Marwood photographer's images capture presigious award

A FORMER mechanic has won a prestigious award for his landscape and weather photographs after swapping his spanners for a camera.
David Forster, from Marwood, has been applauded by the Outdoor Writers and Photographers Guild (OWPG) for his portfolio of weather photographs which includes a number of images of Teesdale scenes. The photographer’s weather images have been published in the Times, Sun and Daily Star newspapers, as well as National Geographic magazine.
The most recent achievement, a highly commended accolade in the OWPG’s annual awards, is all the more significant because he only recently became a member of the guild. He says his foray into full time photography was sparked after climbing in the Picos De Europa, in Spain, during 2014.
Mr Forster added: “It was the year that put me on the first step along the road to becoming a photographer full time.”
The former fell rescue team member’s interest in photography beganin his teens and he remembers that his first single lens reflex (SLR) camera was a Russian made Zenit.
Despite becoming a mechanic, he continued to enjoy taking photographs, climbing mountains and volunteering with Teesdale and Weardale Search and Mountain Rescue Team. He used his photographic skills to record the team’s work for almost two decades. Later, when he was forced to give up his job as a mechanic after injuring his spine, Mr Forster began teaching mechanics part time at Bishop Auckland College while brushing up on his own photographic skills.
This included taking a black and white landscape photography course through Darlington College.
He said: “That made a massive difference to my photography. It is always good to develop your skills whether that is through sharing with another photographer or on a formal course.”
Another learning curve, he said, was getting his first photograph into National Geographic following a trip to the Eyjafjallajökull volcano, in Iceland. He said: “I was surprised they chose the photograph they did. They picked one that was about half way down on my scale. It made me realise you have to have something in a picture that tells a story.”
The 54-year-old is a firm believer in returning time and again to the same scene to find new angles and different weather conditions to capture the best image.
He explained how he had to go back to High Force several times before he snapped the Tees in full flood, resplendent in autumnal colours, for the portfolio he submitted for the guild awards.
Along with submitting photographs to national publications and marketing his photographs to stock photograph websites, Mr Forster supplements his income by offering one-on-one photography courses to those who want to learn or enhance their skills. He has also produced a Kindle book “Camera Walks in Teesdale” which is a guide of ten walks taking in the best photographic viewpoints in the region.
For more information visit bluestoneimages.com.