If you’ve spent any time on Instagram over the last year and a bit, you might just have come across the work of Ryan Lomas (@ryan.lomas) already. Ryan is a UK-based freelance photographer who specialises in adventure and lifestyle photography. His captivating imagery seems to cut to the heart of that calming isolation and solitude people can find in the outdoors. It’s a style that’s won him a lot of fans and followers.
“I first found my love for photography through my infatuation with mountains,” he tells us. “Mountains are humbling. They help you gain perspective, and emphasise our insignificance, through both their sheer scale and age.”
“Mountains are humbling. They help you gain perspective, and emphasise our insignificance”
Ryan grew up in the Lake District National Park. “Spending time within the valleys and peaks of this rugged countryside gave me an appreciation of nature and the beautiful landscapes on our planet,” he says.
As an adventure photographer, Ryan describes his work as something “defined by capturing raw and authentic moments in the outdoors, battling with the ever changing weather and always chasing the next shot…
“The light is rarely perfect and often the weather and terrain can be harsh, but chasing these rare moments is exactly what keeps me driven.”
Here, for your viewing pleasure, are some of Ryan’s favourite photos he’s taken in the Lake District. See it as a chance to learn about the process and thinking behind his photography.
Blue Hour on Great Gable
“This shot to me brings so much nostalgia. The feeling of the minus temperature windchill thrusting towards us as we descend from the mountain resonates with me. I truly love being out in the mountains around winter time, the landscapes are ever-changing and the excitement is definitely a huge distraction from the cold. England has some amazing winter hikes, Great Gable being up there with one of my favourites.”
Looking Towards Scafell
“When looking for somewhere to hike within the Lake District National Park, the internet is filled with blogs that, in my opinion, form a bias towards ‘The Biggest’ peaks. Scafell that sisters Scafell Pike is one of the most intimidating and almost Alpine-looking peaks in the Lake District.
“It’s a massive exaggeration when I say it’s unheard-of but what I mean is that some of the smaller mountains for me are the perfect place to catch some of the most amazing views from around the lakes.”
Crinkle Crags
“This image has to be up there as a favourite of mine. It brings back so many memories of chasing sunrises in summer time. The shot unlike a lot of adventure photography is completely candid. To me, this image is one that almost transports the viewer into the scene for a brief moment. You can feel the genuineness from the image itself. The thing I find difficult about adventure photography is sometimes trying to make these moments look authentic and not staged.”