Peter Holloway

Sandra and I took a weekend trip to the Cotswolds to visit family. We ended up in a wonderful big house in the village of Poulton, Gloucestershire. There wasn’t a lot to look at by the house, but we as we left for home we were pointed in the direction of Fairford, a beautiful little town just a few miles down the road. We didn’t stop long, but we did enjoy the wonderful church and the river walks and views.

Sandra and I have now passed a ‘significant milestone’, and it wasn’t on the way around Buttermere lake. Yesterday we celebrated our Silver Wedding Anniversary! As, all those years ago, we had honeymooned in the Lake District, we decided to take a few days back in the Lakes for our Silver Wedding Anniversary weekend. Although it was cold, and there was snow on the mountain peaks, the sun shone and we were able to enjoy the breathtaking scenery that the Lake District always presents.

As we circumnavigated Buttermere the water was still and smooth and the light was cold and wintry. This image was taken looking towards the south end of the lake, with the row of trees and background mountains reflected in the water.

This is an old image, it’s been around since 2007, but it’s still got a look about it that I like. I took it with an Olympus E-400 stuck through the gates of the locked pier as the sun set. I put a graduated tobacco filter on the lens, and the image seems to have struck a chord with many people, because they all seem to think that it’s fine to just copy the image for their own commercial use!

I’m not a full time commercial photographer, but I do license images for commerical use and I did license this image some years ago to one organisation. That original license has long since expired, but the use of my image hasn’t. It’s incredibly hard to make money from landscape imagery; it’s even harder when images are taken and used without permission or payment.

I do understand that occasionally someone will see an image and like it enough to link to it, but to copy it, upload it to their own servers and then use those images for commercial purposes is wrong both morally and legally. I know this happens a lot, but that doesn’t make it right.

Anyway, the purpose of posting my image here is to reassert my copyright. This image of Southport Pier at sunset belongs to me, Peter Holloway, if you do like it please have the courtesy to contact me about useage, don’t just steal it…

If you like the images I take and wish to use them on your web site or in print, please do take a look at www.duneprints.com and a more extensive portfolio on Flickr.

Here’s another shot that belongs to me but has been used extensively without license…

I caught the last of the setting sun from the beach looking up towards the shelter.

Taken by the Natterjack Toad pond by Ainsdale Sands.