Friends, Fun and Landscape Photography
In the blog this week I share with you my latest video where I head out with a couple of landscape photography friends to capture sunrise photographs of Start Point lighthouse on the south Devon coast. Those 3am alarm calls don't seem so bad when you are having fun with friends!
A Solitary Pastime
For me, some of the things I love about landscape photography are the early starts and the solitude. This may sound like an odd thing to say but those unsociable hours mean that my photography generally doesn't interfere with my other commitments. Though I'm a very sociable person, there aren't many better things than watching the start of a new day with nothing but the sound of the breeze and the birds singing.
Don't get me wrong, if you see me one morning out taking photographs, come over and say hello. Many a trip out with the camera has been enhanced with a good old chat.
Photography Friends
One of the unexpected benefits of publishing videos on my YouTube channel is that I've made a few friends along the way. People that not only share my passion for landscape photography but people I can have a bit of a laugh with.
When two of my photography friends Gareth Danks and Chris Sale decided to visit me on my home turf I was delighted. I knew that even if the photography turned out to be challenging, the spirit of friendship and general attitude towards fun would make the whole experience more enjoyable.
You can see how we got on in my latest video:
We did a lot more larking about than was showed in the video, but hopefully, I've shown some of the collective spirit we had that morning. I'm not sure I would have driven all the way to Start Point at that time in the morning if it had been for Chris and Gareth!
If you have time, you should really check out their videos from our little adventure as well:
Is landscape photography something you prefer to do on your own? Do you have any friends that also share your passion? Let me know in the comment below.
Those Photographs
Here are the photographs that you saw in the video.
Sunset at The Daymark - Devon: Nikon D850, Nikkor 16-35 mm f/4 @ 20mm, 1/5th sec @ ISO 64, f/13, Lee Filters Circular Polariser.
Dawn Light on Start Point Lighthouse - Devon: Nikon D850, Nikkor 16-35 mm f/4 @ 19 mm, 10 secs @ ISO 64, f/13, Lee Filters 6 Stop IRND.
I Missed Spring but Hello Summer!
In the blog this week, I share with you my disappointing experience of photographing spring this year. However, I remain in a positive mood as the first shoot of summer goes a little better.
Spring, My Favourite Season
As a landscape photographer and general fan of the outdoors, I like all of the seasons. Each one has its own unique characteristics and they can transform how you view and photograph locations. For me though, there is something special about spring. It could be the improving weather, the changing colour of the landscape, or simply the longer hours of daylight.
Spring officially started on the 20th of March this year and I was determined to make the most of it. The short days of winter were at an end and it would soon be possible to start heading out weekday evenings. I was hoping to spend a few months being busy with the camera.
Now that the spring season has officially ended (21st June), I'm looking back on the photographs I have taken and I can't help but feel a little disappointed. It's not that I didn't get out with the camera, it's just that I can't really pick out a photo and say "I nailed it". Somehow, it seems that spring has passed me by this year.
The problem doesn't appear to be lack of commitment on my part, it's just I haven't been out when the conditions have been at their best. As a photographer with a full-time job and a young family, time is very much at a premium. The times I get to go out with the camera aren't dictated by the weather conditions, but when I have spare time between my other commitments. So if Tuesday evening is the time I am able to go out with the camera, but the conditions will be better on Wednesday, I either go out on Tuesday or not all.
It's not been all bad. Spring at Venford Falls (Dartmoor, Devon) is always worth a visit.
Don't get me wrong, spring hasn't been a total disaster. I managed to create a bunch of videos for my YouTube channel:
I have been busy but I just haven't created an image that has captured the essence of spring. One of the key shots I wanted to get was of the coastal thrift in Cornwall. While I did capture an image of the thrift, the conditions were far from ideal. Unfortunately, the thrift is only at its best for a couple of weeks, and I simply didn't get a chance to get back and try again.
I created this image for my Focus Stacking with the D850 video. If only the light had been better. (Bedruthan Steps, Cornwall)
However, I need to put things into perspective. While I didn't get my "spring" image, I did get out with the camera. For me, anytime out with the camera is a good time, and being able to practice will mean my camera skills will be sharp the next time to conditions are better.
Summer is Here!
Anyway, spring has gone, and summer is here so time to start capturing the delights of a new season. For one of my first shoots of summer, I decided to head to The Rumps in Cornwall with my friend (who is also a photographer and a bit of a lucky charm!).
It was a tricky decision to head out that evening or not. I was already very, very tired after a 3 am start that morning for a dawn shoot, but even though the forecast was for clear skies, we could see enough clouds in the sky to justify giving it a punt. To help us on our way we had some fish and chips, and a coke, and we instantly felt more optimistic.
It was a really nice evening at The Rumps. Unfortunately, there was only a little cloud in the sky, and what cloud there was, was difficult to frame effectively. It was however, a good start to a summer of photography and I captured this image:
Summer at The Rumps #3 - Nikon D850, Nikkor 16-35 mm f/4 at 18mm, 0.8 seconds at ISO 64, f/13, Lee Filters Circular Polariser. (The Rumps, Cornwall)
As the sun dipped below the horizon a band of deep orange appeared along the horizon. It was spectacular to look at but it was one of those views that was best looked at than photographed. Sometimes you just need to sit there and soak up mother natures show with your own eyes.
Did you manage to capture any good photos from spring? Are you looking forward to photographing summer? Let me know in the comments below.
OnePlus 6 Landscape Photography: A Mobile Phone Photography Challenge with Chris Sale
Can you capture a good landscape image using a mobile phone? Well, that's the challenge fellow photographer Chris Sale set me. In the blog, I share with you the video I captured when I headed out to Dartmoor National Park with my new OnePlus 6 mobile phone to capture some landscape photographs.
Landscape Photography Challenges
I like to challenge my landscape photography skills. This could be by doing something new, trying a different bit of kit, or even trying an old bit of kit (see my video Shoot, Print, Surprise). So when my friend and fellow photographer Chris Sale contacted me and suggested a new challenge for us both I immediately asked him to tell me more!
Our previous photography challenge had been a great success. Last time Chris challenged me to ditch my wide angle lens and head out with my 70-200 mm. You can see how I got on here. For this challenge though, Chris asked me to leave my DSLR at home and head out with a mobile phone! This perhaps sounded like a step too far, but I was up for the challenge. Obviously, I sent the challenge back and told Chris he had to do the same.
OnePlus 6
The challenge came at an interesting time as I was actually in the market for a new phone. My heavily used and loved Google Nexus 6p was on its last legs and it couldn't seem to survive much longer than a couple of hours without needing a charge.
I'm not going to bore you with all the reasons why I bought the OnePlus 6, but it was the phone that suited my needs to best. Funnily enough though, camera specs weren't top of my list of things I was looking for in a new phone. I have my Sony RX100M4 as my portable camera so I only ever expected to use the OnePlus 6 to capture the odd photo here and there.
So without knowing too much about the camera capabilities of the OnePlus 6, I head out to Dartmoor National Park to start my challenge. You can see how I got on in the video below:
As I mentioned earlier in the blog, Chris also undertook the same challenge. To see how he got on, check out his video:
Mobile Phone Photography
So can you capture good landscape images with a mobile phone? Sure you can! You can capture landscape images with just about any camera. I'm not saying the camera is irrelevant, but without good light and composition it doesn’t matter what camera you have with you, you might still end up with a dull photo.
So would will I be giving up my Nikon D850 anytime soon? Of course not. While it is perfectly possible to capture good landscape images with a mobile phone, the controls, versatility and image quality of a larger camera will (likely) always be better. As you'll have seen in the video, the dynamic range of the OnePlus 6, is not match for my Nikon D850. But given the price difference, that is hardly surprising is it!
So do you ever take landscape images with your mobile phone? What mobile phone do you have? Did you buy it for its capabilities as a camera? Let me know in the comments below.
The Photograph
Mr Bowerman please meet OnePlus 6 - Bowerman's Nose, Dartmoor, Devon: OnePlus 6, ISO 100, 1/125th sec, f/1.7, DNG processed in Lightroom CC Classic.
PS - The product links used in this article are Amazon affiliate links. By buying through the links I may receive a commission for the sale. This has no effect on the price for you.
Focus Shift / Stacking with the Nikon D850: Capture and Processing
In the blog this week, I finally put the Nikon D850 Focus Shift feature to work by heading out to Dartmoor National park to capture a focus stacked landscape photograph of the waterfalls at Venford.
Using a New Feature of the D850
I love using my Nikon D850. It is without a doubt the best camera I've ever used. I even made a video on the 8 Things I Love About the D850. However, there was one feature that until recently I had never used. That feature was Focus Shift Shooting.
Focus Shift Shooting was a feature introduced with the D850 that allowed the camera to automatically take a series of photographs at different focus points throughout the scene. The idea is that you take those images, each with a different point of focus, and then "stacked" them in Photoshop, to create one super sharp image.
While the idea of focus stacking is hardly a new one, having a camera do the hard work for you is relatively new. Even the amount of work in post processing is much reduced now with Photoshop generally doing an excellent job of merging the photographs automatically.
Using Focus Shift in the Field
With the process of creating a focus stacked photograph becoming easier and easier I thought it was about time, I gave it a look. After all, even if I don't use focus stacking all the time, having another skill in your photographic toolbox can never be a bad thing.
So if you want to learn how I focus stack my images (and you don't necessarily need to own a D850 to do it), then check out my video below:
I hope you enjoyed that brief tutorial. Like I said, you don't have to own a D850 to create a focus stacked image. The D850 just automates the process of capturing the images. I was also a bit hesitant at first on trying out focus stacking. It all seemed a bit like hard work, but as it turns out it's not that difficult and the results are great. It's not needed for every photo, but you'll be glad you learnt the skill should you need it.
So, do you focus stack your images? Do you have a slightly different technique? Let me know in the comments below.
Those Focus Stacked Photographs
Venford Falls - Dartmoor, Devon: Nikon D850, Nikkor 16-35 mm f/4 at 24 mm, 2.5 secs at f/8, ISO 64, Lee Filters Circular Polariser.
Life on the Edge - Bedruthan Steps, Cornwall: Nikon D850, Nikkor 16-35 mm f/4 at 26 mm, 1/15th sec at f/5.6, ISO 64, Lee Filters Circular Polariser.
Can You Print Images Captured from a Drone?
In the blog this week I look at printing images that were captured using a drone. Is there sufficient resolution and quality to justify making a print?
Capturing a Panoramic Image with a Drone
I'm a big fan of drones. I think they are an amazing bit of technology. Though I've taken still photos with my drone before, it is the video features that I use the most. The aerial footage you can insert into a vlog really helps tell the story of the location.
A few weeks ago though I published a video called Creating Panoramic Images of Glen Etive with a Drone. In the video, I used the drone to capture a big panoramic image of the Loch Etive area where I was staying on holiday. It was an image that I couldn't have captured if it wasn't for the drone.
Can You Print an Image Captured from a Drone
When the video was published a few people asked the question about how the image looked in print. After all, the camera sensor in a drone like the DJI Mavic Pro is nowhere as advanced as the sensor in my D850. However, does that mean that the images from a drone aren't worth printing?
As I'd never printed an image captured on one of my drones before I thought it would be a good time to find out. So, can you print an image captured from a drone? Let's find out.
As you saw in the video, it was more of a question of is their sufficient quality from a drone image to justify making a print. I think the answer is definitely yes. As long as the image is well composed and has good light, there is more than enough detail in the DNG files captured on a DJI Mavic Pro to justify making a print.
In the video, you also saw me try out a paper that I haven't used before. It was the Fotospeed Smooth Cotton 300. I really like this paper and this was my first time making a large print on a matt paper. You can really feel the weight of the paper and the surface has a real feel of quality about it. I think I'll need to try a few more prints using some of the matt papers I have in my Fotospeed Matt Smooth Test Pack.
So do you own a drone? Do you take still images with it? Have you ever printed a drone image? Let me know in the comments below.
Loch Etive Panorama - Taynuilt, Argyll: DJI Mavic Pro, 1/125th sec at f/2.2, ISO 100, 26mm (35mm equiv'), stitched from 9 DNG files
Some of the links used in this article are Amazon affiliate links. By buying through the links I may receive a commission for the sale. This has no effect on the price for you.
A Landscape Photographers Basic Guide to Calibration and Profiling
How do I calibrate my monitor? How do I profile my printer? How do I improve the quality of the photographs I print? You don't need to be a colour expert to improve the way your images look on screen and in print. In the blog this week I show you how.
The Science of Colour
A quick search of the internet on the topics of colour management, monitor calibration and printer profiling, and one would be excused in deciding it was all too much effort. However, like many things in photography you can decide to get your head into the science of it, or you can take a more measured approach and make some small changes to your workflow.
Calibration and Profiling
Even though I don't print high volumes of my landscape photographs, I've always strived to make my workflow is as colour accurate as possible. But why? Most people probably won't even view my images on a calibrated monitor. There are a couple of reasons, Firstly, just for my own personal satisfaction. I like to know what I'm looking at is an accurate representation of the colours in my photographs.
The other reason is that when I print one of my images on my Canon Pixma Pro-10s, I want to be confident that what I print matches what I see on screen.
Perhaps the best way to tell you about my workflow is to show you:
In the video, I mentioned a few links that you might want to look at. In case you missed them in the YouTube video description, here they are again:
For me, those extra little steps I take to calibrate and profile my monitor and to also profile my printer are worth a little extra effort in my workflow. I love the satisfaction of watching an image come to life on the screen as I post process it and then watching it turn into something physical when I print it. knowing that the colours remain accurate along each step is an extra bonus.
So does your workflow include calibration and profiling? If not, does this video encourage you to try and implement new workflow? Let me know in the comments below.
That Image of Trevose Head
In case you wanted to see that image of Trevose Head that you saw in the video in a bit more detail, here it is below:
Trevose Head, Cornwall.
If you want a little more information on Trevose Head, then check out my blog post on this fantastic Cornish location.
PS - The product links used in this article are Amazon affiliate links. By buying through the links I may receive a commission for the sale. This has no effect on the price for you.
Grey Mare's Tail and Loch Skene: A 5 Minute Photo Adventure
In this blog post, I share with you the story, photographs and video of my time photographing Loch Skeen and Grey Mare's Tail. This is another location I discovered just off the M74.
If you've been reading my blog over the last few weeks you'll have seen that despite being on a family holiday I still managed to capture images from Dalveen Pass, Kilchurn Castle, and Glen Etive. I even managed to make the experiences into some 5 Minute Photo Adventure videos. This was far more photography that I could have hoped for or even planned for.
So when I finally finished my holiday in Scotland and started the journey back I expected that was the end of my photography activities for this holiday. However, as with the idea behind shooting Dalveen Pass, I thought I might be able to do something similar for the journey back.
Amazing scenery but…
So yet again I picked up my copy of Photographing Scotland and looked for a suitable location. Almost on the opposite side of the M74 from Dalveen Pass, I found the location called Grey Mare's Tail. It looked perfect. Only a few miles off my route it had a big waterfall and a beautiful loch. I had a plan. I would drop my family off at Glasgow Airport, drive down the M74 and then stop and grab some images.
I departed for Glasgow Airport early in the morning and I soon started driving along the banks of Loch Awe. To my surprise there the water was calm and there was a lot of low lying mist hanging over the water. I already knew before I got to Kilchurn Castle that the conditions for taking photographs there would almost be perfect. Glassy water, low lying mist and a ruined castle…what more could you want?
It broke my heart to drive past Kilchurn Castle that morning. I could have taken some amazing photographs but I had to get to the airport. There simply wasn't time to stop. The amazing conditions didn't stop there though. All along the route to Glasgow, there was mist and the low-level cloud hanging about over water. As I approached Loch Lomond I was sure there was a cloud inversion and if I'd had time to ascend Ben Lomond I would have been treated to an epic show!
Grey Mare's Tail
It was tough having to drive past all those amazing locations in those weather conditions but that's just the way it is sometimes. However, I dropped off the family at the airport and started my journey to Grey Mare's Tail. When I arrived and saw the waterfall and the surrounding hills I was not disappointed. It looked amazing. Here's what I got up to:
The conditions weren't ideal, and I was really short of time, but this is definitely a location I need to revisit. There is a lot of different spots along the path past the waterfalls and up along the loch side. I wish I could have spent all day there. However, now I know where it is and what to expect, it's definitely getting added to my custom Google locations map.
Have you visited Grey Mare's Tail before? Did you make the ascent all the way up to Loch Skene? Let me know in the comments below.
The Photographs
Here are some of the images I captured during my brief time at Grey Mare's Tail and Loch Skeen (Skene).
Nikon D850, Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 52mm, f/11, 25 seconds at ISO 64, Lee Filters Circular Polariser and 10 stop ProGlass IRND.
Nikon D850, Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 32mm, f/11, 13 seconds at ISO 64, Lee Filters Circular Polariser and 10 stop ProGlass IRND.
Nikon D850, Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 34mm, f/13, 1/8th seconds at ISO 64, Lee Filters Circular Polariser.
PS - The product links used in this article are Amazon affiliate links. By buying through the links I may receive a commission for the sale. This has no effect on the price for you.
Dawn with Danks - A Mini Adventure with Gareth Danks
In the blog this week I share with you vlog I made when fellow photographer and YouTuber, Gareth Danks paid me a visit. We headed down to the south Devon coast for a bit a coastal photography and a chat.
Meeting Gareth Danks
I've been following Gareth Danks on YouTube for a while and we briefly met up at The Photography Show earlier this year. At the show, we discussed the idea of meeting up to do some photography but finding a date we could both do proved a little tricky.
As spring came around and the days got longer, the number of opportunities to get out with the camera also increased. So when Gareth announced he was going to be making a visit to Devon we thought it would be a great time to meet up. We agreed to shoot sunset on Thursday evening and then shoot sunrise the following day.
Our Adventures
The plan was set and the day soon came around. In the following videos, you can see exactly what we got up to.
The first and only video I made was of the Friday morning shoot at Dawlish Warren and Dawlish. You can see it here:
For an alternative take on the morning, check out Gareth's video from Friday morning:
And finally, if you want to see what we got up to on Thursday evening on Dartmoor, you can see Gareth's video here:
I hope you enjoyed all those videos. I think we both have a similar style when it comes to our vlogs so it was really easy to mix up the photography, shooting my video and appearing in his vlog. Though it was only a short meetup, it was a mini adventure to remember!
My Photographs
You will have seen my photographs from the Friday morning in the video, but as always I like to share them here on the blog as well.
Nikon D850, Nikkor 16-35 mm f/4 at 16mm, f/13, 240 secs at ISO 64, Lee Filters circular polariser and 10 stop ProGlass IRND.
Nikon D850, Nikkor 16-35 mm f/4 at 20mm, f/11, 80 secs at ISO 64, Lee Filters circular polariser, 2 stop hard edge grad and 10 stop ProGlass IRND.
I do hope you also watched Gareth's video. It's really interesting to see how another photographer shoots the same scene at the same time. It was beneficial for me as watching Gareth setup his compositions got me to think about my own compositions.
Do you meet up with other photographers? Do you find yourself learning from them or trying something new out? Let me know in the comments below.
From Dawn to Dusk - Mastering the Light in Landscape Photography - On My Bookshelf S01E05
In this very special blog post I share with you the latest episode of On My Bookshelf. In the episode I interview Mark Bauer and Ross Hoddinott about their latest book on landscape photography, From Dawn to Dusk. I also tell you about a giveaway where you can win all three of their books.
On My Bookshelf
Over the last few months, I've been sharing with you the On My Bookshelf series of videos. Even though my photography life is predominately digital, I still believe the printed book is an important part of my development and enjoyment of photography. So in each episode of On My Bookshelf, I've told you about a book that I've enjoyed reading in the hope that it will also inspire you.
From Dawn to Dusk
When I first heard that two of my favourite landscape photographers were writing another book I knew straight away that I would need to get myself a copy. After all, their last book, The Art of Landscape Photography, had a big impact on my development as a photography and I read it many times.
As the publication date got closer I reached out to Ross Hoddinott and Mark Bauer and asked if they would like to appear on an episode of On My Bookshelf. I was delighted when they both agreed and they invited me along to see them sign and dispatch the first batch of orders of From Dawn to Dusk - Mastering the Light in Landscape Photography.
They also kindly agreed to an interview where I got the chance to ask them about their latest book, what's in it, who's it for, and how it differs from their previous 2 titles. You can see the full interview in the video below.
Book Giveaway!
After the interview, Mark and Ross offered me a signed copy of their latest book to give away to one lucky viewer. Not only that, they also gave me two signed copies of their previous two titles The Art of Landscape Photography and The Landscape Photography Workshop.
There are two ways in which to gain an entry to win all 3 books:
Watch this episode of On My Bookshelf: From Dawn to Dusk on YouTube and then leave a comment in the YouTube comments section for the video. Comments are welcome here, but to enter you need to leave a comment on the video itself.
Share the Facebook post for this video. You can find it here: <insert URL>
You a free to enter using one, either, or both of the above ways. If you do both though, you will be entered into the giveaway twice!
Entries for the giveaway close 12 pm (GMT) 28th May 2018.
If you can't wait to get a copy of From Dawn to Dusk - Mastering the Light in Landscape Photography you can still order a signed copy straight from the authors at http://www.dawn2duskphotography.co.uk/books/
Finally, I just want to say a big thanks to Mark and Ross for the interview! It was a real pleasure talking to you both and judging by the number of pre-orders you were signing and sending out it looks like From Dawn to Dusk - Mastering the Light in Landscape Photography is going to be a big success!
Some of the links used in this article are Amazon affiliate links. By buying through the links I may receive a commission for the sale. This has no effect on the price for you.
Creating Panoramic Images of Glen Etive with a Drone: A 5 Minute Photo Adventure
In this blog post, I share with you the story, photographs and video of how I went about creating some aerial panoramic images with my DJI Mavic Pro drone.
Over the last couple of weeks, I have told you about my recent photography adventures to the Dalveen Pass, and to Kilchurn Castle. To be honest, given both these adventures were undertaken while on a family holiday I thought I was doing really well. After all, I was supposed to be spending time with my family.
Beinn Duirinnis
Landscape photograph aside one of the things I was most looking forward to doing while visiting Scotland was getting up into the hills. Or to be more precise the mountains! I love Devon. It's a beautiful county but I do miss walking the hills and mountains of the Scottish highlands.
When I suggested to my brother-in-law that maybe we should climb a Munro while I was visiting he couldn't have said yes fast enough. However, there was one slight problem. Despite it being April, there was still a lot of snow on the upper slopes of the higher mountains. Unfortunately, my skills as a hill walker don't include snow so we had to revisit our plan.
Almost directly opposite to where I was staying is a hill called Beinn Duirinnis. At only 550 m this was much more likely to be snow free. However, it would deliver magnificent views of north up Loch Etive towards Glen Etive. This was highlighted in Jager Scot's video and I thought a trip up this mountain might mean another chance for some landscape photography.
Unfortunately for me, Mother Nature hadn't finished delivering snow to Scotland, and an unexpected overnight dumping of snow meant that even Beinn Duirinnis became out of reach. Another plan was needed!
Landscape Photography from Your Back Garden
With almost every local mountain out with my skill set, I decided I would try something a little different. I had been playing with the drone a few days taking some panoramic images of the surrounding landscape. This got me thinking. Perhaps I could do some landscape photography without even leaving home and maybe produce a video to go with it!
With all the extra snow on the hills, I decided to send the drone up and see what I could capture. Here is how I got on:
As you saw, a drone can really open up some new creative options. It would have been impossible to capture those images without a drone. While I haven't used the drone that much for stills photography, this really did open my eyes again to the possibilities that this amazing bit of technology can offer.
Do you have an amazing view from your garden? Do you use a drone for stills photography? Let me know in the comments below.
Those Images
Here are those panoramic images you saw in the video. Enjoy!
This is the image I shot the evening I made the video. DJI Mavic Pro, 1/125th sec at f/2.2, ISO 100, 26mm (35mm equiv'), stitched from 11 DNG files.
I took this image a few days before I shot the video. I much prefer the light in this one. DJI Mavic Pro, 1/125th sec at f/2.2, ISO 100, 26mm (35mm equiv'), stitched from 9 DNG files.
#EmbraceTheGrey - Your Photos!
A couple of months ago I published a video asking the photography community to #EmbraceTheGrey I wanted everyone to get out there in all sorts of weathers and conditions and take some photographs. Well, that's exactly what you did! And you did it lots!
Let's All Embrace The Grey
By the end of January this year I'd had enough of the rubbish weather and the impact it was having on my photography. I then had a slight change of attitude and decided that I needed to embrace the grey a bit more.
So I went out and created a video asking the photography community as a whole to #EmbraceTheGrey. You can read that blog post and see the video here. The goal of the video was not only to encourage me to get out with the camera more but to inspire others to also get out there in less than favourable conditions.
In the video, I said I would create a showcase video of the images people tagged with #EmbraceTheGrey as a way of celebrating everyone's efforts.
#EmbraceTheGrey Showcase
So when winter officially finished I decided to see if anyone had tagged any images or videos with #EmbraceTheGrey. Well, I was blown away by the number of photos and videos that had been tagged! You really had taken the challenge on and done so in such a wide variety of scenarios. It wasn't just photographs though. Some of you even create #EmbraceTheGrey photography vlogs!
To celebrate this amazing effort by you all I have pulled together this showcase video of the photographs that I found with #EmbraceTheGrey. At the end of the video, there is also a playlist of all the videos that were tagged as well.
So, please enjoy this amazing video of everyone's creativity!
So did you enjoy this video? Did you spot your image? Let me know in the comments below.
Kilchurn Castle: A 5 Minute Photo Adventure (Special Edition)
In this blog post, I share with you the story, photographs and video of a near perfect morning at Kilchurn Castle on the banks of Loch Awe in Scotland.
More Landscape Photography on Holiday
In my recent blog post on Dalveen Pass, I talked about my desire to fit in some landscape photography while on an Easter holiday with the family. Dalveen Pass was easy to fit in as it was a short detour off the M74 while on the drive up to Scotland.
I was really looking forward to my family holiday but there was really no way I was going to spend a week in the highlands of Scotland and not do some sort of landscape photography! Fortunately, my family agreed (kind of) and so I was able to take a morning off from holidaying and take my camera out to capture some images. But where to go?
Kilchurn Castle
I was staying in a small village just outside of Oban in Argyll, so I could feasibly drive to any number of amazing locations. The obvious choice was to go to Glencoe. I had amazing photography adventure there last year, and normally I wouldn't hesitate to go back, but in the back of my mind, there was a location I wanted to visit even more.
Scotland has many amazing castles to photograph, but to me, Kilchurn Castle is one of my favourites. I grew up only a few miles away from Kilchurn Castle and so I had seen it from the road many, many times. I'd even visited the castle a couple of times. However, now that I am a landscape photographer I was desperate to revisit the castle to photograph it.
Picking the Right Day
With the exception of one day, I could pick any of my holiday days to visit Kilchurn Castle. A quick check of the weather forecast showed that the first full day of my holiday was for very light winds. This was ideal for the type of shot I wanted as there was a good chance that Loch Awe would be very still and provide some great reflections.
The only trouble was that I would need to get up very early and I would be tired from a long drive the day before. However, if the conditions were to be as predicted it would be so worth it!
Let's see how I got on.
As you can see the conditions were a bit of a mixed bag. I certainly got the glassy reflections on the loch, but these annoyingly disappeared for a while when the sun came up. The sky was also a little too clear. Some clouds would have added something a little extra to the images, but on the whole, it was a pretty special morning. Well worth getting up early for!
One thing you didn't see in the video was the other photographers that were there. I always enjoy having a chat with other photographers and the conversations I had were very welcome and good distraction from the cold. One of the photographers I chatted to, Dan Rooke, also has a YouTube channel, and I recommend you check it out here.
So have you photographed Kilchurn Castle before? Where would you have gone if you had just one morning to take photographs? Let me know in the comments below.
The Photographs
Here is a selection of the photographs I took that morning.
Nikon D850, Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 VR at 50mm, 1/5th sec at ISO 64, f/11, Lee Filters Circular Polariser.
Nikon D850, Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 VR at 38mm, 6 secs at ISO 64, f/11, Lee Filters Circular Polariser and 6 stop ProGlass IRND.
Bit of a bonus photograph for you. As I drove home from Kilchurn Castle I noticed the near perfect reflections on the Pass of Brander so I just had to share this image with you.
Nikon D850, Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 VR at 24mm, 1/50th sec at ISO 64, f/11, Lee Filters Circular Polariser.
Dalveen Pass: A 5 Minute Photo Adventure
In this blog post, I share with you the story, photographs and video of my discovery of a great roadside location just off the M74 called Dalveen Pass.
Landscape Photography on Holiday
Family holidays are typically not a great time for landscape photography. After all, the point of being on holiday is that one should take a break and spend time with loved ones. However, it can be difficult for me to switch off my passion for landscape photography so I'm always thinking of new ideas and how to make opportunities to get out with the camera.
So when I arranged a holiday to the highlands of Scotland my mind was full of grand ideas for photography and creating content for my YouTube channel. Most of my grand ideas though would involve being away for hours and getting out the house at unsociable hours. All these photography based plans would essentially defeat the purpose of going on a family holiday, and to be honest, I actually needed a break so I decided to reign in my ideas.
M74
There was one idea that I came up with though that wouldn't impact my holiday. Though we would all be going to the same holiday destination, my wife and kids would be flying up, and I would be driving up to Scotland with all the bags, bikes, and most importantly the camera gear. With such a long drive I would need to stop a few times for a break so surely there would be some close by locations worthy of a bit photography.
I would be passing near the Peak District and the Lake District, but I wanted to visit somewhere a bit different, and closer to my final destination. So I picked up my copy of Photographing Scotland and spotted the location Dalveen Pass in Dumfries & Galloway. It looked ideal as it was just off the M74 and a couple of recommended viewpoints were on the roadside. It looked perfect. I could stop and have some lunch, and grab a few photos.
Photographing Davleen Pass
The morning of the drive I set my alarm nice and early so I would have plenty of time for the drive, make my planned stop, and still reach my destination in time to meet my family off the plane. Despite it being Easter weekend the traffic was light and I made it to Dalveen Pass in plenty of time. When I got there I decided that I would also make video of my experience so I'm very happy to share with you my latest 5 Minute Photo Adventure from Dalveen Pass.
As you can see I didn't exactly have the best conditions for photography. The grey overcast skies don't matter so much for the waterfall shots, but those beautiful hills would have been lovely with a bit of light and drama in the sky. However, I very much enjoyed my time on Dalveen Pass. This location has a lot of potential and with it being just of the M74 I'm sure to stop off again on my way up or down from Scotland.
Have you photographed Dalveen Pass before? Do you have any recommendations for great locations near motorways? Let me know in the comments below.
PS. There will be more landscape photography videos from my holiday in Scotland so stay tuned to my blog or even better make sure you subscribe to my YouTube channel and remember to click on the bell icon so you receive a notification as soon as I post up a new video.
The Photographs
As promised in the video here are the photographs that I captured from Dalveen Pass.
Nikon D850, Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 VR at 62mm, f/11, 1/4 sec at ISO 64, Lee Filters Circular Polariser.
Nikon D850, Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 VR at 70mm, f/11, 1/30th sec at ISO 64
Friends, Failures and Being Frozen
In the blog this week I tell you about a trip to Brentor church with friends where the freezing weather resulted in a failed attempt at shooting a video on the D850!
Let's Go Back To Brentor
It's rare that I have a Saturday afternoon available for photography so when one did present itself a few weeks ago, I wasn't going to let it slip by. Even if the weather conditions weren't necessarily going to be great. Though the setting sun was in a direction that would give me good light on the church, the skies were going to be very clear. However, one of the things I've learnt over the years is to take some weather forecasts with a pinch of salt. But would I get an epic sunrise like I did on my last visit to Brentor?
Most of my trips out with the camera are a bit last minute. This makes it difficult to make arrangements to meet up with fellow photographers. So when friend and fellow photographer Andy Hobbs said he could join me on my trip to Dartmoor I was delighted to have the company.
Things I love About the D850
It's me doing some filming. A rare behind the scenes shot taken by Andy.
One of my goals of going to Brentor Chruch was to shot my video called 8 Things I Love About the Nikon D850. If you click on that link you'll see I have indeed published that video but you'll also see it certainly isn't filmed at Brentor.
My plan for Brentor was fairly straightforward. I would arrive a couple of hours before sunset, do some filming, and then capture a great sunset. What could go wrong?
When we arrived we found we had the best spot to shoot Brentor to ourselves. This is rare, especially for a Saturday. However, the skies were very clear and while this makes it all look very lovely, it is a bit of a nightmare for photography and for video because of the high contrast of bright and shadow areas. Then there was the cold. Brentor is notorious for being windy and cold.
When my hands were warm I was happy to double check the audio. Thanks again to Andy for the BTS shot.
The filming started off OK, and it was really great having Andy there to help out, but sometimes you just can't find your mojo. Maybe it was the strong light from the sun or just the cold wind, but it just seemed to take me an age to get into my stride.
While I managed to get all the scenes shot for the video, I, unfortunately, skipped a few steps that I would normally take to ensure certain things have worked correctly. When I later got home and went to edit the video I noticed that some of the clips shot towards the end had no audio. What probably had happened is that as I got colder I probably didn't rigorously check things after and it appeared that I had disconnected the mic from the audio recorder.
This failure to check my recordings, something I normally always do, resulted in the entire video shoot being scrubbed. To be honest, I also don't think it was my best time behind the camera so in some respects I was happy to shoot it again in a few days time at a different location.
The Photographs
Shooting that video was only half the purpose of the trip. Of course, I wanted to get some good landscape photographs as well. Unfortunately, the sunset wasn't the best I'd seen at Brentor, but we still got some nice light.
Filming was done, it was time to move onto capturing some still images. Thanks again to Andy for the BTS shot.
I took a couple of frames and I even tried out the focus shift feature of the D850 for the first time. I did a very rough focus stack in Photoshop, and while the image could do with a bit more finesse, it is clear the image has better sharpness from back to front than from the single frame.
Nikon D850, Nikkor 16-35mm f/4 at 23mm, ISO 64, 1/13th sec at f/13 - single image
Nikon D850, Nikkor 16-35mm f/4 at 21mm, ISO 64, 1/6th sec at f/4.6 - focus stacked
Despite the failed video and the lack of interest in the sky for the pictures, it was still time well spent out with the camera. It was great chatting with Andy and we had a great laugh. There might even be some funny video outtakes that I might publish one day!
So have you ever had things go wrong on a shoot? What's your worst disaster? Let me know in the comments below.
The Photography Show 2018 Community Meetup
In the blog this week I share with you a video that I created when I met up with people from the landscape photography YouTube community at The Photography Show!
It's All About Community
I love going to The Photography Show. I've been every year and it just bigger and better each year. I love going to look at all the gear and picking up a show bargain. However, this year was a little different. Since starting my YouTube channel I started developing relationships with both my viewers and with other content creators. So this year we all organised a little meetup at the show.
It was a fantastic opportunity to meet so many people that regularly leave comments on my videos or who create videos that I watch myself. We only had a short time together but the conversation was lively and engaging. It was almost as if we already knew each other! For me, the meetup was one of the highlights of the show.
As a bit of fun, fellow content creator Chris Sale asked anyone who turned up to the meetup some quick-fire questions. I was there to film the responses so I thought you might enjoy watching peoples responses, including my own!
I hope you enjoyed that short video and you found some of the responses interesting or amusing!
If you want to see more work from the people featured in the video, just click on one of the images below.
One Million Minutes
In the blog this week I celebrate some personal YouTube milestones, give you a channel update and share with you some outtakes from the channel.
Milestones
It was only 13 months ago when I posted up a channel update video on my YouTube channel. In the video, I was celebrating the fact that I had just reached 100 subscribers. I was well chuffed! Fast forward to now and I've reached two milestones that I didn't think I'd achieve. Not only do I have more than 5000 subscribers now, but people have now watched over 1 million minutes of my content!
This totally blows my mind! It's also very encouraging and inspires me to keep creating new videos. To help celebrate these milestones I have created a quick thank you video which you can see below. In the video, I also share with you some of my outtakes from my previous videos. While you only see the final, edited version, you don't get to see how often I get it wrong. I rarely get things right on the first take!
So thank you again for your support and enjoy the outtakes.
PS. Now the spring has hopefully sprung I'll be back to creating blogs and vlogs of my landscape photography adventures. :-)
Something Old, Something New
In the blog this week I get something new from one of my favourite locations, Dawlish Warren beach on the south Devon coast. I also visit Teignmouth Pier and discover that good photographs don't have to be taken during the golden hours.
An Old Friend is a Best Friend
I have photographed the beach at Dawlish Warren a lot. It's probably my most visited location. Since I started this blog I've written about it several times and I'm made several videos for my YouTube channel there. You can read why I keep going back and watch my latest video from there in my blog article Shoot, Print, Surprise!
However, the more I photograph Dawlish Warren the better I get to know it. As my knowledge of the location increases, I need to think less about where I am, freeing up my brain to focus on the creative and composition aspects of my photography. Rather than repeat visits becoming boring they do in fact become more productive. An old friend is indeed a best friend.
Something Old, Something Special
The trip to Dawlish Warren for this blog article was actually postponed several times due to poor weather. It's not that you can't put the bad weather to good use. Just have a look at my articles on Bad Weather Photography and Let's All #EmbraceTheGrey. However, for this particular trip, the conditions needed to be a little more forgiving.
My father-in-law, who is a keen amateur photographer, had managed to score himself a day out with a professional photographer as part of a magazine feature. Fortunately for me, I was asked if I wanted to tag along. I could do my own thing at each location, but I would also have the added benefit of some good company.
After what felt like weeks of poor weather we finally got a break and we all met up at Dawlish Warren car park. The conditions looked good and we all felt very positive. In fact, it turned out to be one of the best mornings I've had at Dawlish Warren.
It was one of those mornings that you look forward to as a landscape photographer on the coast. We were treated to some beautiful morning light, calm winds and a gentle sea. It was one of those mornings where you think that if this is the only image I get today I'll be happy.
I took a number of images that morning using varying shutter speeds. Here a couple of my favourites.
Nikon D850, Nikkor 16-35mm f/4 @ 18mm, f/11, 3 seconds at ISO 64.
Nikon D850, Nikkor 16-35mm f/4 @ 32mm, f/11, 8 seconds at ISO 64.
You can see how my father-in-law got on with his photographs by checking out this months issue of Digital SLR Magazine (April 2018).
Something New
I'm not much of a daytime shooter. I much prefer dawn and dusk than midday. As we headed to Teignmouth to photograph the pier I had already decided that I probably wouldn't shoot it. I've only photographed Teignmouth pier once before and while I liked the location, it was at dawn when the light was better. I wasn't sure that shooting it during the day would suit my personal style.
When we got there about 11 am, it all looked a bit different than I had envisaged. The sky had a good coverage of clouds and the outgoing tide was leaving some nice white lines in the sand as the waves pulled back. So I thought stuff personal style and got the camera out!
Nikon D850, Nikkor 16-35mm f/4 @ 19mm, f/11, 2 seconds at ISO 64.
Nikon D850, Nikkor 16-35mm f/4 @ 19mm, f/11, 2 seconds at ISO 64.
As it turned out I would have missed out on creating some pleasing images if I had just left my camera in its bag. Yes, I much prefer the light at dawn and dusk, but taking those images did show me that these aren't the only times I should be looking to take landscape images. It appears it wasn't just my father-in-law that was learning something new that day!
So what are your favourite times of day to shoot? Do you have a favourite local location? What location have you discovered recently? Let me know in the comments below.
The Best of the Rest
It was hard to pick just a couple of photographs to feature in this blog article. So rather than leave the other images out of the blog, here they are in a gallery. Enjoy!
Lee Filters Little Stopper vs 6 Stop ProGlass IRND
In this blog post, I look at the differences between Lee Filters Little Stopper and their 6 stop ProGlass IRND. They are both 6 stop neutral density filters so what are the differences and which one should you buy?
Lee Filters
I'll be upfront with you. Ever since I bought my first filter set in 2007 (when I had a Nikon D80), I've only ever bought filters from Lee Filters. When I first started looking for a filter system, everything I read said that Lee Filters were the best. Pricey, but the best.
Over the years I've built up a reasonable size collection of filters from Lee. Up until now the only filter I have replaced was the original circular polariser for the new, slightly thinner landscape circular polariser. I've never had to replace a filter because of a fault and I still use the filters that I originally bought in 2007. So if you are looking for a comparison to filters from other manufacturers, I'm afraid this isn't it.
Goodbye Little Stopper and Big Stopper
With all that said I have just sold both my Little Stopper (6 stop ND) and Big Stopper (10 stop ND). These are filters I have used a LOT. So did I not need them anymore or did I buy ND filters from a different manufacturer? Of course not! All I have done is simply replace them with 6 stop and 10 stop ProGlass IRND filters from Lee Filters.
Apart from being more expensive than their Stopper equivalents how do these ProGlass IRND filters differ? Should you sell your Stopper filters and replace them? Do you need both Stopper and ProGlass IRND filters? In the video below I aim to answer all those questions!
Hello ProGlass IRND
As you'll have seen in the video my conclusions about whether these new ProGlass IRND filters are a must buy aren't clear-cut. It's difficult to give a general conclusion as everyone's needs and budgets are different. The fact that the ProGlass IRND filters don't actually replace the Stopper range also adds a little complexity to the decision.
So all I can really do is talk about my own decision to sell my Stopper filters and buy the ProGlass IRND filters. For me, it has very much been money well spent. I particularly like the lack of colour cast and vignetting. While both these can be corrected or enhanced in post-processing, I much prefer seeing a more neutral/accurate representation of the scene on the back of the camera at the time of capture. I also like the fact that calculated exposure times are far more accurate.
So have you bought any of the new ProGlass IRND filters? Would you consider replacing your Stopper filters? Do you use something other than Lee Filters? Let me know in the comments below.
Comparison Photographs
Here are the images from the video should you wish to take a closer look.
60 Second exposure with the Little Stopper. Unprocessed.
60 Second exposure with the 6 Stop IRND. Unprocessed.
60 Second exposure with the Little Stopper. Processed
60 Second exposure with the 6 Stop IRND Processed.
8 Things I Love About the Nikon D850
In my latest blog and video, I tell you what the 7 things are that I love most about the Nikon D850 and share with you some of my favourite photographs that I've taken with this amazing full frame DSLR over the last 6 months.
A 6 Month Review of the Nikon D850
It was 6 months ago to the day when I received my much anticipated Nikon D850. I was one of the lucky ones as demand for Nikon's latest DSLR was very high with most retailers selling out in advance of stock delivery.
Not one to keep the excitement buried though, I shared my initial impressions of the camera in the in the video: Nikon D850 Exposed - Unboxing, Capture, Process and Print. It wasn't long before the follow-up video On Location with the Nikon D850: Froward Point was also published.
Since then I've been putting the Nikon D850 to good use. With the exception of the photographs captured in the article Shoot, Print, Surprise!, the D850 has been with me on all my photographic adventures.
So now that I've had the camera 6 months I thought I'd create a quick video to tell you what my favourite features of this amazing DSLR are. Want to know what they are? Well, check out the video below.
As I said in the video, the Nikon D850 doesn't necessarily make me a better photographer (just read my article Shoot, Print, Surprise!), but it does make the process of capturing images a little easier. Now that I have it, I wouldn't be without it. Well, not until the next model is released anyway!
Which camera do you shoot with and what is your favourite feature? Let me know in the comments below.
My Favourite D850 Images... So Far...
Shoot, Print, Surprise!
In this blog I head to Dawlish Warren to shoot a video I'm calling Shoot, Print, Surprise! But what is the surprise? Well, you'll just have the watch the video to find out!
Back at Dawlish Warren
In my latest video, I headed to Dawlish Warren to shoot some dawn seascapes. For those of you who have been following my blog for a while now, you may well be wondering if that is the only location I've ever photographed! I admit it though, I do like going there to capture images.
There are two good reasons for this. Firstly, it's close to home for me. This means that during the winter months when my time is particularly short, it's nice and easy for me to get to. It also offers a variety of different compositions to suit different conditions. With 15 or so groynes of different styles, and long beach it works well with both high and low tides. So, you can virtually go there in any conditions and get an interesting image.
I've mapped out the 15 groynes in a custom google map. It's still a work in progress, but the custom map also has recent images of each groyne so you can see what they look like before you get there. You can view the map here, and you can see how to make your own map here.
Shoot, Print, Surprise!
So back to the topic of the video. Well, the title should give you a good idea of what the video is about. In the video, I head out to Dawlish Warren to capture some dawn seascape images and then I head home to print some of them off. But what is the surprise? Well, you'll just have to watch the video to find out!
Well, I do hope you enjoyed that video, and of course the surprise element. Did you enjoy the surprise? What are your thoughts on the surprise topic? Let me know in the comments below.
The Photographs
As always here are the photographs that were featured in the video.
Nikkor 16-35 mm f/4 @ 34 mm, f/11, 57 seconds at ISO 100, Lee Filters Circular Polariser, ND grad and 3 stop IRND.
Nikkor 16-35 mm f/4 @ 24 mm, f/11, 1.3 seconds at ISO 100, Lee Filters Circular Polariser, and ND grad.