MARK GILLIGAN

Mark Gilligan is cited as one of the countries foremost full time, professional landscape photographers and teachers.

"I have been a professional now for over 45 years and as well as taking photographs for a living, I have also taught imaging for much of that time. I was the Director of the National, dedicated course for Police and Home Office staff to teach video and photographic skills to ‘specialist units.’ I gained the INVESTORS IN PEOPLE accreditation for that work, as well as the BRITISH KITE MARK and was integral in devising new photographic techniques that are now standard practice within those very specialised, targeted areas of work. Combining my landscape and classroom teachings, means I have now taught in excess of three thousand people over that time.

I work throughout all seasons and enjoy the Lakes and Eryri (Snowdonia) in equal measure, as they are both so different in what they offer. My energies now go into teaching the discipline of landscape photography on my workshops and courses, as well as photographing and writing professionally. I also spend a considerable amount of my spare time photographing the quarries at Dinorwig in Eryri (Snowdonia), as they are a passion of mine. I love documenting the changes they present as time envelopes and redevelops this fascinating location throughout the seasons.

An accredited, award-winning member of the British Institute of Professional Photography, I was made a Fellow by them because of my specialist and original Landscape Photography in the Lake District and Eryri (Snowdonia). A features writer for many magazines, my work regularly appears in the national and regional walking and photography publications. I am very proud to also be supported in my work by BENRO, SHIMODA UK, BenQ, BERGHAUS, and PACER POLES.

For a number of years now I have been working on ‘Intimate landscapes’ and was extremely proud to be invited onto the specialist website along with a select number of ‘TOGs’ to showcase our work in this genre. The site has gathered a fantastic following world wide and I am very proud to be associated with it. In fact, I have been asked to be one of the judges for the 2027 competition and I look forward to seeing those entries in due course.

I enjoy photographing the bigger picture too, as I feel thats what attracts us in the first place. The mountainous regions are their own dramatic, natural theatre where the terrain and light combine to produce endless photographic opportunities. For me, photography is an organic process between the view and the photographer. Whilst I utilise digital now, I don’t take and create landscape images that are in need of lots of computer/software work. I am a photographer who processes images with the bare minimum of Lightroom to ensure that they are as faithful as can be to the scene I photographed. As a result, my time in front of a computer is minimal. Lightroom work is a vital 'tooth on the cog' but for me, it is one that is integral rather than totally reliant to make that a pleasing, true representation of what we see and capture. 

I do ‘spread my wings’ occasionally when photographing intimate landscapes and abstracts, as they afford me the freedom to express how I see what is before me. In effect, putting my own ‘stamp’ on what I see. However, as far as my ‘true’ landscapes are concerned, I am not one for creating layer upon layer to remove the image so far away from the original that it becomes a computer graphic.

I am delighted and honoured that I am asked to speak to clubs and societies to deliver presentations throughout the UK. Not just to clubs and societies but also by presenting at ‘The Photography Show’ on behalf of several of companies who support me. I have been a guest on many stands, as well as being on the bigger stages too.

Not a stranger to the moving image, I didn’t just take still images over those years but also produced a directed many films for the Home Office that were used both internally and externally for public consumption. Trained at the BBC, I am proud of the team that I worked and we became the recipients of several international and national video awards.

After I retired from the Home Office, one thing I said I would never do again was make programmes but I did get on ‘the other side’ of the camera and presented a film on behalf of Fujifilm regarding their 8-16mm lens which is still available on YouTube.

However, time has a habit of changing things and in the autumn of 2025,I decided to start making my own programmes and they can be seen on my MovingStills channel via YouTube. They are different in that they not only concentrate on the photography I am undertaking but I look at the area as well as location that I am working in. I firmly believe that we should take note of those places and their history/ literary importance.

I hope that my wealth of experience and enthusiasm will be of great benefit to you.

Please contact me via my email which is mgilligan@wastwaterphotography.co.uk and I look forward to hearing and meeting you soon.

Regards

Mark”