Virtual | Weather Photographer of the Year 2022 – Meet the Experts
LOCATION
In this live session, a highly esteemed panel of professional photographers, photo editors and competition judges took you through the importance of storytelling in photography and teach you quick and easy techniques to radically change and improve your photography. Presentations and discussions included practical tips on getting the best out of your camera equipment, whether a DSLR or a mobile phone, and how you can make your photo stand out from the crowd.
Joining the panel this year are Craig Gunn and Toby Smith.
Craig heads up the commercial photography and video assignments team of PA Media, the UK and Ireland's national news agency. He has 20 years of experience as a photography manager 12 as Executive Picture Editor at the Daily Mail newspaper. He is highly respected for his creative, consultative and operational advice across his large public relations client base. There isn't much that Craig Gunn doesn't know about the world of photography and how to make your photo stand out from the crowd.
Toby is the Climate Visuals Programme Lead and Media Liaison with a strategic goal of expanding their presence, influence and impact in the media and photographic sectors. Based in the South-West of England, Toby has over 12 years of experience as an environmental and editorial photographer. Climate Visuals, a programme of Climate Outreach, use an evidence-based approach to design and catalyse a more compelling and diverse visual language for climate change.
After her popular talk last year, joining us again is competition judge Jo Bradford. Jo Bradford is a photographer and author who offers tuition and group workshops in smartphone photography and image editing. She is an Associate Lecturer in Marine and Natural History Photography BA (Hons) at Falmouth University and a regular public speaker on photography. Jo is also the owner of Green Island Studios, a bespoke photographic studio and colour darkroom where she is passionate about making photography sustainable and produces cameraless photographic works.
2022's Weather Photographer of the Year competition, in association with AccuWeather, was open for entries from 26 April to 28 June. We would encouraged anyone interested in photography to join this event for the chance to ask questions from some of the leading experts in the profession.
The Weather Photographer of the Year competition is sponsored by:
Panellist Biographies
Prof Liz Bentley is the Chief Executive at the Royal Meteorological Society and will be chairing the event. Liz is also the head judge of the competition.
As Chief Executive of the Society, Liz works with the Council of Trustees to give vision, direction and leadership to its programmes of work. She first joined the Royal Meteorological Society in 2008 as Head of Communications and became Chief Executive in 2013. Liz has had a successful career in Meteorology working with the Met Office, BBC Weather Centre and the Ministry of Defence after studying a PhD in mathematics at the University of Manchester.
‘I was born in Yorkshire and I’m sure my upbringing on top of the Pennines, where the weather can be a little more extreme, is one of the main reasons why I became so fascinated by the weather. I often marvel at the beauty and power of the weather and capturing that in a photograph can be quite magical.’
Jo Bradford is a photographer and author who offers tuition and group workshops in smartphone photography and image editing. Her first book ‘Smart Phone Smart Photography’ delivers simple techniques for taking incredible pictures on your smartphone and her second book, ‘Smart Phone Smart Photo Editing’ offers a complete workflow for editing on any phone or tablet using Snapseed. Jo is the owner of Green Island Studios, a bespoke photographic studio and colour darkroom where she is passionate about making photography sustainable and also produces cameraless photographic works.
Jo is an Associate Lecturer on the Marine and Natural History Photography BA (Hons) at Falmouth University and a regular public speaker on photography. Along with her 2 children and German Pointer, she is based on Dartmoor National Park in Devon, UK. Find Jo on Instagram and Facebook @greenislandstudios
Craig Gunn is Head of Assignments, the commercial content arm of PA Media, the UK and Ireland’s national news agency. He manages a team of in-house producers, as well as a deep roster of freelance photography and video specialists across the UK.
Craig has 20 years' experience as a photography manager, 12 of those as Executive Picture Editor at the Daily Mail newspaper. He is highly respected for his creative, consultative and operational advice across his large public relations client base, helping brands get wide coverage in media with some of those successful campaigns receiving wider recognition at the PR Week and PRCA Awards.
There isn’t much that Craig Gunn doesn’t know about the world of photography and how to make your photo stand out from the crowd.
Toby graduated with a Masters in Contemporary Photography from London College of Communication in 2008. This was after spending time employed both in the British Army Infantry and 2 years working across Africa utilising his bachelors degree in Environmental Science. He operates as Director of Shoot Unit Ltd, an Associate Scholar of the University of Cambridge Conservation Research Institute and lives in Stroud with his wife and son.
Toby was the Artist in Residence of the University of Cambridge Conservation Research Institute for 2015/16. Kindly funded by the Leverhulme Trust the residency enabled a new emphasis on an inter-disciplinary theme whilst seeking out new paths to tackle important conservation challenges. Toby continues to collaborate with the Cambridge Conservation Initiative, the Department of Geography and was invited to join Wolfson College as a Senior Member.
Within Climate Visuals, Toby is available for public or private consultation using a solid research and evidence base to make informed, accurate and impactful decisions around climate change imagery. With a broad network of photography partners, agencies, image libraries and contributors alongside strategic partnerships within the media and editorial sectors.
As a photographer, Toby embraces a range of traditional imaging and innovative video techniques tailored to the objectives, story and audience. Starting with critical research into placement and narrative – he moves between large format photography for exhibition and print, full production video for broadcast and also Ultra HD Time Lapse or animation for web and new-media usage. Toby also has a special interest in the effective publishing of his research alongside online mapping and geo-location which has lead to grants from National Geographic, The Royal Photographic Society and partnerships with institutions, academics and NGO’s on numerous field trips.
His work is exhibited internationally and editorial clients include National Geographic, GEO, The Sunday Times Magazine, TIME, Fortune, The New York Times, Guardian, Intelligent Life and Stern. Broadcast credits include the BBC Natural History Unit, Al Jazeera, Sky News, BBC Radio 4 and BBC World Service. Notable exhibitions and awards include the V & A Gallery, The Barbican, The Horniman and nominations for the Prix Pictet award.
In this live session, a highly esteemed panel of professional photographers, photo editors and competition judges took you through the importance of storytelling in photography and teach you quick and easy techniques to radically change and improve your photography. Presentations and discussions included practical tips on getting the best out of your camera equipment, whether a DSLR or a mobile phone, and how you can make your photo stand out from the crowd.
Joining the panel this year are Craig Gunn and Toby Smith.
Craig heads up the commercial photography and video assignments team of PA Media, the UK and Ireland's national news agency. He has 20 years of experience as a photography manager 12 as Executive Picture Editor at the Daily Mail newspaper. He is highly respected for his creative, consultative and operational advice across his large public relations client base. There isn't much that Craig Gunn doesn't know about the world of photography and how to make your photo stand out from the crowd.
Toby is the Climate Visuals Programme Lead and Media Liaison with a strategic goal of expanding their presence, influence and impact in the media and photographic sectors. Based in the South-West of England, Toby has over 12 years of experience as an environmental and editorial photographer. Climate Visuals, a programme of Climate Outreach, use an evidence-based approach to design and catalyse a more compelling and diverse visual language for climate change.
After her popular talk last year, joining us again is competition judge Jo Bradford. Jo Bradford is a photographer and author who offers tuition and group workshops in smartphone photography and image editing. She is an Associate Lecturer in Marine and Natural History Photography BA (Hons) at Falmouth University and a regular public speaker on photography. Jo is also the owner of Green Island Studios, a bespoke photographic studio and colour darkroom where she is passionate about making photography sustainable and produces cameraless photographic works.
2022's Weather Photographer of the Year competition, in association with AccuWeather, was open for entries from 26 April to 28 June. We would encouraged anyone interested in photography to join this event for the chance to ask questions from some of the leading experts in the profession.
The Weather Photographer of the Year competition is sponsored by:
Panellist Biographies
Prof Liz Bentley is the Chief Executive at the Royal Meteorological Society and will be chairing the event. Liz is also the head judge of the competition.
As Chief Executive of the Society, Liz works with the Council of Trustees to give vision, direction and leadership to its programmes of work. She first joined the Royal Meteorological Society in 2008 as Head of Communications and became Chief Executive in 2013. Liz has had a successful career in Meteorology working with the Met Office, BBC Weather Centre and the Ministry of Defence after studying a PhD in mathematics at the University of Manchester.
‘I was born in Yorkshire and I’m sure my upbringing on top of the Pennines, where the weather can be a little more extreme, is one of the main reasons why I became so fascinated by the weather. I often marvel at the beauty and power of the weather and capturing that in a photograph can be quite magical.’
Jo Bradford is a photographer and author who offers tuition and group workshops in smartphone photography and image editing. Her first book ‘Smart Phone Smart Photography’ delivers simple techniques for taking incredible pictures on your smartphone and her second book, ‘Smart Phone Smart Photo Editing’ offers a complete workflow for editing on any phone or tablet using Snapseed. Jo is the owner of Green Island Studios, a bespoke photographic studio and colour darkroom where she is passionate about making photography sustainable and also produces cameraless photographic works.
Jo is an Associate Lecturer on the Marine and Natural History Photography BA (Hons) at Falmouth University and a regular public speaker on photography. Along with her 2 children and German Pointer, she is based on Dartmoor National Park in Devon, UK. Find Jo on Instagram and Facebook @greenislandstudios
Craig Gunn is Head of Assignments, the commercial content arm of PA Media, the UK and Ireland’s national news agency. He manages a team of in-house producers, as well as a deep roster of freelance photography and video specialists across the UK.
Craig has 20 years' experience as a photography manager, 12 of those as Executive Picture Editor at the Daily Mail newspaper. He is highly respected for his creative, consultative and operational advice across his large public relations client base, helping brands get wide coverage in media with some of those successful campaigns receiving wider recognition at the PR Week and PRCA Awards.
There isn’t much that Craig Gunn doesn’t know about the world of photography and how to make your photo stand out from the crowd.
Toby graduated with a Masters in Contemporary Photography from London College of Communication in 2008. This was after spending time employed both in the British Army Infantry and 2 years working across Africa utilising his bachelors degree in Environmental Science. He operates as Director of Shoot Unit Ltd, an Associate Scholar of the University of Cambridge Conservation Research Institute and lives in Stroud with his wife and son.
Toby was the Artist in Residence of the University of Cambridge Conservation Research Institute for 2015/16. Kindly funded by the Leverhulme Trust the residency enabled a new emphasis on an inter-disciplinary theme whilst seeking out new paths to tackle important conservation challenges. Toby continues to collaborate with the Cambridge Conservation Initiative, the Department of Geography and was invited to join Wolfson College as a Senior Member.
Within Climate Visuals, Toby is available for public or private consultation using a solid research and evidence base to make informed, accurate and impactful decisions around climate change imagery. With a broad network of photography partners, agencies, image libraries and contributors alongside strategic partnerships within the media and editorial sectors.
As a photographer, Toby embraces a range of traditional imaging and innovative video techniques tailored to the objectives, story and audience. Starting with critical research into placement and narrative – he moves between large format photography for exhibition and print, full production video for broadcast and also Ultra HD Time Lapse or animation for web and new-media usage. Toby also has a special interest in the effective publishing of his research alongside online mapping and geo-location which has lead to grants from National Geographic, The Royal Photographic Society and partnerships with institutions, academics and NGO’s on numerous field trips.
His work is exhibited internationally and editorial clients include National Geographic, GEO, The Sunday Times Magazine, TIME, Fortune, The New York Times, Guardian, Intelligent Life and Stern. Broadcast credits include the BBC Natural History Unit, Al Jazeera, Sky News, BBC Radio 4 and BBC World Service. Notable exhibitions and awards include the V & A Gallery, The Barbican, The Horniman and nominations for the Prix Pictet award.