PROFILE

Stephen Ball, LRPS is a highly accomplished and multi award-winning Scottish landscape photographer, widely recognised for his exceptional talent and artistic vision. With a career spanning over 12 years, Stephen has established himself as one of Scotland’s most respectful and influential photographers, with a body of work that captures the stunning natural beauty Scotland has to offer.

What sets Stephen’s work apart is his ability to capture the essence of Scotland’s landscapes in a way that is both timeless and contemporary, blending traditional techniques with modern technology to create images that are both breathtaking and thought provoking. His photographs are characterised by their rich, moody colours, dramatic lighting, and powerful compositions, which combine to create a sense of depth and emotion.

Where it all started

Stephen was born and raised in south east London. As a youth, he developed an interest in theatre lighting design and after studying at Croydon College, graduated to work in the British theatre industry. He worked for many years as both a designer and technician in London’s West End, working on many of the musical productions. In the late 90’s, Stephen moved to Edinburgh and although he has since changed careers, this experience of design and creativity has assisted him to develop his skills as a photographer.

He often reflects back on his time working in the theatre industry when he photographs the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo each year!

Stephen can always remember having an interest in photography and as a teenager visited iconic locations like Yosemite National Park in the US. However, this was before the introduction of digital photography. Now it is much more affordable to take and process 100’s of photographs!

Photography also runs in the family too, with his wife who used to manage a photographic shop in Edinburgh and his late father-in-law who was a Cannon sales rep and lecturer.

His approach to photography

Stephen’s approach to photography is simple, get it right in camera first and don’t rely on computer software to make improvements!. Gone are the days when he used to take 100’s of photographs in the hope of producing some good images. Now it is about him having the patience, waiting for the light, creating that vital composition and trying to create an inspirational image.

He always shoots in manual to ensure he maximises the features of his camera to capture what he sees.

The vast majority of his work is edited in Adobe Lightroom where images are lightly edited; cropping, adding a touch of saturation and sharpening. He sometimes uses Adobe Photoshop to make any final adjustments and tweaks to produce the final image.



Digital cameras have a different tonal range than that of film emulsion. The curves adjustment will put more depth into the image in the form of blacks or, occasionally, some highlight information. Used correctly, the curves adjustment can help balance the colours and remove colour casts.