INTERVIEW
Jeremy Walker
The leading landscape photographer takes Niall Hampton behind the scenes of his long-term project documenting historic ruins in the UK
The linhay (openfronted barn) at Porlock Bay, Somerset, England.
Landscape photographer
Jeremy Walker’s career spans more than three decades, and he is best known as a landscape photographer. A former Nikon Ambassador, Jeremy runs regular workshops for Lee Filters in addition to hosting regular talks, masterclasses and workshops on landscape photography.
Having shot images for stock libraries following four years working as a photographer’s assistant in London, Jeremy also produces high-quality landscape and location photography around the world for advertising, design and corporate clients. He has won awards for his photography and is based in England’s West Country.
www.jeremywalker.co.uk
Jeremy Walker’s debut book Landscape showcases the work produced during his long-term project to photograph ruined historic buildings around the UK. The book features 109 images, with commentary and background information on each one.
Self-published so that Jeremy could retain full creative control of the book, Landscape is a limitededition printing, and is available to order via his website.
We sat down with Jeremy to find out more about the project and its scope, the inside story on how it came together, and what it takes to be a landscape photographer at the top of their game.
Was Landscape something you had wanted to do for a long time? And how long was it in preparation?
I have always wanted to do a coffee table-style book, mostly for my own sense of worth and satisfaction; but it has always been a case of getting the right publisher interested, or getting the finances together to enable me to go and photograph it, and to see the project through. I had been shooting my own theme of ruins in a landscape setting for many years, with the idea of turning it into a book. It just took so much longer than I ever imagined it would to finally get every facet of what was a huge undertaking to come together.
The Wheal Betsy engine house, Devon, England.
Jeremy Walker
Shooting the images was the time-consuming element: nearly all the images were shot specifically for the book, not taken from my stock files. The financial implications also took their toll: sometimes the weather and conditions would be perfect for a certain location, but I would have to be elsewhere shooting commissioned work. Bills need to be paid.