Photographer Steve Denby looks at Norfolk in monochrome

By Phil Daley
BBC Norfolk

Steve uses infrared film to capture Norfolk's landscapes

Digital and colour images adorn nearly every corner of the globe, but one Norfolk photographer still see's beauty in monochrome.

Steve Denby, 50, from Norwich, works hard to capture Norfolk's beauty in various shades of white and black.

"There is nothing more powerful than a black and white monochrome fine art print," said Steve.

Steve, who sells his work all over the world, processes his own negatives and develops the prints in his garage.

Digital technology has improved so much in the last 10 years, it seems that many of us have left film in the dark for its newer, instant big brother.

While the snappers among us rely on technology to get the best results in the ping of a flash, some artists still find the rewards of the traditional film camera far superior.

When Steve Denby isn't fixing aeroplanes as an engineer at Norwich International Airport, he is more than likely on location shooting a Norfolk landscape or in his home-made darkroom.

"It's one of the best places in the world to find beauty - the light is kind to you, the sunrise on the east coast when the beaches are clear and there's no-one around are amazing," said Steve.

Audio slideshow: Steve Denby's Norfolk in monochrome

"You can shoot an image in north Wales, Scotland or the Lake District but if you shoot an image on the Norfolk Broads or the North Norfolk coast, it's Norfolk and they are irreplaceable.

"People talk about the big Norfolk sky and there are countless opportunities around the county wherever you go."

Steve resisted the urge to go digital several years ago when he couldn't find anything that produced the film quality he was used to.

He recognises that digital is the future and the technology has moved on, but says the process of making your own prints from scratch is part of the excitement of photography.

"The feeling and enjoyment of seeing an image appear from a bath of developer is unbelievable and those photographers who have never experienced that don't know what they're missing."

While magazines are filled with loud colours each trying to outshine one another, Steve is still a believer in the power of black and white and rarely shoots in colour.

"I believe that a monochrome print is very expressive - if you see any recognised photographer's portfolio, I would hazard a guess that around 50% of it will be monochrome."

"I think a photographer's quality is judged by how they put together a monochrome print."

Infrared

Steve also specialises in infrared photography.

Using a special sort of film infrared is absorbed, rather than normal light - which works in the opposite way, making skies and water seem darker and foliage lighter.

"Shooting with light that is invisible to the human eye means you get a surreal looking image.

"Foliage reflects a lot more infrared light so becomes a dense area of the negative, likewise blue skies don't reflect much at all and make lighter areas on the negative creating a foreboding image."

Using this technique, Steve won the Norwich 12 Photography Competition in 2008, which was designed to capture the essence of one of 12 buildings selected by Norwich Heritage Economic and Regeneration Trust.

Steve's winning entry was called Discarded Steps

His image of the steps leading up to Norwich Castle was described by the judges as "a daring photograph that stood out with its dramatic and film noir qualities."

Unlike some photographers Steve believes the entire photographic process, from taking the still to sending off the finished print, should all be done by one person - giving a unique final product.

"Without doing my own print finishing I'd feel like I was only half a photographer. I often joke with some of my colleagues and friends of mine who work digitally and send their stuff off to labs and say they are only half a photographer."

So intent on doing all the work himself, Steve has turned part of his garage into a darkroom.

"It suits me just fine, it keeps me out of the way of my wife and means I don't stink the house out with toxic chemicals.

"It only takes a split second to capture an image but takes six or seven hours to produce it in a darkroom. To me that is where all the fun and creativity is to be had."