Creating My Biggest Ever Landscape Photography Book
In the blog this week, I create my BIGGEST ever landscape photography book! This retrospective look at my photography from the last decade takes over one hundred of my favourite landscape photographs and publishes them in one big book.
Creating Photo Books
If you’ve been reading my blog for a while or watching my YouTube channel, you’ll know how important it is for me to create something physical from my photographs. For me, the photographic process isn’t complete until I have made a print. I just love printing! You can beat the experience of watching one of your images take physical form.
Printing individual images for me is quick, easy, and reasonably inexpensive. I can also be spontaneous with my decision to print a photograph. Photography books are much more of a commitment, both in terms of preparation, time, and cost. It’s not that I’ve necessarily shied away from creating a book, it’s just that I’ve never felt the need.
That was all true until earlier this year when I created my first landscape photography book using the images that I’d captured from the Isle of Skye the year before. It was fantastic to see a collection of my images in a book. It hasn’t changed my attitude towards printing at home but it has given me another way to output my photography. I could definitely see the benefit of printing a collection of images in a book format. There is something even more permanent and physical with a book.
This Is Fun, Let’s Do Another
After my experience of creating my book of Skye photographs, I knew I would want to create another book at some point. I wasn’t planning to do one so soon but then I saw an advert from Saal Digital UK offering a £100 voucher against the cost of one of their Professional Line books. I’d never used Saal before and I thought this would be a great opportunity to not only try their services but also to create another book. I applied for the voucher and was incredibly pleased when my application was accepted. (I will add that the voucher came with no conditions other than a use-by date.)
From the outset, I knew this was going to be a much bigger book than my last one. I wasn’t exactly sure of the scope to start with, and it took me a little while to get myself started, but once I was going it turned out to be a fantastic project.
Like I did with my Skye book I decided to make a video of my experience of creating this book. In the video, I talk about how I selected my photographs, my experience of using the Saal designer software and my thoughts on the final printed book. You can check out the video below:
Will I Do Another?
There’s no doubt that having photography books printed can be a costly exercise, especially if you are just printing one book for personal use but I do firmly believe it is worth doing. With that in mind, I have made a personal commitment to producing another book.
Unless anything else comes up between now and the end of the year that requires a book, my next book will feature my best or favourite photographs from 2020. If that book turns out to be a positive experience it will be something, I will want to do every year. I’m also going to look at some of the additional options that Saal offer such as gift boxes, different covers and paper types. I will, of course, be creating a video for that so you can share the experience with me.
I hope you enjoyed this video and blog post. Do you create your own photography books? Do you sell your books? Let me know in the comments below.
Remembering Why I Love Photography - Dawlish Warren
Grab yourself a cup of coffee because it's time for another 5 Minute Photo Adventure! In this episode, I head to Dawlish Warren where I reminded that it's always worth hanging on for just another 5 minutes. Even after all these years, landscape photography can still surprise and delight me.
Just Another 5 Minutes
Over the years I have produced fifteen 5 Minute Photo Adventure videos, but I’ve never made one from Dawlish Warren. This is a bit odd as it is the location, I photograph the most every year. You’ll find many blog posts on this website that feature Dawlish Warren, and it has been the location for many videos. However, I don’t think it’s ever been the primary feature of a video and it’s never featured in its own 5 Minute Photo Adventure.
A few weeks ago (14th March to be precise), I had a little spare time and after checking the weather forecast, I thought that a dawn shoot from Dawlish Warren might yield some nice results. This would also be the perfect opportunity to feature Dawlish Warren in a 5 Minute Photo Adventure.
I’m not going to write too much here about my time at Dawlish Warren because I’ll only be repeating what is in the video. The one thing I will say is that it pays to be patient. The conditions at the point of sunrise weren’t great and I wasn’t expecting to get any nice light. While I was enjoying my time on the beach, I was ready to call it a day on the photography.
Experience has taught me though that it is sometimes worth holding on a little longer past sunrise/sunset and that’s exactly what I did. Once the sun broke over the lower cloud I got some glorious light and I captured some of my favourite ever images from Dawlish Warren. Sure, a little more cloud in the higher reaches of the sky would have made the photos even better, but I cannot fault the experience of being there and having the opportunity to capture those images.
I really hope you enjoy my latest 5 Minute Photo Adventure from Dawlish Warren and if you scroll down a little further you’ll be able to see the images from the video in a bit more detail. Let me know which image is your favourite in the comments below.
The Photographs
Dawlish Warren Sunrise #1, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30m f/4 at 15mm, f/13, 5 secs at ISO 64, Kase K9 CPL.
Dawlish Warren Sunrise #2, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30m f/4 at 19mm, f/13, 10 secs at ISO 64, Kase K9 CPL.
Dawlish Warren Sunrise #3, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30m f/4 at 25mm, f/13, 8 secs at ISO 64, Kase K9 CPL.
Dawlish Warren Sunrise #1, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30m f/4 at 20mm, f/13, 0.4 secs at ISO 64, Kase K9 CPL.
Landscape Photography - On Location with Thomas Heaton (Preview) - On My Bookshelf S03E04
In this special episode of On My Bookshelf I take an exclusive look at Thomas Heaton’s new landscape photography book.
Welcome to my 200th Blog Post
Before I tell you about the latest episode of On My Bookshelf, I just want to let you know that this is my 200th post on the Exposed Blog. My first blog post was made on 30th August 2016 and since then I have made a new post every week. The weekly post was a commitment I made to myself at the start but even I’m a little surprised that I manage to keep going for two hundred posts and not miss a single week.
It’s been a bit of a roller coaster. Sometimes I’d be sitting there with 5 or 6 posts ready to go and other weeks I’d be sitting there on a Sunday frantically typing out my latest landscape photography adventure. I’ve thought about cutting back from the weekly schedule, but I just love sharing my adventures and stories with you. The thing that really keeps me going though is YOU, the readers of the blog. Thank you for all the comments here, and on all my social media channels. Your support really does keep me going.
I wonder if I can make it to 500!
On My Bookshelf - Thomas Heaton
For my 200th blog post, I’ve managed to bag myself an exclusive look at Thomas Heaton’s new book “Landscape Photography, On Location with Thomas Heaton”. Mr Heaton has not only inspired my photography, but he also inspired me to create my YouTube channel. When I heard he was going to publish his first book of landscape photographs I was really interested in seeing what it was all about.
Now that pre-orders for his book have opened (get a copy here) I’m delighted to share with you my thoughts on his forthcoming book. Once you’ve watched my video be sure to check out Thomas’ announcement video below that.
UPDATE!
I now have a physical copy of the book so please check out part 2 of my review!
Bude Sea Pool
I always like to try different things with my photography so I set my alarm for 4am and headed to blustery Bude to capture some images of the sea pool
OMG, Sunrise is Early
I love sunrises. It’s my favourite time of day to shoot. I love the excitement of driving to a location not knowing exactly what is going to happen. With sunsets, I will have spent the day reading updated forecasts and looking at the sky. With sunrises, I just wake up, get in the car and go!
As much as I like sunrise though, getting up early is not always that easy. Often it’s less about the actual sunrise time and more to do with the additional time you need to get to a location and still be there well before sunrise itself. I think the earliest I’ve ever been up for sunrise is 03:30 and at the time of year when these images were taken a 05:00 alarm call can be classified as sleeping in!
When a friend and fellow photographer asked if I fancied joining him one morning (13th March) to shoot the sea pool at Bude I knew the answer was yes, but I also knew this would be a 04:00 alarm call. I needed time to get up, make a cup of coffee, drive to Bude and still be there before the sun rose. This wasn’t going to easy but with the lure of photographing something different and the chance to catch up with a friend I was happy to miss out on a few hours sleep.
Blustery Bude
My friend was looking to capture some seascape images of the sea pool at Summerleaze Beach in Bude. With a high tide and strong winds forecast the conditions were ideal for the type of images he wanted to create. The type of images that I would be able to capture that morning would be very different from the wide-open vistas and landscapes that I usually take but it’s always fun to try something a little different.
I had most of the gear that I needed for this type of shoot but the one thing I’m currently missing at the moment is a long lens. I no longer have my 70-200mm f/2.8 F mount lens, and I’m waiting for delivery of my 24-200 Z mount lens so the longest focal length I have is from my 24-70 f/4 Z mount lens. I knew that not having a longer lens would limit my compositions and getting closer to the action would not be possible.
Bude Sea Pool #1, Cornwall - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 24-70mm f/4 at 70mm, f/8, 0.5 secs at ISO 160, Kase Filters K9 CPL.
Lack of gear is rarely an excuse for not giving things a go and that is exactly when I did when I arrived at Bude. Conditions were as expected and the waves were crashing around and over the sea pool. It didn’t take long for me to realise why a long lens would have been useful as some of the interesting compositions that included the pool steps were out of reach for me. Not to worry though, there were still compositions to be had closer to where I was standing.
To mix things up a little I tried stepping down to the pool edge but this proved to be a little risky. Before getting too close I watched for a little while to see how big the waves were and if there was a chance of getting soaked. Getting wet wasn’t the issue though. As I know from experience, it’s less about getting wet from the waves as it is more about what is in the waves in terms of debris. I noticed that pebbles were being washed up by the waves and I didn’t fancy myself or my camera getting hit by one.
Bude Sea Pool #2, Cornwall - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 24-70mm f/4 at 70mm, f/8, 0.5 secs at ISO 160, Kase Filters K9 CPL.
Work With What You’ve Got
All that aside I enjoyed the experience of trying to capture something different and working within tighter constraints than normal. While my shots aren’t necessarily original and won’t win any awards I am none the less pleased with them. They have at least given me a taste for this type of photography and are a good basis from which to build up my creative skills in this area.
Bude Sea Pool #3, Cornwall - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 24-70mm f/4 at 45mm, f/8, 0.5 secs at ISO 160, Kase Filters K9 CPL.
Looking at the images with a slightly critical eye I would have liked some of the compositions to have been a bit tighter and contained fewer subjects. Perhaps a little more minimalist. The wind and waves were also a little strong which meant there was a little bit too much white water. I think the shutter speed is about right giving me some nice texture in the water, but there are too many areas where it is just white water.
Bude Sea Pool #4, Cornwall - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 24-70mm f/4 at 45mm, f/8, 0.5 secs at ISO 160, Kase Filters K9 CPL.
As I said though, I’m pleased enough with the images. It was a great way to spend the morning and it was made even better as I got to spend it catching up with a mate. The only downside was that there is nowhere in Bude to go and get breakfast at 7 am!
The Landscape by Paul Wakefield - On My Bookshelf S03E03
In this episode of On My Bookshelf I take a look The Landscape by Paul Wakefield.
Discovery and Recommendations
The books that go on my bookshelf are discovered in many different ways. I might hear about them in a podcast or read about them in a magazine but probably one of the best ways to discover something is through recommendation.
Friend and fellow photographer Neil Burnell (who actually has one of his books on my bookshelf) recommended that I pick up a copy of The Landscape by Paul Wakefield. I know Neil doesn’t purchase photography books very often so for him to buy it was recommendation enough for me to pick up a copy.
The book is a little on the expensive side but fortunately for me, I’d been a good boy in 2019 and Santa gave me a copy for Xmas. Now that I’ve had time to look through it I’m delighted to share my thoughts on the book in another episode of On My Bookshelf.
What did you think of the book? Is this a book that might make it on to your bookshelf? Do you have any recommendations for me? Let me know in the comments below.
5 Things To Do When Entering Photographic Competitions
Do you think you could be the next Landscape Photographer of the Year? Are you thinking about entering any photography competition? In this video, I share with you 5 things that you should do when you enter any photographic competition. I've also got a few tips from Wex Photographer of the Year, Andi Campbell!
Fail to Prepare, Prepare to Fail
Photography competitions are fickle things. There is an element of luck in any competition and you could have the most amazing image and still not get placed. While controlling what the judges feel and see in your images is something you can’t control, there are aspects of entering a photography competition you can control.
Sand, Wind and Time - Commended award in Scottish Landscape Photography of the Year.
Last week I found out that my image “Sand, Wind and Time” was given a commended award in the Scottish Landscape Photographer of the Year competition. This spurred me on to finish selecting my final entries for Landscape Photographer of the Year. I was discussing this with my good friend Chris Sale and he reminded me of the tips on photo competitions that I had shared with him over the years and so he suggested I make a video about them all. Well, that’s just what I did. So here are the 5 things I do when I enter a photographic competition:
As you will have noticed in the video, most of the things I do are fairly logical and process-based, but they are still critical in being successful in a competition. The old saying, “fail to prepare, prepare to fail” is very true here.
Before I go I must thank Andi Campbell for sharing his tips for entering photography competitions. Winning Wex Photographer of the Year is far from easy so I know you will be most impressed with his work when you visit his website.
Just a short blog post from me this week, but I hope enjoyed it and you picked up a couple of tips. Are you entering a photography competition this year? Are you planning on entering LPOTY? Do you have any tips of your own? Let me know in the comments below.
Your Photos Matter - Create a Photo Book
I completely forgot about a collection of images I had so I decided to do something with them!
Don’t Forget to Publish Your Photos!
In October of last year, I went on a photography bucket list trip to the Isle of Skye. This wasn’t a last-minute trip but one that I had probably started to organise some 18 months prior to departure. Over that 18 month period, I had a lot of time to get excited about the trip. Needless to say that when the trip did finally come around my levels of excitement were through the roof.
With all that planning and excitement I find it odd that I left the photographs I captured just sitting on my hard drive. What was the point in spending all that time and money on capturing these images and doing nothing with them! So I decided the best and most interesting way to publish these photographs was with a photo book. If you a regular reader of the blog you’ll know how keen I am on creating something physical from my photographs. This time though, rather than print them myself I would create a photo book.
You can see how I went about it in the video below:
I hope you enjoyed the video and it has inspired you to dig about your catalogue of images, print some of them, or even create a photo book yourself. If you do, please let me know in the comments below.
My Isle of Skye Photographs
I hope you enjoy the collection of photographs that I placed in my book. Just click on a thumbnail to view the image full screen and see all the shooting information.
Just a Little Bit of Snow on Dartmoor
Even the slightest chance of snow is enough to make me set my alarm for 4:30 am and head up to one of Dartmoor’s highest tors.
Who Loves Snow?
There is something about snow that makes some UK based landscape photographers very excited, and I admit, I’m one of them. I think this is for two reasons. First is that we don’t often get a lot of snow in the UK. Some parts of the country like the Highlands of Scotland get more than say Devon, but it is rare for us to get widespread heavy snowfall. The other appealing aspect of snow is how it can transform a location. Your favourite viewpoints can take on a different look and it can make some locations that you would never normally photograph suddenly become beautiful. So when I heard that snow was forecast on Dartmoor I immediately started to make plans for a dawn shoot.
Do You Want To Build a Snowman?
While the weather forecast was predicting snow, I already knew it wasn’t going to be a great big dumping of the stuff. While the forecast was predicting a 95% chance of snow, it was only forecast for short periods and on the very highest reaches of Dartmoor. I guessed that it would be similar conditions to the time I got snow up on Belstone Common (which you can see below). There certainly wasn’t going to be enough snow to build a snowman.
Great Mis Tor
To make the most of what snow there was going to be I needed to choose a Dartmoor location that was both high, reasonably easy to access, and offered some interesting compositions. Two tors spring to mind that meet these criteria, Great Staple Tor and Great Mis Tor. With Great Mis Tor being around 90 meters higher than Great Staple Tor I opted to go there. Experience has taught me that even a small difference in height can mean the difference between snow or no snow.
When I arrived at the car park for Great Mis Tor things looked positive. There was already a light dusting of snow. By the time I got to the Tor things were looking not too bad. As expected, it wasn’t a blanket of snow but I felt there was enough to work with. It reminded me of my last visit to Great Mis Tor where I also had snow that morning.
A Snowy Dawn at Great Mis Tor #1, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 14mm, f/13, 1/5th sec at ISO 64, Kase Filters K9 CPL and ND Grad.
While the addition of snow to a scene is often a welcome addition, that doesn’t mean that the photography becomes easy. With only a little bit of snow what I really needed to add something to the scene was a bit of morning light. There were plenty of showers passing through and they would leave gaps in the sky, but I never really got a decent break in the light. As is always the way, there were many patches of great light in the surrounding landscape, just not where I was!
A Snowy Dawn at Great Mis Tor #2, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 14mm, f/13, 1/5th sec at ISO 64, Kase Filters K9 CPL and ND Grad.
Looking back at my images I feel they are lacking something. I know that I talk about the quality of the light a lot but it really can make a difference when shooting Dartmoor. I’m more than happy to Embrace the Grey at the right locations, but this rarely works for me on Dartmoor. Don’t get me wrong, the images are pleasing enough but even without good light, I think the compositions need a little tweaking. I’ve only shot Great Mis Tor a couple of times so I can’t expect to instantly come away with great compositions with little experience there. I’ll just need to keep going back. Which is no bad thing?
A Snowy Dawn at Great Mis Tor #3, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 17mm, f/11, 1/13th sec at ISO 64, Kase Filters K9 CPL and ND Grad.
Photography challenges aside, I had a great time. I know standing on a snowy, windy tor, 538m up isn’t everyone’s idea of fun, but for me, it was the perfect way to witness the start of a new day. The photos capture what I saw that morning and combined with the experience of actually being there, it made for a perfect morning in the wilderness.
Have you managed to capture any snowy images this year? Is snow a bonus or a hindrance for your photography? What snowy scenes do you like to capture? Let me know in the comments below.
Discovering Beauty in a Winter Woodland
In the blog this week I head back to Holne Bridge to show you why I’m photographing one of my favourite autumn locations in the middle of winter.
Inspired by a Bit of Luck
I recently shared a blog post in which I talked about having a Plan A, B and C and how I ended up photographing one of my favourite autumn locations in winter. The photographs I captured surprised me and they made me realise that I was maybe missing a trick by ignoring Holne Bridge in the winter.
If I was missing a trick then I thought other photographers might be missing out on great photographs from their favourite seasonal locations by not shooting them off-season. As I already wanted to head back to Holne Bridge to capture some more winter landscape photographs I decided that I would create a video of my experience and share it with you in the hope that it will inspire you to do something similar.
Using a Circular Polariser
Over the last few weeks I’ve been chatting to a fellow photographer who is just starting out with his use of filters and I said one of the most important filters for most landscape photographers is the circular polariser. This statement was particularly true for me at Holne Bridge. In fact when it comes to photographing water the circular polariser is an essential bit of kit for me.
In the photographs below you’ll find an example of the same scene, one photograph was taken with the polariser on, and the other with no polariser. I think it clearly shows how much of a difference this filter can make. I’ve included a little demo of the effects of a circular polariser in the video as well. (If you are interested I use the Kase Filters K9 circular polariser).
I really hope you enjoyed this video and that it’s maybe inspired you to visit one of your favourite locations off-season. If it has or you already do something like this then please let me know in the comments below.
The Photographs
As always, here are the photographs that I captured in the video. Just click on them to see them in a larger format.
Holne Bridge at Winter, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 23mm, f/13, 1/4 sec at ISO 200, Kase Filters K9 holder and CPL.
The same image as above but without the polariser.
Winter River at Holne Bridge, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 18mm, f/13, 1/4 sec at ISO 400, Kase Filters K9 holder and CPL.
Have a Plan A, B and C
As my plan C location, I didn't think I would end up at Holne Bridge on Dartmoor to capture this image. But after a failed shoot at my plan B location I was pleased that I'd had the foresight to consider a backup to the backup location.
Plan A
I like Fridays. It’s the end of the working week, the weekend is just around the corner and I’ll probably open a bottle of wine in the evening and eat something with a few red lights on the packaging. More than all that its the day where I almost always get out for a dawn shoot. That doesn’t mean the weather will be good though!
The Friday morning of this blog I had planned to meet up with a friend and fellow photographer for a bit of a catch-up. We were going to head down to the coast to shoot some moody seascapes. The weather forecast was for showers and overcast skies, but hopefully perfect for what we had planned.
Unfortunately my friend had to cancel. This of course isn’t a problem. Life and work sometimes change your priorities. Something of which I’m all too aware of myself. I would of course need a plan B.
Plan B
I could of course stick with plan A, but the location was further than I probably really had time to travel to. This mattered less when I was meeting up with someone, but as this shoot would be on my own I decided that I would pick somewhere closer to home.
Combestone Tor in 2014 - my first and last visit.
As part of my plan to take more risks and be more spontaneous in 2020 I decided that I should try somewhere new. Having just read an article by Ross Hoddinnot on some Dartmoor locations I decided that I must try and photograph Combestone Tor. Though this location wasn’t completely new to me, I had only shot it once some 6 years ago, so I still thought it would still be somewhere fresh for me to shoot.
When Friday morning came round I went outside to take the dog for a quick walk before I headed up to Dartmoor. Despite the weather forecast predicting overcast skies I could see some high cloud and a lot of stars. It looked like it could be a great morning after all!
I had to make a decision. Do I go to the coast and make the most of the sunrise, or stick to my original plan of going to Dartmoor where the weather might well be very different. My closest coastal location is Dawlish Warren and it is very much the safe bet but I have photographed this location many times before. This would not achieve my goal of shooting somewhere new. Despite my gut instincts to go to Dawlish Warren I decided to keep to my plan of going to Dartmoor. I felt it was important to spend some time working on new locations.
The weather up on Dartmoor that morning was as predicted. Very windy and cloudy. Not worry, the point of the visit was not to get a great image but explore the location. And explore I did. However, I never really got inspired. I never even got the camera out. It seems like a location with plenty of potential but I just couldn’t find something I wanted to photograph. Maybe it was just the lack of morning light, or the chilling wind, or maybe I just need a few more visits so I can get to know the location better.
Whatever the problem, I wasn’t going to capture any images there so time for plan C!
Plan C
Holne Bridge, Autumn 2019
I hate to head out with the camera and take no photos, so knowing that this might happen if I went up to Combestone I decided I needed a backup plan. The route up to Combestone fortunately takes me past Holne Bridge. This is a location I’ve photographed a few times, but only in autumn. This tree-lined river location is perfect for catching those wonderful autumnal colours.
I’d never really considered shooting it during the winter. With most of the trees probably being bare I didn’t think it would make for an interesting photograph. However, if I had to drive past it on my way home why not stop and take a photo anyway. I wouldn’t even have to walk very far!
So on the way back from Combestone I pulled over, grabbed my gear and popped down to the river. This was my plan C location so I was a little short on time which meant I didn’t have a lot of time to go exploring for new compositions. I decided that if I wanted to get a shot I would go with what I already knew. I did try a few different angles from a couple of new spots, but I eventually decided that I would capture roughly the same composition that I’d done during a previous visit.
Winter at Holne Bridge, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 24mm, f/11, 0.5 seconds at ISO 320, Kase Filters K9 Holder and CPL.
OK, I’ll admit, it’s not the most original composition that I’ve made, but given it was a bit of a grab shot as part of a backup plan I’m pretty happy with the result. I’d much rather have this image than have nothing at all from the morning. Besides, it was actually rather nice shooting a location in a totally different season. This is something I learnt from my year-long project on Dartmoor that I recently published. In fact it has inspired me to visit this location again in the very near future and not just wait for autumn. I think there is more to this location than just autumn colours.
A bit of a long story from me in this post but I hope you’ve found it enjoyable and that if you don’t normally head out with a plan A, B and C, then it’s maybe time you did.
Keep Calm and Embrace the Grey
Big sunrises, amazing light, and epic skies. These are just some of the elements that have helped shape some of my best landscape photographs. But what do you do when you don't have those things? What if the conditions are grey, overcast and still?
It’s All About the Light
Over the years some of my best photos have been shaped by the light. I’m always seeking the type of light that will lift my compositions from looking a little dull and flat into something with texture, dimension and contrast. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that you can’t get good images in flatter light, but the images that I like creating often require good light to make them a little more special.
Winter in the UK can be a challenging time for photography. The weather can be rather unsettled and grey flat days tend to be the norm rather than the exception. With so much overcast weather I decided it was once again time to #EmbraceTheGrey and I knew just the place to go.
Right Subject for the Conditions
Back in December 2018, I had visited The Cobb and the image that I captured changed the way I viewed that location. Rather than a location I would only visit when the waves were big and the sky glorious, I really wanted to capture a photograph when it was all still, flat and overcast. I almost got what I was looking for on that visit but I actually wanted it to be even more overcast! I wanted it to be even greyer!
For some time now I’ve been hoping to get those very conditions so I could make the photograph that I had in my mind’s eye. When a recent weather forecast predicted the conditions I was looking for, I thought it was finally time to head back to The Cobb.
In my latest video below I will share with you the experience of going back to The Cobb to try and capture the image I had envisioned all those months ago. I’ll also show you how I post-processed it and how I printed it.
I do hope you enjoyed the video. Though I’ll always be chasing that glorious light, hopefully, this video has shown you that having a subject or location that you can embrace the grey with is not only useful but can also lead to some very pleasing images.
Do you have a favourite location where you #EmbraceTheGrey? Let me know in the comments below.
And finally, here is that image you saw me capture, print and frame.
Embracing the Grey at The Cobb, Lyme Regis, Dorset - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 16mm, f/13, 182 seconds at ISO 64, Kase Filters CPL and 6 Stop ND
Printing Notes
In case you didn’t catch everything in the video, here is what I used to print the image:
Printer - Canon Pixma Pro-10s (http://amzn.to/2Anrcj7)
Software - Edited in Lightroom and printed using Canon Print Studio Pro
Paper - Fotospeed’s Legacy Gloss 325 with custom ICC profile (https://www.fotospeed.com/Legacy-325/groupproduct/3103/) - one of my favourite papers!
Frame - Picture Frames Express (https://www.pictureframesexpress.co.uk/)
Do Spectacular Conditions Make Landscape Photography Easier?
On a recent trip to photograph the sunrise at Start Point, I discover than amazing conditions doesn’t always mean that the photography is going to be easy.
Into the Sun at Start Point
One of the reasons yr.no is my favourite weather forecast website is the fact that it splits cloud coverage into low, medium and high levels. I’m always on the lookout for a bit of high-level cloud combined with little medium and low-level cloud. It’s generally the high-level cloud that catches the light from the rising or setting sun giving us those lovely pink skies that we sometimes crave.
Start Point in all its glory.
It was those very conditions that were predicted for Start Point on the South Devon coast one morning recently. I was not only looking to do a little coastal photography, but I was also keen to return to Start Point, so with a positive forecast for the morning I was (for once) sure that it would be the place to be.
My only slight concern was the position of the rising sun. At this time of year I would almost certainly be shooting straight into the sun. There’s nothing wrong with shooting into the sun, and plenty of people make an excellent job of it, but I’ve never really got to grips with it. A quick scan through my Lightroom catalogue of my previous images from Start Point reminded me that I could also shoot the lighthouse further down the coast towards the west. This would not only give me something a bit different from the normal shots that I take there, but it would also mean the sun would rise from the side instead of straight on.
Decisions, Decisions!
My regular viewpoint of Start Point, Feb 2019.
It’s at least a 75-minute drive to Start Point for me, and given that I like to be on location at least 1 hour before sunrise, I had to get up really early. As I got into the car and it was still 2 hours before sunrise, I could see a bit of high-level cloud in the sky. Those big long patches of cloud that catch the light. I was beginning to get really excited about the morning.
My alternative viewpoint further along the coast, Feb 2017.
When I arrived at Start Point things were still looking positive. A little too much blue sky, but there were some great patches of high-level cloud. I grabbed my bag and started walking. I did however have a bit of a dilemma on my hands. If I were to locate myself further down the coast to get the peninsula from the side, there wouldn’t be any of the high-level clouds in the shot. If I went to my regular position I would be shooting into the sun but I could include the high-level cloud in the shot (which was already pinking up nicely).
I decided to head down the coast and just check what the side shot would look like. When I got there I was correct with my assessment in that I just had a clear sky. The question was should I wait there to see if the cloud would move, and move in the right direction, or should I head back to my normal viewpoint. That high-level cloud really had some nice colour to it so I decided to head to my normal spot.
Sunrise
As I stood in my favourite spot I watched the sky and clouds change colour as sunrise approached and passed. While it wasn’t the most amazing sunrise I’d ever seen it was still really nice. Having experienced so many dull mornings recently this was a most welcome change and photography aside, I couldn’t think of a better way to experience the start of a new day.
Despite the very favourable conditions, I have to admit I struggled a little with my photography. I’m not sure if it was the thought that I should have been at the other spot (as the cloud had indeed moved into a good position) or that I was feeling a little uninspired, or even that I was finding it tricky shooting into the sun. Sometimes things just don’t click. Despite the good conditions I wasn’t finding the photography easy.
A Glorious Morning at Start Point, South Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 14mm, f/16, 15 secs at ISO 64, Kase Filters K9, CPL, ND Grad and 6 Stop ND.
Image Review
This was the best image of the morning, and despite it being better than I thought it would turn out, there is something that I don’t like about it. I’m not sure if it’s the composition, the tones or some combination of factors. Some times it's difficult to put your finger on these things so I’ve decided to do the best thing you can do when you want to learn from your own photography and that is to make a print.
Learn from your photography by making a print.
If I make a print of the image and leave it sitting around my desk I will spend more time looking at it. Hopefully by spending more time with the image, and in a printed form, I will learn what I don’t like about the image, what I need to change (in the composition or post-processing) or even that I do indeed like the image. For me, making the print is one of the best ways to improve your photography.
Whatever I ultimately end up feeling about this image, one thing I have learned is that spectacular conditions don’t always make landscape photography easier!
Practising Landscape Photography and Risk vs Reward
Is there value in practising your landscape photography? Do you consider risk vs reward? In the blog this week, I head to Belstone on Dartmoor National Park to capture some landscape photographs and to answer those questions.
The Value of Practising Landscape Photography
In the blog last week I spoke about the need to practise landscape photography. That trip to Dawlish Warren beach was my first trip out to capture landscape photographs in over a month. I certainly felt a little rusty so I was keen to keep the momentum going so I decided to head out again as soon as I could.
I decided I would head out a couple of days later and instead of shooting the coast again I opted to head up onto Dartmoor. The weather conditions weren’t exactly ideal for landscape photography. The forecast was predicting 100% clear skies (everywhere) and sub zero conditions.
Despite the weather forecast I was committed to going out and getting some practise in with the camera. Practising photography became really important to me after watching this video by John Free. I know John is a street photographer but the message is clear. It’s probably one of the most important photography videos I’ve ever watched.
Risk vs Reward
While the goal of my trip to Dartmoor was to practise my photography, I was still hoping to get some good photographs. This is where the risk vs reward bit comes in. It’s rare that the weather forecast is 100% accurate or the conditions are predicted to be perfect for landscape photography (whatever perfect might be), so there is always an element of risk.
Sometimes the risk is part of the excitement though. If you always knew what the the conditions were exactly going to do then some of the joy of landscape photography would be lost. While the forecast conditions wouldn’t necessarily yield a great photography, if I didn’t take the risk of going I might miss something special.
So did my trip to Dartmoor pay off? You find out in the video below where you will see the images I took and hear me talk more about the value in practising photography and risk vs reward. Enjoy!
I hope you enjoyed that 5 Minute Photo Adventure <insert playlist URL>. Do you practise your landscape photography? How do you measure risk vs reward? Let me know in the comments below.
The Photographs
As always here are the photographs from the video.
Dawn at Belstone #1, Dartmoor National Park, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 14mm, f/13, 1/4 sec at ISO 64, Kase Filters CPL.
Dawn at Belstone #2, Dartmoor National Park, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 18mm, f/13, 1/13 sec at ISO 64, Kase Filters CPL.
Kicking off 2020 Somewhere Familiar
In the blog this week I head to Dawlish Warren for my first shoot of 2020 and to get some much need practice!
Where Did the Time Go?
Prior to taking the photographs in this blog post the last time I went out with the camera was the 15th of December. I went to Hound Tor on Dartmoor, I took four frames and frankly it was a bit of a disaster. Not the way I wanted to finish 2019 but hey, that’s the way it goes sometimes.
A few days after that I went on a family holiday, then it was Christmas, then New Year, then I got a cold and the weather was pretty miserable for an extended period of time. The result of all this was that I didn’t take another landscape photograph until the 17th of January (when I took the photos in this post). Where did all the time go!
Keeping Sharp
You may not think a month is a long time between sessions with the camera and for some people it might well not be. For me though that month represents a reduction in the sharpness of my skills. You may well ask what sharpness has to do with landscape photography? It’s not as if I’m shooting fast-moving cars, sprinting athletes or birds in flight. What I mean by sharpness is my “photographic eye”. My ability to pick out and fine-tune compositions.
Dawlish Warren #1, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 16mm, f/11, 218 sec at ISO 64, Kase Filters CPL, ND Grad and 6 Stop ND.
Photography is a skill and one that needs to be practised. This is one of the reasons why I go out with my camera when the conditions aren’t exactly great. I’d rather practise my photography skills in poor conditions than find myself stumbling when I’m presented with some stunning conditions. In other words I like to keep my composition muscles fit and flexed!
Down to Dawlish
My choice to photograph Dawlish Warren as my first location of 2020 was driven by two factors. The first factor was time. I was really short of time that day and I didn’t want to potentially wait another week to get my first photo of 2020 just so I could go somewhere further away. The other factor was my familiarity with the location. As I was short of time going to a location that I was familiar with would allow me to spend more time taking photographs. However, as I wrote in a recent blog post “Does Familiarity Breed Complacency?”, being familiar with a location doesn’t necessarily make it easy to shoot.
Dawlish Warren #3, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 16mm, f/13, 1.3 sec at ISO 64, Kase Filters CPL, and ND Grad.
I knew before I got to Dawlish Warren that the weather was unlikely to give me brilliant conditions and I wouldn’t get photographs that were better than some of my previous efforts from there, but that’s not the point. The point is that I would be out with my camera and I’d be exercising those photography muscles making sure they are fit for when I do get one of those very special days.
Dawlish Warren #4, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 18mm, f/13, 1 sec at ISO 64, Kase Filters CPL, and ND Grad.
As I look at my images from that morning I already know that it’s not my best work. However, there are qualities that I do like and I can take these ideas with me on my next shoot where ever that might be. The most important thing is that I feel more prepared and confident for the next shoot.
Dawlish Warren #5, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 19mm, f/13, 1 sec at ISO 64, Kase Filters CPL, and ND Grad.
My Year Long Landscape Photography Project on Dartmoor
What happens when you photograph the same location for a year? In the blog this week I share with you the results of my year-long landscape photography project on Dartmoor.
One Year, One Location, Twelve Photographs
I’m going to keep this blog post really short as everything I would talk about here is contained in the video below. So rather than write a lot of text here I hope you’ll be able to find the time to watch my longest ever landscape photography video. I’ve actually tried to keep it as short as I can, but the video does contain a year’s worth of work so I hope you can excuse the length. So grab yourself a coffee or a drink and enjoy!
I do hope you enjoyed the video. Have you ever undertaken a similar project? Which image was your favourite? Please let me know in the comments below.
My Emsworthy Collection
Finally, here are all the photographs I took during the project and that you saw in the video. If you want to see the technical information for a photograph just click on it.
Every Photographer Should Do This
What's the one thing that every photographer should do?
The Annual Image Review
I wrote about the importance of doing an annual review at the end of 2017 and the following year shared with you my favourite images from 2018. Naturally now that we are now in 2020 it’s time to look back at 2019 and undertake the annual image review.
In the video below I not only talk about the reasons for me wanting to review my images from 2019, but I also talk about why I think it’s something every photographer should do.
Have you reviewed your images from 2019? Has my video encouraged you to do so? Have you published your favourite images? Let me know in the comments below.
Want to Know How to Find Your Best Images?
Here is the video I made at the end of 2017 that shows you how I go about using Lightroom to find my best images.
My Favourite Images from 2019
2010 to 2018 - An Image from Each Year
5 Things I Love About the Nikon Z 7
In my latest video I share with you the 5 things that I love most about the Nikon Z 7 mirrorless camera. I will also tell you about some of the things I don't like and show you some of the images that I've been capturing with the Nikon Z 7 over the last few months.
Another Nikon Z 7 Review
Does the world really need another review video about the Nikon Z 7? This is a valid question and one you may well be asking. After all, I purchased the Nikon Z 7 almost a year after it was first released so there is already a stack load of Z 7 review videos.
Unlike when I purchased the Nikon D850 though, I decided not to make any specific vlogs or blogs about my purchase of the Nikon Z 7. So rather than make a song and dance about changing cameras I just never directly mentioned it. However, you are an eagle-eyed lot and my change of camera didn’t go completely unnoticed. A few of you asked why I moved from the Nikon D850 and what I thought about the Nikon Z 7 and I was happy to provide my reasons.
Now that I’ve had the camera for a few months I’ve decided the time was right to share my thoughts on this camera with a wider audience. I’m not going to repeat too much of what I’m going to say in the video but this isn’t a full review and I’m not trying to convince you all to go mirrorless! This video is just about me sharing what I personally like about the Z 7, some things that I don’t like and share a few images.
Whichever camera system you have, and even if you don’t agree with my choice and reasons, I still hope you took some value from watching it. I’d be really interested to hear your thoughts on mirrorless cameras, the Nikon Z system, and the future of DSLRs. Why not leave me a comment below.
Nikon Z 7 Landscape Photographs
The video included a number of landscape photographs that I’ve captured with the Nikon Z 7 which I’ve included below along with some of the shooting information which I hope you find useful.
52 Assignments Landscape Photography by Ross Hoddinott and Mark Bauer - On My Bookshelf S03E02
Are you looking to kickstart your landscape photography in 2020? In this episode of On My Bookshelf, I'm taking a look at 52 Assignments for Landscape Photography by Ross Hoddinott and Mark Bauer. It's packed full of creative assignments but there's really only one way to see how good it is and that is to head out on location and give one of those assignments a try.
OMBS On Location
Most of the photography books featured in On My Bookshelf (OMBS) are normally enjoyed at home with a nice cup of coffee. Every now and again though I get a book that has a more practical element to it and I feel the best way to share my thoughts on it is to go on location with it. I adopted this approach last year when I met up with Nick Livesey to discuss his book Photographing the Snowdonia Mountains.
When I received my copy of 52 Assignments: Landscape Photography by Ross Hoddinott and Mark Bauer I knew straight away that this would be another book that would be best demonstrated on location. The only challenge I had was which of the 52 assignments should I pick!
So join me in the latest episode of OMBS as I share my thoughts on this book and head out to Dartmoor on assignment.
I really hope you enjoyed this episode of OMBS. Santa was good enough to bring me a book on landscape photography that I’ve had on my list for a while now and I hope to bring you that episode of OMBS in the near future.
What do you have planned for your photography in 2020? Do you give yourself any assignments or projects? How do you discover creative ideas and techniques? Let me know in the comments below.
The Photographs
As always, here are the images that you saw in the video. I can’t wait to get back to this location. Hopefully when the light is a bit better and the wind a lot lighter!
West Mill Tor #2, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 21mm, f/13, 1/8th second at ISO 400, CPL and ND Grad.
West Mill Tor #1, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 14mm, f/13, 1/3rd second at ISO 400, CPL and ND Grad.
West Mill Tor #3, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 21mm, f/13, 1/8th second at ISO 400, CPL and ND Grad.
Imperfect Panoramas
In the blog this week I head up to Belstone Common on Dartmoor to capture some panoramic images. However, the results aren't exactly perfect.
Ho Ho Ho!
First of all let me wish you a happy Christmas! No matter how or why you celebrate over the festive period I do hope you a good time doing it. Even though I've written this blog post before Christmas day I can feel pretty sure I had a good time at Christmas myself. It's fair to say I'm probably a little fatter but also a little happier for having spent some time with my family. Besides, a little time away from the camera can also be beneficial.
I didn't write this blog post just to tell you how fat I've got but rather to tell you about a recent trip to Dartmoor I had and how the images I captured didn't exactly work out. Don't worry though, it's not a long tale of disasters and epic challenges that will take you half an hour to read. I just thought I'd briefly share the story of that morning. I'll have you back to mince pies and brandy before you know it.
Creating Panoramic Images
The reason I was up on Belstone Common was that I was looking for new locations to capture panoramic images, with a view of creating a video to show how I got about capturing them. My original plan was to shoot the video when I was up in Scotland at the end of October, but rubbish weather put a stop to that. Never mind though, it's not as if Dartmoor doesn't have any locations worth visiting is it!
Belstone Common is one of my favourite places on Dartmoor to capture landscape photographs but I don't ever remember going up there to take panoramic images. As I was already familiar with the location capturing panoramic images would be easy, right? Well, I hadn't really given much thought as to how different it would be and so when I got up to the location an obvious panoramic composition didn't jump out to me as I thought it might.
Belstone Panorama #1, Dartmoor, Devon - Panasonic Lumix S1R, Lumix S 24-105mm f/4 at 28mm, f/13, 1.3 seconds at ISO 100, Kase Filters CPL. Seven vertical image panorama at 16:7.
What I was finding was that just because I had a viewpoint that would normally work well with a wide angle lens, that didn’t mean I could also make a panoramic out of it. The main challenge was that the locations where I would normally stand were close to some of the tors, but I couldn’t get far enough away to make a panoramic image work, without losing sight of the tors. This was going to be more difficult than I thought. Difficult but not impossible though.
As I was up there for sunrise the conditions were changing quickly so I got myself in a bit of panic as I struggled to find a suitable composition. This is where the problems can start. Being in a rush is never a good thing for photography. I kept second guessing myself as to where I should be so I would take my shots in a bit of a rush. In addition it was also freezing up on Dartmoor. There was a bit of a wind and I was trying not to wear gloves so I could use the camera more easily (and quickly).
Belstone Panorama #2, Dartmoor, Devon - Panasonic Lumix S1R, Lumix S 24-105mm f/4 at 65mm, f/13, 1/4th second at ISO 100, Kase Filters CPL. Seven vertical image panorama at 16:7.
So here lies the problem with the images you see on this blog post. While I know the compositions still need a little work, they are technically flawed. You might not even notice the flaws with the resolution you are looking at them but trust me they are a little bit "soft". This purely down to poor technique because I was rushing things. I should have taken into account the strength of the wind, and also let the camera settle down between frames. All stuff I already knew I had to do.
Why am I telling you this and sharing these imperfect panoramas? This blog has always been about sharing my successes and failures. We all get things wrong every now and again, and I'm no different. Photography isn't all about 5 star images. In fact sometimes it's not even about 2 star images! So don't worry if you've got something wrong and a shoot went badly. It happens to everyone and it's part of being a photographer.
Belstone Panorama #3, Dartmoor, Devon - Panasonic Lumix S1R, Lumix S 24-105mm f/4 at 25mm, f/13, 0.4 seconds at ISO 100, Kase Filters CPL. Seven vertical image panorama at 16:7.
So was my trip to Belstone a waste of time? No. Being outside to witness the start of a new day on Dartmoor is never a bad thing. Have you had any photography disasters? Have you been out on a shoot that just went wrong? Let me know in the comments below.
The Photography of Game of Thrones by Helen Sloan - On My Bookshelf S03E01
On My Bookshelf is back and this week I'm looking The Photography of Game of Thrones by Helen Sloan.
On My Bookshelf is Back
It's been a while since I last did an episode of On My Bookshelf (OMBS). In fact the last episode was back in April when I looked at Extreme Scotland and Beara (which is still one of my favourite books on landscape photography. The gap in episodes wasn't planned, it's just the way it has worked out. Maybe it's because during the darker months I spend a little more time reading books in the evening than during the summer.
The Photography of Game of Thrones
Over the next couple of months I hope to bring you a few new episodes of OMBS. I have a couple of titles on my bookshelf already and I'm hoping Santa will bring me a few more over the festive period. In this episode I'm going to start things off by looking at The Photography of Game of Thrones by Helen Sloan. Enjoy!
I hope you enjoyed that episode of OMBS and you are looking forward to future episodes (remember you can always watch the back catalogue here). Have you added any new photography titles to your bookshelf recently? Are you expecting any new photography books for Christmas? Let me know in the comments below.