About Keith Sharples Photography

As if being a stupid keen climber isn’t enough, I’m also a confirmed photography junkie too. There’s just no hope for me is there? I find it impossible to ignore the synergy that I see between climbing and photography. I am therefore at a loss to understand how climbers can climb at such magnificent places as exist on our globe and not yearn to capture the scene forever.

“FAILURE IS ALWAYS CROWNED BY SUCCESS IF YOU PERSIST…”

My (strong) preference when creating a climbing image is to capture the essence of the climber and the climb as well as the surrounding. Images which evoke real feeling within me are holistic narratives; celebrations of the whole scene. And yet to capture both the action and the situation is often extremely difficult. To get close enough to be in on the action, yet to include enough of the landscape to give the viewer the whole, is for me, the photographic holy grail. And like all holy grails it is difficult if not impossible to attain. It remains my #1 driver, ground-zero of my photographic vision. I take solace in the words of Bradford Washburn, the late great cartographer, mountaineer and photographer, “Failure is always crowned by success if you persist”…

I haul my camera bag (virtually) everywhere with me – have done since the very beginning of my climbing and photographic days. The best image maker on the earth hasn’t got a hope of capturing a scene if he/she hasn’t got a camera with them. As a result, my image library is now pretty extensive. It includes images of most of the main domestic climbing venues and a fair number of the principal honey-pots in Europe and beyond. I often get called to supply stock shots to illustrate feature articles in the specialist climbing magazines. My climbing images have also been used by commercial clients as well as by a number of charities and other organisations.

Although climbing photography is where I started I have, of late, been focusing (ouch!) on wider photographic subjects, such as outdoor and travel photography, as well. My portfolio includes scenic and travel images, outdoor action and lifestyle images, built environment and transport images, people and nature images as well as rock climbing, fell-walking and a few mountaineering images.

The Gallery on this website is a showcase of selected images from my library. Click through here for the Gallery. I’m in the throes of updating and modifying the individual galleries for the new web-site and an extensive collection is planned. Meanwhile, there’s a few galleries to wet your appetite. I hope you enjoy!