About us
Stephen Clark – Pebbles Photography
Ten years ago Deanee and I moved from Northamptonshire to Norfolk, although we had made frequent visits to the area, (my wife and I are both keen bird watchers) my photography up until then had been focused on birds and natural history of which I have a large library of images taken in both the UK and worldwide. The move afforded me the time to appreciate the wide diversity of the north Norfolk coastal landscape.
I spent 20 years working in my chosen career which was forestry and conservation. My interest in photography developed from the bird and wildlife photography, pictures taken whilst on holidays in places such as India, Australia, Africa, Trinidad and Israel to the genre of today which is Coastal Landscapes and Natural History. I am self taught and have had no formal training. Using the images from each trip I was able to put together slide shows which I used to raise funds for many local organisations.
It was not until my personal circumstances changed in 2001 when my wife became ill that I retrained and established my picture framing business. I sell both picture frames and my photography via local outlets, Craft Fairs and the internet. By listening to people I meet at the shows I quickly realised that my Coastal Landscapes were by far a more commercial subject. People would ask if I had any images of the local area and it was soon apparent that if you could capture the light in the landscape it potentially had the ability to evocate a passion for an area in so many people.
The North Norfolk coast is firstly now my home. The whole area offers such diversity for a photographer. The ever changing coastline challenges you during each season. Changes to the seascape made by the winds and tides ensure that even the smallest section of the coastline will have changed next time you visit. One statement I often hear when people look at a sunrise or sunset photograph is “That was never taken around here, What, filters have you used?” Yes it was, and no I don’t even own a filter. Norfolk experiences some of the most spectacular sunrises and sunsets, from June to September it is even possible to see both from the same beach. 
I have always found that first light and early evening offer the best light conditions for coastal photography, during the summer months its too bright during the day ( which ensures that I get at least some framing work done)
In winter a clear, cold, sunny day gives a crispness to the colours, the sun stays low over the landscape creating shadows and reflections in the sea. A spring tide will cover areas of marshland not normally covered by the sea. Equally a full moon over the marshes with clear skies offers a chance to capture light and shadows.
When asked “Are they digital?” Yes my photographs are taken with a digital camera, but I don’t spend hours manipulating an image. I only learnt how to switch a computer on five years ago. That was when I bought my first digital camera and it was essential that I could down load my images! For this I use in Canon Zoom browser. I still find that I achieve my best results by using the camera settings to there full potential. Maybe similar results can be achieved by sitting for hours in front of a computer screen – I prefer to be out taking pictures. I use Photoshop CS4 for cropping and cleaning images (sand on the lens is a drawback)