Digitalab Featured Photographer: Damien Taylor
At Digitalab, we appreciate the power of photography, whether it’s personal or professional. We asked Damien Taylor for one of his images and posed a couple of questions to find out exactly what it is he loves about photography and what he’d say to any enthusiastic photographer hoping to make a career out of their passion.
Tell us a bit about this image and why you chose it to be featured.
I chose this image for two reasons. One, It’s a well-known & iconic Whitby landmark that most people make a beeline for after having their fish & chips or lemontop ice cream. Secondly, although the piers are well photographed, this shot was taken from an unusual angle & one where I had to wait for ideal conditions before I could take the shot. I had the image in my mind’s eye for some time but when all the right conditions came together I headed down to the piers.
It took some getting to, over slippery rocks, seaweed and rock pools but I took it slowly & was happy that I had got to the spot I wanted to in one piece. The only way I could ever take the shot was when there was a very low tide with dead calm seas & at sunset with very little traffic passing through the harbour. It’s always a challenge to photograph well known sites differently whilst still making them familiar, I hope I’ve done this here.
Which styles of photography most interest/inspire you?
I have broad tastes when it comes to photography. Genre-wise I naturally love landscapes and I am continually surprised about the amount of beauty contained within the British Isles. I love seascapes & tend to find that even when I’m not on the coast, water in some form or other finds it way into my images. What particularly impresses me is the fine art end of landscape photography. This to me is where photography meets art & is where the gulf between the snapper & photographer is most apparent. I am also inspired by other forms of photography that have an artistic bent and I love looking at images using intentional camera movement & multiple exposures. These images often manage to capture the essence of the surroundings in which they were taken & do so in sometimes a painterly way which I find very attractive.
What one piece of advice would you give to an aspiring photographer?
If I could pass on anything to aspiring photographers it would be this; Get out there more often…but take less photos. I believe you make your own luck and other than planning shots, the more often you’re out in the elements, the more likely you are to capture a fantastic shot. The second part is important & that is to take less shots. Take time to consider the composition, make the shot as technically perfect as you can – and using a tripod helps this process as it serves to slow you down, giving you valuable thinking time.
Lastly, photography has taken me to some amazing places, often where I wouldn’t have gone had I not been a landscaper. Make sure that you relish being in the location where you find yourself. By all means, make sure you take the shot but also take time to absorb your surroundings & these wonderful places will stay with you a long time after you’ve left.
Damien Taylor Photography