Landscape Photography - On Location with Thomas Heaton (Preview) - On My Bookshelf S03E04

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!

My Top 5 Tips to Improving Your Landscape Photography

Tips for Landscape Photographers

I've been shooting landscapes since I got my first DSLR back in 2006.  However, it's probably only in the last few years that I've started to really progress as a landscape photographer.  

In this vlog, I share with you the 5 things I think will help you improve your landscape photography.  This is a personal list, and not even necessarily the only 5 things you should do.  It's just 5 things that I did that had a direct impact on my landscape photography.  Hopefully, some of them will work for you also!

In Summary

I explain the tips in the video, but for those of you who are currently unable to watch the video, the tips are:

1. Practice - Make sure you practice your photography. Practice lots!

2. Be Inspired - Have plenty of sources of inspiration!

3. Get Involved - Go on a workshop or enter for a magazine feature!

4. Get Sharing - Share your work or enter a competition!

5. Adventure - Get out there and go on a photography adventure!

And there is a bonus tip, but you'll just have to watch the video for that one!

So do you have any tips you want to share?  What things did you do to improve your skills as a photographer?  Which of my tips are you going to follow?  Let me know in the comments below.

Inspiration and Influence

A Source of Inspiration

Inspiration is a powerful thing and for landscape photographers it can come from many sources.  It could be from seeing in image in a magazine you were reading over a coffee one morning, or from a visit to an art gallery to see the work of some of the greats.  Either way, I'm not sure many of us would have become photographers if we hadn't been inspired by someone or something. 

As a landscape photographer (who is still learning his craft), I gain a lot of inspiration from the work of other landscape photographers.  In particular I have been heavily motivated by the inspiring photographs in competitions such as Landscape Photographer of the Year. (Read my thoughts on photography competitions here).  Images like those found in Landscape Photographer of the Year have driven me to shoot more and improve the quality of my work.  Without the influential and inspiring works of others I probably would have chosen to ignore some of those 4am alarm calls or have chosen to open a bottle of wine in the evening.

In this blog post I discuss my personal photographic influences. These are the photographers that have not only inspired my creative style but also given me encouragement to publish my work, write this blog and even create videos. 

Thomas Heaton

I first discovered the work of Thomas Heaton on the Improve Photography podcast  where I pleased to hear a British photographer being interviewed.  Not only does Thomas Heaton produce stunning landscape images but he produces fantastic YouTube videos on how he goes about his photography.  It was content that I could connect to and relate to. 

His stories are wonderfully told and though I'd been thinking about blogging and vlogging for a while it was definitely the viewing of Thomas Heaton's videos that gave me that final inspiration to just get on and do it.   His images also are a great source of inspiration.  So much so that I've purchased his 2017 calendar which you can see here and purchase here.  That calendar should encourage me to see a few more 4am alarm calls.

And if you ever need some motivation or inspiration for you landscape photography check out this wonderful video by Thomas Heaton called Wake Up.

Not only is this video by Thomas Heaton inspiring, but it is a great example of how to produce engageing content.

Jared Polin - Aka FroKnowsPhoto

As with Thomas Heaton I discovered the work of Jared Polin on a photography podcast, but this time it was TWiP.  It's hard to describe Jared in words but larger than life seems apt.  His work has influenced and inspired me in two ways.  Firstly his photography has greatly influenced my music work (see my blog post on My Other Photography Life).  Through his YouTube channel I have learnt not only how to go about shooting live music but how to work my way up from shooting local venues to music festivals run by national broadcasters.

He has also been very influential in how I style the content that I'm writing now and will be in the future. If there was ever a great example of how to produce compelling and entertain content it is him.   His free video guide to branding is well worth a download and I recommend you subscribe to his YouTube channel.

My first landscape photography video.  I'm trying to make engaging content, something that Jared is a master at.  I have a long way to go, but we've all got to start somewhere.

David duChemin

David's work and videos have been inspirational in developing the artistic style of my images.  His YouTube channel has a wonderful series of videos in which he delves into the art of photography.   Topics such as intent, composition, processing and printing have all influenced my approach to photography and how I output my images.  It inspires me to improve my process and approach to taking images in the field. 

Though I will probably never visit some of the locations David has photographed, images like the those found in his Portraits of Earth collection inspire me to improve my artistic skills and develop my own personal style.

When I shot this image I had a vision in mind. It also didn't need much post-processing. This kind of approach to my photography has been influenced by the approach taken by David in his videos.

Ross Hoddinott

Ross has probably has probably inspired me the most in my journey as a landscape photography.  This will be largely due to the regular contact I have with him (see my post on Tuition and Mentoring).  Through the many 1-2-1 tuition sessions I've had with Ross I have learnt a great deal about photography and how to approach and shoot the landscape.  With each new photography skill learnt from Ross my confidence grows and it is with that growing confidence that I find myself being even more inspired to not only shoot more but to drive up the quality of my images.

Furthermore I find his images inspiring as not only is a lot of his work local to me but I find he produces images of a style and quality that I wish to aspire to.  Just check out his wonderful image of Dawlish Warren in this link. 

I created this image of a groyne on Dawlish Warren after being inspired by the work of my photography mentor Ross Hoddinott.

Always Look for Inspiration

While all these photographers have inspired and influenced my artistic style, each one has also influenced my photographic journey in other ways.  Photography is so much more than just taking images and through following the work of others I have been inspired to extend my skills as a photographer by taking on challenges such as writing this blog.

I continue to find new sources of inspiration and influence, and hopefully one day the pictures I take or the content I create will inspire a photographer to produce something special.

Which photographers inspire you to get out of bed in the morning?  Do we even need inspiration or should we try to find our own direction from the start?  Let me know in the comments.