Kev Lockwood

Kev Lockwood

David Tolcher

An enthusiast who enjoys having photography as an excuse to get out in to the wilds.

Kev is a landscape photographer based in Yorkshire. Since his youth he has been a frequent visitor to moorlands, mountains and coastlines, throughout the UK, and occasionally beyond. He is inspired by the beauty of our UK landscapes, and consider himself lucky to have some of the best a short drive from home.

I first met Kev (and long time buddy Paul Buckman) on Nought Moor shortly after I moved to Harrogate. They had lugged their gear right round Guisecliff and down into the woods on a fairly warm August day. Most landscape photographers need to be dedicated to reliably come back with great images and this typifies Kev and the approach to his work. Precise planning, an understanding of climate and topography and a will to keep going back until it all comes together. I enjoy being out with Kev and hope you enjoy his work as much as I do.

What is, for you, the appeal of landscape photography?

I find it both relaxing, but challenging. It is a great way of escaping for a few hours, or sometimes longer. Personally I love being out for dawn, at any time of the year, even if it’s hard getting out of bed in the summer months. The start of a new day is something quite special, and it’s nice to be out and about while the world still sleeps.

A superb autumn morning in Wharfedale, on the 24/11/12, looking across the valley to Simon's Seat. I had to ascend to my viewpoint above Burnsall by torch light, to capture the scene as dawn broke.The subtletes of autumn enhanced a beautiful Yorkshire scene.

How did your relationship with the camera start?

When I was about ten my dad bought me my first camera, a cheap Russian rangefinder called a Cosmic 35. Its “light meter” was the exposure guide cut from a film instruction leaflet, and stuck inside the case ! I remember if it was bright and sunny to set f 8 at 1/250th. I took a few rolls of slides as a child, and quickly started using dad’s SLRs. I have an early recollection of visiting the Farne Islands in Northumberland, and attempting to photograph the sea birds with a long lens at the age of only 11. As a teenager I’d use a Zenit B, which was built like a tank and had an appallingly bad focus screen. When I started work at 18, I bought my own kit, which was based on the Pentax K mount system. I dabbled with macro photography for a while, but gradually just got the camera out on  hill walks or holidays. It wasn’t until much later I started to take photography up a pursuit.