About

This is the artist bio for Dave Butcher and the information here tells you all you could possibly want to know about Dave Butcher and his photography! Just click on the links here in the text, or in the menu bar above, to be taken to the various pages.

A Technical section is included that covers equipment and techniques.

The ARPS page (click tab above) shows the panel of prints that I submitted, and had accepted, for the Associateship distinction of the Royal Photographic Society in 1987.

The Comments and Testimonials page will give you an idea of how customers and others have viewed my work. There are more on the Courses page.

For more information about my photographic prints, presentation, print lifetimes, how I supply them and mounting and framing, see the Print Information page.

Awards

Associateship of the Royal Photographic Society 1987

Buxton Festival Fringe Best Visual Art Award 2008 with PDP Great Dome Art Fair

Buxton Festival Fringe Best Visual Art Award 2009 Entente Florale exhibition (HPA)

Sheffield Art in the Gardens Gold Award 2007

Bakewell Show Open for Business Exhibition First Prize for Best Presented Stand 2006

Ilford Photo First Prize Monochrome Prints International Staff Competition 1995

Practical Photography 'Photographer of the Year' Competition, Winner Landscapes Round 1995

Chapel Camera Club Black & White Photographer of the year, 10 consecutive years from 1992.

Photographic Background

Set up fine art photography business in February 2005. I have been a full-time professional photographer, printer and author since this time. Before 2005 I was selling my work in an ad-hoc way from 1988.

Author of 2 books: 'Peak Light - The Peak District Photography of Dave Butcher' published 2007 and 'HIGH LIGHT - The Landscape Photography of Dave Butcher' published 2005.

Supported by Ilford Photo and the parent company Harman Technology..

Member of Design Factory, Peak District Products and High Peak Artists and Craft Workers Association.

I am an Ilford Master Printer and give Ilford Darkroom Masterclasses and lectures to Colleges and clubs in the UK.

I run a full programme of courses on Black & White Landscape Photography (for film and digital camera users) and Darkroom Workshops throughout the year.

Image licensing since 1999, including International Graphics Walmsley GmbH for posters and Hallmark for greetings cards.

Work published in books, magazines and used for advertising. Including:

• Amateur Photographer

• 'B&W Photo Lab - Processing and Printing' by Julien Busselle (published by Rotovision)

• 'Best of Friends' monochrome yearbooks (numbers. 5, 7, 8, 9 and 12) published by Arem Publishing

• Black & White Photography

• British Journal of Photography

• Buxton Advertiser

• Cheshire Life

• Derby Evening Telegraph

• Derbyshire magazine

• Local Life, Cheshire and Staffordshire editions

• Mono

• Montage magazine

• Peak Advertiser

• Peak District Life

• Photo Art International

• Practical Photography

• Profile magazine, Sheffield/Derby

• Pure Buxton

Worked for leading manufacturer of black and white photographic films and papers, Ilford Photo Ltd., for 21 years. This included photographic research scientist, technical service management, regulatory affairs manager and project management). Left Ilford in 2002, due to back injury.

Managed the Ilford photographic printing department 1993 - 2000 (Head printers Mike Walden FBIPP, Hon FRPS and Terry Offord FBIPP).

First web site for my photographic portfolio set up December 2003. Shopping cart web site launched February 2006. Photo Blog started 2008. New shopping cart web site for larger picture library July 2009.

Ran photography and darkroom service at Unilever Research Ltd. in 1970's.

Influences: Ansel Adams, Walter Poucher, Peter Birtwistle and the Ilford Photo head printers Mike Walden and Terry Offord.

• Associate of Royal Photographic Society (ARPS), 1987.
• Chairman Ilford Ltd. Photographic Club 1985 - 1987.
• Chairman Chapel-en-le-Frith Camera Club 2002-2003 and 2005-2006.
• Lectures on my photography to camera clubs, and other organisations, from 1993.
• Given my first camera when I was about 5 years old (from my Grandmother); a Box Brownie
• First 35mm SLR camera: 1969 - Praktica Super TL, followed by Nikkormat FTn in 1973 and Nikon FE in 1982. 
• First black & white film taken in 1970 and processed using solutions made from published formula and raw chemicals (working in a chemical lab at the time).
• First medium format camera: 1986 - Mamiya 645 Super. Switched to more portable Mamiya 6 cameras 1993 and Mamiya 7 cameras in 2006 for larger negative and extra-wide angle lens.

General

This is the artist bio for Dave Butcher and the information here tells you all you could possibly want to know about Dave Butcher and his photography! Just click on the links here in the text, or in the menu bar above, to be taken to the various pages.

Since 1988 I have lived in the Derbyshire Peak District village of Tunstead Milton, near Whaley Bridge.

Married to Janice since 1976.

Born & brought up in Welwyn, Hertfordshire (25 miles north of London).

Played football in local leagues, until 1984, for the Frythe (Unilever), Colworth House (Unilever), Biggleswade Town, Churchill College, St Andrews (Cambridge), University of Cambridge Chemical Labs and Ilford Ltd.

Colleges and Schools:

• University of Cambridge (Churchill College and University Chemical Laboratories)
• Hatfield Polytechnic (now University of Hertfordshire)
• Mid-Herts College of Further Education, Welwyn Garden City
• Welwyn Garden City High School
• St Mary's Primary School, Welwyn
• Sherrardswood School, Welwyn

Employment:

• Fine art black and white landscape photographer, self-employed
• Ilford Photo, Brentwood (Essex) and Mobberley (Cheshire)
• Unilever Research (food research); The Frythe (Welwyn, Herts) and Colworth House (Bedforshire)
• Building Research Establishment, Garston
• W.J. Butcher & Son, family bicycle business, Welwyn

Qualifications:

• PhD in antibiotic binding site chemistry, 1981, University of Cambridge (Organic Chemistry Department, University Chemical Labs, Dr Dudley Williams, Churchill College).
• Honours degree in chemistry, 1978, Hatfield Polytechnic (now called University of Hertfordshire).
• Fellow Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC), 2002.
• Chartered Chemist (CChem), Royal Society of Chemistry, 1982.

Scientific Publications:

• PhD thesis, University of Cambridge, 1981 - Structural studies on the antibiotics Vancomycin, Ristocetin A and Triostin A.
• J. American Chemical Society, vol 105, 1983, 1332-1339, D.H. Williams, M.P. Williamson, D.W. Butcher, S.J. Hammond, Detailed binding sites of the antibiotics Vancomycin and Ristocetin A: Determination of intermolecular distances in antibiotic/substrate complexes by use of the time-dependent Nuclear Overhauser Effect (NOE).
• J. American Chemical Society, vol 103, 1981, 5697-5700, D.H. Williams & D.W. Butcher, Binding site of the antibiotic Vancomycin for a cell-wall peptide analogue.
• J. Dairy Research, Vol 45, 1978, 197-208, D.F. Darling & D.W. Butcher, Milk-fat globule membrane in homogenized cream.
• J Dairy Science, Vol 59, 1976, 863-867, D.F. Darling & D.W. Butcher, Quantification of polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis for analysis of whey proteins.

European Patents:

• EP207001, 1986, J.A. Clark, A. Adshead, D.W. Butcher, Methods of preparing a hologram.
• EP 207895, 1986, J.A. Clark, A. Adshead, D.W. Butcher, Methods of preparing a hologram.
• EP225852, 1986, W.E. Long, D.W. Butcher, Processing holograms
• EP225853, 1986, J. Doyle, D.W. Butcher, J.A. Clark, Holograms
• EP230208, 1986, D.W. Butcher, Processing holograms
• EP272219, T. Groves, D.W. Butcher, Method of preparing a hologram

USA Patents:

• USP4720441, 1988, J.A. Clark, A. Adshead, D.W. Butcher, Method of preparing a hologram.
• USP4748097, 1988, J.A. Clark, A. Adshead, D.W. Butcher, Method of preparing a hologram.
• USP4769300, 1988, D.W. Butcher, A method of preparing a hologram having an increased replay wavelength and resulting hologram
• USP4769301, 1988, D.W. Butcher, J.L. Cawse, Method of preparing holograms and the holograms prepared thereby
• USP4788115, 1988, W.E. Long, D.W. Butcher, Processing holograms
• USP4816360, 1989, J. Doyle, D.W. Butcher, J.A. Clarke, Multicolor holograms using gelatin as the binder and method for producing the same
• USP4826745, 1989, T. Groves, D.W. Butcher, Method of preparing a hologram

Walks, treks, skiing and peaks:

Walked, skied and snowshoed extensively in Britain, France, Switzerland, Austria, Italy and Germany (including 5 alpine 4000 m peaks and dozens of lower peaks), as well as places like Colorado, Utah and Yosemite.

Completed all 284 Scottish mountains over 3000 feet, the Munro's, in 1996, to become the 1570'th compleatist.

Walked Pennine Way 1974 (about 300 miles in 15 days - pub detours added a few miles to the published distance). Only managed 38 miles per gallon (beer), long days and not many pubs en route.

Walked Wainwright Coast-to-Coast (190 miles), started 1979 St Bees Head, finished 2003 Robin Hood's Bay. Just 24 years, 2 months, 2 weeks and 3 days to complete! Overall, managed a very creditable 18 miles per gallon (beer).

Walked Tour of Mont Blanc (about 110 miles) once in each direction: 1987 - 6.5 days, anti-clockwise and 2004 - 8 days, clockwise.

Walked Alpine Pass Route from Grindelwald to Montreux, 98 miles, 8 days, 2006.

Walk from Glasgow to Cape Wrath (about 335 miles in 24 days), spread over 3 trips in successive years:
2003, Milngavie (Glasgow) to Fort William: 108 miles and 8 mountains (including Ben Lomond, Ben Lui and part of the Mamores ridge)
2004, Fort William to Ullapool: 129 miles and 13 mountains (including part of the South Glen Shiel ridge, the 5 Sisters and Beinn Eighe)
2005, Ullapool to Cape Wrath: 98 miles and 4 mountains (Cul Beag, Suilven, Quinag and Foinaven - what a way to finish!)
A total of 24 days walking and 25 mountains, including 19 Munro's. I will add details and pics to the trip logs at some stage. The weather was mostly bad for the first 2 trips but we ended with some much better weather in 2005 so the photos were much improved. In total, we managed just under 20 miles per gallon (of beer), mostly real ale from the new breweries in the Highlands and Islands.

Ski Tours:

Skied from Argentiere to Trient via the Col du Chardonnet, Fenetre de Saleina and Col du Pissoir, 1992 (3 days).

Skied Haute Route from Chamonix (Argentiere) in France to Zermatt in Switzerland, including 2 peaks - Rosablanche and Pigne d'Arolla, 1993 (7 days).

Otztal Alps near Solden in Austria, 5 peaks including Wild Spitz, 1994 (6 days).

Bernese Oberland traverse from Junfraujoch to Reckingen via 4 peaks and the Monchjoch, Konkordia and Finsteraarhorn huts, 1995 (6 days).

Gran Paradiso tour and 2 peaks around Benevolo hut followed by ascent of 4000 m peak Gran Paradiso from the Chabod hut, 1996 (5 days + 1 day heliskiing on Ruitor).

Vanoise traverse from Val d'Isere including 5 peaks, 1997 (6 days).

Saas Fee including 4000 m peaks Allalinhorn and Strahlhorn, 3 peaks, 1998 (5 days).

Leukerbad and Lammeren hut, 1 peak, tore knee ligaments in crusted snow in a blizzard so finished trip on second day, 1999 (2 days).

Western Bernese Oberland Traverse from Diablerets to Aminona (near Crans Montana) via Wildhorn and Wildstrubel, 4 peaks, 2000 (5 days + 1 day heliskiing).

Tour of Monte Rosa (starting and finishing in Zermatt), no peaks just lots of skiing, with wine and dried donkey at the Rifugio Giulielmina above Gressoney / Alagna in Italy, 2001 (6 days).

My back injury prevents me doing any more ski mountaineering - uphill kick turns are too painful for my lower back. I can still ski downhill but use lifts to gain the height. I also use snowshoes where previously I would have skied.

This is the artist bio for Dave Butcher and the information here tells you all you could possibly want to know about Dave Butcher and his photography! Just click on the links here in the text, or in the menu bar above, to be taken to the various pages.

I was awarded the Associateship of the Royal Photographic Society in 1987. My successful ARPS panel is shown below. They were submitted in the Pictorial category and, as you can see, are all black and white photographs.

The Storm Breaks, Loch Leven, near Glencoe	Trient Glacier Skyscape, Switzerland	Loch Hourn Reflections, Knoydart, Scotland	Ben Nevis Reflections, Lochaber, Scotland	Glen Feshie Sunbeams, Cairngorms, Scotland	Winter Thaw, Raise Beck, near Grisedale, Lake District
Harrison Stickle, Langdales, Lake District	Llyn Ogwen Reflections, Snowdonia, Wales	Passing Shower, The Cobb, Lyme Regis, Dorset	The Cobb, Lyme Regis, Dorset	Loch Leven Reflections, near Glencoe, Scotland	Striding Edge, near Helvellyn, Lake District

The 12 pictures above are from the successful panel that I submitted to the Royal Photographic Society for the Associateship distinction.

There are 3 levels of distinctions awarded by the RPS and this is the middle one (between Fellowship at the top and Licentiateship).

All 12 prints were viewed together in the order shown above. I used black window matts for all prints to keep the presentation consistent throughout.

My panel was considered in September 1987 and confirmation that it was successful quickly followed.

This ARPS panel is included in my lecture 'Landscapes in Black and White'.

The photographs were taken between February 1984 and July 1987.

They are from a mixture of 35 mm and 120 negatives. The prints from 120 film, using a Mamiya 645 Super, are: Trient Glacier, Loch Hourn, Glen Feshie, Winter Thaw and The Cobb.

The images displayed here are from digital photographs of the original prints. Original fine art photographs or most of these images are available for purchase through this web site.