Our regular look at the world of BMC volunteers. This issue Martin Kocsis turns the focus onto Dave Simmonite. Dave is one of the UK’s leading climbing photographers, but he is also a long-standing supporter of BMC guidebooks, being volume editor of the brand new BMC Burbage, Millstone and Beyond guide.

After what must seem a very long time, the Burbage guide is on the shelves. Relieved?
You could say that. It’s been a good few years of hard graft, but well worth it in the end and I’m pleased as punch. We set out to make it the best guide to the area, with completely rewritten scripts and new ideas, and I think the book bears fruit to this.

You’re a busy professional. Why voluntary work?
It’s all about putting something back into climbing - after all I’m lucky enough to be rewarded by it with my photography. I also have an affinity with the history of climbing and by maintaining the tradition of definitive guides that the likes of the BMC (and other volunteers) produce, I feel that I’m doing my bit.

Does hanging out with big cheese climbers encourage you to climb harder?
Sometimes but not often enough. It’s difficult to mix climbing and photography and remain fully “focused”. Although I will admit I’m on a bit of a mission at the moment and actually doing some training with certain big cheeses.

You’ve been part of the “Sheffield Scene” for many years. Care to spill any beans?
Not without consulting a solicitor!

What’s your take on staged photos and alleged first ascents?
I could write a complete article on this but essentially I do take some staged shots for a variety of reasons. It’s very difficult to be in the right place at the right time for a hard route unless you go out there every day. Even top climbing photographers have to make a “real” living, so spending day after day with a climber for something that may not even happen can hardly be justified, especially for the minimal financial rewards. Then when they do climb it, the light is often poor, yet magazine editors and sponsors demand well-lit shots. Overall I don’t see much wrong with it as long as you’re upfront about it and never mislead people that the shots are on the actual ascent, but I do agree that pictures of the actual ascent are always preferable.

How can I improve my photography?
Learn a few basic things about taking pictures - making sure the shots are sharp and the exposure is correct is half the battle. Also look at things like composition (the rule of thirds is handy here) and experiment with use of apertures and shutter speeds. Take loads of pictures and look closely at them and see why they work or don’t work and learn from your mistakes. Look at shots in magazines and learn from these. There are loads of books and websites around so use them. You can never know enough and I’m always finding new ways to do things.

Are digital cameras are the death knell of real photography?
Not at all, I use both depending on the job. The media you use doesn’t matter one jot. A good pic is still a good pic, and a poor pic is still poor one.

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