Stephen Bell

Stephen Bell, born 1962, lives in Seaham with his wife Valerie and daughter Samantha.  He works for the DWP (Dept of Work and Pensions) after spending over 20 years in the motor trade as a vehicle technician. He has a City and Guilds Part 1 in photography, and in 2002 gained a CPAGB award in the slides category. 

Stephen says," It was a sad and difficult decision to close the club at Seaham, but joining Durham P S was certainly the right thing to do. It is a smashing club with friendly people and a great atmosphere".

MY PHOTOGRAPHY

My photographic interests include people, places and a bit of nature, but my main passion is sport. I have tried football, rugby, and motor sports including powerboats, jet ski and motorcycle racing. I go to the Croft circuit every year to try to capture the action of superbike racing: this is a local track with some decent access points to get some good shots, but you still need to work hard to get that wow shot. 

I enjoy events such as Whitby`s Goth weekend, Pickering`s 1940s weekend and the events at the Tees Barrage, Beamish and Tanfield. I also love our North East coast despite the changeable weather.  I’m looking forward to the Tall Ships coming to Hartlepool in 2010 which is a massive event for the area.

THE  BIGGEST INFLUENCE

I owe a lot to Clive Churchill who convinced me to buy a camera instead of a watch while on honeymoon! I learnt a lot from the members of Seaham PS over the years, and have been inspired by the many talks and lectures I have seen from visiting guests, and our own members at Durham. You always take home a little more knowledge or new ideas on a Thursday night. 

MY FIRST CAMERA

My first camera was an Olympus OM10 with a 50mm lens.  

MY FAVOURITE CURRENT KIT

I now use a Canon EOS 40D with a range of lenses from 12mm up to 400mm.My favourite lens is the Canon 70-200 2.8L, it is a cracking bit of kit which is useful for most shooting situations.

MY FAVOURITE PHOTOGRAPHERS

As a rule I tend to go for the image rather than the photographer, but one person whose work I really like is Frank Meadow Sutcliffe. I enjoy looking at his work in the gallery at Whitby. For landscapes I like Ansel Adams (not really original I know but his work stands the test of time). From the more modern era I admire Joe Cornish and Charlie Waite. Both have books in my cabinet at home and I never get sick of looking through them. I am also envious of Richard Pelham from the press for having access to top sporting events worldwide.

ME AND THE DPS

I joined in 2006. I entered a few competitions, and in my first 2 years have won the Pixel Trophy (digital progress), The Daisy Edis Trophy (slides) and The Sterling Award (beginner’s prints). More importantly, joining the society has opened up more avenues to expand my photography. Being a member gives better access to events in the area. Examples of this include the Durham Miners’ Gala and the police Bikewise event. My thanks go to the many people within the club who make all of this possible.

THE THINGS I ENJOY MOST BEING A MEMBER OF THE DPS

Seeing work from the top photographers in the society, the NCPF, and beyond. The friendliness, discussions, and banter from like-minded people.

It’s a low cost but highly enjoyable night out (Less than a pound a night is terrific value for money).

AMBITIONS

To photograph the athletics at the Olympic Games (Highly unlikely!).

To photograph a British motorcyclist winning the Moto GP world championship (Unlikely!).

To photograph the Isle of Man TT meeting (Achievable).

THE PEARL (Advice to budding photographers)

Enjoy your photography by taking photographs that make you happy. If others like them it’s a bonus. Do not let criticism put you off and, most importantly, use a tripod!