Photographer Review: Simon Ellingworth
Over the past year I have been fortunate to study with Simon Ellingworth through the Royal Photographic Society’s Mono Vision: Creative Challenge programme. I have now completed both Level 1 and Level 2, and I’ve just signed up for Level 3 starting in January.
So WGPC has not seen the last of my mono work—far from it! The next couple of months will give me a chance to consolidate what I’ve learnt so far, as the many example photographers we’ve studied are beginning to overlap in interesting ways.
Learning Through Challenge
“Set your camera to black and white and leave it there for a month.”
One of Simon’s first challenges was deceptively simple. At first it felt restrictive, but it soon revealed its purpose. By removing colour, every photograph became an exercise in exploring light and shadow, form and texture. It forced me to think differently about composition and storytelling.
Encouragement and Critical Insight
What sets Simon apart as a tutor is his balance of encouragement and challenge. He doesn’t just point out what works—he asks why.
Why choose this angle?
Why place the subject here?
Why does this photograph need to be monochrome at all?
These questions push you to move beyond technical skill and really examine intent.
In my own case, Simon helped me rethink images I had initially dismissed. He encouraged me to treat experiments as steps in the creative journey rather than failures. That mindset shift has been invaluable.
Examples From My Journey
Two panels created during Simon’s courses stand out:
📸 Discovering Self– inspired by various proponents of slf portraiture I created a deeply personal and cathartic panel depicting my life at the moment. Too personal to include here but very emotional when exposed as part of a study group.
📸 Penman Panel – a response to Michael Kenna and Hugh Penman’s disciplined simplicity.
Both grew directly from Simon’s challenges, encouraging me to work within clear constraints while still finding my own voice.
Looking Ahead
Simon’s workshops are different because they emphasise practice over theory. His method bridges inspiration with structured exercises, always pushing us to look harder and think deeper.
I know that much of my future monochrome photography will be shaped by these lessons. The work is far from complete—if anything, the journey is just beginning.
🔗 Explore Simon’s own work at simonellingworth.com