Drone view of sunset over Lake Thun in Switzerland

I’ve been taking photos for over forty years, with a primary focus on landscapes, street photography and portraiture.

My parents bought me my first camera—a Polaroid instant—for Christmas in 1981. Although I subsequently spent a lot of time trying my best to get good results with black-and-white film and many hours in a chemical darkroom, it was only with the purchase of my first digital SLR in 2004 that I really began to get my best results.

I first began taking landscape photos—badly—on a couple of trips to the English Lake District in the late 1990s. The technique of how to compose the landscape into an interesting scene took a lot of practice, but moving to Switzerland made things much easier. An inspirational photogenic view around every corner certainly helps!

Mark Howells-Mead self portrait in a mirror
Autumn colour on the Albula Pass in Engadin
Shawn studio portrait