I Lost My Enthusiasm for Photography
Have you ever lost your passion for photography? In this blog post, I tell you why I’ve lost some of my enthusiasm and passion for landscape photography, but more importantly, how I’m getting it back.
Photography Mojo - Lost and Found
This is going to be a short blog post. Well, short in terms of text! Most of what I’ve got to say is all in the video below. I’ve recently found that I’ve lost a little of my passion for photography. It took a little bit of time for me to work out the reasons why but as soon as I did, I knew how I was going to get my photography mojo back. I was sure I wasn’t the only photographer that had or will suffer from this, so I thought I’d make a quick video to share my thoughts. I hope the content of the video will resonate with a few of you.
Bowerman’s Nose
Some of you will recognise the location I made that video. It is, of course, Bowerman’s Nose on Dartmoor National Park. While I was filming the video, I naturally spent some time capturing landscape photographs. I hope they provide you with a little inspiration.
Sony ZV-1 - The Best Vlogging Camera for Photographers?
Is the Sony ZV-1 the perfect vlogging camera for your photography channel? In my latest video I will tell you the best features of the ZV-1 and show you how it could help you make amazing photography videos.
An Update to My Review
I’ve now published an update to my Sony ZV-1 review. Please read this blog post for my latest thoughts on this camera.
Why I Bought the Sony ZV-1
YouTube is awash with Sony ZV-1 reviews. In fact, even before the camera become commercially available to the public there were plenty of videos describing its capabilities. I know this because I watched a great many of them! I did this because I was very interested in getting this camera.
When I first started vlogging for my YouTube channel I used a Sony RX100 M5. That was until I got bored of having to use an external audio recorder. The RX100 (at the time) didn’t have a mic port so I was forced to choose a different camera. Switching to the Panasonic G80 was fantastic. It was newer, had more features, and more importantly had a microphone port. However, I really missed that compact body of the RX100. You really could fit it in your pocket.
When Sony released the Sony RX-100 M7 with a microphone port I must admit I was tempted but I couldn’t justify the steep price tag just to downsize. Then along comes the ZV-1. Not just a cheaper RX100 but a video-focused camera as well. Looking at all the preview videos on YouTube I knew it wasn’t going to be the perfect vlogging camera, but it met most of my requirements. I knew enough to pre-order the camera.
Now that I have ZV-1 in my hands, and I’ve spent time with it, I’m happy to share with you all the things I love about this camera (and some of the things I don’t). I don’t often do “gear reviews” and when I do, I try to keep it to bits of equipment that I personally own and think my readers/viewers would be interested in. Even less frequently will I talk about the video gear that I use but with an increasing number of you considering starting your own channel or you might already have one, I thought this review might be useful.
While my video review will still go over many of the same features as other video reviews, I will be looking at this camera with the viewpoint of how good it is for those of you who might be considering one to document your own photography adventures. My main photography genre is outdoor/landscape but I’m sure my requirements aren’t unique and will apply to other genres of photography like street photography.
I hope you enjoyed the video and it proves useful. No worries if this blog post doesn’t float your boat as I’ll be back next week with my normal service of landscape photography adventures and photographs.
A Trip to Trevose
I learnt a valuable lesson last week when I visited one of my favourite Cornish coastal locations!
Not a Guarantee of Success
I often find myself being lured back to locations where I’ve created photographs that I’m pleased with. This lure is often intensified if I’ve not only captured one great image there but several them. I will hear the voice in my head telling to return to the location rather than go somewhere new because “you always get a good shot there!”. The simple fact is that this isn’t true. While I may well have a higher number of keepers from certain locations, there is always a whole stack of failures from that location as well
Last week I decided that I would make a trip to the north Cornish coast for a spot of seascape photography. I decided to wait until I got to Cornwall before making a final decision on where to go. The weather forecast wasn’t offering up the answers I was looking for so I decided that I would assess the situation when I got there.
Sitting in a park near Camelford, eating some nice chips, I pondered where to go. Looking up at the sky it was looking a bit overcast and grey. I had a few locations I was considering but they would all require some good light to make the most of them. I therefore, decided it was a good time to embrace the grey!
As I wasn’t too far from Trevose Head I decided that would be a good place to go. I’ve photographed that location many times before and I’ve captured some of my favourite images there. Some of those favourite images have been in grey overcast conditions. Given all my previous success at Trevose, I was confident I’d be able to capture something I’d be happy with.
There are a couple of spots worth photographing at Trevose Head. There is, of course the lighthouse itself but if you wander just around the headland it is well worth taking the time to photograph the lifeboat station as well. If you are interested in seeing these locations in a bit more detail then why not check out the 5 Minute Photo Adventure, I filmed there a couple of years ago.
Back to my most recent trip and things weren’t exactly going as I hoped. I started at the lifeboat station and while I managed to find a different composition from my previous visit, the photographs weren’t any better than some of my previous efforts. I can’t decide if I like the vertical or horizontal composition best. Perhaps you can let me know in the comments which one you prefer.
Padstow Lifeboat Station #1, Cornwall - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 24-70mm f/4 @ 27mm, f/11, 240 seconds at ISO 64, Kase Filters circular polariser and 10 stop ND.
Padstow Lifeboat Station #2, Cornwall - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 24-70mm f/4 @ 27mm, f/11, 201 seconds at ISO 64, Kase Filters circular polariser and 10 stop ND.
I then moved back along the path to my favourite viewpoint featuring the lighthouse. My first instinct was to go for an exposure of several minutes. This would not only smooth out the water, but it was also smooth out the sky. This is an approach I’ve used a few times when dealing with poor weather on the coast, but in this instance, it simply didn’t work (from a creative point of view). There was enough white water to create interesting lines in the composition and the grey sky just went even more flat and grey.
Trevose Head Lighthouse #1, Cornwall - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 @ 19mm, f/11, 316 seconds at ISO 64, Kase Filters circular polariser and 10 stop ND.
Some of the clouds in the sky that had definition so I decided that I should try and capture the detail of those by going for a much shorter shutter speed. This did work a lot better, but the photograph still didn’t excite me in the way that some of my previous efforts did.
Trevose Head Lighthouse #2, Cornwall - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 @ 22mm, f/11, 1 seconds at ISO 64, Kase Filters circular polariser.
While I very much enjoyed my visit to Trevose Head, I learnt an important lesson. Previous success at a location does not guarantee future success. While I probably wouldn’t have done any better anywhere else that evening, perhaps I should have used the time to explore somewhere new. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, isn’t it!
Exploring More of the Cornish Coast
In the blog this week I share with you some of the photographs I took over a couple of evenings exploring the Cornish coast looking for coastal thrift.
Trevose Head
Trevose Head on the north Cornish coast is one of my favourite coastal locations to photograph. I’ve created a couple of videos for my YouTube channel there and published a few blog articles on the location as well. There is something about that location that keeps me coming back.
I doubt I will ever get bored of photographing the view of Trevose Head lighthouse from Stinking Cove, but I know there is so much more to explore to the east and the south. I just needed to find the motivation to do it. It’s all too easy to keep going back to the spots you love and therefore missing something new and exciting.
With the thrift season ending soon I was eager to get out and to photograph some of it before it all disappeared. The obvious choice would be to visit Bedruthan Steps, but I wanted to go somewhere new. Fortunately, coastal thrift is common along the north Cornish Coast so I felt that if I explored the area around Trevose I could get lucky.
Clear Blue Skies
Sometimes the best time to explore a new location is when you know the weather isn’t going to be great for landscape photography. There is always a risk that a new location might not be any good for photography but if the weather isn’t any good any way you will at least not be kicking yourself for not going somewhere else!
With a weather forecast of clear blue skies, I set off to have a wander along the coast to look for thrift. I never get bored of walking along the coast. It felt fantastic to be out and breathing in lots of fresh sea air. I hadn’t even got the camera out and I was having a wonderful time.
Spring Thrift #1, Cornwall - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 15mm, f/13, 5 seconds at ISO 64, Kase circular polariser.
I soon came across an area where the thrift was looking pink and plentiful. I already knew I wasn’t going to get any spectacular shots but that wasn’t the point of the trip. I was looking for new locations where I could photograph the thrift and I could see that in the right light this spot would make an excellent location.
Spring Thrift #2, Cornwall - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 15mm, f/13, 10 seconds at ISO 64, Kase circular polariser.
After taking a few pleasant enough shots I decided that I wasn’t going to get anything better that evening. The sun was disappearing behind some distant sea haze so I packed my bag up and vowed to return as soon as I could.
Unexpected Weather
The amount of time that the thrift looks its best is short, so I knew I needed to return to my new location quickly. Unfortunately, the weather continued to be warm, sunny, and clear blue skies. Eventually, I decided that if I didn’t pick a day soon it would be too late. Despite the forecast for another clear evening I decided to head back and take my chances.
As I set off from home and entered Cornwall all the indications were that it was going to be a clear night. There were hints of some high-level cloud that might catch the light, so I was optimistic about getting some good conditions. As I got closer to the coast though I noticed a blanket of low-level cloud coming in. By the time I got to my location, it was the opposite of clear blue skies. It was grey and misty!
Spring Thrift #3, Cornwall - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 14mm, f/13, 25 seconds at ISO 64, Kase circular polariser.
Though I couldn’t find anything other than a cloudless sky forecast there I was surrounded by a blanket of sea mist. Well, I wasn’t going to let the conditions put me off. While I knew I wasn’t going to get any photographs better than my previous visit, I could at least explore some different compositions and still make it a valuable trip.
Maybe Next Year
I consider both my trips a good use of time despite the photographs being nothing special. Through exploring these locations and taking some test compositions I can visualise how the light and tide could be used to create some strong coastal images. The only thing is that with the thrift now being passed its best I will have to wait to next spring to turn my vision into reality. I can’t wait!
Starting My Journey into the World of Macro Photography
In the blog this week I finally head out with the Laowa 100mm f/2.8 2x Ultra Macro and start my journey as a macro photographer!
First Steps
If you’ve been reading my blog for a while you may remember that I tried macro photography for the first-time last year. You can see some of the results here. Regardless of the quality of those first few steps into the world of macro photography, I was sure of one thing and that was I wanted to do more of it!
Just over a year after that last blog post I’ve finally given it another try. Why wait so long I hear you ask. Having used a dedicated macro lens for those first few attempts I knew that I also wanted my own dedicated macro lens. As with many of my purchasing decisions I needed to wait until I had sufficient funds to cover the purchase cost. As I had many other commitments around that time, I decided that the purchase could wait until early 2020. That way I would have the new macro lens just in time for spring.
Around September 2019 I changed from the Nikon DSLR system to the Nikon Z mirrorless system. If you want to know why then check out this blog post here. As part of that change I decided that wherever possible I would only purchase a new lens if it was a native Z mount lens. As the Nikon Z lens line up was and still is limited, my options for a macro lens were extremely limited.
Common Blue, Berry Head, Devon - Nikon Z7, Laowa 100mm f/2.8 2x Ultra Macro, 1/500th second at ISO 500.
Laowa 100mm f/2.8 2x Ultra Macro
The Nikon Z mount lens roadmap does include a 105mm macro but with no release date that was not going to be an option. Then I heard that Laowa were going to make a native Z mount version of their well rated 100mm f/2.8 2x Ultra Macro. Though the lens is manual focus it can be purchased for a reasonable £469. I thought given the price, focal length, native Z mount and the good reputation of the lens I was worth pre-ordering it.
It was originally due to arrive around mid-March but then the world started to suffer from the coronavirus pandemic. Not that the delay in the arrival of the lens really mattered anyway as I wouldn’t have been able to go out and use it because of lockdown.
Fortunately for me the delay in the lens wasn’t that long and it arrived in April. I tried it out by shooting various still life subjects in the house, but I really couldn’t get passionate about photographing flowers in my office.
Common Blue, Berry Head, Devon - Nikon Z7, Laowa 100mm f/2.8 2x Ultra Macro, 1/160th second at ISO 200. Please note: While I placed and setup my own camera for this shot, the original composition was thought out by Neil Burnell. Neil is a super talented photographer and if you want to learn how he works his magic then be sure to check out his 1-2-1 sessions or workshops here.
Returning to the Outdoors
As soon as the UK Government started to ease the restrictions on being outside, I decided that one of the first things I was going to do was try out my new macro lens. As I’d had so much fun last year at Berry Head photographing the butterflies, I thought this would be an excellent place to start.
I contacted my friend and fellow photographer Neil Burnell as he is a bit of a local expert and super talented macro photographer. We knew we could still maintain good social distancing and as we were in a wide-open coastal location, we felt it was safe to meet.
Small Blue, Berry Head, Devon - Nikon Z7, Laowa 100mm f/2.8 2x Ultra Macro, 1/50th second at ISO 1000.
We were both incredibly pleased to find Berry Head full of the expected small blue and common blue butterflies. Neil soon got to work doing what Neil does best I got on with the job of just trying to get things in focus!
Lot’s to Learn
Throughout this blog article you’ve seen the images that I took that evening (and some the following week). Sure, they won’t win any awards, but they are enough to remind that I made the right decision with the purchase of a macro lens and this is an area of photography I wish to develop my skills in.
Small Blue, Berry Head, Devon - Nikon Z7, Laowa 100mm f/2.8 2x Ultra Macro, 1/125th second at ISO 400.
There’s a lot to learn but this is also what makes it so exciting. I will at some point make a video of my experiences of macro photography but for now I need to concentrate on the job at hand. I’ve got a plan on how I will increase my skills and I will share my progress here on the blog.
I hope you enjoyed the images in this blog. Are you a macro photographer? Are you thinking about taking up macro photography? Let me know in the comments below.
Small Blue, Berry Head, Devon - Nikon Z7, Laowa 100mm f/2.8 2x Ultra Macro, 1/250th second at ISO 1600.
Developing Compositions on Dartmoor
Creativity breeds creativity. A recent idea for a video got me to explore a location I know well in a bit more detail.
Creativity Breeds Creativity
One of the side benefits of having a YouTube channel is that I find myself constantly thinking of new creative ideas for videos. These ideas often drive me to try different types of landscape photography or even different genres of photography. Most of all though it gets me to push the boundaries of my landscape photography.
I recently had an idea for a video that would challenge my photography and force me to think carefully about how I was composing my images. At a minimum, I was going to have come up with some new compositions from a location that I knew well.
I’m not going to reveal what this idea is at the moment but what I will do is share some of the images I captured while I was out developing the idea on Dartmoor (16th March).
Belstone Common
Anyone who has been reading this blog long enough will know that one of my favourite spots on Dartmoor to photograph is Belstone Common. With 360-degree views and lots of interesting rock formations, it offers a lot of choices when it comes to compositions. It should be the perfect place for my latest idea.
Belstone Tor #2, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30 f/4 at 16mm, f/13, 1.8 secs at ISO 64, Kase Filters K9 CPL.
When I looked back at my collection of images from Belstone one thing jumped out at me. Despite me knowing there are a wide variety of compositions to be had at Belstone, I’d only captured a few of them. I had unknowingly got myself into a creative rut. My latest idea would be the perfect opportunity to sort that out.
As I was going to head up to Dartmoor to do some exploring and to try out new compositions, I wasn’t that bothered about how the weather was looking. I would have gone up there even in grey overcast conditions but as it turned out the weather forecast was predicting average to favourable conditions. Not conclusive by any stretch but with a bit of luck I might get something that I could work with.
Belstone Tor #2, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30 f/4 at 15mm, f/8, 1/5th secs at ISO 64, Kase Filters K9 CPL. 4 Image focus stack.
Sunset on Dartmoor
Having shot Dartmoor mostly at dawn for the last 6 months the one thing I noticed straight away on my first sunset shoot there was that there were other people about! The locations I go to on Dartmoor rarely see other people first thing in the morning, so it was nice to go up there during the day and be greeted with smiles and hellos.
Belstone Tor #4, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30 f/4 at 20mm, f/8, 0.5 secs at ISO 64, Kase Filters K9 CPL. 4 Image focus stack.
Being up on Belstone Common without my mind focused on capturing one image I found myself more relaxed and open to exploration. I walked the entire length of the Belsone Tor ridge, once north to south, and then in reverse. I stopped several times to take photographs either finding new compositions or variations in compositions I had previously taken. It was a surprisingly creative time.
Belstone Tor #6, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30 f/4 at 19mm, f/13, 1/6th sec at ISO 64, Kase Filters K9 CPL.
While I did get the old glimmer of nice light, I didn’t get anything too dramatic. That doesn’t bother me too much though. The main thing was that I discovered new compositions that will suit my new creative idea nicely. All I need now is a window of opportunity to return to Belstone Common so I can execute my idea! Stay tuned to my blog to find out what it is.
On My Watch List - A New Show with Chris Sale
In the blog this week I tell you about the new YouTube show I’m doing with friend and fellow photographer Chris Sale.
Collaborations Take Time
One of the great benefits of sharing your photography life on YouTube is the number of people that you get to meet. I often say the photography content creation community is a bit like a virtual camera club. While this does mean your virtual camera club has members from all over the country (even the world) it also means it is challenging to find the time to meet people in person.
I would love to have more time to spend travelling the country, meeting up with fellow photographers and collaborating on content ideas. For me, allocating time for landscape photography is often a careful balance of family and work commitments. As a result, I only collaborate a few times a year and only if the idea is going to provide a tangible benefit to all the parties involved.
My good friend and fellow landscape photographer, Chris Sale, is a person I have collaborated with several times. For some time now we have been talking about collaborating on the creation of a new photography related show or podcast. We didn’t just want to create just another photography chat show. Instead, we wanted to create something with purpose and definition. Something that has a USP!
Lockdown Ideas
Like many photographers at the moment, Chris and I have a bit more time on our hands. While our landscape photography activities have very much been restricted, that hasn’t stopped us being creative. This period of lockdown has given us the time to work on our idea to produce a new show. Over the last few weeks, we discussed several ideas but the one that stuck was Chris’ idea of doing a show around photography related videos on YouTube.
We decided to go with that idea as we produce and watch a lot of photography related YouTube content. We feel this makes us well placed to discuss the topic, and we also believe that no one else is doing this type of show (with landscape photography content). By talking about the videos that we watch we hope to inspire your watch later list and to also inspire your photography.
After man-hours of discussion and planning, we agreed to film a pilot. The biggest challenge for filming the pilot was the fact that we live in different ends of the country. Even without lockdown, it would be unlikely that we would be able to film anything in person. So, the main challenges to filming were mostly technical and how post-production would work with different video sources such as Skype..
With a plan for the show laid out and (hopefully) the technical issues all sorted we filmed the pilot which we are incredibly happy to share with you all.
You’ll find the video below. It will premiere on YouTube at 7:30 pm tonight (14th July 2020) and if you can join us live, we will be there in the Live Chat to discuss the show and hear your feedback. If you can’t join us live don’t worry as after the premier has finished it will remain on YouTube just like any other video.
We really hope you enjoyed the pilot show and we want to hear your feedback (good or bad). It will help us decide if we will do more shows and help us shape the content and format. We look forward to seeing your comments!
Exploring More of Start Point
I'm no stranger to Start Point but I thought it was about time to explore the area to see if I could find some new compositions.
Discovering More
I'm spoilt for choice when it comes to locations on the south Devon coast to watch and photograph the sunrise. One of my favourites is Start Point and I've captured numerous photographs from this distinctive coastal location. While the photographs I've captured feature a variety of different weather conditions, most of them all have one thing in common. They've all be taken from roughly the same spot.
The view that I normally capture at Start Point. Read the blog post for this image here.
The spot I like is high up on the peninsula looking down towards the lighthouse and out to sea. This is a great view, but I've always believed that there are other compositions to be found. I did make one brief trip further south-west along the coast one evening and I really liked the side-on view of the peninsula and the lighthouse. I've been meaning to go back for some time.
I would go to Start Point more often but it is a bit of a trek to get there. As the crow flies it's not far but by car, it's about an 80-minute drive from home and not always on the greatest of roads. As part of my personal commitment to do more exploring in 2020, I decided that I would make the effort to not only explore the views further down the coast but to also check out Mattiscombe Sands (which is only a short walk from Start Point).
At this time of year, the sunrise time isn't too late in the morning but also not too early that you need to get up at 3 am. With the weather conditions looking OK I decided that it was time to head back to Start Point. I contacted with my friend and super talented photographer Andy Campbell who was more than happy to join me on my latest adventure.
Old Location, New Views
Arriving at Start Point on the 21st of February, I was tempted to head straight to my favourite viewpoint and bag a safety shot but I managed to pull myself away and move further down the coast. I soon found a viewpoint I liked and started taking some photographs. The view gave me a side-on look at the peninsula and lighthouse and it looked dramatic. Unfortunately, I don’t have any photographs to share with you from that viewpoint as the light was pretty dull and none of the resulting images processed particularly well. It is a viewpoint I will be back to though so expect to see an image from there soon!
I then took a walk a little further down the coast again and though it is a similar view to the previous one I just described, this view has the addition of some jaggy foreground rocks which I like. I am happy to share a couple of those photographs but for me, that viewpoint will come alive as a sunset location when the light hits that peninsula and the rocks. I will be coming back to photograph that spot again as well.
Start Point Sunrise #1, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 24-70mm f/4 S at 36mm, f/13, 0.6 secs at ISO 64, Kase Filters K9 CPL and ND Grad.
With my recce mission of Start Point complete, me and Andy took a walk along to Mattiscombe Sands. The sunrise had been long gone by then so we weren't going to be taking any photos but from what we could see there is a lot of potential at that location given the right tide. Another location marked for a future visit!
Start Point Sunrise #2, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 24-70mm f/4 S at 28mm, f/13, 0.8 secs at ISO 64, Kase Filters K9 CPL and ND Grad.
Though my visit to Start Point was a short one it was a successful one. I wasn't expecting to get great images that morning, but I did want to check out some new viewpoints of Start Point and Mattiscombe Sands for future visits. So, in that sense, it was time well spent. Plus, I got to catch up with my friend Andi. Even when the conditions aren't great, if you've got a friend along with you it can still be a lot of fun.
I'll be heading back to Start Point again as soon as I can so stay tuned to my blog for more photos, blog posts and even a video!
Are there any locations you are planning to photograph this year that you haven't before? Let me know what is on your hit list in the comments below.
Creating My Biggest Ever Landscape Photography Book
In the blog this week, I create my BIGGEST ever landscape photography book! This retrospective look at my photography from the last decade takes over one hundred of my favourite landscape photographs and publishes them in one big book.
Creating Photo Books
If you’ve been reading my blog for a while or watching my YouTube channel, you’ll know how important it is for me to create something physical from my photographs. For me, the photographic process isn’t complete until I have made a print. I just love printing! You can beat the experience of watching one of your images take physical form.
Printing individual images for me is quick, easy, and reasonably inexpensive. I can also be spontaneous with my decision to print a photograph. Photography books are much more of a commitment, both in terms of preparation, time, and cost. It’s not that I’ve necessarily shied away from creating a book, it’s just that I’ve never felt the need.
That was all true until earlier this year when I created my first landscape photography book using the images that I’d captured from the Isle of Skye the year before. It was fantastic to see a collection of my images in a book. It hasn’t changed my attitude towards printing at home but it has given me another way to output my photography. I could definitely see the benefit of printing a collection of images in a book format. There is something even more permanent and physical with a book.
This Is Fun, Let’s Do Another
After my experience of creating my book of Skye photographs, I knew I would want to create another book at some point. I wasn’t planning to do one so soon but then I saw an advert from Saal Digital UK offering a £100 voucher against the cost of one of their Professional Line books. I’d never used Saal before and I thought this would be a great opportunity to not only try their services but also to create another book. I applied for the voucher and was incredibly pleased when my application was accepted. (I will add that the voucher came with no conditions other than a use-by date.)
From the outset, I knew this was going to be a much bigger book than my last one. I wasn’t exactly sure of the scope to start with, and it took me a little while to get myself started, but once I was going it turned out to be a fantastic project.
Like I did with my Skye book I decided to make a video of my experience of creating this book. In the video, I talk about how I selected my photographs, my experience of using the Saal designer software and my thoughts on the final printed book. You can check out the video below:
Will I Do Another?
There’s no doubt that having photography books printed can be a costly exercise, especially if you are just printing one book for personal use but I do firmly believe it is worth doing. With that in mind, I have made a personal commitment to producing another book.
Unless anything else comes up between now and the end of the year that requires a book, my next book will feature my best or favourite photographs from 2020. If that book turns out to be a positive experience it will be something, I will want to do every year. I’m also going to look at some of the additional options that Saal offer such as gift boxes, different covers and paper types. I will, of course, be creating a video for that so you can share the experience with me.
I hope you enjoyed this video and blog post. Do you create your own photography books? Do you sell your books? Let me know in the comments below.
Remembering Why I Love Photography - Dawlish Warren
Grab yourself a cup of coffee because it's time for another 5 Minute Photo Adventure! In this episode, I head to Dawlish Warren where I reminded that it's always worth hanging on for just another 5 minutes. Even after all these years, landscape photography can still surprise and delight me.
Just Another 5 Minutes
Over the years I have produced fifteen 5 Minute Photo Adventure videos, but I’ve never made one from Dawlish Warren. This is a bit odd as it is the location, I photograph the most every year. You’ll find many blog posts on this website that feature Dawlish Warren, and it has been the location for many videos. However, I don’t think it’s ever been the primary feature of a video and it’s never featured in its own 5 Minute Photo Adventure.
A few weeks ago (14th March to be precise), I had a little spare time and after checking the weather forecast, I thought that a dawn shoot from Dawlish Warren might yield some nice results. This would also be the perfect opportunity to feature Dawlish Warren in a 5 Minute Photo Adventure.
I’m not going to write too much here about my time at Dawlish Warren because I’ll only be repeating what is in the video. The one thing I will say is that it pays to be patient. The conditions at the point of sunrise weren’t great and I wasn’t expecting to get any nice light. While I was enjoying my time on the beach, I was ready to call it a day on the photography.
Experience has taught me though that it is sometimes worth holding on a little longer past sunrise/sunset and that’s exactly what I did. Once the sun broke over the lower cloud I got some glorious light and I captured some of my favourite ever images from Dawlish Warren. Sure, a little more cloud in the higher reaches of the sky would have made the photos even better, but I cannot fault the experience of being there and having the opportunity to capture those images.
I really hope you enjoy my latest 5 Minute Photo Adventure from Dawlish Warren and if you scroll down a little further you’ll be able to see the images from the video in a bit more detail. Let me know which image is your favourite in the comments below.
The Photographs
Dawlish Warren Sunrise #1, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30m f/4 at 15mm, f/13, 5 secs at ISO 64, Kase K9 CPL.
Dawlish Warren Sunrise #2, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30m f/4 at 19mm, f/13, 10 secs at ISO 64, Kase K9 CPL.
Dawlish Warren Sunrise #3, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30m f/4 at 25mm, f/13, 8 secs at ISO 64, Kase K9 CPL.
Dawlish Warren Sunrise #1, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30m f/4 at 20mm, f/13, 0.4 secs at ISO 64, Kase K9 CPL.
Landscape Photography - On Location with Thomas Heaton (Preview) - On My Bookshelf S03E04
In this special episode of On My Bookshelf I take an exclusive look at Thomas Heaton’s new landscape photography book.
Welcome to my 200th Blog Post
Before I tell you about the latest episode of On My Bookshelf, I just want to let you know that this is my 200th post on the Exposed Blog. My first blog post was made on 30th August 2016 and since then I have made a new post every week. The weekly post was a commitment I made to myself at the start but even I’m a little surprised that I manage to keep going for two hundred posts and not miss a single week.
It’s been a bit of a roller coaster. Sometimes I’d be sitting there with 5 or 6 posts ready to go and other weeks I’d be sitting there on a Sunday frantically typing out my latest landscape photography adventure. I’ve thought about cutting back from the weekly schedule, but I just love sharing my adventures and stories with you. The thing that really keeps me going though is YOU, the readers of the blog. Thank you for all the comments here, and on all my social media channels. Your support really does keep me going.
I wonder if I can make it to 500!
On My Bookshelf - Thomas Heaton
For my 200th blog post, I’ve managed to bag myself an exclusive look at Thomas Heaton’s new book “Landscape Photography, On Location with Thomas Heaton”. Mr Heaton has not only inspired my photography, but he also inspired me to create my YouTube channel. When I heard he was going to publish his first book of landscape photographs I was really interested in seeing what it was all about.
Now that pre-orders for his book have opened (get a copy here) I’m delighted to share with you my thoughts on his forthcoming book. Once you’ve watched my video be sure to check out Thomas’ announcement video below that.
UPDATE!
I now have a physical copy of the book so please check out part 2 of my review!
Bude Sea Pool
I always like to try different things with my photography so I set my alarm for 4am and headed to blustery Bude to capture some images of the sea pool
OMG, Sunrise is Early
I love sunrises. It’s my favourite time of day to shoot. I love the excitement of driving to a location not knowing exactly what is going to happen. With sunsets, I will have spent the day reading updated forecasts and looking at the sky. With sunrises, I just wake up, get in the car and go!
As much as I like sunrise though, getting up early is not always that easy. Often it’s less about the actual sunrise time and more to do with the additional time you need to get to a location and still be there well before sunrise itself. I think the earliest I’ve ever been up for sunrise is 03:30 and at the time of year when these images were taken a 05:00 alarm call can be classified as sleeping in!
When a friend and fellow photographer asked if I fancied joining him one morning (13th March) to shoot the sea pool at Bude I knew the answer was yes, but I also knew this would be a 04:00 alarm call. I needed time to get up, make a cup of coffee, drive to Bude and still be there before the sun rose. This wasn’t going to easy but with the lure of photographing something different and the chance to catch up with a friend I was happy to miss out on a few hours sleep.
Blustery Bude
My friend was looking to capture some seascape images of the sea pool at Summerleaze Beach in Bude. With a high tide and strong winds forecast the conditions were ideal for the type of images he wanted to create. The type of images that I would be able to capture that morning would be very different from the wide-open vistas and landscapes that I usually take but it’s always fun to try something a little different.
I had most of the gear that I needed for this type of shoot but the one thing I’m currently missing at the moment is a long lens. I no longer have my 70-200mm f/2.8 F mount lens, and I’m waiting for delivery of my 24-200 Z mount lens so the longest focal length I have is from my 24-70 f/4 Z mount lens. I knew that not having a longer lens would limit my compositions and getting closer to the action would not be possible.
Bude Sea Pool #1, Cornwall - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 24-70mm f/4 at 70mm, f/8, 0.5 secs at ISO 160, Kase Filters K9 CPL.
Lack of gear is rarely an excuse for not giving things a go and that is exactly when I did when I arrived at Bude. Conditions were as expected and the waves were crashing around and over the sea pool. It didn’t take long for me to realise why a long lens would have been useful as some of the interesting compositions that included the pool steps were out of reach for me. Not to worry though, there were still compositions to be had closer to where I was standing.
To mix things up a little I tried stepping down to the pool edge but this proved to be a little risky. Before getting too close I watched for a little while to see how big the waves were and if there was a chance of getting soaked. Getting wet wasn’t the issue though. As I know from experience, it’s less about getting wet from the waves as it is more about what is in the waves in terms of debris. I noticed that pebbles were being washed up by the waves and I didn’t fancy myself or my camera getting hit by one.
Bude Sea Pool #2, Cornwall - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 24-70mm f/4 at 70mm, f/8, 0.5 secs at ISO 160, Kase Filters K9 CPL.
Work With What You’ve Got
All that aside I enjoyed the experience of trying to capture something different and working within tighter constraints than normal. While my shots aren’t necessarily original and won’t win any awards I am none the less pleased with them. They have at least given me a taste for this type of photography and are a good basis from which to build up my creative skills in this area.
Bude Sea Pool #3, Cornwall - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 24-70mm f/4 at 45mm, f/8, 0.5 secs at ISO 160, Kase Filters K9 CPL.
Looking at the images with a slightly critical eye I would have liked some of the compositions to have been a bit tighter and contained fewer subjects. Perhaps a little more minimalist. The wind and waves were also a little strong which meant there was a little bit too much white water. I think the shutter speed is about right giving me some nice texture in the water, but there are too many areas where it is just white water.
Bude Sea Pool #4, Cornwall - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 24-70mm f/4 at 45mm, f/8, 0.5 secs at ISO 160, Kase Filters K9 CPL.
As I said though, I’m pleased enough with the images. It was a great way to spend the morning and it was made even better as I got to spend it catching up with a mate. The only downside was that there is nowhere in Bude to go and get breakfast at 7 am!
The Landscape by Paul Wakefield - On My Bookshelf S03E03
In this episode of On My Bookshelf I take a look The Landscape by Paul Wakefield.
Discovery and Recommendations
The books that go on my bookshelf are discovered in many different ways. I might hear about them in a podcast or read about them in a magazine but probably one of the best ways to discover something is through recommendation.
Friend and fellow photographer Neil Burnell (who actually has one of his books on my bookshelf) recommended that I pick up a copy of The Landscape by Paul Wakefield. I know Neil doesn’t purchase photography books very often so for him to buy it was recommendation enough for me to pick up a copy.
The book is a little on the expensive side but fortunately for me, I’d been a good boy in 2019 and Santa gave me a copy for Xmas. Now that I’ve had time to look through it I’m delighted to share my thoughts on the book in another episode of On My Bookshelf.
What did you think of the book? Is this a book that might make it on to your bookshelf? Do you have any recommendations for me? Let me know in the comments below.
5 Things To Do When Entering Photographic Competitions
Do you think you could be the next Landscape Photographer of the Year? Are you thinking about entering any photography competition? In this video, I share with you 5 things that you should do when you enter any photographic competition. I've also got a few tips from Wex Photographer of the Year, Andi Campbell!
Fail to Prepare, Prepare to Fail
Photography competitions are fickle things. There is an element of luck in any competition and you could have the most amazing image and still not get placed. While controlling what the judges feel and see in your images is something you can’t control, there are aspects of entering a photography competition you can control.
Sand, Wind and Time - Commended award in Scottish Landscape Photography of the Year.
Last week I found out that my image “Sand, Wind and Time” was given a commended award in the Scottish Landscape Photographer of the Year competition. This spurred me on to finish selecting my final entries for Landscape Photographer of the Year. I was discussing this with my good friend Chris Sale and he reminded me of the tips on photo competitions that I had shared with him over the years and so he suggested I make a video about them all. Well, that’s just what I did. So here are the 5 things I do when I enter a photographic competition:
As you will have noticed in the video, most of the things I do are fairly logical and process-based, but they are still critical in being successful in a competition. The old saying, “fail to prepare, prepare to fail” is very true here.
Before I go I must thank Andi Campbell for sharing his tips for entering photography competitions. Winning Wex Photographer of the Year is far from easy so I know you will be most impressed with his work when you visit his website.
Just a short blog post from me this week, but I hope enjoyed it and you picked up a couple of tips. Are you entering a photography competition this year? Are you planning on entering LPOTY? Do you have any tips of your own? Let me know in the comments below.
Your Photos Matter - Create a Photo Book
I completely forgot about a collection of images I had so I decided to do something with them!
Don’t Forget to Publish Your Photos!
In October of last year, I went on a photography bucket list trip to the Isle of Skye. This wasn’t a last-minute trip but one that I had probably started to organise some 18 months prior to departure. Over that 18 month period, I had a lot of time to get excited about the trip. Needless to say that when the trip did finally come around my levels of excitement were through the roof.
With all that planning and excitement I find it odd that I left the photographs I captured just sitting on my hard drive. What was the point in spending all that time and money on capturing these images and doing nothing with them! So I decided the best and most interesting way to publish these photographs was with a photo book. If you a regular reader of the blog you’ll know how keen I am on creating something physical from my photographs. This time though, rather than print them myself I would create a photo book.
You can see how I went about it in the video below:
I hope you enjoyed the video and it has inspired you to dig about your catalogue of images, print some of them, or even create a photo book yourself. If you do, please let me know in the comments below.
My Isle of Skye Photographs
I hope you enjoy the collection of photographs that I placed in my book. Just click on a thumbnail to view the image full screen and see all the shooting information.
Just a Little Bit of Snow on Dartmoor
Even the slightest chance of snow is enough to make me set my alarm for 4:30 am and head up to one of Dartmoor’s highest tors.
Who Loves Snow?
There is something about snow that makes some UK based landscape photographers very excited, and I admit, I’m one of them. I think this is for two reasons. First is that we don’t often get a lot of snow in the UK. Some parts of the country like the Highlands of Scotland get more than say Devon, but it is rare for us to get widespread heavy snowfall. The other appealing aspect of snow is how it can transform a location. Your favourite viewpoints can take on a different look and it can make some locations that you would never normally photograph suddenly become beautiful. So when I heard that snow was forecast on Dartmoor I immediately started to make plans for a dawn shoot.
Do You Want To Build a Snowman?
While the weather forecast was predicting snow, I already knew it wasn’t going to be a great big dumping of the stuff. While the forecast was predicting a 95% chance of snow, it was only forecast for short periods and on the very highest reaches of Dartmoor. I guessed that it would be similar conditions to the time I got snow up on Belstone Common (which you can see below). There certainly wasn’t going to be enough snow to build a snowman.
Great Mis Tor
To make the most of what snow there was going to be I needed to choose a Dartmoor location that was both high, reasonably easy to access, and offered some interesting compositions. Two tors spring to mind that meet these criteria, Great Staple Tor and Great Mis Tor. With Great Mis Tor being around 90 meters higher than Great Staple Tor I opted to go there. Experience has taught me that even a small difference in height can mean the difference between snow or no snow.
When I arrived at the car park for Great Mis Tor things looked positive. There was already a light dusting of snow. By the time I got to the Tor things were looking not too bad. As expected, it wasn’t a blanket of snow but I felt there was enough to work with. It reminded me of my last visit to Great Mis Tor where I also had snow that morning.
A Snowy Dawn at Great Mis Tor #1, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 14mm, f/13, 1/5th sec at ISO 64, Kase Filters K9 CPL and ND Grad.
While the addition of snow to a scene is often a welcome addition, that doesn’t mean that the photography becomes easy. With only a little bit of snow what I really needed to add something to the scene was a bit of morning light. There were plenty of showers passing through and they would leave gaps in the sky, but I never really got a decent break in the light. As is always the way, there were many patches of great light in the surrounding landscape, just not where I was!
A Snowy Dawn at Great Mis Tor #2, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 14mm, f/13, 1/5th sec at ISO 64, Kase Filters K9 CPL and ND Grad.
Looking back at my images I feel they are lacking something. I know that I talk about the quality of the light a lot but it really can make a difference when shooting Dartmoor. I’m more than happy to Embrace the Grey at the right locations, but this rarely works for me on Dartmoor. Don’t get me wrong, the images are pleasing enough but even without good light, I think the compositions need a little tweaking. I’ve only shot Great Mis Tor a couple of times so I can’t expect to instantly come away with great compositions with little experience there. I’ll just need to keep going back. Which is no bad thing?
A Snowy Dawn at Great Mis Tor #3, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 17mm, f/11, 1/13th sec at ISO 64, Kase Filters K9 CPL and ND Grad.
Photography challenges aside, I had a great time. I know standing on a snowy, windy tor, 538m up isn’t everyone’s idea of fun, but for me, it was the perfect way to witness the start of a new day. The photos capture what I saw that morning and combined with the experience of actually being there, it made for a perfect morning in the wilderness.
Have you managed to capture any snowy images this year? Is snow a bonus or a hindrance for your photography? What snowy scenes do you like to capture? Let me know in the comments below.
Discovering Beauty in a Winter Woodland
In the blog this week I head back to Holne Bridge to show you why I’m photographing one of my favourite autumn locations in the middle of winter.
Inspired by a Bit of Luck
I recently shared a blog post in which I talked about having a Plan A, B and C and how I ended up photographing one of my favourite autumn locations in winter. The photographs I captured surprised me and they made me realise that I was maybe missing a trick by ignoring Holne Bridge in the winter.
If I was missing a trick then I thought other photographers might be missing out on great photographs from their favourite seasonal locations by not shooting them off-season. As I already wanted to head back to Holne Bridge to capture some more winter landscape photographs I decided that I would create a video of my experience and share it with you in the hope that it will inspire you to do something similar.
Using a Circular Polariser
Over the last few weeks I’ve been chatting to a fellow photographer who is just starting out with his use of filters and I said one of the most important filters for most landscape photographers is the circular polariser. This statement was particularly true for me at Holne Bridge. In fact when it comes to photographing water the circular polariser is an essential bit of kit for me.
In the photographs below you’ll find an example of the same scene, one photograph was taken with the polariser on, and the other with no polariser. I think it clearly shows how much of a difference this filter can make. I’ve included a little demo of the effects of a circular polariser in the video as well. (If you are interested I use the Kase Filters K9 circular polariser).
I really hope you enjoyed this video and that it’s maybe inspired you to visit one of your favourite locations off-season. If it has or you already do something like this then please let me know in the comments below.
The Photographs
As always, here are the photographs that I captured in the video. Just click on them to see them in a larger format.
Holne Bridge at Winter, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 23mm, f/13, 1/4 sec at ISO 200, Kase Filters K9 holder and CPL.
The same image as above but without the polariser.
Winter River at Holne Bridge, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 18mm, f/13, 1/4 sec at ISO 400, Kase Filters K9 holder and CPL.
Have a Plan A, B and C
As my plan C location, I didn't think I would end up at Holne Bridge on Dartmoor to capture this image. But after a failed shoot at my plan B location I was pleased that I'd had the foresight to consider a backup to the backup location.
Plan A
I like Fridays. It’s the end of the working week, the weekend is just around the corner and I’ll probably open a bottle of wine in the evening and eat something with a few red lights on the packaging. More than all that its the day where I almost always get out for a dawn shoot. That doesn’t mean the weather will be good though!
The Friday morning of this blog I had planned to meet up with a friend and fellow photographer for a bit of a catch-up. We were going to head down to the coast to shoot some moody seascapes. The weather forecast was for showers and overcast skies, but hopefully perfect for what we had planned.
Unfortunately my friend had to cancel. This of course isn’t a problem. Life and work sometimes change your priorities. Something of which I’m all too aware of myself. I would of course need a plan B.
Plan B
I could of course stick with plan A, but the location was further than I probably really had time to travel to. This mattered less when I was meeting up with someone, but as this shoot would be on my own I decided that I would pick somewhere closer to home.
Combestone Tor in 2014 - my first and last visit.
As part of my plan to take more risks and be more spontaneous in 2020 I decided that I should try somewhere new. Having just read an article by Ross Hoddinnot on some Dartmoor locations I decided that I must try and photograph Combestone Tor. Though this location wasn’t completely new to me, I had only shot it once some 6 years ago, so I still thought it would still be somewhere fresh for me to shoot.
When Friday morning came round I went outside to take the dog for a quick walk before I headed up to Dartmoor. Despite the weather forecast predicting overcast skies I could see some high cloud and a lot of stars. It looked like it could be a great morning after all!
I had to make a decision. Do I go to the coast and make the most of the sunrise, or stick to my original plan of going to Dartmoor where the weather might well be very different. My closest coastal location is Dawlish Warren and it is very much the safe bet but I have photographed this location many times before. This would not achieve my goal of shooting somewhere new. Despite my gut instincts to go to Dawlish Warren I decided to keep to my plan of going to Dartmoor. I felt it was important to spend some time working on new locations.
The weather up on Dartmoor that morning was as predicted. Very windy and cloudy. Not worry, the point of the visit was not to get a great image but explore the location. And explore I did. However, I never really got inspired. I never even got the camera out. It seems like a location with plenty of potential but I just couldn’t find something I wanted to photograph. Maybe it was just the lack of morning light, or the chilling wind, or maybe I just need a few more visits so I can get to know the location better.
Whatever the problem, I wasn’t going to capture any images there so time for plan C!
Plan C
Holne Bridge, Autumn 2019
I hate to head out with the camera and take no photos, so knowing that this might happen if I went up to Combestone I decided I needed a backup plan. The route up to Combestone fortunately takes me past Holne Bridge. This is a location I’ve photographed a few times, but only in autumn. This tree-lined river location is perfect for catching those wonderful autumnal colours.
I’d never really considered shooting it during the winter. With most of the trees probably being bare I didn’t think it would make for an interesting photograph. However, if I had to drive past it on my way home why not stop and take a photo anyway. I wouldn’t even have to walk very far!
So on the way back from Combestone I pulled over, grabbed my gear and popped down to the river. This was my plan C location so I was a little short on time which meant I didn’t have a lot of time to go exploring for new compositions. I decided that if I wanted to get a shot I would go with what I already knew. I did try a few different angles from a couple of new spots, but I eventually decided that I would capture roughly the same composition that I’d done during a previous visit.
Winter at Holne Bridge, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 24mm, f/11, 0.5 seconds at ISO 320, Kase Filters K9 Holder and CPL.
OK, I’ll admit, it’s not the most original composition that I’ve made, but given it was a bit of a grab shot as part of a backup plan I’m pretty happy with the result. I’d much rather have this image than have nothing at all from the morning. Besides, it was actually rather nice shooting a location in a totally different season. This is something I learnt from my year-long project on Dartmoor that I recently published. In fact it has inspired me to visit this location again in the very near future and not just wait for autumn. I think there is more to this location than just autumn colours.
A bit of a long story from me in this post but I hope you’ve found it enjoyable and that if you don’t normally head out with a plan A, B and C, then it’s maybe time you did.
Keep Calm and Embrace the Grey
Big sunrises, amazing light, and epic skies. These are just some of the elements that have helped shape some of my best landscape photographs. But what do you do when you don't have those things? What if the conditions are grey, overcast and still?
It’s All About the Light
Over the years some of my best photos have been shaped by the light. I’m always seeking the type of light that will lift my compositions from looking a little dull and flat into something with texture, dimension and contrast. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that you can’t get good images in flatter light, but the images that I like creating often require good light to make them a little more special.
Winter in the UK can be a challenging time for photography. The weather can be rather unsettled and grey flat days tend to be the norm rather than the exception. With so much overcast weather I decided it was once again time to #EmbraceTheGrey and I knew just the place to go.
Right Subject for the Conditions
Back in December 2018, I had visited The Cobb and the image that I captured changed the way I viewed that location. Rather than a location I would only visit when the waves were big and the sky glorious, I really wanted to capture a photograph when it was all still, flat and overcast. I almost got what I was looking for on that visit but I actually wanted it to be even more overcast! I wanted it to be even greyer!
For some time now I’ve been hoping to get those very conditions so I could make the photograph that I had in my mind’s eye. When a recent weather forecast predicted the conditions I was looking for, I thought it was finally time to head back to The Cobb.
In my latest video below I will share with you the experience of going back to The Cobb to try and capture the image I had envisioned all those months ago. I’ll also show you how I post-processed it and how I printed it.
I do hope you enjoyed the video. Though I’ll always be chasing that glorious light, hopefully, this video has shown you that having a subject or location that you can embrace the grey with is not only useful but can also lead to some very pleasing images.
Do you have a favourite location where you #EmbraceTheGrey? Let me know in the comments below.
And finally, here is that image you saw me capture, print and frame.
Embracing the Grey at The Cobb, Lyme Regis, Dorset - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 16mm, f/13, 182 seconds at ISO 64, Kase Filters CPL and 6 Stop ND
Printing Notes
In case you didn’t catch everything in the video, here is what I used to print the image:
Printer - Canon Pixma Pro-10s (http://amzn.to/2Anrcj7)
Software - Edited in Lightroom and printed using Canon Print Studio Pro
Paper - Fotospeed’s Legacy Gloss 325 with custom ICC profile (https://www.fotospeed.com/Legacy-325/groupproduct/3103/) - one of my favourite papers!
Frame - Picture Frames Express (https://www.pictureframesexpress.co.uk/)
Do Spectacular Conditions Make Landscape Photography Easier?
On a recent trip to photograph the sunrise at Start Point, I discover than amazing conditions doesn’t always mean that the photography is going to be easy.
Into the Sun at Start Point
One of the reasons yr.no is my favourite weather forecast website is the fact that it splits cloud coverage into low, medium and high levels. I’m always on the lookout for a bit of high-level cloud combined with little medium and low-level cloud. It’s generally the high-level cloud that catches the light from the rising or setting sun giving us those lovely pink skies that we sometimes crave.
Start Point in all its glory.
It was those very conditions that were predicted for Start Point on the South Devon coast one morning recently. I was not only looking to do a little coastal photography, but I was also keen to return to Start Point, so with a positive forecast for the morning I was (for once) sure that it would be the place to be.
My only slight concern was the position of the rising sun. At this time of year I would almost certainly be shooting straight into the sun. There’s nothing wrong with shooting into the sun, and plenty of people make an excellent job of it, but I’ve never really got to grips with it. A quick scan through my Lightroom catalogue of my previous images from Start Point reminded me that I could also shoot the lighthouse further down the coast towards the west. This would not only give me something a bit different from the normal shots that I take there, but it would also mean the sun would rise from the side instead of straight on.
Decisions, Decisions!
My regular viewpoint of Start Point, Feb 2019.
It’s at least a 75-minute drive to Start Point for me, and given that I like to be on location at least 1 hour before sunrise, I had to get up really early. As I got into the car and it was still 2 hours before sunrise, I could see a bit of high-level cloud in the sky. Those big long patches of cloud that catch the light. I was beginning to get really excited about the morning.
My alternative viewpoint further along the coast, Feb 2017.
When I arrived at Start Point things were still looking positive. A little too much blue sky, but there were some great patches of high-level cloud. I grabbed my bag and started walking. I did however have a bit of a dilemma on my hands. If I were to locate myself further down the coast to get the peninsula from the side, there wouldn’t be any of the high-level clouds in the shot. If I went to my regular position I would be shooting into the sun but I could include the high-level cloud in the shot (which was already pinking up nicely).
I decided to head down the coast and just check what the side shot would look like. When I got there I was correct with my assessment in that I just had a clear sky. The question was should I wait there to see if the cloud would move, and move in the right direction, or should I head back to my normal viewpoint. That high-level cloud really had some nice colour to it so I decided to head to my normal spot.
Sunrise
As I stood in my favourite spot I watched the sky and clouds change colour as sunrise approached and passed. While it wasn’t the most amazing sunrise I’d ever seen it was still really nice. Having experienced so many dull mornings recently this was a most welcome change and photography aside, I couldn’t think of a better way to experience the start of a new day.
Despite the very favourable conditions, I have to admit I struggled a little with my photography. I’m not sure if it was the thought that I should have been at the other spot (as the cloud had indeed moved into a good position) or that I was feeling a little uninspired, or even that I was finding it tricky shooting into the sun. Sometimes things just don’t click. Despite the good conditions I wasn’t finding the photography easy.
A Glorious Morning at Start Point, South Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 14mm, f/16, 15 secs at ISO 64, Kase Filters K9, CPL, ND Grad and 6 Stop ND.
Image Review
This was the best image of the morning, and despite it being better than I thought it would turn out, there is something that I don’t like about it. I’m not sure if it’s the composition, the tones or some combination of factors. Some times it's difficult to put your finger on these things so I’ve decided to do the best thing you can do when you want to learn from your own photography and that is to make a print.
Learn from your photography by making a print.
If I make a print of the image and leave it sitting around my desk I will spend more time looking at it. Hopefully by spending more time with the image, and in a printed form, I will learn what I don’t like about the image, what I need to change (in the composition or post-processing) or even that I do indeed like the image. For me, making the print is one of the best ways to improve your photography.
Whatever I ultimately end up feeling about this image, one thing I have learned is that spectacular conditions don’t always make landscape photography easier!