Wayne is a former Royal Marine Commando who found his love for photography while traveling and exploring mountainous regions. He believes in avoiding perfectionism, embracing cheerfulness in the face of adversity, getting outside of his comfort zone, and maintaining discipline as key principles in his photography, learned through his experiences as a Royal Marine and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner.
As a child, I was inquisitive. I had a desire to explore how things worked and a need to see new exciting things. My friends and I would spend our days exploring the local woods and moorlands. When I was 21, I enlisted in the Royal Marine Commandos, satisfying my need for adventure and travel. I left the Royal Marines in 2015 and continued to travel. Towards the end of my career, I was introduced to snowboarding, and with this, I found a love for mountainous regions. Later, I added mountain activities, including rock climbing, hiking, and mountaineering. There was something about the scale of the mountains and the wild environment. It made me feel so small and insignificant that none of the everyday problems mattered. I found a haven of peace and absolute presence, a sense of wonder.
Photography came with a desire to capture and record my adventures. Initially for my memories, and later to share with friends and family. This transitioned into a desire to inspire others to travel and seek beauty. I love that photography can transcend culture, language, and time. Photography can tell a story or freeze a fleeting moment eternally. I started my photography journey back in 2005 on a safari in Kenya. In the beginning, I was obsessed with shooting wildlife. After some time, I moved to travel and landscape photography, and recently, people have become a subject of interest to me too.
A trip to Iceland was the tipping point for me. That’s when photography became the main focus of my travels rather than something I did while travelling. Iceland provided many moments of sheer joy. I was so taken aback by the landscape. Although, I had a day when I went out and felt uninspired and didn’t find anything beautiful to shoot. I had almost given up. I went to a parking space near a church to eat a sandwich. At sunset, I was blessed with the most beautiful light scene. I took a shot and instantly loved it. I vowed to stay out on future trips and keep looking even when I felt like giving up. This was a moment I remember noticing that the only limitation is your mindset.
If you are a photographer, you owe it to yourself to go to Iceland. I was so blown away by the country’s beauty. Every scene looks like it is out of this world and epic. My favourite area was on the East Coast. The DC-3 Plane Sólheimasandur Beach crash site impacted me tremendously. The contrast of the empty black sandy beach against the weather-stripped bare metal shell of the plane is so beautiful. And it’s nice to showcase a mixture of natural beauty with an artificial element involved. Another favourite was the beach around Vestrahorn. Because I visited in winter and out of season, most tourist coach tours stayed close to Reykjavik. When I arrived in Hofn, the hotel was tranquil, and each location I visited had few other people. I spent hours on the beach over multiple visits, shooting the mountain. Standing in an awe-inspiring scene alone is an unforgettable experience. Just the landscape and your camera. Not a single distraction. You can be nowhere but present in that very moment. Fully immersed and joyous. It’s beautiful.
Ever since Iceland, I have planned my trips around photography, choosing areas with specific photography locations and activities that fit my portfolio. Although I plan and try to achieve a result close to the image I envisioned, the following four guidelines always help me remember what counts the most: Avoid perfectionism, Cheerfulness in the face of adversity, Get outside your comfort zone, and Discipline is the key to advancement.
Firstly, the avoidance of perfectionism. I have found that striving for perfection can stifle progress by only seeking ideal conditions or specific compositions. I shoot during all conditions. Photographers generally try to shoot golden or blue hours. In my case, I love a moody atmosphere with an interesting sky. Those conditions happen during bad weather conditions, rain, snow, and wind. The main bonus is fewer people will be out, so you sometimes get the scene to yourself. But also, you never know what you will see. I like the unpredictability of it. It’s like wildlife photography. It feels more special if you think you captured a fleeting moment.
Secondly, cheerfulness in the face of adversity. This is one of the Commando values instilled into Royal Marines during training. It serves to encourage Marines to continue during hard and testing times. But not simply to continue but to do it with cheerfulness. To bear the cross but accept it willingly and happily. To find enjoyment in tasks others would find difficult. This mentality serves me well when I shoot under challenging conditions, when the elements are against you, whilst cold, wet, and tired.
Thirdly, getting outside your comfort zone. This goes along with perfectionism, as mentioned earlier, by trying new techniques and styles of photography. Recently I started some street photography and long-exposure waterfall photography. I loved learning new skills, and it was like starting the exciting photography journey again. If you feel uninspired, get out and shoot something new and try a new technique. It’s sometimes easier to do what you are good at and avoid new tasks you know you will perform poorly. But you see the most significant growth if you dare to fail and keep going. In the words of Jordan Peterson, ‘The greatest accomplishments come from where you least want to look’.
Lastly, Discipline. I learned discipline in the Royal Marines and through my Brazilian Jiu-Jitu. Jiu-Jitsu will humble you, especially if you travel and train. You can never win all the time. If you can’t accept defeat, your progress will be hindered. The greatest lessons come from failure. Jiu-Jitsu taught me to turn up even when not too fond of training. It taught me that even when you have had a nasty session keep training. Eventually, persistence will pay off. So, I carry that into my photography. I believe that turning up even when you don’t feel like it is the key to progress, not enthusiasm or determination. With discipline, you keep showing up. You grind away. Some days it will be easy, and the excitement will be there, and on other days you won’t feel like it, but you go anyway because you persist.
Progress is inevitable because you keep going, moving forward despite the absence of enthusiasm in some moments. I would have missed some of the most beautiful moments if I had given in to the thoughts of not feeling like going out that day. Suppose I have a bad day or feel my photography did not produce anything significant. I let go of the feelings and go and shoot even if I don’t feel like it. This has almost always led to something surprising that has changed my mood. Photography comes easy because I love the process; I am not attached to the outcome. So, the “bad” days are still good to me. But should the day come when I don’t feel like shooting, I will rely on my foundation of discipline to keep going.
Photography is still a hobby for me, while aiming to transition to full-time photography eventually. For me, the Canadian Rockies have been the most inspiring for my work. I never get bored of shooting in the Rockies. Even after seeing some of the peaks and lakes 4-5 times, I am still taken aback by their majesty every time I visit.
One photo I particularly love was taken on the abseil from the alpine climbing route ‘Surfs Up’ in Bugaboos, Canada. It was my longest multi-pitch alpine climb to date and right at the edge of my then-climbing ability. I came down with an immense sense of achievement; the whole day was fantastic. The Bugaboos are special. The photographs closest to my heart are not necessarily the most dramatic or professional shots. It’s the candid shots that capture unforgettable moments from my life.
However, I do have certain aspects that I always try to keep in mind as I think it just brings a landscape shot to the next level.
1) Depth, something interesting in the foreground, middle ground, and distance.
2) Angles shoot below eye level, close to water or through an object. This will make for a more interesting photograph. I like to give viewers a different perspective from how they see the world daily.
3) Light, everyone reads that light is critical and that photographers capture light. I only understood this once I took the time to observe different types of light closely. How light moves through objects and creates attractive patterns.
4) A tripod, I resisted a tripod for years. Even after I purchased a good one, I would carry it and never use it as I felt self-conscious about getting it out at locations with people around. Once I started to use it and realised what it could do, I was hooked. If space and weight allow, I take one everywhere now. A tripod is a necessity for low-light and long-exposure photography.
Let’s go a little deeper into the third point, light, as it is the one element that jumps out at me. I notice the way it dances over everything it touches. When the rays burst through gaps in the clouds like laser beams landing on earth. It is the main focus of my attention. I plan shoots by looking at popular photography spots on Instagram. The PhotoPills App is valuable for checking lighting conditions at a set location. It offers access to information regarding sunrise/sunset with the ability to plan. However, I have found that my favourite shots have come unexpectedly. Usually, while driving to a destination. In Canada and Switzerland, I have experienced this phenomenon. I see a great light bursting through some moody clouds. I can’t drive on without stopping now. Because of this, my camera is always on the passenger seat of my rental car, ready to shoot. These moments have a surprise element and seem more unique and individual than shooting popular locations that have seen thousands of shots published online. The first time I noticed the power of light was in Switzerland at the field near Rosenlaui. I had planned the location using Google Earth, but the weather in the mountains can change quickly. I drove a few hours to get there only to discover a storm coming. A dark cloud covered the whole area. I waited for close to an hour, and my patience was rewarded. A short burst of sunlight broke through the clouds and touched the face of the rock. I shot as quickly as I could. I instantly knew I had a great shot.
In my editing approach, I pay homage to the natural environment. I don’t want it to appear unreal or polished. Initially, I would do fundamental edits, only correcting exposure. Then, I played with presets for some time. In my current approach, presets are not needed. I now do a basic edit after which I colour-correct to my liking. I want to keep the colours muted but natural to the scene. I will desaturate the earth but allow the fantastic colours in the sky to shine through. My favourite shots have required minor editing. The ones that look great straight out of the camera. This image of Moraine Lake, AB, can be a good example to show my style. It was shot on my iPhone 12 Pro. The edit, as you can see, is minor:
1) Exposure adjustment
2) Contrast increase
3) Saturation increase
4) Tone curve S profile
Sky Mask for additional exposure changes
Nevertheless, style evolves, whether that is the way I take pictures, the subject I capture, or how I edit. I would love to combine my passion for the outdoors with my photography. I see myself working as an outdoor adventure photographer. Shooting expeditions to remote locations, climbing mountains or in the backcountry, shooting riders cruising through deep powder. To be in those locations is fantastic, but to share the moments with people who don’t have the resources or ability to get there for me is somehow even more special. My primary strategy is to shoot content more specific to the industry I wish to work in. Ask what potential clients would want. Also, research the business elements of running a photography business. You can’t simply be good at photography to succeed. You need the skills to market, brand, and sell your work. I know there is a lot left to learn and to achieve in order to improve and get where I wish to be. Most important to me, however, is to enjoy every aspect of it along the process!
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