about
‘The Wynd Photographic’ is the creative practice of photographer and filmmaker Pete Wilkinson.
Pete is based in Hexham, Northumberland. For over fifteen years he has worked across the UK and internationally. Although the focus, style and subjects of his work have been ever-changing, one consistent thread running through much of Pete’s output has been his fascination with, and perspective on, the landscape.
Pete grew up in rural Northumberland, just a stones throw from the River South Tyne.
His formative years were spent on the banks of that mighty river, neck deep in opportunities for mischief and with not a jot of parental oversight. A modern day Huck Finn if you will, sans raft-making and the liberal use of the n-word.
The next decade flew by in a blur of football, cigarette smoke, ill-judged haircuts and Lynx deoderant. Pete’s teenage years chewed him up and spat him out into the new millenium without an education or plan for what to do without one.
He worked as a barman, waiter, night porter, labourer, telesales agent, cleaner, driver, and dental technician. The last of those was his favourite, but it was while performing a standard clean of a particularly well-used set of dentures, that he started to think about going back to school. It even crossed his mind that one day he might get to University.
Fortunately for Pete, after the age of twenty-one he was classed as a mature student and his A level grades, or lack thereof, held little weight. He attended Northumbria University and graduated three years later with a first class honours degree in Performance. He went on to study for an MA in Classical Acting at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, and was invited to become part of the Young Writers Programme at the Royal Court Theatre.
After several years working as an actor, Pete didn’t like it any more and called it a day. The correlation between his fading interest in stage and screen and his complete lack of success in either was, he maintains, purely coincidental. In 2010 he established Blind Crow Pictures with director Matt Rozier.
The partnership specialised in producing promotional films for the arts and heritage sector and, as their reputation grew, national charities and international brands.
Fifteen years later Blind Crow is still going strong and has produced over 400 trailers, teasers and mini-documentaries.
Matt and Pete have always looked to create work away from their partnership, and it was in 2014 that Pete started to take his camera with him on hikes to document some of the locations he was visiting.
This aim to build a visual record very quickly became a creative pursuit, which in turn became something integral to Pete’s life and eventually became what he now calls The Wynd Photographic. Over several years Pete was shortlisted in multiple categories for Outdoor Photographer of the Year, UK Landscape Photographer of the Year, and the British Photography Awards.
Sketch | Lake District
Vape | Lake District
Pier | Hastings
Green | Northumberland
Lit | Colchester
When the pandemic hit, Pete moved back to Northumberland and over the next two years stepped away from his role at Blind Crow and spent more time focusing on his photography. In 2022 he opened The Wynd Gallery in the centre of his home town of Hexham
Pete occasionally exhibits away from the gallery locally; recent shows include the White Room at the Queens Hall Arts Centre in Hexham, The Forge Gallery in Allendale, and the Ladstock Gallery in Keswick. He is extremely proud to have pieces hanging in Hexham Abbey and at the Lingholm Estate in Portinscale, Cumbria.
When not in The Wynd Gallery and not out with his camera, Pete spends much of his time making lists, fretting, picking up after one of his dogs, or writing about himself in the third person.