Artist of the month - Dave Fletcher
Dave Fletcher is an award-winning photographer based in the North East of England, with over 15 years’ experience behind the lens.
Completely self-taught, his images have graced the pages of many photographic publications and have clinched prizes in many competitions, most recently the award of DVLA Bike Vista Photographer of the Year 2009.
Dave’s passion for photography began in the winter of 1994, when he took his dad’s compact camera with him on a day trip to Weardale, where the snow had covered the whole of the dales under a crisp white blanket.
“I was basically taking snaps of the day”, said Dave, “but one of the images I got back from the lab stood out from the snaps and I knew from that moment that this photography lark was for me.”
He soon outgrew his dad’s camera and invested in a Zenit E, photographing everything he could. “Looking back, my first photos were very poor. But as time went on and I progressed along the learning curve I, and others, noticed a marked improvement”, he added.
In 2003, Dave made the move from film to Canon digital cameras and continued to educate himself through the use of magazines, books and the fellow members of his local camera club in Washington.
He said: “I joined Washington camera club and found inspiration in its members and guest speakers, as well as a guiding hand in the form of constructive criticism.”
Today, Dave still photographs a wide variety of subjects, but the one area that he is drawn to most is nature photography, whether that is “a panoramic view of the Lake District or a sparrow on a bird table.”
For more information, please visit www.dave-fletcher.co.uk
