John Eastwood

John Eastwood BA (Hons) is a Professional Fine Art Landscape Photographer who specialises in revealed images from the landscapes of the North West - the natural images and scenes we chance upon in our everyday lives that evoke a sense of place and story. Using only the natural available light, and without the use of filters or digital manipulation, his work attempts to capture some sense of the spirit of the landscape that surrounds us. John is the official photographer of All Saints’ Church, Daresbury, Cheshire (the birthplace of Lewis Carroll) and he exhibits widely across the region in galleries and commercial exhibitions. His work has been published by the National Trust, and featured and reproduced in a variety of books, magazines and periodicals. His limited edition fine art prints are widely collected and are available in a limited edition of just 25 signed and numbered giclee prints, each hand prepared and printed by the artist on the finest quality 100% cotton archival Rag Paper. “Although I spend much of my time exploring the open landscapes of the North West, I have never set out with the deliberate objective of documenting them through a camera lens. Nor have I sought to portray them as idyllic, beautiful, dramatic or pastoral; though one could well apply such adjectives to these environments. What I do seek to convey in my photography is some sense of the natural spirit of these places and their elemental nature, that unique feeling of presence that goes beyond a sense of place and stirs our imaginations, connecting us in a compelling way to the beauty and dignity of our environment. The changing and evolving North West landscapes and the light within them are a passion, a source of constant joy, surprise and wonder to me and I hope this element is transmitted as you view my work. My photographic techniques are entirely dependent on the available light and the actuality of the landscape. I do not seek to 're-enchant the land'; my images are as I found them. I do not use filters nor do I clone or retouch my work using digital techniques. I often incorporate long exposure times into my work and during the course of the image being captured a number of chance elements may occur; the light may change, shadows and clouds may move, grasses and trees may be gently stirred by a breeze. In this way the images I produce are a living, changing and evolving representation rather than a static snapshot of a given moment in time and reflect more naturally how the eye sees and the brain perceives the landscape. The concept of revealed or accidental images conveys something of what matters to me most in photography and what excites me about physically existing within the landscape; the combination of chance, circumstance, light and discovery. Serendipity is integral to my work and as such the number of prints I release as limited editions are few and in many ways self-selecting.”