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Steve Forden
Amateur landscape photographer based on the Isle of Man, with a passion for coastal photography and the uplands of Scotland and the Lake District.
This collection of images was taken in a small area on Glen Maye (Glion Muigh in Manx, meaning luxuriant glen) beach, on the rocky western coast of the Isle of Man. I have chosen these four photos because of the positive story they tell of my development as a photographer over the past year. I arrived on the Isle of Man just before lockdown, moving here from London, to stay with my wife's family and we've been here ever since. This has represented an excellent opportunity to develop my craft and invest some real time in thinking about the kind of images I want to take, honing my compositions and generally making the sort of progress that only comes from putting the effort in to improve. Previously I had been largely restricted to occasional trips out of London to Scotland or surrounding coasts when I had the chance.
My experiences at Glen Maye provide a neat encapsulation of the improvements in my photography. Despite its fascinating geology, wonderfully textured and shaped rock and rich potential for creative composition, it is in fact quite a challenging place to photograph (or at least I find it so). Getting the optimal tide time, when waves are interacting most engagingly with the rocks and when somewhat unsightly seaweed is covered up, can only come from experience borne of repeat visits. In many places it is challenging to isolate features of interest and images can become somewhat cluttered.
Prior to this year I probably would have contented myself with taking relatively ill thought through snapshots at this location, but upon first arriving post-lockdown I realised that to really make the most of this area, I would have to work hard. This is an attitude I have tried to adopt consistently throughout these past twelve months and I am a much more satisfied photographer for it. I am also a happier one too, as knowing that I can return over and over again to the same spot much reduces the pressure to get images I am pleased with. I know I still have much to learn and many improvements to make. Perhaps in five years, I will look back on the photos I have submitted here and cringe. But for now, they represent where I am as a landscape photographer.
