Stephen Walton Photography Workshops

Given how long I’ve been taking photographs, I thought would be an interesting task, after seeing similar versions online, to post my first ever ‘proper’ photograph and my most recent one.

2005: The Millennium Bridge on Hadrian’s Wall

It’s actually quite an interesting reflection upon how photography itself has changed as much as my own approach to it. The first shot below was taken near Hadrian’s Wall in Cumbria, it was back in 2005.

It certainly wasn’t the first photograph I’d ever taken, just the first one that was taken when I knew that I wanted to work as a visual artist.

The shot was taken on Kodachrome using a Nikon F55 35mm SLR. 
I’d love to revisit the location and actually take the same shot again to see how much difference there is.

One day I’ll make plans to get back up to Hadrian’s Wall and photograph the Millenium Bridge one more time for comparison.

2019: Laundry Rooms at Chirk Castle

The second shot was taken a week ago in the Laundry Rooms of Chirk Castle near Wrexham. You can straight away see similarities between the shots but also giant differences. I still love centralised leading lines with strong sense of structure and clean edges, but my approach to style is more considered, or at least, I’d like to think so! 

I always make sure my photographs now are more emotive, and stylised – not solely to be distinctive from others but also because I want to have a longstanding emotional connection with the photograph in the future, what I mean by that, is that I want to remember how I felt at the time of taking the shot.

What did the room feel like? What would it have felt like when it was a working Laundry Room for others? It may seem all artsy-farty to some, but, I really don’t care about negativity. That’s their problem.

2021: Return to the Millennium Bridge

Only a few months ago I was really fortunate to get the opportunity to go back to Hadrian’s Wall. It was a chance for me to photograph the Millennium Bridge (first image) again.

Conditions weren’t ideal. It was early winter and the light was piercing through the trees toward the camera. I shot the 2005 version in the spring of that year but as seasons change so does the light.

I did what I could shooting with a Sony A6000 camera and a 16mm Sigma F/1.6 lens. I’m not 100% happy with the outcome but it was really exciting to revisit the location regardless.