I’m very sad today to hear of the passing of Steve Watkins, the editor of the UK publication Outdoor Photographer Magazine.

Steve was very encouraging towards me and very supportive of my work. And I know this will be expressed by other photographers who worked with Steve.

In the UK, being a ‘landscape photographer’ or ‘artist’ is a very difficult living to be in. So to have someone like Steve being utterly enthusiastic and supportive meant a lot to all of us who worked with Steve over the years.

Indeed, one of the reasons why I was featured in Outdoor Photography magazine so much over the past decade was not through my own doing. It was purely Steve who contacted me every single time ‘with an idea for an article’, and sometimes even suggesting to me that the remit could be as loose as I wanted it to be. I was very flattered of course to be asked to write for the magazine, but it was Steve’s easy going and transparent nature that I found worked the magic for me.

Often times, Steve would tell me ‘I love your work Bruce and when I get a chance to put it on the front cover of the magazine, I try very hard to’. Not all of my images suited the front cover you see. And sometimes he would send me some examples of how he thought the front cover may look, and I would say ‘can we use something that’s less traditional’ and he would do it. As the example of the Cono de Arita shot you see above illustrates.

To me, Steve was what an editor of a Magazine should be like. He was completely enthusiastic, encouraging, supportive, and willing to give contributors to the magazine free rein in coming up with ideas.

Thank you Steve, for all the encouragement. It was a real pleasure to work with you. Condolences to your family and friends. You will be greatly missed.

Bruce.