On Friday 31st January 2020, Bangor & North Down camera club along with visitors from other clubs from across Northern Ireland welcomed one of the leading UK landscape photographers to The Space Performance Arts Facility in Bangor. Joe ranks along side the likes of Charlie Waite and David Ward. Joe said that he had been inspired by these photographers but came to the conclusion early in his career that “Im not Charlie I am Joe Cornish”. Therein lies a lesson, be yourself and find your own photographic vision.
Joe commenced his talk which was amplified by his images projected large on the screen behind by saying he was no stranger to Northern Ireland, having visited before on assignment for The National Trust.
Originally from Exeter and now living in his adopted home of North Yorkshire joe studied fine art at Reading University where his interest in photography was kindled .He worked for a while as an assistant in Washington DC and in London. On returning to the UK set up his Landsape Photography practice.
Knowing your location is essential to his thinking and in his home patch he will often return time after time to Photograph the Yorkshire Moors to find something new to say, to explore and to document. In addition Joe Cornish has traveled to the many wild areas of our planet. In the Artic and Antarctic regions, Africa, New Zealand, Italy, Spain, America and Russia to name a few.
In 1991 Joe was the official photographer on an Operation Raleigh expedition to Alaska an experience that was to form his perspective on landscape and nature and his commitment to wilderness regions . Joe takes inspiration from painters such as El Greco, Paul Cezanne and John Constable. His approach has many different forms such as . The grand vista, Geographic landscape, Intimate landscape and The iconic landscape.
Joe's images have a vibrant colourful translucent feel which draws the viewer beyond a record of a location and to the sublime. This was a memorable evening for those present and all thank this master of his craft for sharing his life ,work and insights in a talk delivered in seamless clarity and humility.
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