Tributes to Steve

Tribute to Steve Day from Outdoor Photography CLICK HERE
A wonderful tribute to Steve from Outdoor Photography in August 2003 is reproduced here with kind permission of the Editor and Publisher of OP.

From a friend in broadcasting

The world is such a strange place at times – only last Wednesday, while climbing up on Cley Hill near Warminster, I found myself taking in the incredible views and thinking how the fine weather was about to break, and how fortunate I was to have this particular day to myself. I then began to appreciate how the sun was struggling through the broken cloud, and as it did, its rays began picking out the occasional detail in and around the landscape. It reminded me of when Steve and I climbed to the top of Martinsell Hill near Pewsey to talk about his love of photography, and how Wiltshire is such a splendid subject. Then, as I reached for my own camera, I began to wonder how he would capture the colours, the shadows and the textures of the landscape around Cley Hill. That was Wednesday 23rd April and now, hearing your news, I will always like to think that Steve was with me up on that hill – offering some advice.

From a friend in publishing

I was a fan of Steve’s because:-
He was doing the job he wanted to do.
He always wanted to do it the best he could.
He didn’t take kindly to bullshit.
He liked to laugh, and he was generous.
He strove to appreciate things, and was a good writer because of his enthusiasm.
He could sometimes step back and not take himself too seriously.
And because I could see through his crotchiness and enjoyed winding him up.


From a personal friend

I’m sure Steve was well aware of the legacy he has left in his photos. He opened so many people’s eyes to the beauty of the natural world, and Wiltshire in particular. He led me to see the countryside in a different light and, as I told him, on certain days, and in a particular light, I say to myself - “this is a Steve view” or - “this is Steve’s lighting”.
I am so glad I have some of his pictures at home, and I’ve kept all his calendars, which will be a constant reminder of him. To me personally, though, Steve was so much more. Steve helped me believe in myself, he encouraged me to think I could do things, and achieve so much more than I ever could. By a few words here and there he was able to build my self-esteem.

From a friend in conservation

Steve was a great supporter of the Wildlife Trust. He had a great understanding of space and light, and had an extraordinary eye for what made a good photo a truly great one. Part of his legacy to the trust is an outstanding collection of truly great photos.
Before Steve became ill we used to chat on the phone. We spoke frankly to each other and Steve did not hold back from telling me where I was going wrong! But he didn’t do it in a critical way; rather he was always very supportive, even when we didn’t agree.

From another friend in publishing

Steve was an incredibly special man, and a very important part of Outdoor Photography Magazine. I think our readers will really feel they have lost a friend who they had come to know well over the past three years.
I certainly know that it won’t be the same without hearing his devilish tone at the other end of the phone.
From an Artist and close friend
Steve was the brother I never had, and the brother I would have chosen. His advice was priceless, although the medicine was too strong sometimes. His common sense was always refreshing though. In some ways we were very alike, and in others we complimented each other. His photographs were the best I have seen, and his energy always made me feel guilty. He was, and is, a big plus in my life, and I will always hear him talking to me when I want him. Aren’t we lucky.

From a young fan and close friend

Young at heart, yet with the wisdom of age, he held an appeal to those of all walks of life. My friends still ask after “comedy waist coat man” who, at a particular party, was happier with a glass of wine in the garage with the young people than safely inside with his peers.
A man who entertained us with weird and wonderful tales from his youth. Of being a Hippy, of driving a huge jeep during a petrol crisis, then becoming a high flier in business, then giving it all up to follow a passion.
Steve once called himself a “jack of all trades, master of none”. Whilst his wide-ranging knowledge, fluency and interests support the former, his success in the world of photography shows the latter to be due to modesty.
Steve is one of the few people with the tenacity and self-confidence to follow his heart and, in his own way, he lived the dream that many of us will never achieve. You know when you were younger, your parents always had a mate who you thought you’d like to be like when you were their age? Well, Steve was that man.

A short tribute to Steve from his friends, Evan and Michelle, in Australia

So, dear friend, you've quaffed your last glass of wine. You've sat up for your last late night of spinning yarns, tilting at windmills and banging on about how much you love your wife. You've also made your last insinuation about the ovine predilections of us colonials. You've made your last threat about what you'd like to do to our cats.
And now, Mr Day, you leave us in a quandary. We find ourselves having to mourn the passing of an Englishman. For most Australians, it would be a cold day in hell before they did such a thing. Well, perhaps you're in a position to send us the necessary weather report. And yet, we think not.
There's no doubt in our minds that you're the essence of a good man. We've experienced your enjoyment of life, we've witnessed your commitment to making the world a better place. That world is diminished by your passing, but our lives have been enriched for having known you.
Rest in peace, Steve, and live forever in our hearts.

And from his very dear friends, Nick and Helen, entitled Blue Skies.

For anyone to try to condense their feelings about Steve into just a few words is impossible. Steve didn’t just live his life, he felt it, he had soul. His insatiable passion, his intelligence, his thirst for ever more knowledge made him a fun and constantly interesting person to be with. Whether we were charging down ski runs, leaping out of aircraft at 15,000 feet, debating the finer points of Italian grammar, indulging in drunken wine-swilling evenings or wandering through wild flower meadows, Steve would be right up there with astute observations, intelligent conversation, and witty comments laced with his own unique brand of sarcasm. We loved it!
An acquired taste for sure - his brutal honesty could catch you napping - but once acquired you were all the richer for it. We could always rely on Steve to offer an explanation to almost any question we had. You would certainly always elect to have Steve as one of your phone-a-friends!
These qualities were so clearly expressed in his photography and writing. To say he was talented is an understatement. He produced the most amazing, innovative and simply beautiful photography we have ever seen (who would ever think of shooting chairs floating in a swimming pool?) and his studies have encouraged us to open our eyes and appreciate so much more of the world around us.
Thanks mate! You were, and will always be, a shining star.
Blue skies old buddy!