately agreed to write the foreword to Paul's book. As Robert says, "All of these photographs record landscapes into which I long to walk, or powerfully wish already to have encountered… Turning the pages of this book, I found myself again and again reaching out to touch the images." This workshop is a chance for everyone to find out how their photography can also 'touch' people.
So, please do join us on this truly special workshop, where you will not only experience Paul and his work, you will also receive a signed copy of 'Paul Wakefield - The Landscape' in a handmade, cloth covered portfolio box, to which you can add your own print and a contact sheet from this very special workshop. Most importantly, Paul will get to meet YOU. Who better to get to the essence of your photography and what better location than The Place of Visions?