EXPOSURE: A Photographic Showcase – Part Five (Rick Cook)
This is the fifth in a series of articles celebrating the photographic talent of the North Mayo region. This week, we look at the work of Rick Cook, inspired by the wild and rugged landscapes and seascapes of North Mayo and the people who live here. What follows is a short interview with Rick about his relationship with photography:
1. Tell us a little bit about yourself and your interest in photography.
I have been interested in photography since I borrowed my dads camera for a school trip to the Farne Islands aged 10. My dad bought me my first camera, a solid chunky Zenith E and having access to a darkroom, I was soon able to develop and print my own black and white images. Later, I studied Photography at Derby University as a mature student and have had numerous exhibitions of my own work. I have also been involved in running community photographic workshops.
I love using different film formats, i.e. the 5”x 4” camera for taking time composing images especially in the landscape or a 35mm SLR for capturing that decisive moment. These days I mostly use a digital SLR and sometimes my smart phone.
A lot of my images, since moving to Co. Mayo, are inspired by the seascape of our local beach.
2. What is it that you love most about photography?
From the start I have loved the magic of photography, capturing moments in time and when printing, the magic of watching the image slowly appear before my eyes on the paper. I just love making images and being able to capture things the way I see them.
3. What is your favourite place in the North Mayo area to take photographs and why?
My favourite local place to photograph is my local beach [Kilcummin Back Strand] where the land, sand, sea and sky collide creating different images at each and every moment.
[button link=”www.flickr/rick4259″ (target=”_blank|_self|_parent|_top|framename”) (size=”mlarge|full”) (style=”outline|white|green”)]VISIT RICK’s’S WEBSITE[/button]
