Get to know Will

I grew up with nature on my doorstep – The Peak District. My family loved hiking and spent as much time as possible out on the rolling hills and moors of Yorkshire. We vacationed in Britain mostly; renting quaint cottages in the Lake District and Scotland. Days outside in the rain, moody boots, coffee and cake wrapped in tin foil – still remain today as fond memories of my formative years. Destined for a life in the outdoors.

My grandfather, and father were both avid hobbyist photographers. Any trip we took would circumnavigate back to a familiar scene: an evening with the curtains drawn at home and a projector set up. Hours pouring over slides of vacations past and present. As technology progressed my father transitioned from shooting film to digital format. I was always fascinated by process of capturing a scene and transitioning that into an image. Even as enthusiasts, both of them had a talent for assimilating the essence of a moment, and visually translating that to paper. Seeing the mood, feeling the ambience of that instant recreated, was to me, incredibly inspiring.

Originally from England, I began traveling for work within the leisure and tourism sector, specifically adventure holidays. My work took me to the French Alps, for classic European skiing in the likes of Chamonix, Les Deux Alpes & La Grave. In the Summers, I worked in the Tirol region of Austria – being a guide for hiking and biking tours. It was here that my love for photography blossomed. Inspired by my incredible surroundings and backed by my Father’s digital camera, there was no stopping me. I took photographs wherever and whenever I could. I stayed up late, hiking peaks for sunset and staring at the stars – teaching myself the basics of astrophotography. It opened up a new way to see the world and I loved that. I couldn’t get enough of it. So much so, that I saved and purchased my own camera (still the biggest purchase of my life to date).

With a new sense of purpose and discovery through the eye of a photographer, I wanted to travel. We visited Iceland in 2016 – which became my first venture of pursuing photography with real intention . I spent months prior researching basics of digital photography, manual camera operation, composition and editing techniques. I immersed myself in trip guides, location scouting and weather data. I wanted to be ready. The trip was an entire success. One particular day speaks volumes to the addiction that I now know as photography:

I convinced my family that we should drive from Selfoss (in the Southern part of Iceland) to Grundarfjörður in the Western Fjords; a 10hr round trip. I had studied the space weather and knew that there was an opportunity for an incredible Aurora Borealis display that evening. This particular area is miles from any major light pollution and home to Kirkjufell Mountain that holds rank at the head of the peninsular. Needless to say, we made the arduous journey across volcanic dirt roads of the Icelandic interior to reach said area. After a pastel sunset, we waited in anticipation. Beginning slowly, the sky finally erupted into a huge geomagnetic storm (G3) which danced above us. I remember the feeling as though the earth was about to implode as corona pulsated above our heads into the early hours of the morning. We drove back to our cottage in silence, still in awe of what we had witnessed. This will still go down as one of the greatest experiences of my life.

A cumulation of months of planning, right place right time attitude, and sheer good luck!

In the years since, I haven’t tired of this lust. I wish I could bottle the feeling I get when everything comes together. The world unfolding yet another natural beauty right in front of my eyes. I’m like a kid in a candy store, running around trying to capture every second of that moment – and I continue to crave that sensation.

I have now settled in the Canadian Rockies, in Banff National Park. Living the actual dream; with a backyard from the cover of National Geographic. I became a Permanent Resident back in Summer 2019 and spend my long Winters actively photographing snow sports; wildlife, and icy landscape scenes throughout Western Canada. In the Summer’s you’ll find me on a backcountry hiking trail, slung in a tent on a mountainside, or hitting the road in our adventure van with my sidekick Amy.

Recent trips include the Arches of Utah, the dancing skies of Yellowknife, the geothermal wonders of Yellowstone and, remote corners of Nepal and the Himalayas during a global pandemic.