Stuart’s photograph gets Royal stamp of approval

Stuart Hodgson’s photograph of Hardraw Force is featured among 10 new Royal Mail stamps showcasing some of the UK’s most spectacular waterfalls.

The Hartlepool man’s picture of the waterfall in the Yorkshire Dales was chosen as it, the Royal Mail says, “captures the power and beauty of one of the country’s most dramatic natural landscapes”.

Stuart, 45, said: “It was a proud moment to be chosen and to think someone likes my photography enough to feature it on a stamp. Having my own stamp takes me all the way back to primary school when we used to design our own stamps which was a fun creative project that I used to really enjoy. So to have my own stamp now is canny cool – to me anyway, and a proud moment.”

Stuart was approached by Royal Mail stamps’ designers after they spotted his photograph of Hardraw Force on his award-winning blog www.hikingphotographer.uk.

He added: “The blog is a personal hobby but gets around 30,000 visitors a month. It is all about trying to get people outdoors, discover new hiking routes and places to visit. I am a big advocate of the outdoors being great for our physical and mental health. The release of the Waterfall stamp collection got a lot of traction on my social channels. I’m not sure if it is a coincidence but now I’ve been approached to have a photo on the cover of a German travel magazine.”