Bite-Size Blog Post #7 - A Journey into Macro Photography
In this bite-size blog post I take a journey into the world of macro photography!
Learning Macro Skills
As you might have guessed this blog post is not going to contain landscape photographs but is instead going to be focused on the wonderful world of macro photography. Regular readers of this blog will know that I’ve been dabbling in macro photography for a while now. It started last year when I went out with a friend to photograph some butterflies and continued when I bought my macro lens a few months ago.
I promised myself that when I purchased a macro lens, I would also spend some money on getting myself some 1-2-1 tuition as well. You can learn a lot from fellow photographers, books and YouTube videos, but it’s hard to beat the value you can get from a 1-2-1 session with a professional.
For 1-2-1 tuition I’ve always valued the services of Ross Hoddinott. Ross has been paramount in my development as a landscape photographer and fortunately for me, he is also a highly-skilled, award-winning, close-up photographer as well. I had no hesitation in booking a 1-2-1 session with him.
Though I had some basic skills already, there was much for me to learn. Not only were there specific camera techniques to learn, but I also needed to learn how to find and identify insect species. And then when I found them, not scare them off with sudden movements!
It was a wonderful day, and even though I know my camera well, learning a whole new set of camera skills with was demanding. I managed to capture some images that I was happy with. They aren’t particularly unique or outstanding, but that wasn’t the point of the day. The point was that I learnt loads, got some images I was happy with, and I had a great day out.
I now feel I at least have the fundamental knowledge to head out into the wilderness myself and capture macro photographs.
Nikon Z7, Laowa 100mm f/2.8 2x Ultra Macro
Nikon Z7, Laowa 100mm f/2.8 2x Ultra Macro
Nikon Z7, Laowa 100mm f/2.8 2x Ultra Macro
Nikon Z7, Laowa 100mm f/2.8 2x Ultra Macro
Nikon Z7, Laowa 100mm f/2.8 2x Ultra Macro
Nikon Z7, Laowa 100mm f/2.8 2x Ultra Macro - shame about the distracting background on this one!
Nikon Z7, Laowa 100mm f/2.8 2x Ultra Macro - and this one!
Landscape Photography with the Nikkor Z 24-200mm
I’ve purchased the Nikkor Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3 for landscape photography and this blog post you can watch a video of me putting it to good use and see some sample images.
A Good Choice for Landscape Photography
I try not to create too many videos on gear. There are lots of channels out there that are dedicated to such things and they can often provide a much more comprehensive review and set of tests. I tend to only make videos about gear if it’s for an item that I have personally paid for and will be in my kit bag. Even then, my videos tend not to be reviews but more about sharing my experience with a bit of gear.
The latest bit of gear I’ve purchased is the Nikkor Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3 and in the video below I tell you why I purchased it and most importantly I go out on location to take some photographs with it. I then also return home to show you the images and to make some prints with them. So, it’s not so much a review but more a video on my personal experiences with the lens.
Even though I wouldn’t class this video as a review, I do help you found it useful if you are considering purchasing this lens. If you have any questions, please let me know in the comments below.
Nikkor Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3 Sample Images
Rising Sun over Rippon Tor #2, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3 at 32mm, f/13, 1/5th sec at ISO 64. Kase Filters ND grad.
Rising Sun over Rippon Tor #1, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3 at 24mm, f/13, 1/6th sec at ISO 64. Kase Filters ND grad.
Chinkwell Tor Sunrise #1, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3 at 24mm, f/11, 1/100th sec at ISO 400. Kase Filters ND grad.
Widecombe Panorama, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3 at 83mm, f/8, 1/40th sec at ISO 64, panoramic stitch with 6:17 crop.
Widecombe from Chinkwell Tor, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3 at 145mm, f/8, 1/20th sec at ISO 64. Kase Filters ND grad.
Bite-Size Blog Post #6 - Dartmouth Sea Stacks
In this bite-sized blog post, I head to the coast near Dartmouth in Devon to check out a sea stack.
Long Exposure Seascapes
Unusually this summer I’ve spent a lot more time photographing Dartmoor than the coast. The summer month not only brings better conditions, but the extended hours of daylight allow me to travel further afield to places like Cornwall. I just love photographing the Cornish coast as you can see from all these blog posts.
I think lockdown knocked me out of my normal yearly routine and so I’ve spent more time closer to home which in turn means I’ve been spending more time up on Dartmoor. However, the coast is never far from my thoughts, so I decided that a visit to my local coastline was long overdue.
There is a sea stack near Dartmouth that I’ve been eager to revisit for some time now. I believe it needs a specific set of conditions to make the most of it. A high tide is one of them and while on this visit the tide was high, the weather was calm and the skies blue.
I knew I wasn’t going to come away with any photographs that I was going to get excited about so this trip was very much another reconnaissance mission to check out compositions. Despite this being my 2nd or 3rd visit, I still struggled to find a composition I am happy with. Maybe the calm conditions weren’t helping, or I simply need to work harder at getting the composition right.
So, while these photographs aren’t anything amazing, I’m happy to share them with you. After all, not every trip out with the camera results in a portfolio image. Some trips out with the camera are all about preparation for the next trip.
Focus Stack a Landscape Photograph in 5 Minutes
Focus stacking a landscape photograph needn’t take a long time. In this video, I’ll show you how to capture and process a focus stacked landscape photography in 5 minutes.
Focus Stacking - Capture and Process
When you first start to learn how to focus stack it can seem a bit overwhelming. It seems to be a bit complicated and not worth the effort. However, the complexity of the focus stack is very much dependent on the subject being photographed. Macro subjects are trickier to focus stack correctly.
What if you want to focus stack a landscape photograph though? I’m pleased to say the process is much easier and quicker. Despite the relative simplicity of the focus stacking process for landscape photographs, it’s not something I do that often. Sometimes it’s just not needed, and a single shot will yield sufficient sharpness, but when you do need it, you'll be glad you have the skills in your toolbox.
In the video below I aim to show you how straightforward to process can be to capture and process a focus stacked landscape photograph. You will rarely need more than four frames, but if you do the process remains the same. Once you can do it with a small number of frames, you have all the principle skills to allow you to do it with a larger number of frames.
Bonus Tips
To keep the content in the video concise and short I decided to only cover topics that were related to the process of creating the focus stack. For the readers of the blog though I’ve decided to give you a little extra value add by giving you a few extra tips.
The image with the finger - you will have seen in the video an image in the Lightroom film strip with my finger pointing up. What is this for? This image reminds me that the following images are part of a sequence. I use “finger up” for a focus stack sequence and “finger right” for a panoramic sequence. If you’ve captured lots of images, having these “finger” shots allows you to quickly pick out sequences of images in Lightroom.
Edit images before or after merging? - Should you apply your edits before you import the images to Photoshop, or after you have saved the stacked image? Personally, I make some very basic global edits before I load the images into Photoshop. Remember, if you change one image you will need to sync the changes to all the images you are going to use in the focus stack. After the photo merge in Photoshop, I will apply some local adjustments and any local/global sharpening.
Large files - depending on the number of images in the stack and size of the source files you may get a warning message from Photoshop when you save the file telling you that it is bigger than 2 TB. While you can save the file as a PSB I recommend selecting all the layers and flattening the image. This will make the resulting file much smaller but you won’t be able to modify the masking areas later without doing the focus stack again). It’s rare that I ever want to edit those masking areas again.
To Photoshop or Not - There are a number of dedicated focus stacking tools such as the excellent Helicon Focus but for most landscape focus stacks Photoshop does a good job. There’s no doubt that Helicon Focus is much faster and accurate, but this tends to only be a benefit with complex focus stacks (such as macro subjects).
Lightroom catalogue management and image editing - If you are interested on how I manage and edit my images in Lightroom, then check out my video on Lightroom Catalogue Management and Lightroom Image Editing.
That Focus Stacked Image
Here is the final image from the video so you can take a closer look.
Bowerman’s Nose Sunrise #7, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 at 17mm, 1/25th sec at ISO 64, f/8, Kase Filters K9 Polariser, 4 image focus stack.
Want a More Detailed Tutorial?
If you'd like to watch a more detailed video on focus stacking, and how to use the focus shift feature found in recent Nikon cameras, and deal with more complicated post processing scenarios, then check out my other video on focus stacking which you can see here.
Bite-Size Blog Post #5 - Two Tors
In the blog this week I visit Dartmoor to photograph one of my regular locations and to photograph somewhere new.
Two Tors
Thanks to the weather, the long days and the company of a good friend I managed to make a few trips to photograph Cornwall. I love shooting the Cornish coast. There’s just so much variety and there always seems to be somewhere new to discover and photograph.
As much as I love Cornwall, I don’t want to completely ignore my local area. In this bite-size blog post, I’m going to share with you some of the photographs I’ve been capturing from Dartmoor. There is a panoramic image from a new location, Bell Tor, and a couple of images from an old favourite, Belstone Tor.
My eyes have been opened to Bell Tor, and the surrounding area and I hope to make a video from this location soon. It has a lot of potential and I’m excited about the possibility of sharing it with you in a bit more detail. In the meantime, though please enjoy the photographs I captured.
Bell Tor
Bell Tor Panorama, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 at 19mm, f/8, 1/20th sec at ISO 64, 8 image panorama cropped at 6:17.
Belstone Tor
Belstone Tor Sunset #4, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 at 14mm, f/13, 0.6 sec at ISO 64.
Belstone Tor Sunset #2, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 at 18mm, f/13, 1.3 sec at ISO 64.
Belstone Tor Sunset #3, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 at 22mm, f/13, 1.6 sec at ISO 64.
Essential Guide to Filters for Landscape Photography by Hoddinott & Bauer - On My Bookshelf S03E07
What are filters? Do I need filters? Which filters should I buy? How do I use filters? If you need answers to any of these questions, then the latest book to hit my virtual bookshelf could be the answer.
What Filters Should I Use for Landscape Photography?
Questions about filters is the one topic I get asked about more than any other. What filter kit should I buy? What filters do I need? All good questions and I do try and take the time to provide answers. However, I only use the Kase Filter system (which is very good by the way!) and a handful of filters so my experience of other brands and other types of filters is somewhat limited.
Up until now, there hasn’t really been a single, up to date, and comprehensive resource on filters for landscape photography. It would be nice to send people to a single resource where they can get all the information they need on which filters to buy and how to use them.
When Nature TTL announced that they were publishing a book by established photographers and renowned authors Mark Bauer and Ross Hoddinott, I knew I wanted to get a copy. After reading the book and seeing how comprehensive it was I knew I needed to feature it in an episode of On My Bookshelf so you could see for yourself if it might be a title for your bookshelf.
I hope you enjoyed this episode of On My Bookshelf. I thought it was an excellent book on filters for landscape photography and it will be a book that I will now recommend to anyone that has questions about filters. You can get a copy of the book right here.
Bite-Size Blog Post #4 - Day Out on Dartmoor
One day, three locations! There is plenty to photograph when you have a full day to spend on Dartmoor.
Dartmoor
I’m no stranger to photographing Dartmoor. You’ll often find me arriving first thing in the morning before the sun is up or waiting near a tor for the sun to set. What doesn’t happen very often is that I spend the day photographing Dartmoor.
A few weeks ago I was asked by a fellow photographer if I wanted to join him for the day and participate in a shoot for a magazine. When an opportunity like this is presented to you the only answer should be yes!
Though shooting during the middle of the day isn’t normally my favourite time of day for landscape photography it was actually a good experience. Given the right conditions and light, there are still plenty of great photographs to be had.
We visited Bowerman’s Nose, Emsworthy Tor and Brentor. I hope you enjoy the photos!
Bite-Size Blog Post #3 - Sandymouth
In this Bite-Size Blog post I share with you the photographs I captured after a near disastrous trip to Sandymouth Beach in Cornwall.
Sandymouth Beach, Cornwall
Yes, another week, another Cornish Beach to photograph. However, this trip was almost a disaster! My original plan was to go there and photograph the patterns in the sand that sometimes get left by the receding tide. Like my previous visits that you see here and here.
With high tide at 7:30 pm and sunset around 9:30 pm I thought my timing would be perfect. The only thing I thought I had to worry about would be people walking all over the freshly washed sand. How wrong was I! When I arrived at 7:30 pm I realised just how high the tide gets there. There was no beach to photograph. Even with two hours to go before sunset I still wasn’t sure there would be anything to photograph.
I stuck with it and as 9 pm came around some of trock formations started to make an appearance. I wouldn’t be photographing the sand pools that I was hoping for, but these lines of rock might just save the day. The forecast was for clear skies but just as I was able to access the beach the sun disappeared behind a bank of cloud. I wasn’t going to let that put me off though and I got to work capturing these images.
I have since made a note in my location library for Sandymouth not to visit at high tide!
Sandymouth Rocks #1, Cornwall - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 18mm, f/13, 1.6 seconds at ISO 64, Kase Filters K9 Circular Polariser, ND Grad and ND.
Sandymouth Rocks #2, Cornwall - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 18mm, f/13, 1.3 seconds at ISO 64, Kase Filters K9 Circular Polariser, ND Grad and ND.
Sandymouth Rocks #3, Cornwall - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 14mm, f/13, 1.3 seconds at ISO 64, Kase Filters K9 Circular Polariser, ND Grad and ND.
Sandymouth Rocks #4, Cornwall - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 15mm, f/13, 4 seconds at ISO 64, Kase Filters K9 Circular Polariser, ND Grad and ND.
Sandymouth Rocks #5, Cornwall - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 19mm, f/13, 2.5 seconds at ISO 100, Kase Filters K9 Circular Polariser, ND Grad and ND.
Bite-Size Blog Post #2 - Porthcothan
In this Bite-Size Blog post I share with you the photographs I captured while wandering the beach at Porthcothan in Cornwall.
Porthcothan Beach, Cornwall
Welcome to the 2nd Bite-Size Blog Post and this week I bring you images from Porthcothan Beach in Cornwall. In case you don’t know what my Bite-Size Blog Posts are then why not check out Bite-Size Blog Post #1.
My evening at Porthcothan is what you might describe as typically Cornish! The weather started fairly settled but as sunset approached the clouds rolled in and it got a little stormy. This doesn’t mean the photography stops though! Some of the best pictures can be captured during this time. There was no way I was leaving the beach early so I carried on shooting until it got dark! It’s evenings like that when I appreciate living so close to the coast. While many photographers dislike summer because of how green everything looks. I, on the other hand, look forward to spending more time at the coast.
I hope you enjoy the photographs and they inspire you to the head to the coast.
Porthcothan Beach #1, Cornwall - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 15mm, f/13, 2 sec at ISO 200, Kase Filters K9 Circular Polariser and ND Grad.
Porthcothan Beach #2, Cornwall - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 16mm, f/13, 2 sec at ISO 400, Kase Filters K9 Circular Polariser and ND Grad.
Porthcothan Beach #3, Cornwall - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 14mm, f/13, 3 sec at ISO 400, Kase Filters K9 Circular Polariser and ND Grad.
Porthcothan Beach #4, Cornwall - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 19mm, f/13, 1 sec at ISO 64, Kase Filters K9 Circular Polariser and ND Grad, single image pano crop (6:17)..
Porthcothan Beach #5, Cornwall - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 14mm, f/13, 2 sec at ISO 200, Kase Filters K9 Circular Polariser and ND Grad.
Bite-Size Blog Post #1 - Perranporth
In the first of my Bit Size Blog posts I share with you the images I captured on a trip to the beach at Perranporth in Cornwall.
What are Bite-Size Blog Posts?
Welcome to the first Bite Size Blog Post! So, what are they I hear you ask? Simply put they are very short blog posts. They allow me to share some of the photographs I have recently been capturing without writing lots of associated text. Don’t worry though, this doesn’t mark the end of my normal blog posts.
I’ve decided to do this now as I’m just about to go on my summer holidays and I’d like to have some content to share with you while I’m away or just after I get back. It’s unlikely that I’ll do any serious photography while I’m away and I don’t want to have nothing to share with you the first weeks after I get back.
I hope you won’t mind the odd Bite Size Blog Post and that you will find the picture heavy posts interesting or inspiring. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.
Perranporth
For the first Bite-Size Blog Post, I would like to share with you some of the photographs I captured from Perranporth Beach in Cornwall. This trip out with the camera marked the start of the recovery of my photographic mojo (something you can read about here). Both my friend and I were initially doubtful that it would prove to be a fruitful evening. How wrong we were! After spending the first hour walking along the beach chatting it suddenly fell silent as we scrambled to make the most of the evening light.
It was a long drive to Perranporth, but I hope you agree that it was worth it.
Perranporth Beach #1, Cornwall - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 14mm, f/13, 1/3rd sec at ISO 64, Kase Filters K9 Circular Polariser and ND Grad.
Perranporth Beach #2, Cornwall - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 14mm, f/13, 1/3rd sec at ISO 64, Kase Filters K9 Circular Polariser and ND Grad.
Perranporth Beach #4, Cornwall - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 16mm, f/13, 1 sec at ISO 64, Kase Filters K9 Circular Polariser and ND Grad.
Perranporth Beach #4, Cornwall - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 14mm, f/13, 1 sec at ISO 64, Kase Filters K9 Circular Polariser and ND Grad.
Stormy Combestone
After a day procrastinating on where to go I decide to head to Combestone Tor where they weather turns out to be a little stormy!
Procrastination
I keep saying to myself that I need to be a little more spontaneous with the locations I shoot but I struggle to let go of the side of me that likes to plan. For me, a plan is a recipe for success, or at the very least, a way to maximise the chances of success. I do like the longer days that spring and summer bring as this allows for more sunset shoots, but this has the downside that it gives me the whole day to procrastinate on where I should be going!
The evening I took these pictures was no different. I had been scanning my map trying to decide if I should go to the coast, or head up to Dartmoor. Even after deciding, I couldn’t make up my mind to go somewhere I knew or venture to a new location. I was feeling a little indecisive!
After checking maps and weather forecasts for what felt like hours, I decided that I would pay a visit to Yar Tor, a location that I had not visited in any capacity before. I’d seen a few photos of it on Flickr and I thought it looked interesting enough to warrant some investigation. The weather forecast was looking unsettled, but this could work in my favour.
Flying Visit or Final Destination
As I planned my route there, I noticed that I would drive by the car park for Combestone Tor. I had visited this location briefly in February, but the conditions were foul, and l left without taking the camera out. I had a bit of spare time so I decided that I would stop there first and give it another look.
When I arrived at Combestone I left my camera bag in the car and went to have a look around. I was surprised how differently I was seeing this location compared to my previous visit. I still wasn’t convinced that I was going to get any great shots from Combestone that evening, but I was sure it was worth heading back to the car to get my camera.
My attention was focused on the hawthorn trees rather than the tor itself. There are a few of them dotted around the area of the tor and each one was distinctly different from the other. The light was still quite harsh but if I waited closer to sunset, I could end up with some nice soft side lighting. I, therefore, had a choice to make. I could either wait it out at Combestone to see what would happen or carry on to Yar Tor.
Combestone Hawthorn #1, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 23mm, f/8, 1/30th sec at ISO 64, Kase Filters K9 circular polariser.
As I looked at the incoming stormy weather, I decided that to change my visit to Combestone from flying visit to my final destination.
Stormy Weather
One of the great things about being up on Dartmoor is you can often see the weather approaching. This is especially true when a storm front is coming in to replace clear skies. You can often see the tops of the incoming cumulonimbus cloud and they look hugely impressive. These big storm clouds will also bring heavy rain showers which you can also watch travel over the landscape.
Combestone Hawthorn #3, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 22mm, f/8, 1/160th sec at ISO 800, Kase Filters K9 circular polariser.
The storm clouds were transforming the look of the landscape and I was very much enjoying the process of integrating them into my compositions. I wasn’t sure how long I was going to be able to enjoy this weather though. I could already see that the sun was going to disappear behind the clouds well before sunset and I was sure to get a soaking before too long.
Combestone Hawthorn #2, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 20mm, f/8, 1/13th sec at ISO 64, Kase Filters K9 circular polariser.
With the weather moving in quickly I had to work fast to make the most of the interesting weather. Unlike my previous visit in February I was more inspired to seek out compositions. I still wasn’t feeling inspired by the tor itself. I just couldn’t seem to find a pleasing composition. I found the hawthorn trees far more interesting and I like the way I could integrate them into the compositions along with the weather.
Combestone Hawthorns - Approaching Storm, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 18mm, f/8, 1/25th sec at ISO 64, Kase Filters K9 circular polariser, 8 vertical image panorama.
It wasn’t long before the rain started and when it did it was heavy! Fortunately, the walk from the tor to the car park is only a few meters so I escaped a soaking. By the time I was back in the car, the rain was bouncing off the bonnet. As I started the drive home with the windscreen wipers working furiously, I was excited to get home and start processing. After all my procrastination earlier in the day I was glad that I’d made the effort to get out with my camera.
A Detour to Daymark
A sudden change of plan finds me visiting one of my favourite locations but with dreary grey conditions, was it worth the diversion?
A Last-Minute Change of Plan
If you are a long-time reader of my blog, you’ll know that I can be a little indecisive at times. I spend a lot of time procrastinating on where to go next. A few weeks ago, I found myself being a little more assertive and made some definite plans to explore a new location along the south Devon coast. That decision went right out of the window as I reached the end of M5 and started heading up Haldon Hill.
As I was driving along the final few miles of the M5 I suddenly remembered that I hadn’t photographed Daymark Tower this year. As I’d been in lockdown for much of spring many of my seasonal favourites had passed me by this year. I prefer to photograph Daymark Tower just before the crops are due to be harvested and as I was driving along it suddenly dawned on me that I might not be too late to catch the crops.
I could have carried on to my original destination, but I thought this could be my first and last chance to shoot Daymark with the crops so I made a left turn instead of a right turn. I hadn’t checked the weather for Daymark Tower, but I didn’t think it would be any worse than the forecast at my original destination, so I had nothing to lose.
A Macro Lens for Landscapes?
After parking the car and walking along the path to the tower I was pleased to see the crops hadn’t been cut and this wasn’t going to be a wasted trip. The weather was looking a bit overcast and the chances of getting any nice evening light were slim. However, I thought this would be a wonderful opportunity to try and be a little bit more creative.
My go-to composition at Daymark is a wide-angle shot of the tower from the path near the gate. This works well when you have good light from behind but as that wasn’t an option, I decided that some longer lens shots would be in order. My only problem was that the 70mm end of my 24-70mm wasn’t long enough, and I’m still waiting for delivery of my 24-200mm lens. I did, however, have the foresight to pack my Laowa 100mm macro lens. Just because it’s a macro lens doesn’t mean it can’t shoot landscapes!
Daymark Tower #1, Devon - Nikon Z7, Laowa 100mm f/2.8 2x Macro at f2/.8, 1/50th of a second at ISO 64.
Without the evening light to provide contrast to the foreground, and a surprising lack of tractor lines in the crops I decided that the only subject worth focusing on was the tower. I decided, therefore, to open the aperture on the lens to f/2.8 and focus just on the tower, effectively throwing most of the foreground out of focus. This had the effect of simplifying the scene and though I prefer my compositions of Daymark that have the light on them, these shots work well considering the conditions. What do you think? Let me know in the comments.
Daymark Tower #2, Devon - Nikon Z7, Laowa 100mm f/2.8 2x Macro at f2/.8, 1/50th of a second at ISO 64.
Just a short blog post from me this week. I’m having a little time off from everything to spend it with the family. Don’t worry though, I’ve got another blog post ready to go for next week where I tell you about how some stormy weather produced some unexpectedly pleasing images.
Back to Bowerman's Nose - Part 2
In part two of my two-part blog from Bowerman’s Nose, I return to capture my planned images of sunrise.
Sunrise at Bowerman’s Nose
In part one of this two-part blog from Bowerman’s Nose, I talked about returning to one of my favourite locations, planning for a sunrise shoot and sharing with you some of the images I took that evening. In part two I’m going to share with you the story and images from my sunrise shoot at Bowerman’s Nose.
At first, I wasn’t sure if the forecast conditions were going to be worth the 03:30 alarm call. As much as I love sunrises rise there is still something about a 03:30 alarm call that still fills me with dread. I’m much happier to take a risk on a 5 am alarm call, but anything alarm call that starts with 3 am needs to carefully be considered. Without a clear and concise weather forecast, I should have just postponed for another day but the images I had captured in part 1 had inspired me to take a risk. I set my alarm for 03:30 and crossed my fingers.
The alarm went off and by the time I was in my car with a large, strong cup of coffee, I was surprisingly upbeat and excited. Even before I set off, I could see the sky was looking interesting so I was hopeful that my early alarm call might pay off.
Around Sunrise
Even though I had explored the area at sunrise to try and work out where I would want to shoot from at sunrise, there was still an element of working out on the fly. You can plan and visualise all you want but sometimes it’s not until you are there, and you can see what the light is like that you can work out what your compositions are going to be for that particular trip.
Bowerman's Nose Sunrise #1, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 16mm, f/13, 5 secs at ISO 64, Kase Filters K9 circular polariser.
I don’t mind having this unknown element in my plans. It adds a little excitement to the adventure! As the sun rose the colours and the light continually changed forcing me to move around the location trying out different compositions.
Bowerman's Nose Sunrise #2, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 20mm, f/11, 0.4 secs at ISO 64, Kase Filters K9 circular polariser.
One of the main changes between shooting the tor at sunrise is that it becomes possible to photograph it from the other side. The side I show in these photographs would typically be in shadow at sunset. I found it interesting to see how different the tor looked at this angle.
Bowerman's Nose Sunrise Panorama #1, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 20mm, f/11, 1/6th secs at ISO 64, Kase Filters K9 circular polariser, 7 image stich panorama.
After Sunrise
After capturing my sunrise images, I packed my back and intended to go home. I had been exploring the hill behind the tor and as I descended back down the hill, I began to wonder what some of my sunset composition would look like with the light coming from a different direction. As I had plenty of time to spare, I decided to hang around a little longer and wait for the sun to get high enough to illuminate the areas of the ground currently in shadow.
Bowerman's Nose Sunrise #3, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 17mm, f/8, 1/30th secs at ISO 64, Kase Filters K9 circular polariser, 4 image focus stack.
It took a little longer than I thought for the light to reach those areas and I was starting to get concerned that the light would then be too harsh. Fortunately, even though it was an hour after sunrise, the light remained soft and golden, illuminating the foreground nicely. Though the compositions are like those that I might take at sunrise, I like the way the light from the rising sun makes them subtlety different.
Bowerman's Nose Sunrise #4, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 15mm, f/11, 1/80th secs at ISO 64, Kase Filters K9 circular polariser.
After taking those images I felt I’d had a successful morning and I’d captured some nice images. At the very least I felt that the 03:30 alarm call was well justified. Even without the photographs, it was a beautiful morning up on Dartmoor. With light winds and warm (for Dartmoor) temperatures, it was one of those mornings where is just fantastic to watch the start of the day.
As I left Bowerman’s Nose, I started to feel tired and hungry but also delighted that I’d made the effort to get up early. I love the buzz you get when you just know you’ve got some images on your memory card that are going to process well.
One thing is for sure, I will be returning to Bowerman’s Nose for another sunrise shoot. I won’t, however, be looking forward to that very early alarm call!
Back to Bowerman's Nose - Part 1
In part one of a two-part blog I return to Bowerman’s Nose on Dartmoor to capture some sunset images and prepare for my return at sunrise.
Bowerman’s Nose - An Old Friend
Amongst all the Dartmoor tors, Bowerman’s Nose must be one of the most unique there is. I’m not claiming to have seen all the tors, but for the tors I have seen none come close to the size and shape of Bowerman’s Nose. Since I discovered it, I have been trying to capture an image of the tor that makes the most of its uniqueness and the surrounding landscape.
I have come close to getting a shot that matches my vision but there always seems to be something that isn’t quite right. That could too much cloud, not enough cloud, lack of light, or even direction of light. Maybe I’ll never be 100% happy with my shots from there. Maybe I don’t care, and I use this as an excuse to keep returning. I like shooting Bowerman’s Nose and over the years I have come to think of this location as an old friend. There is a certain comfort in returning to this unique location.
Planning for Sunrise
I hadn’t considered shooting Bowerman’s Nose at sunrise until I had spoken to friend and fellow Dartmoor photographer Neil Porter. Neil has captured some spectacular photographs of Bowerman’s Nose at sunrise and he recommended that I give it a try myself.
Photographing Bowerman’ Nose at sunrise isn’t an all-year-round option though. The hills behind the tor block the sunrise at certain times of year meaning that some planning with TPE is required. Using my local knowledge, some data from TPE and some handy tips from Neil, I worked out the rough window of opportunity to capture the tor at sunrise.
One thing was clear from the window of opportunity was that I was going to have to get up early in the morning! Even though I don’t live too far away, with a sunrise time of around 5 am, the alarm call was still going to be unsociable. I’m a morning person but a 3:30 am alarm call is still something I don’t go for without good reason.
Shooting Sunset
Weather planning aside I decided that I should head back to Bowerman’s Nose for a sunset shoot first so I can plan for my sunrise shoot. It would be a good opportunity to refamiliarise myself with the details of the location and plan out where I might place myself for sunrise. A bit of planning is rarely a bad thing and as a bonus I might even get some nice sunset pictures.
Bowerman's Nose Sunset #1, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 23mm, f/13, 1/8th sec at ISO 64, Kase Filters K9 circular polariser.
It appeared that luck was on my side this time and I did indeed get some bonus pictures. While the shots I captured weren’t necessarily good enough for my portfolio I’m still pleased with them. They are a good representation of what I saw, and they remind me of how pleasant Dartmoor can be when you get nice conditions.
Bowerman's Nose Sunset #2, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 22mm, f/13, 1/10th sec at ISO 64, Kase Filters K9 circular polariser.
It was not a wasted trip. Not only did I get some pleasing images, but I also now had a good idea of what and how I was going to shoot Bowerman’s Nose at sunrise.
Bowerman's Nose Sunset #3, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 18mm, f/13, 1/6th sec at ISO 64, Kase Filters K9 circular polariser, four image stitched panorama.
I hope you enjoyed these sunset images of Bowerman’s Nose and if you want to find out how I got on then check out part 2 of Back to Bowerman’s Nose.
Sparking My Enthusiasm for Landscape Photography!
There’s nothing quite like a sunrise to spark your passion for landscape photography. Join me on the Devon coast and learn why experiences like this have helped the return of my photographic mojo.
From Photography Dog to Photography God
A few weeks ago I wrote a blog post called I Lost My Enthusiasm for Photography. In that post, I shared with you a video in which I talk about how I’ve struggled with my return to landscape photography after lockdown. One thing became clear from the comments and that is I’m not the only one who has struggled with their photography mojo at some point in their life.
As I had such a good response with that video, I was keen to do a follow-up video when my mojo started to return. Well, I’m very pleased to say that my enthusiasm for landscape photography is most certainly on it’ way back. In my previous video I talked about the importance of meeting up with fellow photographers and just getting out with the camera. This is exactly what I have been doing and it’s starting to pay dividends.
After two successful sunset shoots in Cornwall with one of my mates (blog posts coming soon) I was on a bit of a photographic high. I decided to keep riding that high and push to boat out for a sunrise shoot at Dawlish Warren on the south Devon coast. Would it be 3 successful shoots out of 3? Find out in the video below.
The Photographs
As always here are the photographs you saw in the video. Enjoy!
Dawlish Warren #1, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 16mm, f/8, 1 second at ISO 64, Kase Filters K9 Circular Polariser, 3 Stop ND, and 2 stop ND grad.
Dawlish Warren #2, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 21mm, f/9, 238 seconds at ISO 64, Kase Filters K9 Circular Polariser, 10 Stop ND, and 2 stop ND grad.
Dawlish Warren #3, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 18mm, f/13, 1/5th sec at ISO 64, Kase Filters K9 Circular Polariser, 2 stop ND grad.
Mesozoic by Sam Gregory - On My Bookshelf S03E05
Welcome to another episode of On My Bookshelf, and in this episode, I look at Mesozoic by Sam Gregory.
Landscape Photography Inspiration
As many of my regular readers will know I love a good photography book. Lots of those books are from photographers that I admire and feature photographs of a style that I like to take. However, I am a firm believer that by looking at photographs that are from a different style or even a different genre of photography I can l still learn from them and improve my own photography.
This is why I decided to purchase Mesozoic by Sam Gregory. Sam describes the book as a visual abstraction of the Mesozoic period. The photographs contain within the book are not the type of photographs I would normally take but I believe that by studying the photographs in this book that my own photography will be inspired and maybe even influenced.
Hopefully, that video has given you a better understanding of why I purchased the book and you’ll consider picking up a copy yourself (which you can do directly from Sam’s website here). Don’t forget that Sam is a co-host in one of my favourite photography podcasts, The Togcast. Check it out here and those long drives to your next landscape photography destination will fly by!
Finally, if you’ve got a little more time, then why not check out some of the other episodes of On My Bookshelf in this handy playlist.
I Lost My Enthusiasm for Photography
Have you ever lost your passion for photography? In this blog post, I tell you why I’ve lost some of my enthusiasm and passion for landscape photography, but more importantly, how I’m getting it back.
Photography Mojo - Lost and Found
This is going to be a short blog post. Well, short in terms of text! Most of what I’ve got to say is all in the video below. I’ve recently found that I’ve lost a little of my passion for photography. It took a little bit of time for me to work out the reasons why but as soon as I did, I knew how I was going to get my photography mojo back. I was sure I wasn’t the only photographer that had or will suffer from this, so I thought I’d make a quick video to share my thoughts. I hope the content of the video will resonate with a few of you.
Bowerman’s Nose
Some of you will recognise the location I made that video. It is, of course, Bowerman’s Nose on Dartmoor National Park. While I was filming the video, I naturally spent some time capturing landscape photographs. I hope they provide you with a little inspiration.
Sony ZV-1 - The Best Vlogging Camera for Photographers?
Is the Sony ZV-1 the perfect vlogging camera for your photography channel? In my latest video I will tell you the best features of the ZV-1 and show you how it could help you make amazing photography videos.
An Update to My Review
I’ve now published an update to my Sony ZV-1 review. Please read this blog post for my latest thoughts on this camera.
Why I Bought the Sony ZV-1
YouTube is awash with Sony ZV-1 reviews. In fact, even before the camera become commercially available to the public there were plenty of videos describing its capabilities. I know this because I watched a great many of them! I did this because I was very interested in getting this camera.
When I first started vlogging for my YouTube channel I used a Sony RX100 M5. That was until I got bored of having to use an external audio recorder. The RX100 (at the time) didn’t have a mic port so I was forced to choose a different camera. Switching to the Panasonic G80 was fantastic. It was newer, had more features, and more importantly had a microphone port. However, I really missed that compact body of the RX100. You really could fit it in your pocket.
When Sony released the Sony RX-100 M7 with a microphone port I must admit I was tempted but I couldn’t justify the steep price tag just to downsize. Then along comes the ZV-1. Not just a cheaper RX100 but a video-focused camera as well. Looking at all the preview videos on YouTube I knew it wasn’t going to be the perfect vlogging camera, but it met most of my requirements. I knew enough to pre-order the camera.
Now that I have ZV-1 in my hands, and I’ve spent time with it, I’m happy to share with you all the things I love about this camera (and some of the things I don’t). I don’t often do “gear reviews” and when I do, I try to keep it to bits of equipment that I personally own and think my readers/viewers would be interested in. Even less frequently will I talk about the video gear that I use but with an increasing number of you considering starting your own channel or you might already have one, I thought this review might be useful.
While my video review will still go over many of the same features as other video reviews, I will be looking at this camera with the viewpoint of how good it is for those of you who might be considering one to document your own photography adventures. My main photography genre is outdoor/landscape but I’m sure my requirements aren’t unique and will apply to other genres of photography like street photography.
I hope you enjoyed the video and it proves useful. No worries if this blog post doesn’t float your boat as I’ll be back next week with my normal service of landscape photography adventures and photographs.
A Trip to Trevose
I learnt a valuable lesson last week when I visited one of my favourite Cornish coastal locations!
Not a Guarantee of Success
I often find myself being lured back to locations where I’ve created photographs that I’m pleased with. This lure is often intensified if I’ve not only captured one great image there but several them. I will hear the voice in my head telling to return to the location rather than go somewhere new because “you always get a good shot there!”. The simple fact is that this isn’t true. While I may well have a higher number of keepers from certain locations, there is always a whole stack of failures from that location as well
Last week I decided that I would make a trip to the north Cornish coast for a spot of seascape photography. I decided to wait until I got to Cornwall before making a final decision on where to go. The weather forecast wasn’t offering up the answers I was looking for so I decided that I would assess the situation when I got there.
Sitting in a park near Camelford, eating some nice chips, I pondered where to go. Looking up at the sky it was looking a bit overcast and grey. I had a few locations I was considering but they would all require some good light to make the most of them. I therefore, decided it was a good time to embrace the grey!
As I wasn’t too far from Trevose Head I decided that would be a good place to go. I’ve photographed that location many times before and I’ve captured some of my favourite images there. Some of those favourite images have been in grey overcast conditions. Given all my previous success at Trevose, I was confident I’d be able to capture something I’d be happy with.
There are a couple of spots worth photographing at Trevose Head. There is, of course the lighthouse itself but if you wander just around the headland it is well worth taking the time to photograph the lifeboat station as well. If you are interested in seeing these locations in a bit more detail then why not check out the 5 Minute Photo Adventure, I filmed there a couple of years ago.
Back to my most recent trip and things weren’t exactly going as I hoped. I started at the lifeboat station and while I managed to find a different composition from my previous visit, the photographs weren’t any better than some of my previous efforts. I can’t decide if I like the vertical or horizontal composition best. Perhaps you can let me know in the comments which one you prefer.
Padstow Lifeboat Station #1, Cornwall - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 24-70mm f/4 @ 27mm, f/11, 240 seconds at ISO 64, Kase Filters circular polariser and 10 stop ND.
Padstow Lifeboat Station #2, Cornwall - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 24-70mm f/4 @ 27mm, f/11, 201 seconds at ISO 64, Kase Filters circular polariser and 10 stop ND.
I then moved back along the path to my favourite viewpoint featuring the lighthouse. My first instinct was to go for an exposure of several minutes. This would not only smooth out the water, but it was also smooth out the sky. This is an approach I’ve used a few times when dealing with poor weather on the coast, but in this instance, it simply didn’t work (from a creative point of view). There was enough white water to create interesting lines in the composition and the grey sky just went even more flat and grey.
Trevose Head Lighthouse #1, Cornwall - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 @ 19mm, f/11, 316 seconds at ISO 64, Kase Filters circular polariser and 10 stop ND.
Some of the clouds in the sky that had definition so I decided that I should try and capture the detail of those by going for a much shorter shutter speed. This did work a lot better, but the photograph still didn’t excite me in the way that some of my previous efforts did.
Trevose Head Lighthouse #2, Cornwall - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 @ 22mm, f/11, 1 seconds at ISO 64, Kase Filters circular polariser.
While I very much enjoyed my visit to Trevose Head, I learnt an important lesson. Previous success at a location does not guarantee future success. While I probably wouldn’t have done any better anywhere else that evening, perhaps I should have used the time to explore somewhere new. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, isn’t it!
Exploring More of the Cornish Coast
In the blog this week I share with you some of the photographs I took over a couple of evenings exploring the Cornish coast looking for coastal thrift.
Trevose Head
Trevose Head on the north Cornish coast is one of my favourite coastal locations to photograph. I’ve created a couple of videos for my YouTube channel there and published a few blog articles on the location as well. There is something about that location that keeps me coming back.
I doubt I will ever get bored of photographing the view of Trevose Head lighthouse from Stinking Cove, but I know there is so much more to explore to the east and the south. I just needed to find the motivation to do it. It’s all too easy to keep going back to the spots you love and therefore missing something new and exciting.
With the thrift season ending soon I was eager to get out and to photograph some of it before it all disappeared. The obvious choice would be to visit Bedruthan Steps, but I wanted to go somewhere new. Fortunately, coastal thrift is common along the north Cornish Coast so I felt that if I explored the area around Trevose I could get lucky.
Clear Blue Skies
Sometimes the best time to explore a new location is when you know the weather isn’t going to be great for landscape photography. There is always a risk that a new location might not be any good for photography but if the weather isn’t any good any way you will at least not be kicking yourself for not going somewhere else!
With a weather forecast of clear blue skies, I set off to have a wander along the coast to look for thrift. I never get bored of walking along the coast. It felt fantastic to be out and breathing in lots of fresh sea air. I hadn’t even got the camera out and I was having a wonderful time.
Spring Thrift #1, Cornwall - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 15mm, f/13, 5 seconds at ISO 64, Kase circular polariser.
I soon came across an area where the thrift was looking pink and plentiful. I already knew I wasn’t going to get any spectacular shots but that wasn’t the point of the trip. I was looking for new locations where I could photograph the thrift and I could see that in the right light this spot would make an excellent location.
Spring Thrift #2, Cornwall - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 15mm, f/13, 10 seconds at ISO 64, Kase circular polariser.
After taking a few pleasant enough shots I decided that I wasn’t going to get anything better that evening. The sun was disappearing behind some distant sea haze so I packed my bag up and vowed to return as soon as I could.
Unexpected Weather
The amount of time that the thrift looks its best is short, so I knew I needed to return to my new location quickly. Unfortunately, the weather continued to be warm, sunny, and clear blue skies. Eventually, I decided that if I didn’t pick a day soon it would be too late. Despite the forecast for another clear evening I decided to head back and take my chances.
As I set off from home and entered Cornwall all the indications were that it was going to be a clear night. There were hints of some high-level cloud that might catch the light, so I was optimistic about getting some good conditions. As I got closer to the coast though I noticed a blanket of low-level cloud coming in. By the time I got to my location, it was the opposite of clear blue skies. It was grey and misty!
Spring Thrift #3, Cornwall - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 14mm, f/13, 25 seconds at ISO 64, Kase circular polariser.
Though I couldn’t find anything other than a cloudless sky forecast there I was surrounded by a blanket of sea mist. Well, I wasn’t going to let the conditions put me off. While I knew I wasn’t going to get any photographs better than my previous visit, I could at least explore some different compositions and still make it a valuable trip.
Maybe Next Year
I consider both my trips a good use of time despite the photographs being nothing special. Through exploring these locations and taking some test compositions I can visualise how the light and tide could be used to create some strong coastal images. The only thing is that with the thrift now being passed its best I will have to wait to next spring to turn my vision into reality. I can’t wait!