A few of years back I did an interview with photography magazine, Digital SLR, who had seen some of my landscape images and had subsequently dropped me an email to arrange a chat. We talked about how beautiful North Wales is, camera equipment and more. Here is a transcript of the interview and some of the landscape shots they published.

WONDERFUL WALES

Once Desh Kapur finally picked up his first camera, his first shot was a cracker. And things just kept
getting better.

Some photographers confine themselves to singular styles, such as portrait, fashion or landscape, but
DIGITAL SLR reader Desh Kapur is a committed generalist, however you will see from his shots, there is no argument that he is a very gifted landscape photographer.

“I like everything from street photography to portraits, but I am always inspired by my surroundings. I
live in a very beautiful part of North Wales, practically at the base of Snowdon, so I am naturally drawn to shooting the stunning scenery”

Desh insists that North Wales is one of the most varied destinations in the world.

“I’m just drawn to the sea, the lakes, mountains and woodlands. The beauty of the landscape is amazing, you have the most beautiful mountains with their valleys and old cottages, but 20 minutes down the road you will find a lake with amazing reflections, and then another half an hour away, you’ll reach the golden sandy beaches with their glorious sunsets. Whatever sort of landscape you want to photograph North Wales has it”

You might assume that Desh was born and bred in Wales, but he was in fact, born in Manchester,

“My parents moved to Wales when I was 11 years old, but I’ve spent the last 20 or so years living in Australia and have only moved back to Wales in the last few years”

You may also be surprised to learn that he only took up photography a few years ago,

 “I only got into photography when I moved back to Wales. My housemate gave me a camera, but it just sat there for years. Then one day I took it out to a waterfall, to try and get some silky water shots I’d seen online, I searched for tips on Flickr, and I got a cracking shot on my first attempt, I’ve been hooked ever since”

So how does someone go from never having taken a photograph before to shooting stunning Landscapes like this in such a short space of time? Desh is adamant its all in the preparation.

“I always do research to work out what shot I want to take and how to achieve it, I’ll look at other people shots of an area and then go on google maps”

Desh also recces his locations before heading out with all his kit.

“I’ll go out with my mobile phone and takes snaps of the area at certain times of the day, you need to get a feel for what it will look like when you’re there, when and where the sun rises or sets or when the tides will be high or low, there is nothing worse than trekking out to a location, setting up your kit, then coming away without a shot because you haven’t done any pre prep”

This research helps Desh work out exactly what kit he will need for the shoot.

“I always have a clear idea of the shots I want to take before I head out, so I only take out the kit I am going to use. I clean and charge the kit the night before, as well. There have been times when I have been out, with my tripod set up, but it ended up too cold to take the shot. The right clothing is important, one of my best purchase are a pair of fly fishing waders! These allow me to walk anywhere without getting wet, I could be up to my waist in water, snow or mud”

Success-wise Desh is a something of an inspiration, given his short time behind the lens. He has already sold prints around the world, shows images in gallery’s and exhibitions. However, he is not resting on his laurels.

“I still have a long way to go before I will be the photographer I’d like to be. As soon as you think you know it all, you become complacent. So I will keep doing courses, reading books and magazines and always trying new techniques”.

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