SheFeatures: Beata Moore
Name: Beata Moore
Camera: Canon EOS R6, Canon EOS RP
Favourite type(s) of photography: Seascapes and architecture
Website: beatamoore.co.uk
Instagram: @moorebeata
Location: Kingston-Upon-Thames, UK
How did you get into photography?
My interest in photography started when I was a child. Growing up, there were always cameras at home and I used to photograph anything and everything. In my teenage years, I developed my first black-and-white films, and the magic of images appearing on paper made me pick up the camera more often. Since 2000, when I entered the world of professional photography, working on books for various publishers is especially close to my heart.
Do you have any photographic qualifications or accolades?
I don't have any formal photography qualifications.
What's the first photograph you remember seeing or shooting?
I remember very clearly one of my early photographs of a setting sun over the Baltic Sea. It wasn't a very good photograph, the sun was small, marram grass was blurred, and a seagull was just a blob in the sky, but it was a good start.
What do you love about photography?
I love holding a camera in my hands and seeing the world around me through a viewfinder. I love capturing a moment in time or a place, and I relish the freedom of expression that photography allows me. It is also rewarding to share my perspective with other like-minded people.
What do you wish you'd learned about photography earlier?
Avoiding any restrictions and rules in art, as freedom of expression and experimentation is the only way to progress and grow.
Where is your favourite place for photography?
I love everything about the sea, and since I saw an image by Jean Guichard 'Lighthouse in a Storm at La Jument,' the stormier the sea is, the better! I travel often to Portugal and Spain, as the coastline there is spectacular and the climate is mild.
Do you have a favourite photographic technique?
I do like very much long exposures.
Can you briefly outline your approach to image processing?
My post-processing is very simple. I shoot in raw, convert images to TIFFs in Canon's Digital Photo Professional software, and do final adjustments in Adobe Photoshop. For B&W conversion, I often use Silver Efex Pro.
What's your favourite lens?
Canon RF 70-200mm f4 L IS USM.
Do you have a favourite accessory?
My Benro Tortoise tripod, light and sturdy.
Have you found the perfect camera bag yet?
No! I have five and still keep looking for an ideal one!
Which photographers have influenced or inspired you, and how or why?
I have learned a lot from Joe Cornish; he opened my eyes to wide vistas, and Charlie Waite, who proves with his images that it is possible to shoot landscapes and architecture and not be pigeonholed to just one genre of photography.
Please recommend 2 or 3 female photographers to follow on Instagram.
Carys Jones (@carysjonesphoto)for her poetic portrayal of horses in the landscapes, and Lizzie Shepherd (@lshepherdphoto) for her wonderful snowy vistas.
Is there a camera, lens or accessory that you don't have yet but you'd like to buy at some point?
I am thinking of buying a Canon RF 100 mm F2.8L macro to replace my very old Sigma 150 macro.
Is there a photography genre you love but haven't tried yet?
Underwater photography.
What's your proudest photographic moment?
For me, the goal has always been printed publications, so it has to be the year 2005 when I was commissioned to do my very first book.
If you could have one superpower that could help you with photography, what would it be?
Flying - that would allow me to move from place to place fast, especially when light is exceptional.
Your favourite baked goods are?
Chocolate chip cookie
Please tell us a little about yourself.
I am the author of five coffee table books and two visitor guidebooks. I have always had a keen interest in nature and art. I am very passionate about creative freedom; freedom to choose freely my subjects and freedom to evolve as a result of pushing photographic boundaries. Soon into my photographic career, I established a preference for seascapes, but also a fascination with human ingenuity in creating architectural masterpieces. Having learned my craft with film cameras, both 35mm and medium format, I now work exclusively with digital cameras. I relish experiencing new places, creating images capturing the world I see, and exhibiting my work regularly. My photographs and articles have been published in numerous publications and my images have been widely exhibited at galleries across the UK, including Joe Cornish Galleries, the Photographers’ Gallery, and OXO Gallery in London.
Although my work is diverse, from wider views to smaller details, both in colour and black & white, my favourites are seascapes and architecture. I am particularly drawn to the subtleties of smaller details of landscape and architecture, providing me with endless patterns, shapes, and textures.
