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Chris Gilbert
Chris Gilbert is a landscape photographer and photography coach and lives in Cressbrook, in the middle of the Peak District National Park. Most of his time is spent doing Peak District photography and photography-related things but he also works part-time for the Peak District National Park Authority Visitor Services, providing advice to people visiting the area and promoting the work of the five photographers involved in the Peak Photography Gallery project at Bakewell Visitor Centre.
Michéla Griffith
In 2012 I paused by my local river and everything changed. I’ve moved away from what many expect photographs to be: my images deconstruct the literal and reimagine the subjective, reflecting the curiosity that water has inspired in my practice. Water has been my conduit: it has sharpened my vision, given me permission to experiment and continues to introduce me to new ways of seeing.
Chris Gilbert has been making his living from photography since 2006. His workshops are perennially popular and he is also one of five landscape photographers behind the Peak Photography Gallery in Bakewell. And as if all of that isn’t enough he is photographer and co-author of the forthcoming fotoVUE Guidebook to Photographing the Peak District.
Can you tell readers a little about yourself – your education, early interests and career – and the environments that have shaped you?
Originally from Newcastle-upon-Tyne, third of four kids. No history of art in the family, although interestingly both my sisters were also pretty good at it. Disinterested parents. Moved around a lot but ended up in the Peak District. MSc in Computer Studies and a varied career including software engineering and teaching. Always loved art and the countryside. Spent a lot of time growing up in the fens. Harboured aspirations to be a painter but abandoned them when I realised that actually, I wasn't that good at it. That's where the photography took over.
How and when did you first become interested in photography? What styles of photography and subjects were you attracted to initially?