August's Photographer of the Month- Ian Schofield
‘What can you tell us about your winning entry into our photography competition?’
This photo was taken on Skomer Island, Wales. I have visited there twice in the last couple of years and stayed on the island overnight which allows you to see the sunset making for great backlit puffins. The first year I had got some backlit puffins with wings out but the one I wanted had a mouth full of fish, so luckily I was in the right place as this little guy ran towards me with a beak full.
‘How did you get into photography?’
I started photography in the 1990’s with a film camera taking shots of aircraft at Manchester airport when I was 13/14 years old. I had a long break, then after university picked up a DSLR again; starting with planes at Heathrow and then moving onto photographing Nature, Wildlife, Sports. Weddings, Maternity and Babies.
‘What do you enjoy about photography?’
I have made some great friends through photography, so for me getting the image is one thing, but having and enjoying the day is most important. I take and edit photos for my enjoyment and if others like them too, it’s a bonus. I like to go out with a photo in mind and often plan ahead things like locations, times of day and weather as they all impact on the image.
‘What are your plans for the future?’
In the future I’m concentrating on travel, wildlife and maternity/baby photography. Recently I’ve visited Vienna, Budapest, Berlin and China which has given me a whole array of different images so this is something I enjoy. Living in London gives me great opportunities on my doorstep.
You can take a look at my work on Flickr & Facebook.
‘What do you plan to do with your framing voucher?’
I’ve bought a few frames with the voucher, firstly one for my parents to frame the grandkids and also one for my great aunt. I’ve treated myself to a larger frame and just need to decide which image to put in it.
