Chris Eyre-Walker, an OM SYSTEM Ambassador from Belgium, grew up traveling with his parents who were avid amateur photographers. These childhood photography adventures, which led Eyre-Walker to visit over 20 countries by the time he was 15, translated into a successful photography and filmmaking career.
Full disclosure: This article was brought to you by OM SYSTEM Cameras
At a Glance
Eyre-Walker’s re-ignited love for photography as an adult began in 2011, during his stint with the Belgian Army. During this time, he bought his first camera and spent his weekends practicing landscape and macro photography. He had saved enough money through his military career to travel the world for over a year after he was discharged, which inspired him to pursue a career in photography.
“Even though I had traveled a lot when I was a child, that year made me realize that I wanted to be able to travel for a living,” Eyre-Walker tells PetaPixel. “Having spent that year improving my photography, I knew the camera was the tool to make my dream of traveling a reality.”
Eyre-Walker moved to Sydney, Australia when he was 23 years old, where he became the head photographer at a successful product photography business while continuing to gain experience with travel, landscape, adventure, and underwater photography. Eventually, his quickly improving portfolio was discovered by Olympus, which led to his current role as an OM SYSTEM Ambassador.
“In this time, I was traveling almost full-time while I was shooting a lot of surf photography in Australia,” Eyre-Walker describes. “It quickly became apparent that I needed a lighter setup, and that’s when I discovered Olympus. Not only did my camera kit become exceptionally lighter, but it was also the only brand with a dedicated underwater housing. I got all of that without sacrificing image quality, so it was an easy decision to switch to Olympus, which is now OM SYSTEM.”
OM SYSTEM recently reached out to Eyre-Walker, asking him to create a free, six-part series of photography tips. “While new camera gear is fun and exciting, I believe that memorable photos don’t really come down to the lens, sensor, or settings, but more to the emotion and intent behind them,” he explains. “Luckily, OM SYSTEM felt the same way, and they wanted the series to be focused on inspiring and educating people on what to look for.”
In addition to the tips, the filmmaker also decided to make a short film that focuses on his sometimes lack of inspiration among the constant bombardment of ‘inspirational content’ online, and how he sometimes finds the inspiration by just exploring.
“This film is fictional, but based on the reality of my own experiences. Often, you can get over inspired by content on the internet and social media. You consume all of this content and then you don’t even want to go outside and explore with your camera because of the self-doubt that your work can’t compare to the photos you see online. However, once you do make that leap, you often love the adventure that you embarked on.”
In this installment of the OM SYSTEM Learning to See Like a Photographer series, you can join Eyre-Walker as he wanders through the Venntrilogie trail in eastern Belgium. Readers get to listen to his inner voice, learn what draws his eyes, and understand how he constructs photographs along the way. Eyre-Walker shares with PetaPixel some of the lessons he shares in the series, however, this overview only covers limited information. The full series includes more detailed information about Eyre-Walker’s tips as well as accompanying videos where he talks about his process. Sign up for the free six-part series on the OM SYSTEM website.
Part 1: Light & Darkness
“In this photography series, I’d like to share my notes from the trail and take you to places I like to photograph,” Eyre-Walker says in the class introduction. “The moments before and of the moment I capture with my camera. I want to share a little about how the experience drives the emotion, and in return, how the emotion dictates how I capture the moment. Some of those things could be simplified into ‘photography rules’, since there are commonalities in how we all see and perceive photographs. But with my words, through my experiences.”
The Venntrilogie trail is a 109 kilometer trail that weaves through some of the most scenic landscapes and towns in East Belgium. In the first lesson of the series, Erye-Walker walks the reader through his thought process as he captures an image of an old oak tree in the village of Raeren.
“I really love photographing big, individual trees in my landscape photos,” Eyre-Walker says. “I think they are majestic and I am really fascinated by them. I once spent a few days with Simon Baxter, an award winning photographer from the United Kingdom. He really loves to capture trees, and he told me something that has always stuck with me and made me appreciate trees. He said that you have to think of trees as characters. You have to see the character through the shapes, and see how the characters interact with each other.”
Eyre-Walker arrived at the tree as weeks worth of clouds and rain began to lift from East Belgium. He describes the moment in the first lesson of the series. “This photograph holds a special place in my heart. Without it, the moment might have slipped away unnoticed. The fleeting beauty of dawn, with its interplay of warm light and cool shadows, was captured before the sun vanished behind thick clouds. Amidst this urgency, a majestic oak stood tall in isolation, prompting me to seize the precious sunlight after weeks of rain. With the day’s final golden rays, I framed the distant church beneath the tree, contrasting its brightness against the tree’s shadows and the stormy sky. In that brief moment, I preserved the rich interplay of light and shadow before it vanished for the day.”
Eyre-Walker stresses the importance of looking for interesting elements of juxtaposition in scenes like this. “Nature often reveals the obvious in a spectacular display of light and shadow. As I hiked, the brilliance of the sunlight was impossible to ignore, especially as it illuminated the church bell, making it the focal point of my view. Intentionally, I positioned myself to include both the impressive tree and the church in the composition. By juxtaposing the brightest element, the church tower, against the darkest elements—the dark sky and deep shadows—the contrast was intensified, creating a compelling visual narrative.”
Part 2: Canceling the Noise
The Venntrilogie trail is full of diverse scenery, and soon Eyre-Walker found himself away from the churches in the village of Raeren and in unspoiled forest. “I love this forest, and even though I have been here before, I am still finding new and interesting trees and compositions,” he describes.
“As soon as I saw this tree standing out against its neighbors, I immediately thought of what Simon Baxter had taught me. This tree was a character, and that character was on full display. The only thing left was for me to find a way to convey that character into a photograph.”
For Eyre-Walker, titling this lesson Canceling the Noise actually has two meanings. “First off, when I am in nature, it’s my opportunity to free myself and my mind from the distractions of everyday life,” he explains. “However, in a lot of nature scenes, you also have to learn how to cancel the noise out of the photograph, which will help direct the viewer’s eye to the subject, which, in this case, is this character-filled tree.”
Eyre-Walker says that learning the art of exclusion is just as important to photographers as the art of inclusion. “Photography really is a balancing act. You can’t really remove objects, especially in landscape photography. This tree is just one among thousands that surround it. However, if you just sit back and study the scene, you will begin to find ways to exclude certain elements of the frame from the viewer’s eye. This is not a one-size-fits-all tool that can be used in any scene. Every scene is different, which, to me, is the fun of photography. I love the puzzle solving aspect, which forces you to study a scene and find the best way to cancel the noise.”
Part 3: Simplification
Living in east Belgium, Eyre-Walker considers himself lucky to be surrounded by beautiful nature. However, he states that he wanted to take all of the photos for this series within an hour from his home, as that helped drive home the third lesson of the Learning to See Like a Photographer series: Simplification.
“Going back to the story of the film on my YouTube, we are often so immersed in the far-away locations that we see on social media, we often forget that there is beautiful and quiet nature right outside our doorstep,” Eyre-Walker explains. “Many people live within an hour or two from a protected natural location. Whether it’s a local park, a national park, or just undeveloped public land, there is still a lot of natural beauty close to home.”
Eyre-Walker says that these close to home locations are ideal for photographers who are still learning their craft. “There is always changing light and conditions in nature, so no matter how many times you go, there will always be something that you haven’t photographed before. In addition, it’s incredibly rewarding to finally capture that portfolio-worthy image in a location that you have been going to for years.”
The High Fens are the third segment of the Venntrilogie trail, and maybe the most diverse. The trail provides spectacular views in Hill Valley and explores the arid Walloon Fens. “In addition, this region is home to the highest point in Belgium, Signal de Botrange,” Eyre-Walker explains. “I absolutely love hiking up here with my OM-5 camera. There is a section of dead trees that have withstood centuries of storms and fires that are very photogenic. This place, once again, reminds me that trees are indeed characters, and no two are alike, especially here. This photo is only of a few of them, but there are well over 100 in total, and they all have their own story to tell.”
The story, Eyre-Walker says, can be more engaging if it is simple. “Some of my favorite photographs are the really simple ones,” he says. “When we arrived at this dead forest, it was almost dusk and dark storm clouds surrounded us. I wanted to tell the story of the dramatic lives that these trees lived, and to do that, I wanted to keep it simple. Simply showing the few trees as silhouettes in a barren landscape with storm clouds approaching told the story of the lonely fight that these trees had been through for centuries.”
Part 4: Leading the Viewer’s Eye
Not far from the highest point in Belgium lies the region’s famous fens: wetlands that form over thousands of years. To protect these incredibly vulnerable fens, walking boardwalks weave through the photogenic landscapes, adding an obvious leading line for photographs.
“How to use leading lines are one of the first things photographers learn,” Eyre-Walker says, “However, they can often be ignored in the heat of the moment when trying to capture fleeting light. These boardwalks are so photogenic, however, it’s hard to not see the beauty in them as they lead the viewer’s eye through the scene. For this photo, I take a lot of the tips about simplicity and overlay them into a scene with the boardwalk acting as a beautiful leading line.”
Eyre-Walker says that not only do the boardwalks provide exceptional leading lines, they also add a sense of scale to the scene. “By lifting the camera up higher, you can create an image that shows how big the landscape is, thanks to the way the boardwalk shrinks the further back a viewer’s eye goes. For this photo, this was especially complimentary with the dramatic, cloud-filled sky.”
Part 5: Creating Depth
Photographs are filled with depth, and part of what makes a good photograph into a good story is how to use the layers within a scene to create depth.
“Depth is one of the most important creative tools a photographer has,” Eyre-Walker explains. “The beauty about how you create depth to your images is that it is subjective. There is no right or wrong way to create depth, only your way. Depth is a mixture of countless factors. Of course, you can literally use shallow depth of field to create depth, however, with landscape photographs, I prefer to use an open aperture on my M.Zuiko Digital ED 20mm F1.4 PRO, plus the elements in the frame, to create depth to an image.”
Eyre-Walker first identifies the subject of the photograph. In this case, it was a fallen tree that created a bridge over a densely populated and lush forest. “Once I identified the subject, I simply started looking at ways to create depth to the photograph.”
Eyre-Walker stresses that creating depth using elements in the scene will take a fair amount of trial and error. “The beauty of digital cameras is that our film supply is endless. Make sure to try out different compositions and elements to create a scene which is pleasing to the viewer’s eye and shows a sense of scale and depth”
“The first thing I did was lower my camera’s point of view,” he continues. “Not only does this give the sense of a deeper foreground, it also adds texture to the scene, which is also a valuable trait of creating depth. The repeating textures makes the viewers feel and touch the scene in their mind. And from the textured foreground full of leaves, they organically will lift their eyes further into the image, comparing the scene to the size of a foreground leaf, which is subconsciously in their thoughts. This is an effective trick to convince the viewer’s mind that they are not only seeing the depth of the scene, but also experiencing it.”
Part 6: Making Memories
Oftentimes, the desire to capture photos to share on Instagram can lead photographers to block out the experiences that they are having. Being hyper-focused on capturing a portfolio-worthy image that you are excited to share with your audience can lead to missing the experiences that were had along the way.
“It’s important to remember that not every photo on your memory card needs to be a Hero shot. Sometimes, we photographers are so lost yearning for perfect light, we forget why we left the house to begin with. We set our expectations so high that we don’t even start. We dread disappointment and fear failure. The saying is cliche, but it really is true: The reward lies not in the destination, but the adventure that you had to get there. The epic hero shots will come. They are a result of many attempts. And, in the end, the journey towards the portfolio shot is what makes the story of that shot so worthwhile.”
“I have been making a conscious effort to capture those scrapbook memories in-between the Hero shots,” Eyre-Walker says. “Often, it’s easy to forget the moments that helped get you to that goal. These stories remind me of the importance of pushing myself.”
“The Trails Project film serves as both inspiration and a personal nudge,” he concludes. “It is a reminder that the best adventures are the ones we embark on, regardless of the quality of our photographs. Despite the diversity of destinations and activities captured in my adventures, they all require that initial push: Just go for it! Ultimately, it’s about creating memories that enrich our lives, regardless of photographic outcomes. As long as they evoke memories of smells, views, feelings, struggles, and fun, they serve as reminders of worthwhile experiences where we pushed our limits.”
Sign up for the Learning to See Like a Photographer series.
See more from Chris Eyre-Walker on his website, YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram.
Full disclosure: This article was brought to you by OM SYSTEM Cameras
