My Passion for the great outdoors

I was privileged when asked by Hugo to write a small article about my use of Olympus camera equipment and also must start by praising the work Hugo and his colleagues do in raising the awareness of the beautiful subject of photography in which we all share the joy of…

My name is Chris Scaldwell, and I live near Manchester in England. I have been enjoying my photography for about 5 years now. I have never been to college or had lessons to learn about the art of photography, I have just picked it up and learnt by myself.

I used to do a lot of Mountain biking and occasionally would take a picture high up in the hills of my surroundings. I was told numerous times that I had a ‘Good eye’ for a picture, so that was really how it all started.

I started to do more walking and wild camping up in the hills of the Lake District, which paired up really well with my photography, and still, to this day, it’s where I take a lot of my pictures.

I hike up into the hills by myself – I appreciate the time alone with nature – no contact with the outside world helps me mentally to destress from the non-stop society we live in these days. My love of photography and nature have helped me through some tough times in my life, so I’ll always show my appreciation for those subjects. Also I’ll take my dog along for company – He’s very at home camping inside the tent with me and a very obedient hound who loves being outside like his owner!!!

I take my camera every time I go hiking with me because you never know just what you’re going to see… wildlife and the weather play a huge importance in capturing pictures to me. Sunrise and sunset high up on a mountain can’t be beaten.

The camera I use is getting towards vintage status now, but it’s been used in -8 cold weather conditions and scorching summer sun, but it never fails and is always my 1st choice to take.

The Olympus E-500 E-series, coupled with a Zuiko 40-150mm lens, works just perfect for me. Yes, I have other Zuiko lenses but this range just fits in really well for everything I need. When I’m high up in the mountains, it’s all about just carrying the essential items I need, so the 40-150mm lens saves me packing any more lenses.

When it’s Winter time, I will pack more batteries into my rucksack as we all know how quick the cold affects our equipment at these times.

I like to keep my photography as natural as possible so the only program I use is Adobe Photoshop just to chuck in a touch of light or dark to highlight the subject of the picture.

I’ve displayed 3 exhibitions now and got another 2 booked in for this year, and there’s no greater compliment than hearing people admire your work. The usual question I get is, ‘You must have an expensive camera!’

I will reply with ‘No’ it’s not about the camera, its about being in the right place and seeing the picture before you.

I hope you enjoyed this little insight into how Olympus fuels my passion for the Great Outdoors.

Best wishes and happy snapping,
Chris