Gary Wharmby:photogaryphy
Welcome to my world.
Photography is often a journey and for me it started with a fascination for the equipment and the excitement and anticipation of awaiting the result. Of course, I am old (wise) enough to have enjoyed film photography. My earliest recollection of taking photos was as a 6 year old, and my parents allowing me to take some photos whilst on holiday on the Norfolk Broads, UK.
The distinct memory I have is of holding the camera, the little red window with number behind and the sense of amazement when clicking the button, that I had achieved something amazing. I remember also the excitement of waiting (what felt like months, but in reality was a couple of weeks) to see the results. Of course, the photos were wonky, blurry and of course shot on 110 film which was a small film medium, not blessed for its high quality imagery. But, they were taken by me and they ignited a passion that ebbed and flowed for another 15-20 years, when as a young adult I could finally buy some equipment worth talking about.
My first photo - Michelle, my sister, Norfolk Broads, UK in 1975 using a Kodak Brownie
My first proper camera was a 35mm SLR, a Chinon with two zoom lenses, one short and one long. I cut my teeth with this one, experimenting, photographing anything and everything...roll after roll of film, trying Kodak, Fuji, Ilford, whatever I could lay my hands on. I started to take my hobby photography more seriously after a couple of years and upgraded to the recently launched Canon EOS 5 (35mm) with 'eye control autofocus' - wow !
Chinon with unknown lens and unknown film stock - Big Ben, London, UK sometime in the mid 90's
Shortly after this, I built a complete darkroom (black & white only) in my loft and messed around with developing and the skills that were soon to become old news. I got my first photography gig during this period, becoming the official photographer of my local town football club - seeing my photos published for the first time was an amazing feeling. This led to a smattering of work in a semi professional capacity, doing weddings, portraits and boxing.
Stevenage Borough FC, late 90's taken with Canon EOS 5 with unknown lens ...first semi-professional gig
Sometimes life gives you lemons...do I need to complete the saying ?? I was made redundant from my 'proper' job, early into the new millennium and decided that my lemonade would be a new career in photography. I was lucky to have made some contacts previously and was practically gifted an opportunity to work for a photographic agency which dealt mainly with local press work, but held a very decent corporate portfolio also. This meant an upgrade of equipment again and a switch to digital ... a Canon 10d with an 18-55mm lens, complemented by the purchase of a Sigma 70-200mm and a 3rd party flash gun !
My photography world went from good to better as I secured my own corporate clients and managed to get a regular magazine gig too, leading to an equipment upgrade to a Canon 20d (keeping the 10d a second body) and the purchase of a beautiful Canon 16-35mm F2.8 L series lens ... probably one of the best I have ever owned !
Regional magazine cover 2004. The job remit was to capture a shot which signified the school summer holidays ... enter my son and niece, a couple of fishing nets and the local river. Canon 20d with 16-35mm F2.8L.
My own portfolio expanded through my diligence and opportunity through the agency, and it wasn't long before I was working for large global corporates and also shooting high end Reportage weddings, alongside local press, some national press and other corporate jobs.
You might think this was for Airbus ... it was actually a shot taken at the Farnborough International Air Tattoo for Raytheon Systems Ltd who were displaying at the event. Canon EOS 20d with Canon 300mm F2.8L
For personal reasons, I took a break from photography, re-igniting my previous corporate career and ironically I was sensing an industry change ... this was just at the point that smartphones were entering the scene.
I had another crack at photography a few years later, and whilst I managed to secure work with previous clients as well as local press, it was clear the industry was certainly changing, and in many respects, not for the better.
I took my leave, sold all my professional equipment (I owned Canon still, but also worked and owned some Nikon too ...yeah, I know, right ???!). It could also be said that I had fallen out of love with photography a little ...there are only so many teddy bears picnics you can do with the local Vicar before you become affected. So I started a new journey...
I wanted to fall in love with the equipment, the process, remember the old film days but be at the cutting edge in terms of quality, so I chose Fuji for my journey.
First purchase, a Fuji X-E1 with an XF18-55mm shortly followed by an X100S to complement. Eventually, despite my love affair with X100S it was an extravagance for someone who needed flexibility, and it was upgraded for an X-T1 accompanied by an XF55-200mm.
Fuji X100S ... my good friend Ged, a photographer also on a '29 Club' outing (more about that later)
Aside from selling the X-E1 later on, this equipment set up lasted me nearly 10 years ...yes, I know ! And it covered many personal shoots and professionally for a business that my partner and I ran, doing mainly product photography.
So let's finally bring the story up to date ... the X-T1 finally died in early 2024, springing a long hatched plan into action. I needed a professional set up once more, as there was an itch that needed scratching and having moved abroad, I was spotting the seeds of opportunity. Fast forward a couple of months and the new Fuji X-H2S main body, is complemented by an X-T30 II second body, the original 18-55/55-200 lenses, a 27mm F2.8 pancake and the glorious Fuji XF 150-600mm. An LED studio set up, on camera flash and various other accessories help to build a comprehensive, professional set up.
Fuji X-H2S with XF150-600mm. Bleiksøya, Norway in May, 2024.
Of course, the last few years has seen the introduction of video on a huge scale, both for social media and the wonderful moving image platforms Youtube and Vimeo to name a couple. I have shot news video professionally and have furnished my camera kit above with some additional items, a DJI Osmo Pocket, DJI Drone and an Insta 360 X4 ... these combined with professional microphones and the broadcast quality of the Fuji equipment demonstrates a pretty fierce line up.
Click below to take a look at my portfolio, which represents the cross section of work I have and can undertake. I am very happy to discuss new projects and opportunities to collaborate with individuals or organizations.