This month’s cover artist Steve Cole tells us more about his stunning photography of Ratcliffe-on-Soar Power Station
Tell us a bit about yourself…
My name is Steve Cole. I have been a keen photographer for around fifteen years and shoot mainly local scenes when the time and weather allows. I now live in Long Eaton, but Nottingham born and bred.
What is the story behind the cover?
This image is one that holds great fondness for me. Sawley at sunrise can be a stunning location, especially if the light and conditions are at their best. This shot is over a decade old but relatively little has changed apart from the odd boat moored. I love how the waterway leads the eye right into the scene up to the very end, where the power station cooling towers bring the scene to a full stop. This viewpoint is intriguing as it fools the viewer into thinking the cooling towers are literally at the end of the Sawley cut, but the compressed perspective foreshortens the distance that is around two miles from the last boat to the actual power station. The bonus that morning was the calm conditions and the steam rising vertically and with the sky looking dramatic, it made for a great reflection.
What inspires you as a photographer?
Great light and conditions, they can make the difference when it comes to capturing a unique and stand out landscape image. My local landscapes have always inspired me, especially if the light is amazing. I also like to try and be as original as possible, so I tend to shoot nearby locations that are not shot by the masses.
Tell us about some things you’ve worked on in the past
I have started to put a book of Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station images together, but I decided to finish it off when the power station completely closes just in case there could be a few more to add into it. This will be my next project to hopefully finish this year.
Do you have any tricks for getting started and staying inspired as a creative?
The best way of getting started as a creative in photography is to not become obsessed with gear or capturing amazing images to start off with. Gear wise if you know how to use a camera - including phone cameras - and how to compose an interesting image that engages the viewer, what you actually use to capture a moment is mostly immaterial, unless you want to be very creative or print large. Also be patient and enjoy the journey, prize-winning images don’t come around very often. Don’t go chasing social media likes and admiration, it is short-lived and leads to you shooting for likes rather than for yourself.
If you could sit down and chat with any artist in your field, who would it be and what would you talk about?
I would love to sit down with Michael Kenna, a world-renowned landscape and fine art photographer, who himself produced a book of Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station images many years ago. His images inspired me to shoot moodier black and white and long exposure images of the power station. I never tried to copy any of his images, but I did try and create that industrial mood that he did so very well. I would chat about what he felt when he was photographing the power station, what was his reasoning behind capturing an industrial landmark in such a way, would he have shot his image any differently if he had returned in the last few years.
Is there anything else you’d like to tell the Left Lion readers?
One of my power station images “Cool Power” has over 42.5 million views on Flickr. Look out for the book of the Power station, hopefully publishing it within a year.
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