It’s not everyday you stumble across a photographer that is able to grab your attention, hold your focus and share the most emotive stories without saying a single word -- but this is exactly what Daryl Scott Walker does using just his camera.
If you’ve not yet heard of Daryl, or got to explore his feed, he’s a photographer that is addicted to adventure, and he goes above and beyond to find it. Climbing, camping, cycling, hiking -- Daryl spends his life heading into the wildest parts of the UK to get the shots that no one else can.
Intrigued to hear more about his life as an adventure photographer, we recently caught up with Daryl to hear all about his views on sustainable travel and his most epic adventure moment yet.
Whilst we've not been able to travel what’s kept you busy?
To be honest I have really enjoyed slowing down this past year, taking the time to work on unfinished projects, updating the website and exercising. The usual schedule involves a hectic work week followed by a hectic adventure weekend, so it has been nice to take the time to get things completed so when we are able to adventure again I can do so without the worry of unfinished projects or even worse, dreading that steep mountain climb!
While we have been pretty much grounded and limited on how far we can adventure, I've also rediscovered my love for my local photography spots, where it all began 7 years ago! Northumberland has some incredible places and it looks like I will be rekindling the love for the North East coastline for a while. Armed with new skills and new equipment it will be interesting to revisit some of these locations and find fresh perspectives.
Do you have any tips to explore more sustainably?
So many of us are keen to take as many trips as possible but do we think of our impact on the planet? It has been incredible to see the planet coming back to life over the past year with less human disruption and I hope we all take the time to understand this moving forward when the world gets back to some normality.
I think the easiest way to be more sustainably conscious when adventuring is to simply travel locally or stay in the country for your 'adventure holidays'. The past year has taught us that we do not need to go to exotic and far away locations to create content for clients or yourself. In the UK we have some of the best locations you could ask for and I would not hesitate to shoot in the Scottish Highlands forever! Whilst yes, we all love to jump on an aeroplane to visit our dream locations, maybe in the future we can be more consciously selecting when and where we visit these epic destinations so as to not detriment our impact on the planet.
If anyone is more interested in offsetting their generated carbon, I would suggest checking out non-government organisations such as 'Carbon Neutral Britain'.
What has been your most epic adventure moment yet?
I really value adventures with friends, especially given recent circumstances. Back in the summer of 2019 myself and 3 others hit up Iceland chasing the midnight sun, a bizarre and surreal experience not witnessing any darkness. We spent an entire week driving along the south coast sleeping through the day and making most of the glorious golden hour light in the evenings and at midnight. Stopping off at various locations we took in some of the classics (think waterfalls and glaciers) but also found time to explore some hidden gems and venture into the highlands where it’s as if you have stepped onto another planet.
Iceland is definitely a place high on the re-do list!
What does your trip of a lifetime look like?
This is a difficult one to answer as there are so many possibilities, but it would have to involve an adventure to a much colder climate. I'm thinking the dream would be to travel by boat to Antarctica and witness the Icebergs, Whales and Penguins! I have recently just acquired a new telephoto lens so this would be the ultimate playground to test it out.
Do you have a favourite place to explore in the UK? A particular city/town you love to photograph?
My most favourite place has to be St Abbs of Eyemouth, a little village in the South East of Scotland which is only a short drive from my home. With its epic cliffs, the deep blue sea, incredible and curious wildlife I am forever drawn back to this place. Best at sunrise or heavy mood this incredible place reminds me very much of my beloved Faroe Islands and gets me that archipelago fix if I am ever missing standing on crazy sea cliff edges with my jaw on the floor.
Fun fact, St Abbs and the local village has gathered some fame in the last year or so with features in the blockbuster Avengers: Endgame and also Harry Styles' music video 'Adore You'!
Lastly, what 3 things can you not travel without.
Number 1, a neck pillow! Useful on the plane and in the car for grabbing a quick nap between locations. Number 2, a power bank. You never know the next time you'll get to charge your phone which is vital when out shooting all day and you still have that one last drone flight in mind. Finally number 3, hand sanitiser. Oddly enough, before the pandemic, I travelled all the time with hand sanitiser as it's sometimes not possible to maintain high hygiene standards as you would at home, say example when you are on a multi-day camping trip or you are out all day and have no access to running water to clean your hands before eating.
Click here to see more more shots from Daryl that'll make you want to explore more > instagram.com/darylswalker / darylscottwalker.co.uk
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