About Van

With at least 10 illustrated outdoor books, (+1 Guidebook), contributions to others, many illustrated magazine articles, calendar, and card publications, VAN GREAVES has been involved in the publishing world since 1980. He gained a Fellowship of the Royal Photographic Society in 1991 with an applied panel of mountain pictures and his many of his images were accepted, some awarded, in international salons of photography.

He was first used by Ken Wilson (Baton Wickes), (formerly Diadem Books) for numerous pictures in Classic Walks, Wild Walks, Classic Rock and High Mountains of Britain & Ireland. One of his first magazine cover shots (of Kings Chimney in the Cuillin Mountains) was on the front of (the then) Climber and Rambler which kicked off his published work. He was co-photographer with John Gillham on Snowdonia to the Gower (Diadem) and with Paul Hannon on 80 Dales Walks (Cordee). His first complete illustrated and written work was Discovering the Pennines, (Crowood), 1991.

Since 2004 he has produced Portrait of Birmingham, Moods of Worcestershire & Elgar Country, Moods of Staffordshire, Moods of Warwickshire & Shakespeare Country, Portrait of Shropshire, and Portrait of The Wye Valley. Two new book projects (all for Halsgrove) are Offa’s Dyke and Cotswold Way.

In 2009 he produced Mountain Magic, (Frances Lincoln), a lifetime’s photographic work in Britain’s mainland mountains.

Van has worked on commissions for AA publishing and several local authority tourism brochures. Other published work consists of calendars, magazines, (written & illustrated), cards, and private brochures.

Van, having been to The Great Ranges 6 times, spent 6 months in The American West, Europe, Scandinavia, and Australia and walked over much of Britain’s hill and mountain country, has a strong picture library, including the travel genre, thus lectures to photographic, outdoor and other societies, (illustrated talks or AVs). In Autumn 2009 had half a page in The Sun and inside cover of Daily Telegraph. Used also on cover of a Penguin Group (Hamish Hamilton) novel, “And the Land Lay Still.” + The same photo in the I Pad TV advert.

VAN IS AN ACCOMPLISHED PEOPLE & WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER
An experienced Researcher/Interviewer Van also has a very fine singing voice and is booked by clubs, hotels and private functions. Sang for The Royal Assurance Group in Painters Hall London, and on the occasion of The Sinatra Music Society’s 50th Birthday celebrations. Sang twice for different Birmingham Lord Mayors. Featured several times on regional radio both as a singer, photographer and writer.