Blog

On the 22^nd January Keswick Photographic Society was given a presentation titled “In His Element” by landscape photographer, Mark Gilligan. He now lives in Cheshire from where he can access both North Wales and the Lake District for his photography work.

Mark has worked professionally in varied photography and videography roles for over 35 years but now concentrates on landscape photography, including workshops in Cumbria and Snowdonia.

The presentation title, “In His Element” refers to his ability to capture stunning, evocative landscapes irrespective of the weather conditions. Those conditions varied from bright cloudless, midday sun, often a “no-no” for landscape photographers, to dark brooding skies with landscapes punctuated by shafts of light.

 

Mark showed many of these images, most taken in the Lake District and Noth Wales. He encouraged feedback from the audience on the night and his commentary included advice on equipment and technique as well as a liberal sprinkling of humour.

Our first speaker of 2025 was Kevin Pigney who delivered a real masterclass in wildlife photography, not only showing some of his superb images, but explain very clearly how he made them.

Many were from his home patch in East Anglia and almost all of the rest from within the UK (rather than the “trophy” images we often enjoy seeing) and he was able to describe the work needed to find the subjects of his photography. He described the planning as well as execution of both projects and individual shots, with some comments on his philosophy and post-processing.

Even the most well-rehearsed advice bears repeating – like his advice on developing the fieldcraft to get near (and low) enough to the subjects – as Robert Capa famously said: “If your pictures aren’t good enough, you’re not close enough”!

There was an excellent balance between advice on the art and technical science of wildlife photography which not only entertained, but educated members and there was something in it for everyone from the relatively inexperienced to the old pros.

We hope to be able to invite him back in person from East Anglia for another talk in coming seasons with the added bonus of seeing some of his prints.

Simon Roberts