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Shutter Life | Ryan Lomas Talks Us Through His Favourite Lake District Photographs

Looking at the Lake District through the camera lens of a photographer who grew up there

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

Credit: Ryan Lomas

“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

Credit: Ryan Lomas

“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

Credit: Ryan Lomas

“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.”

Inversion Covering The Valley of Langdale

Credit: Ryan Lomas

“Another one from a sunrise mission. Leaving the house at 1am on absolutely no sleep at all isn’t the easiest thing to do. It’s made so much easier by the hope for conditions like this though. On this particular morning, we struck gold. The thing I most love about sunrise photography – especially in summer – is the fact you’re always chasing the dream conditions. The uncertainty is definitely what keeps me driven and excited.”

Helvellyn

Credit: Ryan Lomas

“Thinking back as far as I can remember, I always pictured Helvellyn in a way I had actually never seen it. I knew deep down that these conditions can occur and was sure if I was persistent, I could achieve – in my eyes – the dream condition on Helvellyn.

“Thinking back as far as I can remember, I always pictured Helvellyn in a way I had actually never seen it”

“After a few failed attempts, this really started to play on my mind. I would think about getting up Striding Edge at every given opportunity to make this happen. Constantly checking the weather forecast for fog and low cloud, and chancing it until the one day the elements aligned perfectly.

“Fast forward to January 21st 2020, after what must have been at least 12 failed attempts. The conditions were exactly how I had envisioned. Needless to say, I filled a few SD cards that day.”

Napes Needle

Credit: Ryan Lomas

“If you haven’t guessed by now, within my photography I really love to frame certain aspects of landscape rather than shooting incredibly wide. For me, this shot is a perfect example of that. I love to try and capture the mountains in a way I feel best represents them and I love how the shot came together in exaggerating the intimidating rock faces of Great Gable.”

Sunrise Over Ullswater

Credit: Ryan Lomas

“With Ullswater being right on my doorstep this particular image was shot on a morning I managed to persuade the whole of my partner’s family to hike to catch the sunrise.

“Ullswater is one of my favourite places in England”

“By the time we got to the top it was quite clear, by the thick layers of really dark cloud, that we weren’t getting a sunrise at all. It was still a really nice morning and as we were packing up the bags, about to head home, we got rewarded with the most incredible beams of light striking their way through the clouds.

“Ullswater is one of my favourite places in England. Seeing it under these conditions, it’s just a completely different experience.”

Looking Down On Wastwater

Credit: Ryan Lomas

“Arguably the best view in the Lake District. I love this image not only because the view is outstanding but because every moment I’ve captured lives inside my head is a memory, and this evening was one of the best I’ve had out in the mountains. It was a beautiful autumn evening.

“Arguably the best view in the Lake District”

“Although a lot of my hiking involves gripping onto the camera 99% of the time, this one was different. Catching up with a good friend, we thought we would go on a relatively gentle hike. It was such a nice day we didn’t really keep an eye on the time, and just kept on walking.

“By the time we reached the summit of Great Gable, the sun was setting. Fortunately. I had the camera in my bag. It was so nice not to be stressing about capturing a certain image because as a photographer this is something I do a lot. On this occasion, the elements aligned perfectly.”

For more on the photography of Ryan Lomas, check out his website.

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