Hugh Maxwell is an award-winning landscape photographer based in Ayrshire in the south-west of Scotland.
My Journey…
“I was always drawing as a child so this was the start of my journey. The creative urge returned in my teenage years when I began to explore the Ayrshire countryside through cycling and walking. I discovered photography was the perfect way to capture and share the beautiful views I saw with family and friends.
My first camera was a plastic, bright red compact, with a fixed lens, that captured ‘out of focus’ panoramic images. I have my parents to thank, and if I remember correctly, it was obtained through a cigarette packet promotion by collecting a number of vouchers. It’s the only time I’ve ever been grateful for my parents smoking!
This was later upgraded to my first proper film SLR camera, a Pentax ME-Super with a bashed pentaprism, from Hector McDonald’s camera shop in Kilmarnock. Despite its appearance, it worked perfectly and my creativity flourished. A passion for both photography and the outdoors quickly developed which has remained to the present day.
I read as many photography books and magazines as I could to learn about light, focus and composition. Now in my twenties, I won a years worth of black and white film through a competition in Amateur Photography Magazine. My mum certainly wasn’t too happy at the fridge being full of film that’s for sure! Around this time some of my images were published in photography and Scottish interest magazines and a photograph of Greenan Castle on the South Ayrshire coast was also chosen for the front cover of the Ayrshire and Isle of Arran tourist brochure.”
“A steep learning curve followed when I moved over to digital in 2007, suddenly it was all about pixels and megabytes, although I stayed loyal to the Pentax brand continuing to use their cameras. Work and family commitments would often get in the way of photography and for many years I took only images of family and holidays.
In the autumn of 2022, when I was about to turn the big five zero, I took a break from my job of 21 years working in a banking call centre. I now had more time to enjoy being outdoors creating images. Being able to travel to locations when the light and weather are looking promising makes all the difference. My creativity and confidence soared.
I entered my first national competition, Scottish Landscape Photographer of the Year, in the summer of 2024. An image of the Lowran Burn on the banks of Loch Ken in Dumfries and Galloway was Commended in the Landscape Category. The image also featured in the official winners book - Collection 9.
Further success followed that same year with another photograph, titled ‘Rock Fern’, being shortlisted in the Scottish Botanical Category of the Scottish Nature Photography Awards. It also featured in the Portfolio Yearbook 2024 along with a short biography about myself.
I’m definitely old-fashioned as I believe great images are produced through the craft and skill of the photographer combined with their personal vision. The camera is only a tool used to achieve this. All my photographs are created in-camera as I aim to spend as little time as possible sitting in front of a computer screen. The images I share on social media are normally accompanied by a short description of my thoughts and feelings at the time of pressing the shutter.
I simply love being outdoors with the camera, capturing natural light in all its forms, and creating memorable images I can share with others. I hope you enjoy looking through my photographs and it would be great if you decided to follow my creative journey on Facebook.
If you would like to get in touch please use the contact page.”
Best Wishes
Hugh Maxwell
“I simply enjoy being outdoors with the camera, capturing natural light in all its forms, and creating memorable images I can share with others.”
— Hugh Maxwell