I must have been about ten when my parents gave me a little camera to try, loaded with a black & white 12 exposure film. They showed me how to use it and I went into the garden to try it out, but having taken seven or eight snaps of anything I could find I suddenly remembered I’d been told to turn the dial to move the film ready for the next photo. Realising my error I quickly turned the dial to make up for the shots I had taken then went on to finish the film. When eventually we all looked at the photos my parents couldn’t understand why most of the film was blank and one shot was unrecognisable … but I did! Maybe it was that first experience which ignited my interest in photography, or perhaps it was simply my parents giving me an opportunity to have a go at such an early age, but from then on I wanted to take pictures. The camera they gave me was a box camera with two lenses - one for the viewfinder and one for the film - and you looked down into a window on the top. A few years later, when I was at secondary school, I was lucky enough to be given my first proper film camera when a friend of my mother was buying a new one. It was a Halina 35X camera and it had a case, a separate light meter and a flash gun you could attach which used blue coloured bulbs. I felt I was so posh but learned a huge amount by using that setup. My first ‘proper’ camera was a Dixons (now Currys) own brand Chinon and having discovered the advantages of seeing though the lens when you take a photo I later upgraded to a Pentax MX then changed to a Canon EOS 500 when the shutter failed on the Pentax. I used that Canon for many years, taking thousands of photos using it and it’s still in its case in the cupboard under the stairs, though I don’t know why. When digital arrived I was very sceptical that it could ever beat film but I turned out to be so wrong and was shocked at just how quickly digital pushed film into the shadows. My first digital camera was the 3.1Mpixel Canon EOS D30 though now I use a 30.4Mpixel full-frame Canon EOS 5D Mk IV. I absolutely love this camera and already I’ve had great adventures with it. How times have changed since I used that box camera in the garden as a child. You can see from the photographs here that landscape photography is what I really enjoy, not forgetting the odd sunset (or four) of course. Working within this genre I get ‘out there’ into the wilderness, battle with the weather be it wet, dry, hot or cold, exercise my body and get to see some amazing views. What is there not to like? Well, for me it’s getting out of bed for a sunrise! I’m terrible at that. Though I’ve documented my journey through camera hardware it’s not the camera you use that’s important, not really. The important thing is to concentrate on the type of photography that inspires you and that you strive to become better and better at what you create. There are a few things I believe have had a massive impact on changing my images from straightforward snaps to photographs I can be proud of: • Joining a photographic group like WPS: you may not like what the judges say about your work but on the whole you learn a lot about what makes a good photograph. You get comments from others too and see a range of work and some inspires you. You also make new friends. • Using a full-frame sensor camera: you don’t need one of these to get stunning photographs, though they do make a difference to be sure, but for me it was a game changer. When I strained to purchase the 5D Mk II I think the expense of doing that somehow jolted me to thinking I’d better try harder or else that’s a whole load of money down the drain. Sounds silly, but I do wonder if that was the psychology involved. Who knows! • Using YouTube to learn more: I discovered Thomas Heaton and he’s been a huge inspiration to me and changed the way I think about and use my camera. I subscribe to his channel and also to those of one or two other landscape photographers. There’s undoubtedly a channel for what interests you, so get searching. The best thing to do of course is to get out there and do whatever type of photography inspires you. Have fun!

Photographs on this page are Copyright © Rob Cowell

Arctic Light

Buttermere

Mountains in the Mist

Sunset on Ice

Rainclouds at Sunset

Ice Trek at Sunset

Reflection of Storr

A Bead of Sunlight

Iceland Aurora

Ice Flow

Frozen

Kirkjufell