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LATEST :- Amazing pic features in The Telegraph & Daily Mail Graveyard stars pic

Gilmorton Wind Farm Star Trail features in Leicester Mercury Startrail pic

How to capture Meteors Article Meteors

How to capture International Space Station Article ISS

Mark's photographic contributions featured on BBC1's Great British Weather BBC website link

Stills, star trails, time lapse and video E5 A Winter's Tale

Watch this amazing time lapse video of the E5 freezing over E5 in the freezer

E5 sits in a field for 3 days & nights of continuous bad weather shooting Video

Olympus E5 tested in Iceland. Movie captured with the E5's new HD movie mode Video

Select Images now available to purchase on PHOTO4ME



Hi, I'm an Adventurer, Elemental Photographer, seasoned Stormchaser and Writer, from Leicestershire in the UK. I have been fortunate to witness and capture some of the most hostile extremes of Mother Nature - Tornadoes, Monsoons, Hurricanes, Aurora, Tidal Bores & Sky at Night are just some of my magical subjects. I currently shoot with the Extreme Olympus E5 system. My adventures push man and equipment to the Extreme. Water, Violent Winds, Dust, Ice & Heat are my workplace.

I have worked with many TV clients such as the BBC, ITV, Ch 4, Ch 5, Virgin and featured on programmes such as 'Natures Fury', 'Gethin Jones Danger Hunters', 'Inside Out', 'This Morning', 'Richard & Judy', East Mids Today' & 'Central News'. I have also exhibited at Tate Modern and Olympus Inheritance exhibitions. My elemental photographs have been published around the world and I have written many articles providing reportage, reviews and photojournalism for the National newspapers and magazines. I was a judge for the Lloyds TSB 2010 British Weather Photographer of the Year competition and recently provided expert advice/images for BBC's Great British Weather series.

For magazine articles, commissions, talks, unique TV/Documentary ideas/advice and correspondent work:- EMAIL

Galleries

Severn Bore Nov 2012 : Severn Bore November 2012 tides. A 3* 9.7m bore and conditions were cloudy, mild (7C) and very calm. A great boat shoot for reflections although ambient light (sun) would have made it perfect. Once again I shadowed the master of the Severn Bore and world record holder Steve King. A big thanks to Steve for the ride and Duncan for usual exemplary boat handling (nobody knows the river like him). Not a massive bore overall but some good wave action along the 10 mile journey. Photos captured with a combination of the Olympus E5 + 50-200mm & E3 + 12-60mm. A challenging shoot when both camera systems are hung around your neck and the boat tosses you around like washing in a machine. Camera and owner got drenched and my lenses now have a few more dents & scratches.

Severn Bore Nov 2012

Severn Bore November 2012 tides. A 3* 9.7m bore and conditions were cl ...

Updated: Nov 20, 2012 4:09am PST

Iceland with E5 : Mark takes the new Olympus E5 for a test run in stunning Iceland. The new Olympus E5 and Iceland...a perfect match! A frantic few days to put the new E5 through its paces. Natural wonders such as geothermal springs, waterfalls, glaciers, icebergs aurora borealis and volcanoes. I was spoilt for choice. Full report in the Dec issue of Photo Pro magazine :-) All images of myself were taken with E3. A number of the images have been uploaded as full res JPEG's for detailed viewing. You will also see some strange looking HDR type images. These are images processed by the the E5's new 'dramatic tone' art filter. No colour adjustment has been made to ANY of the images. Some resized images have been level tweaked in Aperture. In addition, it is worth noting that the images captured in Jokulsarlon lagoon of the icebergs, most were taken from a moving RIB, which itself made shooting more difficult. The camera was metering through ESP+AF and for the first part of the shoot I had forgotten to set the focusing from spot, which means metering would have been where the AF spot was pointing. Whilst noticeable on the odd over blown spot, most fared well even with my human error....It happens to the best of us ;-)

Iceland with E5

Mark takes the new Olympus E5 for a test run in stunning Iceland. The ...

Updated: Oct 25, 2010 1:32pm PST

Sky at Night : Moon, planets, meteors, star trails, space shuttle and ISS. A selection from my night sky gallery.

Sky at Night

Moon, planets, meteors, star trails, space shuttle and ISS. A selectio ...

Updated: Feb 19, 2013 11:32am PST

Severn Bore Sept 2010 : Surf giants Russell Winter, Sergio Laus & Steve King-The Severn Bore. Friday September 10 2010. 4* 10m bore. The last sizeable daytime bore of the year. This was to be a very special event for a number of reasons. Firstly it coincided with The Magnificent 7 3 day Bore festival. In addition, there was a very special guest who flew over to surf the famous Severn Bore. Sergio Laus set the Guinness World Record of 10.1km (6.2 miles) for distance surfing in 2005 in Brazil and then 11.8km (7.3 miles) in 2009. This would be his first time in British waters. The opportunity to shoot Sergio alongside Steve King was unmissable. Steve's 1st April 2006 equivalent long distance ride of 7.6 miles inland in just under 1 hour (speed: 8-12mph) was unofficially the world record, but as this was never 'Guinness' verified Sergio retains the title. In addition, UK,s most successful pro surfer Russell Winter joined the field. Three of the worlds surf giants on the river on this amazing day. My journey and bore shoot took place in a boat. I wanted to ride and capture every moment from the lower part of the river down in Arlingham all the way to dissipation at the weir in Maisemore. All images captured with Olympus E3 & 12-60mm, 50-200mm SWD lenses.

Severn Bore Sept 2010

Surf giants Russell Winter, Sergio Laus & Steve King-The Severn Bore. ...

Updated: Sep 13, 2010 11:13am PST

Severe Weather : A tiny selection of my stormchasing adventures from the past few years. More from Tornado Alley

Severe Weather

A tiny selection of my stormchasing adventures from the past few years ...

Updated: Jun 24, 2011 2:29pm PST

Noctilucent : Stunning and rarely witnessed Noctilucent or "Night Shining Clouds". Midnight darkness turns to day from the glow of noctilucent clouds. The shimmering clouds form at an altitude of around 55 miles above sea level and are made up of tiny ice droplets. Because they are so high up in the atmosphere the sun is able to illuminate the clouds from below the horizon. Called 'noctilucent' clouds, which literally means 'night-shining' in Latin, they are normally spotted in polar regions during the summer months. Noctilucent cloud formations are the highest on Earth where temperatures can plunge below -130C (-200F) and winds peak at 300mph. They appear in the mesosphere, which is between 30miles and 50miles above the Earth's surface. Clouds are made up of ice crystals and scientists are baffled as to how these form in an arid layer that is several million times drier than the Sahara Desert. But their prevalence in the summer months might be one clue. Upwelling winds in the summertime carry water vapor from the moist lower atmosphere toward the mesosphere. Apparently the water droplets also need dust particles to stick to to create the ice crystals. This could explain why the phenomenon was first recorded in 1885, two years after the Krakatoa eruption, when several tonnes of carbon dioxide, ash and dust were emitted into the atmosphere. However scientists do not know why the clouds have become more common since then rather than fading away. They have speculated that debris from space may be the answer.

Noctilucent

Stunning and rarely witnessed Noctilucent or "Night Shining Clouds". ...

Updated: Jul 10, 2010 3:20pm PST

British/Eu Weather : A selection of weather images from my tiny island. Wild and calm, wet and dry and most definitely extreme in one way shape or form. EDIT - the occasional Euro location may also be thrown in this gallery too ;-)

British/Eu Weather

A selection of weather images from my tiny island. Wild and calm, wet ...

Updated: May 13, 2011 1:38pm PST

Olympus E5 Dramatic Tone art filter : A gallery dedicated to the Dramatic Tone art filter captured with the Olympus E5. The effect of using this filter is truly stunning and will no doubt generate a cult following. The images speak for themselves but in short - 'dull lifeless images can be transformed with the flick of the filter switch'. The techie bit - Dramatic Tone is a Pseudo HDR Processing. The Dramatic Tone Art Filter is simply a very quick 'in-camera' processing to drastically lift up the details in the shadow region, while toning down significantly the brightness in the highlight region. The filter balances up the dark and bright areas, but at a very extreme margin that the image will most likely turn out looking very unnatural. The lighting balance has been heavily manipulated, and the colour saturation has also been boosted, along with the overall contrast of the image. The overall outcome is a very punchy, strong, vividly surreal looking image. More info on Robin Wong's site - http://robinwong.blogspot.com/2011/01/dramatic-tone-art-filter-on-olympus-e-5.html

Olympus E5 Dramatic Tone art filter

A gallery dedicated to the Dramatic Tone art filter captured with the ...

Updated: Aug 02, 2011 12:39pm PST

Solar : My solar gallery dedicated to our star, the sun, centred in our solar system. Our very existence depends on the sun as the energy of the sunlight supports almost all life on Earth. Over 100 times wider than Earth and consisting of mostly (3/4) hydrogen with rest mostly helium. Less than 2% consists of heavier elements, including oxygen, carbon, neon, iron. I am fascinated by the sun and equally challenged by capturing images . This in itself is no easy feat. To do so one requires special equipment in the form of a special solar filter for use on cameras or telescopes. I have constructed my own hand made filter for my camera lenses using Baader safety film, which is superb for solar observation. It is made for observing the sun with telescopes, binoculars, camera or video-lenses. This foil reduces the intensity of sunlight by 99.999% (neutral density 5.0). An A4 sheet of this stuff costs about £15 and making a mount to hold the film is very easy. Until I can invest in a dedicated solar telescope all images in this gallery are captured with a camera and good quality zoom lens. Olympus E5 camera (some E3) combined with the superbly fast 90-250mm lens. In order to really push the focal length I attach x2 teleconverter (EC-20). This results in a solar spotting focal length of 1000mm (35mm equiv). The solar filter is great for capturing sunspots but will not detail coronal holes or flare ejections. I will have to wait till my next purchase, to capture these :-) Hope you enjoy my solar gallery.

Solar

My solar gallery dedicated to our star, the sun, centred in our solar ...

Updated: Jun 26, 2011 1:21pm PST

Arctic & Aurora (2) : Arctic landscape, Northern Lights, reindeer, huskies, skidoos frozen rivers and much much more. February 2009. The journey commences in Tromso, our 'Gateway to the Arctic', continues via Finland culminating in our base camp, the raw landscape of Ravnastua, Karasjok. This was an epic journey, an adventure and fed us with a hostile beauty. Clear skies every evening resulted in the magical aurora dancing constantly through the freezing arctic skies. It was script written for adventure. Enjoy the journey.

Arctic & Aurora (2)

Arctic landscape, Northern Lights, reindeer, huskies, skidoos frozen r ...

Updated: Feb 26, 2009 3:30pm PST

Arctic & Aurora (1) : A selection from my Arctic expedition & the magical Northern Lights. The aurora borealis, commonly known as the Northern lights - "A pattern of differently coloured lights that are sometimes seen in the night sky in the most northern parts of the world" The Northern lights is a natural phenomenon I have always desired to experience. It has a magical almost mythical surrounding that has been witnessed by few people in all her glory. The Vikings thought they were contrails from Thor's chariot pulled by three goats. I wanted to be included on this elite list and seek out Thor's chariot. Without adequate planning the odds of seeing the Northern Lights are very low. Logistically, one has to travel to a cold northerly location where firstly the Northern Lights can be seen AND when the sun is particularly active AND also hope the skies are clear. In addition, it is a winter event. Throw in the phases of the moon, which can diffuse any showing and you realise JUST how the odds are really stacked against witnessing the phenomenon. I braved the odds, the wild arctic weather and travelled to the Northern Territories of Norway early in 2008. My efforts were rewarded as I witnessed and captured the Northern Lights spectacle on camera for a number of successive days.

Arctic & Aurora (1)

A selection from my Arctic expedition & the magical Northern Lights. ...

Updated: Feb 03, 2009 7:12am PST

Iceland : Geysers, frozen waterfalls, glaciers, volcanic landscape, thermal springs and stunning scenery. Continuing my journey across 66 deg north. What a spectacular country My first visit to Iceland in March 2009 bowled me over. An unspoilt jewel in the arctic circle Atlantic. My journey started at Reykjavik and continued along the infamous Route 1. Blizzards, snow drifts, clear skies, horizontal freezing rain...I had it all along the route. An incredibly challenging photo shoot in such conditions. All images captured from the south part of Iceland. Next stop, the north side!

Iceland

Geysers, frozen waterfalls, glaciers, volcanic landscape, thermal spri ...

Updated: Mar 23, 2009 9:36am PST

Severn Bore 4* Feb 2010 : Severn Bore 4* rating. Breathtaking views from the heart of Sabrina.....captured on 1st Feb 2010. This shoot had everything, a stunning wall of water, gravity waves like I have never seen, brilliant surfing routines, great highlights and shadows from almost perfect weather conditions, apart from the cold (-2.5C) first thing. Big thanks to Steve King for the usual hospitality.

Severn Bore 4* Feb 2010

Severn Bore 4* rating. Breathtaking views from the heart of Sabrina... ...

Updated: Feb 01, 2010 1:34pm PST

Hurricane Ike : Utter devastation and shocking footage from this huge hurricane. Over the years I have watched, learned and listened. This was the time to act. In fact, I have been waiting two years for this experience. The last two hurricane seasons had been very quiet indeed with nothing to bite at. 2008 was a lot more active. In fact, hurricane frequency (and climate change) is something I have been delving into as part of the www.elementalproject.com Atlantic Tropical Cyclone reports from the last 20 years show an average of 14 named storms, 7 of these becoming hurricanes and 3 of these becoming major (Cat 3 or above). During this period there have been a few fluctuations in number and intensity but nothing to verify current media hype that we are getting more (and bigger) hurricanes. Further data is needed to quantify that. What an adventure it turned out to be. Action filled, technically, physically and mentally very challenging as well as a poignant reminder of what Mother Nature can dish up. This was the 9th named Atlantic storm of the season, the 4th hurricane and 3rd Major. This was Category 4 Hurricane IKE which made landfall at Galveston, Texas on Saturday 13th September 2008.

Hurricane Ike

Utter devastation and shocking footage from this huge hurricane. Over ...

Updated: Oct 27, 2009 2:06pm PST

North American Monsoon : Spectacular lightning, dust storms, monsoons, flash flooding...Arizona has it all. At the end of July in 2008 I headed off to the scorching deserts of Arizona for the Extreme Heat project. I witnessed the unique and massive movement of moisture flowing into the desert landscape, the North American Monsoon, resulting in intense flash flooding, huge electrical thunderstorms, incredible haboobs (fast moving dust storms) combined with extreme temperatures. With the Grand Canyon and Death Valley a stone’s throw distance away I was within one of the hottest spots on earth. So hot you can make instant sun tea and hot water comes out of both taps! I captured every minute of this incredible cyclic phenomenon. However, all did no go to plan. After a few days moisture flow was cut off from an early season hurricane and I had to adopt plan B. This took me to Florida in search of waterspouts and thunderstorms. I returned to Arizona for the last few days of the project for some stunning lightning displays too. A true adventure.

North American Monsoon

Spectacular lightning, dust storms, monsoons, flash flooding...Arizona ...

Updated: Nov 15, 2009 10:45am PST

Tornado Alley 2008 : The Plains of Tornado Alley in the USA and storms at their very best. I headed off to the Plains of Tornado Alley during June 2008 in search of tornadoes. My aim was to hunt down, photograph and record the most violent storms on this planet including tornadoes, supercell thunderstorms, huge hail and intense lightning. It was the Tornado project journey from www.elementalproject.com The Great Plains in the mid west of USA, known as Tornado Alley, is an extraordinary place during storm season. It truly is the eigth natural wonder of the western world. It is an area in which 1000 tornadoes occur each year and geographically encompasses the central core of the United States (Great lowland areas of the Mississippi, the Ohio, and lower Missouri River Valleys). During the main storm months of April to July three main ingredients come together. Tropical moist air from the south via the Gulf of Mexico collides with hot dry air from the east via the Rockies and cool dry air aloft from the north. These air masses stack up over the centre of the nation, creating a unique combination of atmospheric ingredients and which provide a perfect breeding ground for severe storms. Such storms can flatten entire communities within minutes and cause utter devastation.

Tornado Alley 2008

The Plains of Tornado Alley in the USA and storms at their very best. ...

Updated: Nov 15, 2009 10:50am PST

Greensburg Tornado Damage : On May 4th 2007 a huge devastating tornado wiped out the entire town of Greensburg in south western Kansas. It was the first ever tornado to be rated EF5 on the enhanced tornado intensity scale, destroying at least 95% of the city and killing ten people. The 2 mile wide tornado struck the town of 1,800 residents at about 9:45 p.m. local time, leaving a broad swath of destruction. Residents reported that tornado sirens sounded for about 15 minutes, then fell silent when the power was knocked out. June 21st I was back in Greensburg. My mission was to capture images of the devastation, talk to the local people and take the information back home to the UK in order to raise awareness of the event. I was hoping by way of media coverage and a future exhibition this can be expedited, which in turn will raise much needed money for the Greensburg cause. Unfortunately, disasters of this nature become yesterday's news too quickly. It is so important to sustain coverage and aid in order to rejuvenate a sense of normality (if that is possible). 

From a research point of view I was looking for many usual signatures associated with tornadic damage. These signatures I have witnessed before with such damage in both the UK and overseas, albeit in lesser intense events. Buildings pierced with projectiles, localised rotation damage, bark stripped trees etc. In fact so widespread and intense was the destruction that I witnessed very few of these signatures. This shocked me but was also a valuable learning exercise. There comes a point within the rotational destruction of vortexes where damage becomes unrecognisably specific. This I assume is where and why the EF5 intensity scale was attributed.

Greensburg Tornado Damage

On May 4th 2007 a huge devastating tornado wiped out the entire town o ...

Updated: Nov 15, 2009 1:37pm PST

Sunset Sunrise & Bows : Rainbows, sunsets & other optical beauty created by Mother Nature.

Sunset Sunrise & Bows

Rainbows, sunsets & other optical beauty created by Mother Nature.

Updated: Jul 02, 2011 2:13pm PST

Severn Bore from the skies : March 2010 saw the biggest predicted Severn Bore tides of the year, in fact the biggest since 2002. I say predicted because many factors influence the intensity and size of the wave(s). A 5* bore week. On Wed 3rd, once again I took to the skies to capture the bore from a stunning vantage point. It was my coldest and lumpiest flight yet. Hands were numb and controlling my two cameras was extremely difficult. I also felt air sickness more than ever before. Still it was an excellent adventure and once again I was extremely pleased to capture some stunning examples of how the marvellous Severn bore behaves during its epic journey inland. I am never ceased to be amazed at how many forms, shapes and disguises the wave takes as it moves along the river moving through the ever changing topography and landscape. Transition from a huge wave to a small ripple or stretched out gravity wave can occur in minutes. For this reason there is no better vantage point than above. Once again I would like to thank Rob Keene, pilot and owner of the microlight. Little Nelly 2 is a real beauty. He knows how to fly that thing, thats for sure. Rob, who runs the Over Farm & shop also holds Severn Bore rides during the bore season. If you fancy enjoying a great ride shadowing the bore river side then check out his website - Over Farm Bore Rides

Severn Bore from the skies

March 2010 saw the biggest predicted Severn Bore tides of the year, in ...

Updated: Mar 04, 2010 12:38pm PST

Severn Bore Past : The Severn Bore is a truly unique natural wonder of the western world. It is a large surge wave that runs into the River Severn estuary, where the tidal range is the 2nd highest in the world. The estuary and natural topography of the river converge the water into the narrowing stretch as it moves inland and as the tide rises. The tide-wave is slowed by the river bed and constricting nature of the estuary. 12 hours of flood tide is compressed to just over an hour whereby the rising tide becomes unstable and a bore forms at the leading edge thus forming the large wave. Capturing the Severn Bore has been extremely challenging. I have used many a craft in order to capture the heart and soul of the great wave as it snakes inland on its epic journey. Car, boat and microlight have all been tools in my constant quest to capture the best of this natural phenomenon. Severn Bore aerial shoot What an adventure. A photo shoot of the Severn Bore from a microlight. A real early start in the freezing cold. Reached the bore the lower part of river and conditions were fantastic (clear with no wind) albeit freezing. Something like -20 with wind chill up at 500ft! Got about 40 mins of real good footage and then the mist rolled in and we had to make an emergency landing in a field in Newnham. This gallery is a pick of the best. Real tough shooting conditions as my hands were frozen solid after 5 mins. All shot with the amazing Olympus E3 and 50-200mm SWD + 12-60mm SWD.

Severn Bore Past

The Severn Bore is a truly unique natural wonder of the western world. ...

Updated: Mar 03, 2010 7:57am PST

Time Lapse : A selection of my time lapse sequences. Sky in stunning motion. There is no better way of seeing how the atmosphere works through all of its layers than by studying time lapse of the sky in motion. Try to imagine the air above us as a piece of cake with many layers. Each layer represents wind moving, at different heights and at different speeds. This is called wind shear. Very difficult to see at any single moment in time, however by capturing many hours worth of digital stills with a good quality digital camera, adding them together in sequence then you have a period of time lapse which shows the full spectacle. Time lapse is an excellent way of viewing clouds in motion and you can see things that are unseen in real time. The wind shear (clouds moving at different speeds and direction with height) is a method used by balloon pilots to turn. Difficult to imagine a balloon in the sky turning as you would expect it to just be flowing with the wind. What they do is ascend and descend into the different 'layers of cake' or veering winds and turn the balloon. :-) All of these time lapse have been captured with the Olympus E3 and 7-14mm, 8mm fisheye or 12-60mm lenses. By attaching a time lapse controller (Pclix), which automates the camera to snap a single exposure every 'x' seconds (I normally use between 5 & 10s), and after leaving the camera shooting for many hours in all sorts of weather, results in many thousands of images on the camera storage card. Note - this method of time lapsing really puts the camera system through hell, in terms of sensor image count and weather exposure. Only use a good quality weather sealed system :-) Finally, in order to produce the movie, I import the many thousands of images from camera to PC, batch edit, and finalise movie in QuickTime & iMovie..... Phew, now you know how much work each one of these takes :-) Movies may take a minute or so to load, depending on internet connection speed. Please be patient, as they are well worth the wait :-)

Time Lapse

A selection of my time lapse sequences. Sky in stunning motion. There ...

Updated: Jun 15, 2010 2:14pm PST

iLife : Images straight from my iphone. No editing. Natural Daily Life. The iphone (3G) currently has an inbuilt 2MP camera. Actually, from a quality point of view it is an excellent camera. Bear in mind it has a fixed focal length (no zoom) and what you see is what you get. Consequently taking good quality photos on it is challenging. Thats's why I set up this gallery. An attempt to fill in the days in between elemental projects with images of life. None of the images are edited, cropped, altered or otherwise and uploaded straight from the iphone. Quite a challenge indeed to test the photographic vision and execution. The images surround life, every day life with people, nature, things that surround my movements on a daily basis.

iLife

Images straight from my iphone. No editing. Natural Daily Life. The ip ...

Updated: Apr 01, 2011 11:28am PST