Paul, better known as Great Lux Photography, was born in Chesterfield, Derbyshire on the edge of the Peak District National Park and has been a regular visitor to the Peak as a walker for many years.
It wasn’t until the start of 2018 that Paul began his landscape photography journey, striving to capture the beauty of the ever changing landscapes and stunning wildlife of our local national park.
Having suffered from clinical depression, Paul openly talks about his mental health issues in order to hopefully help other sufferers know that they are not alone, championing the physical and mental benefits of visiting the countryside that surrounds us. Believing time in the Peak District is not only enjoyable but necessary in order to recharge your batteries from the stress and struggles of the daily grind.
Paul can usually be found photographing sunrise or sunset at various locations throughout the Peak District
#1 Baslow Edge Highland Cow
There has been a herd of Highland Cows on Baslow Edge for over 40 years, and they graze there and this actually maintaining and enriching the moorland behind the iconic gritstone edge.
They are a wonder to see, and a delight for Paul aka Great Lux Photography to capture and record throughout the year. I am sure you’ll agree that this photograph is deserving of the number 1 spot.
ICM, Intentional Camera Movement photography is an abstract style of taking a photograph that has no rules, just the expertise and vision of the photographer taking the photograph – it all comes down to moving your camera over a long exposure. Paul, showing great skill with this stunning zoom based camera movement whilst photographing the rays of the sun coming through trees.
The amazing and iconic Dragons Back which is the spine of limestone formed by Parkhouse Hill and Chrome Hill. Wonderful and ever so dramatic, and here, coated with snow. This is Peak District Photography at its best, beautiful lines from the dry stone walls and the gate leading you through to the scene.
Chatsworth House is indisputably the jewel in the crown of the Peak District. Home to the Cavendish family since the 16th Century, Chatsworth House is a magnificent English country house that is set in over 1,000 acres of parkland.
Paul capturing Chatsworth House on a frosty morning, captured from the bankside of the River Derwent, you can see the frost coating the trees behind the house. A truly stunning photograph, that is befitting of the grandeur of Chatsworth.
Wyming Brook rises in Redmires Reservoirs, flowing north-easterly for over a kilometre down steep terrain into an underground chamber before it flows into the lower of the Rivelin Dams.
Wyming Brook is part of the Eastern Moors Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), there is an abundance of wildlife at this nature reserve, including the common lutestring and northern spinach moths. It is also home to many kinds of birds, from pine seed eating crossbills to the brown and white dipper which forages for aquatic insects along the fast flowing streams. Other notable summer migrant bird species that can be observed on the reserve include redstarts, wood warblers and pied flycatchers. [Ref Wildlife Trust]
Using a long exposure to create a silky water effect, this creates a beautiful final photograph.
