Wreck Photography

Welcome to
Wreck Photography
A collection of photography and design by Michael Baldwin. Please use the menu above to view the different areas of my work.

Michael Baldwin was born in 1982 in East Sussex. He has lived most of his life in and around East Sussex. Michael's interest in photography began in 2007, when a trip to Thailand (the first of many) started a hobby that he loved. A graphic designer by day, Michael views photography as a release from everyday life. Often favouring landscape photography, he mostly captures scenes local to Sussex but has travelled as far as Malaysia and New York to get some inspiration.

Michael says: "When I was young my father always used to drag us on walks and up mountains, when I was that age I never really appreciated the beauty that nature has to offer. He would be proud to see me hiking over fields and hills now to get that perfect angle - and also possibly a little surprised!."

Michael's portfolio mainly consists of landscape work and one of his real passions is visiting abandoned or derelict buildings. "I enjoy trying to bring out the beauty in something that would normally be considered ugly. The lighting and textures in these areas are unlike any you would get in day to day life. It's a shame to see these places left to rot." A lot of Michael's final images involve more work than just simply taking a photograph. He says: "When I take a photograph it is just the start of the process. Being a graphic designer, I feel most comfortable behind a monitor than a lens. About 80% of one of my final image is computer work."

Michael favours techniques such as HDR (high dynamic range) and infrared and panoramic images. This simply means that one of his final images can be made up of more than 60 photographs. "I'm not someone who believes in replacing skies or adding things in digitally. Everything you see in my pictures was there in front of me when I shot them. I just merely enhance the feeling and mood of the scene."

Michael is a self-taught photographer, who invests a lot of time in researching and practising new techniques to use. He adds: "I have never been able to afford a DSLR camera or a wide angle lens, so my style has developed to find ways around this." Taking inspiration from all aspects of photography, Michael views his work as a combination of photography and art. "With the internet so readily available, I've discovered so many photographers out there that amaze me, but they hardly ever gain industry recognition. It's normally these photographers that push the boundaries of photography - I get my inspiration from them".

Michael's work has been published in various photography magazines and was recently used for an event for local businesses around the Cuckmere Valley. He has also won first place in two photography competitions. "It's still bizarre seeing my work in print - when I first started I never thought I would come this far."

I hope you enjoy reviewing my work as much as I enjoyed creating it.