Hi there,I’m Grey O’Dwyer, a photographer based in the English Lake District.
At base my photography is human-centric, seeking to document and capture the life and lives of those who enjoy this mountainous region. For the most part this means hikers, fell runners, and rock climbers, along with the occasional Herdwick sheep. In this sense my work is essentially a blend of adventure photography, landscape photography, and street photography.
My life gallery is home to my principle photographic interest. Alongside this I also enjoy more conventional landscape images of the Lake District with a preference for the bigger mountains in the winter months. The third aspect of my Lake District photography is a long-term project to shot each of the 214 Wainwright fells over a three-year period. I unimaginatively called this Project-214.
Alongside these core interests I also enjoy street photography in Mexico City, Playa del Carmen, Vienna, and Ljubljana along with images of the European Alps (principally those of Austria and Slovenia).
Photographic Approach
Coming from a fell running and rock climbing background I generally blend this with my approach to photography. This means that for the majority of my shooting I head out for a few hours when the light is being mildly cooperative, carry one camera, one zoom lens or two small primes, a small fell running pack, and few snacks. Although not moving as quickly as I might without a camera, this allows me to go from valley to summit at a fast pace, shooting as I go. Of course, I sometimes opt for longer days out, where I’ll adopt a more of a formal landscape or hiking set up, but I much prefer my fast and light approach to photography.
Camera Gear
In terms of specific gear I shoot with, I switch between different cameras depending on the type of photography I’m focusing on on. For days when image quality is paramount, I carry a full frame Nikon Z6 or Z7. For more technical terrain such as the rock faces, gullies, and ridges of the Lake District I switch over to a OM System OM-5 or an Fujifilm X-T3 and while small, the hilariously sharp lenses for these cameras are simply stunning. When I have to move fast, and over long distances I will often carry a tiny Fujifilm XF10 that somehow squeezes an APS-C sensor inside (witchcraft I assume), with a 28mm prime lens. This tiny thing isn’t much bigger than a mobile photo, but the character and colour rendering it produces is probably my favourite of all the cameras I own.
Collaboration and Prints
Despite being Lake District-based I don’t tend to sell too many prints through my website. Rather I tend to work with local artists, guide book writers, and publishers who use my images for these purposes. Do get in touch or message my on Instagram. if you are interested in using my photography for these purposes. I’m always open to discussing this sort of thing and would be most happy to hear from you. That said, if you would like to buy a print, of any image, do get in touch as I’m happy to sell these on low volume basis. I have sold plenty of prints in the past, but the administration involved in this tends to keep me at the desk, ploughing through emails and placing orders with local printers, rather than on the crags and fells of the Lake District. I know which I’d rather be doing with my time - see you on the fells!
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