Interview with Simon Bath

Hi Simon! Tell us about yourself in two sentences - who are you?

ACurrently working as a Visual FX Producer at The Mill. Previously I’ve been lucky enough to take several sojourns around the various parts of the world, where I started picking up a few photography tips which I’ve been improving on ever since.

What's the weirdest situation you've found yourself in while taking a photograph?

AA couple of years ago I visited Svalbard in the Arctic Circle. It was in the depth of winter, just before the solstice – pitch black morning to night. There were gale force winds with temperatures around –30C and sheet ice over the whole island. It was the closest thing I can imagine to being on the moon. The only way to see what we were surround by was to take long exposure photos, which meant huddling round a tripod, trying to keep it steady in the wind whilst quickly losing feeling in my fingers. Every photo was like someone turned on the lights for a brief second before returning to darkness. Amazing place. I’d love to go back in the Spring when there’s a bit more light to work with.

QWhat do you shoot on? What's your favourite set up?

ACanon 600D. My go-to kit lens is a 24-70mm f/2.8 and a 50mm f/1.4 for portraits, but I’ve recently invested in 70-200 f/4 which I’m really enjoying as it opens up a new, closer perspective on a subject without disturbing them (while still being careful to respect the individual).

QWhat's your number one tip for an aspiring photographer?

AShooting as often as you can is a sure-fire way improve and find your style, but my top tip would be to start shooting on manual as soon as you can. In the digital world it’s very easy to skip all the theory and traditional film techniques, but shooting on manual will give you a great appreciation for how aperture, ISO and shutter speed work with each other and the different results that can achieved from adjusting them.