Suffolk young photographer releases East Anglia images book

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Harry Wheeler-Brand

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Harry Wheeler-Brand said East Anglia “has always had a very, very deep place in my heart”

“The feeling itself, it’s pure euphoria. It’s like a high, it’s an addiction to me effectively.”

Photographer Harry Wheeler-Brand has good reason to celebrate his 18th birthday – after three years as a professional landscape photographer he has produced his first book with the aim of encouraging people to visit the “paradise” of East Anglia.

“It’s a brilliant place – endless coast, beautiful shingle beaches, the Norfolk Broads filled with odd windmills and windy pumps, all the inland landscapes – it’s just so special,” he said.

Lifeguard cottages on Shingle Street in Suffolk — Image caption

The photographer says “you just can’t find anywhere else in the world that’s like” East Anglia

Mr Wheeler-Brand has almost 20,000 followers on his “harrybehindthelens” account on Instagram for “out of the camera” images which he says have not been re-touched or manipulated by computer photo software.

He first picked a camera up aged 12, sold his first image for £40 when he was 15 and, inspired by his parents who both had their own business, quickly turned his passion into a fledgling career.

“I spent, I don’t know how many, hundreds of pounds that I’d saved up on getting a camera when I was 15 and thought ‘why not make a print’,” Mr Wheeler-Brand, who lives in Suffolk, said.

“It sold so I thought ‘why not make another five prints’ and all of those sold for £40. So I thought ‘I can make some money from this’ and from then on pushed all my free time into the business.”

Red and white cliffs in Hunstanton, Norfolk — Image caption

An atmospheric shot of Hunstanton in Norfolk

Wicken Fen in Cambridgeshire — Image caption

A windmill on a frosty day in Wicken Fen, Cambridgeshire

As soon as Mr Wheeler-Brand left school photography became his life and work. “I’ve just got a passion for it and my small business turned into this full-time thing which I now do 24/7, but I can’t complain because I love it.”

Harry Wheeler-Brand on location

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Harry Wheeler-Brand

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Mr Wheeler-Brand said one shot can be four months in the planning

He has been shortlisted as a finalist in the forthcoming Landscape Photographer of the Year 2020, and said his success was down to “being very specific with my images” and a lot of planning.

One shot can be four months in the planning.

Flatford Mill, Suffolk — Image caption

“I value every image because it’s unique,” Mr Wheeler-Brand says

“I wanted to feature the East Anglian landscape because it’s just so special and I turned my photographs into a guidebook because I want to encourage more people to visit,” he said.

“I don’t visit a place and take a photo – I’ll always go there once or twice to plan out the image and then wait for the perfect time.”

Point Clear in Essex — Image caption

Mr Wheeler-Brand said he had “always wanted to show people hidden locations”

“I’ve always loved the last minutes in a day when the light hits the landscape to get that perfect image for just a split second.

“It’s literally that rush when you’re there with your camera – just you, no-one else and you get that image that’s never gonna happen again. So I always value every single image I get because it’s unique.”

Sunset at Maylandsea in Essex — Image caption

He said his one tip for a great picture was “take your time, don’t rush it”

“Why do I do it?

“I guess I love that thrill and meeting people with the same driven passion for photography. If the weather lines up correctly, you’ve got this golden light coming through – it’s like complete euphoria.

“You have this big thrill rushing through like adrenaline and you’re snapping away these images every couple of seconds, trying to get the perfect one and then when you get the perfect one you’re thinking ‘Wow, that was a rush’.”