George Evans … Photography

George Evans

My interest in photography started in 2004 with my first digital camera. I’d always had a cheap film camera around the home for those important family occasions, but was frustrated by how many prints I was throwing in the waste bin because of incorrect exposure, motion blur and poor composition. The digital revolution in photograph, especially with the Sony F717 and its electronic viewfinder and live histogram, allowed me to learn photography, instantly seeing the results of changes I was making to the camera settings and allowing me to make my mistakes without the cost of printing. Digital photography allows you to experiment, make mistakes and have another try. As a result my photographic skills developed quickly and soon became an interest.

My photography became serious after joining Hoylake Photographic Society in 2009, as it exposed me to guest speakers of the calibre of Rikki O’Neil, Diane Owen and Adrian Lines and their tutorials. You can either become intimidated or inspired by photographers far better than yourself and they inspired me to learn and improve. The monthly competitions and the critique of your images makes you think about your work and I can highly recommend club photography as a way of improving your skills and meeting new friends.

By accident, what the Sony F717 digital camera also gave me was a door into the world of infrared photography through the use of the cameras “Nightshot” mode and an R72 infrared filter screwed onto the lens. I was instantly hooked on infrared.

Infrared light is absorbed by surfaces recording in different degrees of brightness. As a result you capture white grass and foliage, black skies, black water, grey buildings and enhanced detail in cloud formations. The faint blue and red colouring captured in the 720nm wavelength can either be enhanced, colour swapped or converted to mono in post processing and I’m constantly looking for innovative ways to give infrared a different feel or mood.

Such is my love of infrared that I’ve had a Sony A200 DSLR permanently converted to the 720nm wavelength of infrared giving me more freedom and creativity.

My photography is not based solely on infrared as I’m also a keen gardener and walker which give you the excuse to take a camera out for the day. As a Friend of Ness Botanic Gardens I’m often found wandering the grounds looking for a shot or taking in the Wirral coastline and countryside.

You can give 10 photographers the same camera equipment and scene to capture and get 10 different results which proves that it’s the person behind the camera that’s the most important factor in the art of photography, and I try to add my own style to an image through strong composition and my own post processing technique. My philosophy is to try and give some-one something different to hang on their wall and I hope that I’m succeeding.

I only started selling photographic prints of my work in May 2012 and the feedback from customers at the “Art in the Park” events at Coronation Gardens in West Kirby and galleries during the Summer has been very positive. I’ve a number of prints in Seagrass Studio Gallery in Hoylake and a portfolio of my work can be viewed on my “Wirralpix Images” website at www.wirralpix.com