Andy Beck Images- a bit of background.

 I just thought that I would post a bit of background on myself and my photographs mainly for those who have just found me and my work through various media.

 Yep, that's me.

I am fortunate enough to actually be a full time professional artist and this is me in my studio (with one of my photographs not a painting). We live in a farmhouse in Teesdale, County Durham, high on the North Pennines.

 To me photography is a hobby which brings in an income which suppliments my artwork. I love going out and finding those subjects which have the potential for a good photograph or even a future painting whether it is locally here in the dale or further afield. Our location means that we are ideally situated to reach areas such as the Yorkshire Dales or the Lake District in a short space of time.

 I am not only a self taught artist but also a self taught photographer. My early days with a camera were in the mid '70's with a Zenith 35mm and then an Olympus OM1 and I learnt to develop and print my own photographs in a basic darkroom. (Those were the days). Nowadays I, like most photographers have moved on a bit with the advancement of digital kit. However, I would like to think that my early experiences have given me a great base for my current work.

 Quite a few people seem to be surprised that nearly all my current photographs have been taken on a fairly straightforward compact camera, a Panasonic Lumix LX5.

Lumix LX5

To me this camera is a great little camera, it's simple, robust, shoots in RAW as well as Jpeg and has a reasonable zoom. Nearly all the time I shoot with it set on Manual or Aperture Priority as this gives me control of the shots.

 Occassionally I use a Canon 350d, even though this has a lower resolution it does allow me to fit filters for certain shots. However, more and more I just use the Lumix. Shortly I will possibly invest in a decent DSLR with a better range and quality.

 As you may have seen in my photographs, I like to experiment a bit in my subjects even though most are landscapes I find it enjoyable to pick detail from the environment such as trees and walls. It makes it more interesting for me and hopefully for you as the viewer.

I tend to do as little work on the images as possible on the computer. I only use Photoshop Elements, this is to tweak the levels, sharpness and even at times the colour. To me, the image should be "real" and not an overworked computer enhanced fantasy. They may have their place but not in my portfolio I'm afraid.

 Selling my work is not my highest priority but it is nice when it happens. There are plenty of other wonderful photographers out there who I can't compete with and nor would I want to. No, to me, to get out with the dogs, always take the camera and look for a possible shot is all I am about. The fact that so many of you seem to enjoy what I do is all well and good. Hopefully I will inspire you to get out there yourselves and enjoy the landscape and look at it anew and hopefully get your own decent shots.

Have fun!

If you would like to see my artwork then do take a look at my website: www.theteesdalegallery.co.uk or even become a follower to this blog.

Thanks.

Andy