Is My Photography Impacting the Environment?
Access to Daymark Tower has been closed off because of the environmental impact from visitors. In my latest video, I look at the reasons why, consider the impact my photography has on the environment, and capture some landscape photographs of this iconic Devon location along the South West Coast Path.
Daymark Tower - Closed to Visitors
It was a few months ago that people started to mention to me that one of my favourite locations along the South West Coast Path, Daymark Tower, was closed to the public. As I got more information it appeared that the short path that leads from the track to the tower had been locked shut by the farmer due to the damage that was being done to his crops by visitors. This didn’t exactly come as a surprise to me.
As I know the location well, I knew that it was still possible to get good shots of the tower from the track side of the fence. Experience has also taught me that the crops start to look their best (photographically speaking) around June and July, so I thought it was time to visit the tower to take some photographs and look at the access restrictions myself.
Here’s how I got on and what I saw.
While it’s easy for me to criticise other people, making this video has made me think about the impact my photography has on the environment. Issues such are carbon emissions are easy to identify, but what I need to start thinking about is the damage my feet (including those on my tripod) are doing to the ground around me. Over the years I’m sure I’ve been careless so the best thing I can do is to learn from those mistakes and improve my behaviours.
I hope by reading this and by watching the video that a few of you will also consider how you impact your local environment when you are taking photographs. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.
Daymark Tower Photographs
Aspen by Adam Gibbs and Published by Kozu Books - On My Bookshelf S04E02
On My Bookshelf is back and in this episode, I'm looking at Aspen, a photozine by Adam Gibbs and published by Kozubooks. Is this collection of autumnal landscape photographs from Abraham Lake and the Kootenay Plains a book for your bookshelf?
OMBS Is Back!
After a break of a few months, I’m pleased to say that On My Bookshelf is back! To celebrate the start of a new season of On My Bookshelf I’m looking at a photozine by Adam Gibbs called Aspen, It’s published by Kozubooks, who have been building up an amazing line of photography books including Tides and Tempests by Rachael Talibart (which featured on OMBS last year).
I’ve been following the work of Adam Gibbs for a few years now. I first became aware of his work when he won the International Landscape Photographer of the Year competition 2018. This then led me onto his YouTube channel where I found his photography compelling, and I enjoyed his style of presentation. In particular, Adam was photographing areas of the world that I had not seen before.
When Adam published his video of a recent trip to Aspen, I knew that I needed to look at the photozine he later published of that trip. Now that I’ve got my copy, I wanted to share my thoughts about the zine so you too can decide if it should be a title for your bookshelf. Enjoy!
Sharing the Joy of Printing
What's the best way to show someone the benefits of printing their landscape photographs? Simple. Take your Canon imagePROGRAF Pro-300 and some Fotospeed papers to Boscastle in Cornwall, meet a friend, take some photos, and then print them from your car!
From Discovery to Sharing
I first started printing my landscape photographs back in 2017. Since discovering the joy of printing, I have been sharing my passion for printing photographs at home on my blog, YouTube channel, and by talking about it at The Photography Show. I’ve even got this handy “playlist” of blog posts of my printing-related content here.
Over the years, I have been rather evangelical about printing but sometimes the only way to really get the message across is with a practical demonstration. Even better than that, why not take a printer on location with you, capture some photographs, and then print them! What could be more satisfying and exciting than capturing a photograph and then making a print all before breakfast?
This is exactly what I do in the video below. I’m joined by friend and fellow photographer Chris Sale as we both attempt to battle the thick fog of Boscastle harbour to capture a photograph that we can take back to the car and print.
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I hope you enjoyed this video. Chris might not be rushing out to buy his own printer, but he certainly appreciated the quality of the print and the experience of making one. It was a real pleasure being able to share my passion for printing in such a beautiful location and with such a good mate. It’s mornings like that one that makes photography such a rewarding thing to do.
Boscastle Coastline Photographs
The Nick Livesey Experience - A Documentary About Snowdonia’s Leading Mountain Photographer
Nick Livesey is a writer, photographer, mountain leader, and composer living in Snowdonia National Park in Wales. He is also a very grumpy man. But Nick’s life is changing, and for the better. In this new documentary, Nick shares his day and the stories of his life in the only way he knows how, with wit, honesty, and passion. Find out how and why Nick is changing in The Nick Livesey Experience.
Who is Nick Livesey?
The world of photography is full of personalities but when you think of Snowdonia the name that most people think of is Nick Livesey. Known as a mountain man and photographer, he is also infamous as the grumpy waiter from the Moel Siabod Café in Capel Curig.
During lockdown, Nick decided to make some fundamental changes to his life. He left behind the world of the café to focus on a life that would make him happy and allow him to establish an even deeper connection to Eryri.
But what motivates a person to give themselves so completely to just one place? I wanted to find out, so I decided to make a documentary about this legend of Snowdonia. In the film, you’ll discover that there is so much more to this person than just his photography. He’s a writer, a composer, and a mountain guide to name just a few of his talents. Most of all though, you’ll see that while he might still be a little grumpy, he is a person of great positivity, passion, and wit.
Welcome to The Nick Livesey Experience.
Landscape Photography with the K&F Concept SA255C1 Carbon Fibre Tripod
Don’t be me, get a decent tripod! I wish I’d got the @kfconceptglobal SA255C1 carbon fibre tripod sooner and I might have saved myself from an expensive camera repair bill. In my latest video, I head to Beardown Tors on Dartmoor National Park to capture landscape photographs and to share my thoughts on my new lightweight tripod.
Some Accidents Are More Preventable Than Others
I’d known for a while that I needed to replace one of my tripods. It had served me well for many years, but it was a little too lightweight for what I wanted to use it for, and it had a broken foot. My continued use of this tripod was an accident waiting to happen.
Sure enough, I left the replacement of that tripod a little too long and I had an inevitable accident. Some careless placement of the tripod legs and a gust of wind was all that was needed to send my ZV-1 crashing to the ground. Cameras smashing on rocks never results in a cheap repair bill.
While the ZV-1 was being repaired by Sony I decided that it was past the time to get a replacement tripod. Fortunately for me, K&F Concept had just released a new carbon fibre tripod and they wanted me to try it out (with no strings attached).
Though I’m a little ashamed I let such a preventable accident happen, I thought by sharing my experience I might be able to prevent someone else from having an expensive accident. In the video below I head to Beardown Tors on Dartmoor for a spot of landscape photography and tell you all about my new K&F Concept SA255C1 Carbon Fibre Tripod.
If you'd like to pick up one of these tripods, the kind folks at K&F Concept have shared the following discounts with me:
Website - K&F carbon tripod: https://bit.ly/3fVcaHl Coupon code: KF10UK (10% discount, valid until 31/12/2021）
Amazon - K&F carbon tripod: https://amzn.to/3wSD5dU Coupon code: KFCUK007 (10% discount, valid until 30/06/2021）
Beardown Tors Landscape Photographs
Here are the landscape photographs of Beardown Tors on Dartmoor that you saw me capture in the video.
Beardown Tors #1 - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 24-200mm f/4-6.3 at 26mm, f/13, 0.5 secs at ISO 64.
Beardown Tors #2, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 24-200mm f/4-6.3 at 26mm, f/13, 0.4 secs at ISO 64.
Beardown Tors #3, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 24-200mm f/4-6.3 at 24mm, f/11, 1/5th secs at ISO 64.
Beardown Tors #4, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 24-200mm f/4-6.3 at 24mm, f/11, 0.5 secs at ISO 64.
Fujifilm GFX100s - The Ultimate Landscape Photography Camera
Is the Fujifilm GFX100S the ULTIMATE camera for landscape photography? In this video, I test and review this medium format 100MP camera the only way I know how, and that's by heading out into the real world and taking landscape photographs.
A Rare Opportunity
I try not to talk about gear too much on blog and YouTube channel. When I do, I try and make the gear chat part of a landscape photography adventure. I’m not much for sitting in my office making videos about camera specs and shooting test charts.
The gear that I do talk about, whether it’s cameras, lenses or even outdoor clothing, is normally something I already own. I think I’ve only ever talked about an item of gear that I didn’t own once. It was at least for a camera that I had a genuine interest in and not for a random item that some company wanted me to make a video about.
So, when there was an opportunity to spend the weekend with the Fujifilm GFX100S, I jumped at the chance. How could I miss the chance to use this 102 megapixel, digital medium format camera? I would of course have to put it to good use and head out into the real world to capture landscape photographs with it.
A Fujifilm GFX100s Review for Landscape Photographers
As a YouTube content creator, I was also not going to miss the opportunity to make a video of my experience with this camera. Despite the price being out of reach for most landscape photographers, like me, I expect many of you have an interest in this camera.
The video I have made of my experience with the camera could be considered a review, but it’s very much a personal review. What I mean by that is that I’m reviewing it from the perspective of if I would buy the camera. So, I don’t really care about fast autofocus, stabilisation, frames per second, etc. I want to know if I would buy this camera as my next landscape photography camera, or at the very least, aspire to own it.
Though I’m not trying to convince you to buy the camera, I do hope you will enjoy this personal video review of the Fujifilm GFX100S. As with the other gear related videos I make, the video is also dedicated to the experience of creating landscape photographs as much as it is about the camera.
I hope you enjoy both the gear elements and the landscape photography elements of this video, but I accept no responsibility for a reduction in your bank balance should you buy a Fujifilm GFX100S!
Fujifilm GFX100S Landscape Photography Gallery
Here are all the photographs I captured in the video. Enjoy.
Essential Outdoor Photography Gear - Muck Boots Apex Zip Short Boots
There's more to landscape photography gear than just cameras and lenses. The clothing I wear can make the difference between being comfortable and creative, and being cold, wet and miserable. In my latest video, I head to Dartmoor to capture landscape photographs and tell you about an essential item of gear, my Apex boots from Muck Boots.
The Importance of Good Outdoor Clothing
As a landscape photographer, it’s all too easy to focus on making sure you have the best camera gear you can afford. While good camera gear is obviously important, the need for good outdoor clothing should not be ignored. I’ve learnt this the hard way. I’ve been cold, wet, and miserable when out with my camera. For the last few years though, I’ve always budgeted for good outdoor clothing as part of the photography kit bag.
Back in January, I talked about the winter photography gloves I use, but good outdoor clothing isn’t just for winter conditions. The latest addition to my kit bag is a pair of Apex Boots from Muck Boots. These boots are shorter and lighter weight than my Arctic Sport Boots, and for me, are better suited for the warmer months.
Thanks to some very wet weather over the last few weeks, my new Apex Boots were given a good workout. I put them to further use when I went out recently to capture some photographs of Holne Bridge and Venford Falls. As I was making a video as well, I also I thought this was the perfect time to talk about my thoughts on the boots. In the video below you can join me on my photograph trip to Dartmoor and see the boots in action.
I’m always happy to talk about the gear I use, whether it’s cameras or clothing, but I will always try and include some landscape photography as well. I hope you enjoyed watching my adventure to some of Dartmoor’s damper spots and learning about my new boots. Let me know in the comments below if there are any other items of outdoor clothing you might want to see a video about or let me know what your best item of outdoor clothing for photography is.
Holne Bridge Photographs
Here are the photographs you saw in the video in a bit more detail.
Holne Bridge at Spring #1, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 14mm, f/13, 1/5th sec at ISO 64, Kase Filters K9 CPL.
Holne Bridge at Spring #1, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 18mm, f/16, 1/5th sec at ISO 64, Kase Filters K9 CPL.
Venford Falls Photographs
Venford Falls at Spring #1, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 15mm, f/9, 0.4 sec at ISO 64, Kase Filters K9 CPL.
Venford Falls at Spring #3, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 30mm, f/8, 1/8th sec at ISO 64, Kase Filters K9 CPL.
Ultra-Wide Landscape Photography on Dartmoor with the Laowa 15mm
How wide do you go with your landscape photography? I love using ultra-wide angle lenses for my landscape photography and in this video and blog post, I attach a Laowa 15mm f/2 Zero-D lens to my Nikon Z7 and head to Dartmoor to capture some sunset photographs.
The Laowa 15mm f/2 Zero-D Lens
Since purchasing my Nikkor Z 24-200 f/4-6.3 lens I have been reasonably satisfied with my collection of Z mount lenses for my Nikon Z7. However, things change, and I recently found myself with a gap in my lens collection. The gap had appeared because of a big photography trip I have planned for the end of 2021 and with that trip came the need for a lens that would be good for astrophotography.
Except for my Laowa macro lens, all my lenses are f/4 and even with my limited knowledge of astrophotography I know that’s not fast enough. It’s not to say that you can’t get good astro shots with an f/4, it’s just that the general principle of having a fast lens is beneficial.
After asking some trusted photographers what I might look for in an astro lens I decided to pick up the Laowa 15mm f/2 Zero-D lens. It’s ultra-wide, 2 stops faster than my other lenses (f/2 compared to f/4) and manual focus. Given that I’ll be using it for astro, the fact that it is manual focus doesn’t bother me.
Rather than leave this lens at home until my big trip in November I thought I’d take it out and shoot some landscapes with it. With Monty the dog super keen on a big walk, and an interesting weather forecast, I headed to a location on Dartmoor that I thought would be ideal for capturing ultra-wide landscape photographs in dramatic weather…Belstone Common. Watch how I got on in the video below.
Belstone Tor, Dartmoor Landscape Photographs
In the video you will have seen some photographs of wild garlic that I also took with the Laowa lens. I’ll be sharing those in a future blog post.
Irishman’s Wall, Belstone, Dartmoor National Park, Devon - Nikon Z7, Laowa 15mm f/2 Zero-D, 1/15th sec at ISO 64, f/11, Kase Filters K9 CPL.
A Spring Sunset on Belstone Common #1, Dartmoor National Park, Devon - Nikon Z7, Laowa 15mm f/2 Zero-D, 0.4 sec at ISO 64, f/11, Kase Filters K9 CPL.
A Spring Sunset on Belstone Common #2, Dartmoor National Park, Devon - Nikon Z7, Laowa 15mm f/2 Zero-D, 0.4 sec at ISO 64, f/11, Kase Filters K9 CPL.
A Spring Sunset on Belstone Common #3, Dartmoor National Park, Devon - Nikon Z7, Laowa 15mm f/2 Zero-D, 0.8 sec at ISO 64, f/11, Kase Filters K9 CPL.
Cheap Lens, Expensive Camera - Dartmoor Landscape Photography - Bowerman's Nose
Is there any point in really cheap lenses? In this video, I marry my Nikon Z7 with a Pergear 10mm f/8 pancake fisheye lens and head to Dartmoor to photography Bowerman's Nose. Can a £65 lens produce decent landscape photographs?
The Pergear 10mm f/8 Pancake Fisheye Lens
Back in 2018, I published a blog post called Shoot, Print, Surprise. If you haven’t seen that blog post (and watched the video), then now is the time to watch it because there’s a SPOILER ALERT coming up.
In that video, I capture some of my all-time favourite images of Dawlish Warren beach. The best bit though was that I did it using a 15-year-old Nikon D80. I did have the advantage that I was using a Nikkor 16-35mm f/4 lens though. One of the key messages in that video was that the camera body is a lot less important than the lens you attach to it.
Here we are in 2021 and I’ve decided to flip the idea on its head. This time it’s a cheap lens on an expensive camera. To be precise it’s my Nikon Z7 with a Pergear 10mm f/8 pancake fisheye lens. I picked up this lens in the height of lockdown as I thought it would be a bit of fun. And fun it is!
In the video below I head to Bowerman’s Nose on Dartmoor to put this lens to good use. The point of the video is not to tell you that you should all ditch your expensive glass but that you should try different things and have fun with your photography.
Enjoy!
Bowerman’s Nose, Dartmoor
Here are the photos you saw me capture in that video. While they will never compare in quality to the photographs I can capture using a Nikkor 14-30mm f/4, I think the lens has done a pretty good job of capturing the scene.
Bowerman’s Nose #1, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Pergear 10mm f/8 pancake lens, 1/30th sec at ISO 64.
Bowerman’s Nose #2, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Pergear 10mm f/8 pancake lens, 1/30th sec at ISO 64.
Bowerman’s Nose #3, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Pergear 10mm f/8 pancake lens, 1/30th sec at ISO 64.
ICONIC Dartmoor - Landscape Photography at Brentor | A 5 Minute Photo Adventure
Dartmoor National Park is packed full of amazing locations for landscape photography, but few are as unique as Brentor. In this 5 minute photo adventure, you can join me as I capture photographs of this iconic location at dawn.
St Michael de Rupe
The church of St Michael de Rupe, commonly known as Brentor church, sits on the outer edge of Dartmoor. This 12th-century building sits on the peak of Brent Tor (334m) and thanks to the surrounding landscape being mostly flat, the view from the top is far-reaching. With big views, steeply sloping sides and an old church, it’s no wonder it’s one of Dartmoor’s most well-known locations.
It’s a location I have photographed many times before (with varying degrees of success) but I’ve always done so at sunset. I thought it was about time I tried to photograph this iconic location at dawn and with the possibility of some low-lying fog I decided to set one of my unnaturally early alarm calls and head off to see what I could capture.
So, join me on another 5 Minute Photo Adventure as I photograph Brentor on a cold spring morning.
Dartmoor Landscape Photographs | Brentor
Here are the photographs you saw in the video. Apologies for the banding in the sky but I believe this is due to the JPG compression and small file sizes I use on the blog.
Brentor Church #1, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 17mm, f/11, 1/25th sec at ISO 64.
Brentor Church #2, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 16mm, f/11, 1/10th sec at ISO 64.
Using Light to Add Depth to Your Landscape Photographs
How does light transform the landscape and add depth to your photographs? In this video, I head up to Great Staple Tor on Dartmoor where the changing light provides me with the chance to show you how to use light to add depth and contrast to your landscape photographs.
Chasing the Light
Photographers often use the phrase “chasing the light” and for good reason. Light is possibly one of the most important elements in a landscape photograph. Light can change the look, feel and mood of an image. Light can add depth and contrast to a photograph. Nowhere is this more evident to me than it is up on Dartmoor. I’ve lost count of the number of times that I’ve been stood in front of a spectacular tor only for my photograph to look dull and two-dimensional thanks to flat light.
Dartmoor is also a great place to see how light can add depth and contrast to your landscape photographs! I recently visited Great Staple Tor where the constantly changing cloud cover reminded me how quickly the light can change on Dartmoor and how that changing light can be used to good effect.
Not one to pass up the opportunity to create a video on the subject I created this video. Enjoy!
Landscape Photographs from Great Staple Tor
Below you’ll find the photographs you saw in the video plus a bonus photo that I took early on that didn’t make the video.
Dawn over Great Staple Tor, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 14mm, f/18, 1/4 sec at ISO 64.
Dawn over Great Staple Tor #2, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 20mm, f/11, 0.4 sec at ISO 64.
Dawn over Great Staple Tor, Dartmoor, Devon #3 - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 14mm, f/11, 0.4 sec at ISO 64.
Dawn over Great Staple Tor, Dartmoor, Devon #4 - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 16mm, f/11, 1/15th sec at ISO 64.
When Things Don't Go to Plan
Landscape photography is full of challenges. Some challenges come from elements you can't control such as the weather, but then there are the mistakes you make yourself. In this video and blog post, I head out to Dartmoor National Park to capture some landscape photographs but end up making a few mistakes. Lessons were learnt!
A Bit Rusty
Last week I shared with you the experience of my first landscape photography shoot for over 3 months. While I didn’t capture any amazing photographs, the experience of being out with the camera again was fantastic. Eager to keep the momentum going I decided to head out Chinkwell Tor with my dog Monty to see what we could find.
However, as you’ll see in the video below, it appears that I’m still a bit rusty, both in terms of preparation and camera skills!
As I said in the video, I’m happy to share with you the successes and failures of my landscape photography adventures. After all, if I can learn something then I’m sure you can too. Let me know some of your photography faux pas in the comments below.
Landscape Photographs from Dartmoor
Here are the photographs I captured while out exploring Chinkwell Tor.
Honeybag Tor, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 26mm, f/8, 1/60th sec at ISO 64, 3 image focus stack.
The Chink in Chinkwell, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 27mm, f/22, 1/5th sec at ISO 64.
The Joy of Landscape Photography
What does photography mean to you? In this blog post and video, you'll join me on my first trip out with the camera in 3 months and I'll tell you why landscape photography brings me so much joy.
The Pros and Cons of NOT Taking Photographs
Not being able to go out and take landscape photographs for the last three months has been an odd experience. At first, I really missed it, but as time went on and I gave it less thought the less I missed it. I stopped worrying about weather forecasts, what I was going to photograph next, and I could even look at a sunset without cursing myself for not being out with the camera.
The time spent planning for and going on photography trips was replaced with other activities like cycling and walking my dog.
Then the time finally came around when I could venture out with the camera the weather was what could only be described as uninspiring.
Had this three-month sabbatical from landscape photography showed me that I don’t care that much for it? Perhaps I was kidding myself about my passion for photography and I was merely caught up in an unsatisfactory game of constant content production?
Getting Back Out There
Deep down I knew this wasn’t true and as with the last lockdown what had happened was that I had lost a bit of my photo mojo. All I needed was to get out there and experience the wilderness again. I knew as soon as I was standing on top of Dartmoor tor, watching the sunrise with my camera again I would remember why there is nothing more fulfilling and creative than a spot of landscape photography.
Landscape photograph is and will remain an integral part of my life and I am passionate about sharing those experiences with you here on my blog. I wanted to take you along with me on my first trip out with the camera since 31st December 2020, so I of course created a video for you to watch. I hope you enjoy it!
So, what drives your photography? What makes you set a 4 am alarm call to photograph sunrise? Let me know in the comments below.
Those Photos from Belstone Tor, Dartmoor
Here are the photographs you saw in the video.
Belstone Tor Sunrise #1, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 17mm, f/11, 0.6 sec at ISO 64.
Belstone Tor Sunrise #2, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 14mm, f/11, 1/6th sec at ISO 64.
Belstone Tor Sunrise #3, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 17mm, f/11, 1/6th sec at ISO 64.
Belstone Tor Sunrise #3, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 22mm, f/11, 1/8th sec at ISO 64.
Wildlife Photographer of the Year - Highlights Volumes - On My Bookshelf S04E01
Great photography books don't need to cost a fortune. In this mini episode of On My Bookshelf I look at Wildlife Photographer of the Year Highlights Volumes.
Small in Size, Big on Quality
Following on from my blog post last week where I told you what my favourite six books on landscape photography were, I’ve decided this week to look at a completely different genre of photography. While I’m not a wildlife photographer myself, I still love looking at wildlife pictures, particularly those found in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition.
After a few years of not buying the competition book, I was delighted to find that the competition publishes smaller, paperback versions of the big hardback books. These are known as the Highlights Volumes and they are a great way to view some of the word class photography that this prestigious competition attracts.
In this mini-episode of On My Bookshelf, I look at these mini-books to see if it is worth finding a space for them on my bookshelf.
You can pick up copies of these books using the links below.
Crafting a Luxury Photo Book With My 2020 Landscape Photographs
Sometimes you just need to produce something special with your photographs. In this video, I select my best landscape photographs from 2020 and design a rather luxurious photo book.
Taking the Positives from 2020
Let’s face it, 2020 wasn’t exactly a stellar year. Everyone’s photography suffered in some way but that pales in comparison to the wider problems the pandemic brought. However, I’m a half glass full kind of person so I will always try and look for the positives. Despite missing some important photographic events through the year, I was still surprised by the number of good images that I had captured during 2020.
At the start of 2020 I made the commitment to myself that I would create a photo book of my images at the end of each year. I was inspired to do this after I created my first Saal Digital photo book which was a retrospective look at the previous 10 years of my landscape photography. You can see how I went about that in this blog post.
Looking at the book was such a wonderful experience, much in the same way that viewing an individual print is such a positive thing to do. That experience stuck with me for 2020, so when 2021 rolled around I got to work on creating my Portfolio 2020 book. As before I decided to have it printed by Saal Digital but this time I went the extra mile and added something a bit special.
You can find out all about my Portfolio 2020 book, and the extra item I ordered in the video below.
Do you create your own photo books? Has this video inspired you to do something similar? Let me know in the comments below.
Bring Your Photography to LIFE with the Canon imagePROGRAF Pro-300
If you're not printing your photographs, then you are missing out on an important part of the photography experience. In my latest video I look at what the Canon imagePROGRAF Pro-300 printer with Fotospeed papers could do for your photography.
Print Your Photography!
If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you’ll know how passionate I am about printing my photography. For me, the photographic process isn’t complete until I’ve made a print! There is something hugely satisfying in watching one of your photographs come to life as it feeds out the printer.
When I took delivery of a Canon imagePROGRAF Pro-300 printer I thought it was an excellent opportunity to share a video that not only looks at the technical aspects of this printer but also show why printing your photographs is so important. Most of all I wanted to show that printing can be fun and rewarding.
It’s a jam-packed video and rather than repeat the content in text form here, I’ll let you enjoy the video.
Links, Products and Other Videos
I mentioned a lot of blog posts, videos, and products in my video, so I’ve decided to list them below for your convenience.
You can buy the Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-300 from Fotospeed here.
Here are the Fotospeed papers I used in this video:
I purchased my mounts and frame from Picture Frames Express
Here is a list of the other videos I mentioned:
Here is a list of the links I mentioned in the video:
Capture or Editing - Which Has the Biggest Influence on Landscape Photography?
How much of a photographer’s vision is realised in post processing? Is the look of a landscape photograph fixed at the point of capture? Can one raw file produce two different photographs? In this post, I aim to answer this question by editing another photographer’s raw file in Lightroom.
Virtual Collaborations
Collaborations can be a great way to discover more about your photography. They can also be a lot of fun. That being said I don’t do them that often. I tend to only do them with photographers I know and trust, and when the idea is unique or interesting. They require a fair bit of planning and coordination, but they can be rewarding if they benefit everyone involved in the collaboration.
Time is perhaps the biggest enemy of collaborations, but in recent months it’s been a very different issue. I don’t need to go into too much detail here. I’ll just mention the word “lockdown” and you’ll know exactly what I mean.
With travel not possible I found myself a bit stuck for collaboration ideas when I was chatting to my mate and fellow photographer Chris Sale the other day. We were both looking for something we could do together that didn’t involve travel. I’ve worked with Chris a few times on various projects, such as the documentary I made about him recently, but whatever we’ve done, we’ve normally done it in person.
How Important is Post-Processing?
As I chatted with Chris, I came up with the idea of editing each other’s raw files. This would be something we could do without meeting up, but it would still hopefully prove to be interesting. Neither of us would normally let someone else edit one of our raw files, but we’ve been friends for a while now so we both felt we could trust each other with our precious digital negatives.
The question we were aiming to answer in our collaboration was how much influence does post-processing have on the final image? If you give one raw file to two different photographers, how different will the results be? Is the output of the image fixed at the time of capture, or does the photographer's post-processing style have a significant impact on the output? You get the idea!
In the videos below you’ll find Chris editing one of my raw files, and me editing one of Chris’ raw files. At the end of each video, we’ll present our results back to each other, and compare them to the photographer's original edit. How different will the photographs look? Find out below.
Did the results surprise you? Would you ever let someone edit one of our raw files? Let me know in the comments below
My FREE Landscape Photography Locations Map
What will your next landscape photography location be? Are you looking for a little bit of inspiration for your next adventure? In this video, I share with you my FREE landscape photography locations map.
A Map of My Blog
When I started this blog back in 2016, I committed myself to publishing regular posts of my photography adventures. I’m proud to say that I have kept that commitment and now my blog is packed full of stories, adventures, photographs, and videos.
With so much content for even me to navigate I decided to create a custom Google Map with pins in all the locations I have photographed and written about. Once it was complete it occurred to me that it would a wonderful thing to share with the people that regularly visit my website!
In the video below I talk more about my map of landscape photography locations and how to use it. So, if you’ve ever wanted to know where to shoot on Dartmoor, or you are just looking for some photography inspiration I hope you will find the map useful.
Subscribe and Get Access
As I said in the video it’s really easy to get access to my locations map. All I ask that you do is subscribe to my newsletter. As soon as you confirm your subscription you will receive a link to the map in your email.
Thanks for your support, it is very much appreciated.
Start Point - A 5 Minute Photo Adventure from the South West Coast Path
Grab yourself a cup of coffee because it's time for another 5 Minute Photo Adventure! In this episode, I head to one of my favourite South West Coast Path locations, Start Point Lighthouse in south Devon.
The Challenge of Getting There
There’s only one problem with going to photograph Start Point on the south Devon coast and that’s the effort required to get there. It’s not so much the 50-mile driving distance (37 miles as the crow flies), but more with the time it takes to get there. The journey time for me takes around 90 minutes and while I’m no stranger to making such journeys for the benefit of my landscape photography, it’s the roads that make the journey more challenging.
Once I leave the A38 and start driving towards Kingsbridge the quality and width of the roads start to reduce. Nothing to bad (for Devon standards) but after Kingsbridge things get dull. Lots of small villages with low-speed limits and that last five miles just seems to take an age. It’s not so bad when you are shooting sunrise as there is a lot less traffic, but during the day when you can get caught behind a tractor or a broken-down cement truck and it all becomes very boring.
However, all those complaints about the roads all disappear when you park your car and step out to one of the finest views along the South West Coast Path. Once I’m there, breathing in that glorious sea air I couldn’t care less about how long it took me to get there.
Risk vs Reward
With the apparent extra effort it seems to take to get to Start Point, I don’t go there as much as I might like to. Unlike some other coastal locations where I’ll just take a punt, I’m always looking for favourable conditions before I commit to the drive. Even with a good forecast, there is no guarantee of interesting conditions. There is always an element of risk vs reward. This is especially true when the conditions are a bit stormy or unsettled. In terms of capturing photographs, heading out in these types of conditions is risky, but the rewards can be amazing.
Back in December, I decided that I wanted to return to Start Point and capture some photographs looking at the peninsula from the west. I had checked out this viewpoint a couple of times, but the forecast was predicting some unsettled weather and the opportunity to capture this location with setting sun and some big clouds were too tempting to ignore.
Knowing very well that I could spend 3 hours in the car to end up with not a lot to show for it at the end, I packed my camera bag and set off regardless. Here is how I got on.
I hope you enjoyed my 5 Minute Photo Adventure to Start Point. While the conditions weren’t as dramatic as I might have hoped, I still came away with some images that made the trip worthwhile.
Do you have any locations that seem to be “harder” than others to get to? Let me know in the comments below.
Start Point Photographs
As always here are the photographs you saw me capture in the video. Enjoy!
Sunset at Start Point #1, South West Coast Path, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 24-200mm f/4-6.3 at 44mm, f/11, 1.6 secs at ISO 64, Kase Filters K9 CPL and ND.
Sunset at Start Point #2, South West Coast Path, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 24-200mm f/4-6.3 at 39mm, f/11, 2 secs at ISO 64, Kase Filters K9 CPL and ND.
Sunset at Start Point #3, South West Coast Path, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 24-200mm f/4-6.3 at 44mm, f/11, 13 secs at ISO 64, Kase Filters K9 CPL.
Winter Landscape Photography On Dartmoor and Vallerret Gloves
In my latest video I head to Belstone for some Dartmoor snow and to capture some wintery landscape photographs. I’ll also tell you all about my new Vallerret photography gloves.
Dartmoor Snow
There can’t be many landscape photographers who are familiar with Dartmoor National Park that don’t excited about the possibility of snowfall. I’m certainly one of them and this was confirmed a few weeks ago when I found myself checking the weather forecast a lot more than usual! The forecast had been predicting varying levels of snowfall but it always seem that at the last minute, the forecast would change.
This went on for a few days. After spending days looking at my packed camera bag, I finally decided enough was enough, and to hell with the forecast, I was going to head out the following morning. I didn’t necessarily need a complete blanket of snow to capture the images I was hoping to get. I just needed Dartmoor to look a bit wintery.
Belstone Common
The forecast for the following morning was for light snow showers, but more importantly than that were the forecasted sub-zero temperatures. To maximise my chance of getting those wintery conditions I needed to go somewhere on Dartmoor that had an elevated viewpoint. For me, Belstone Tor at 479 m is a great balance between elevation and journey time (driving and walking time).
In the video below you can see how I got on and how I went about capturing the photographs you can see in this blog post.
Vallerret Skadi Zipper Mitt Review
In the video, you will have also seen me talk about an essential item of photography gear for winter, the Vallerret Skadi Zipper Mitt. I’ve always suffered from cold hands and these gloves have been a welcome addition to my kit bag, especially on frosty Dartmoor mornings! As it was such a wintery morning when I was shooting this video, I thought it was a good time to share my thoughts on them.
If you’d like to pick up a pair of these gloves, then just click the link here.
Dartmoor Landscape Photographs
Below you will find the photographs I captured in the video. As a bonus, I’ve also included the first image I captured just before sunrise, so you can see the difference the morning light from the sun makes. I have to say though, even without the golden light I still really like that first photography.
A Snowy Dawn at Belstone, Dartmoor National Park, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 20mm, f/11, 0.5 seconds at ISO 64, Kase Filters K9 CPL and ND grad.
Sunrise and Snow at Belstone #1, Dartmoor National Park, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 19mm, f/11, 1/4 seconds at ISO 64, Kase Filters K9 CPL and ND grad.
Sunrise and Snow at Belstone #2, Dartmoor National Park, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 16mm, f/11, 1/4 seconds at ISO 64, Kase Filters K9 CPL and ND grad.