Alex Nail

Members of the Dawlish and Teignmouth Camera Club were left captivated by photographer, Alex Nail - a present day Indiana Jones, who it seems will go to any length to get that photo.

Alex, who grew up on Dartmoor and now lives in Bristol, has a passion for remote or hard to reach locations. It is this passion which has seen him backpacking and wild camping in the Northwest Highlands of Scotland and the Icelandic Highlands during the winter months to try and capture photos that people haven’t seen before.

This dedication to his art has been rightly recognised when he won the Mountain Category of the 2017 International Landscape Photographer of the Year award for his spectacular photo of Uxatindar in Langisjor, Iceland.

Alex goes back year after year in all seasons to his favourite wilderness areas to capture spectacular scenery in different moods, created by the weather and the light. He does not shy away from a challenge, enduring extreme weather conditions as well as precarious locations for wild camping to get his shots.

His secret is the meticulous planning that goes into each trip. He uses Google Earth to discover which locations will give him the best angles for his photographs and makes sure he arrives before first light to walk around and mark the positions needed so he is ready to react as soon as the light is right.

Some of the members were tempted to join him on the photographic workshops he runs to the Drakensberg Mountains, South Africa when shown images and enthralling timelapse films of cloud inversions, lightning storms and rainbows over this spectacular landscape.

At the end of the evening, Alex was given an extended round of applause for a most enjoyable and inspiring talk.

New members are always welcome, so if you are interested in photography, the Club can offer an exciting range of guest speakers, competitions and social events. See the calendar for more details.