RESIDENT DARREN WOOD & HIS FABULOUS PHOTOGRAPHY
I’m Darren Wood and I’ve lived with my wife in Balcombe for 14 years and have two young sons (7 and 4). I’ve always enjoyed the village life having lived in Newick and Lindfield prior to moving to Balcombe. I work at Gatwick Airport as one of the Terminal Managers which is in stark contrast to a peaceful village life!!!
What first got you into photography?
I’ve always had an interest in photography but it was when I was studying astrophysics at the Royal Observatory that I learnt that a camera can often pick up better detail in photos than the human eye, so when I finally got my hands on a camera that I could manually change all the settings to suit the scenario, that is when my interest took off. I love the fact that I can freeze and preserve moments in time and share them with others. In the case of taking photos of stars or galaxies when you consider that you might take a photo of something thousands of light years away then I’m actually taking pictures of something way back in history (and the object may not even exist in this exact moment in time)
What’s your favourite thing to photograph and why?
I’ll have a go at photographing anything (probably less so formal gatherings of people) and love to experiment with different techniques so it’s very difficult to pin down my favourite thing to take photos of but, the landscape photography I did in Iceland is a highlight (the Northern Lights is bucket list stuff). But then equally taking photos of wildlife in Africa is another highlight for me (seeing a wild Big Cat hunting and catching prey is another bucket list item ticked for me!)
Do you need really good kit or can anyone have a go at creating great photos?
I used to believe that you needed a professional camera to capture great images but with the advent of smart phones there tends to always be a camera in your pocket when an unexpected event happens and often these yield some of the best pictures I see. 80% of my photography tends to be with my phone as it’s a lot easier to carry a phone around rather than a big heavy camera bag. So in answer to that, I think if you have the eye for a photo then you can catch some great moments and capture some great memories, especially when it comes to family life, no matter what equipment you have.
What’s the best thing about living in Balcombe?
I love the fact that within two minutes I can be wandering in the fields capturing scenes around the village, I love the fact that we have Red Kites (I also love taking pictures of Birds of Prey) resident, close to the village, and I enjoy taking photos of those hovering above the house and in nearby fields.
I love the pheasants that seem to live in our garden. I love that I can wander through St Mary’s churchyard and see a family of deer or foxes in the middle of the day. I love that fact that I can be at one of the world’s busiest airports within 10 mins yet have the peace and tranquillity so close (something I need given that I can deal with over 70-80,000 people a day in my job). Not to mention that Balcombe has an awesome sledging field down in Mill Lane!!!
Would you think about doing an exhibition in the village?
An exhibition? No, I’ve never thought about it, although there are some very talented photographers in Balcombe so maybe we should all get our heads together and do something! I tend to mostly upload to my personal website or a photography sharing site, found here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/ricepilot.