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River Coe, Glencoe, Scotland Fuji X-A2 with 16-50mm lens, two seconds at f/8, ISO 200, 0.6 ND hard grad, Little Stopper Photograph by Ailsa McWhinnie
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Welcome Welcome to the fifth issue of LEExposure. As always, we’ve done our best to bring you everything from pure, unadulterated photographic inspiration to useful hints on how to use your filters. The issue kicks off with an interview with one of the UK’s most highly respected landscape photographers, Joe Cornish. As someone who spends as much (if not more) time thinking about photography as he does actually shooting, Joe is always fascinating to listen to. In this interview, he discusses his latest book project, This Land, a collaboration with writer Roly Smith, as well as the wide-ranging things that inspire him (everything from architecture to the environment). While the subject matter of the landscape is the same, Joe’s approach is very different from Sarah Hatton’s, whose work appears on page 72. Sarah is an unashamed aficionado of the ultra-wideangle school of photography – something that is the perfect complement to the wild landscapes of New Zealand, Patagonia and her native Australia. Equally wild – certainly in terms of the weather – was January’s LEE Filters workshop in Glencoe. The tail end of a storm and a not insignificant dumping of snow did little to thwart the enthusiasm of the participants, who had travelled to Scotland from places as diverse as Turkey, The Netherlands and Cumbria. Find out what they learned from the experience on page 24. And, of course, we have our regular features, including Composition Masterclass, which features the highly stylised fashion and portrait photography of David Kai-Piper, and Anatomy… which this issue unpicks the subtle beauty of three minimal images. If all of this isn’t enough, why not visit the LEE Filters YouTube channel, and sit down to enjoy our Masters of Photography series? It features the likes of Charlie Waite, Colin Prior and Tom Mackie, each discussing three of their favourite images. We guarantee you’ll pick up some useful hints about how to get the best out of your filters. We hope you enjoy the issue and are inspired to head out with your camera very soon.
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Joe Cornish Jay Tomkins John Gorrigan Alan Tarry Fred Cook Max Witjes Timur Karslioglu David Kai-Piper Derek von Briesen Leon Taylor Steven Hanna Colin Jarvis Karl Holtby
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Paul Sanders Rachel Stewart Bas Meelker David Newton Craig Roberts Chris Herring Sam Jones John Miskelly Mark Bauer Lizzie Shepherd Chris Ceaser Sarah Hatton
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LIVING OFF THE LAND
THE NEW ADDITIONS
Joe Cornish is one of the UK’s most respected landscape photographers. Here, he talks about influences, inspiration and his latest publication, This Land
Many readers will have noticed that the family of LEE Filters neutral-density grads has welcomed two new arrivals recently. We explain how the medium and very hard grads will help your photography
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COMPOSITION MASTERCLASS We’re accustomed to filters being used to enhance landscape images, but less so when it comes to high fashion and portraiture. For Dave Kai-Piper, however, it’s second nature…
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62-67 ANATOMY OF A MINIMALIST IMAGE Landscape photographs that appear to be virtually empty are deceptively tricky to create. Three photographers reveal the thought process that goes into making an image that evokes peace and stillness
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24-31 WHETHER THE WEATHER Earlier in 2016, a group gathered in Glencoe to immerse themselves in photography and filters for a weekend. By the end of it, nobody could accuse them of being fair-weather photographers, as Ailsa McWhinnie reports
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37-61 THE GALLERY Feast your eyes on our showcase of fine photography, all shot using Lee Filters
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THE KNOWLEDGE
FAR AND WIDE
Learn how to make the most of your filters with these hints from the professionals
In the relatively short time that Australiabased Sarah Hatton has been making images, she’s established herself as a leading champion of adventure travel photography. Here she explains what drives her, the thrill of experiencing the world’s most remote places, and why only the widest lenses will do…
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Living off the land JOE CORNISH IS ONE OF THE UK’S MOST RESPECTED LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHERS. HERE, HE TALKS ABOUT INFLUENCES, INSPIRATION AND HIS LATEST PUBLICATION, THIS LAND
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Beachy Head, East Sussex Complex cliff scenery east of Eastbourne in East Sussex invited the simplification of long exposure. The composition was visualised during a rising tide; eventually patience paid off
Joe Cornish and I are sitting at a wooden table in the café of his gallery, which is situated in a side street off the main, bustling thoroughfare of Northallerton in North Yorkshire. On the walls around us are framed prints of photographs by him and others, as well as pieces of craft and sculpture by local artists. We’re also surrounded by other people, who are at the gallery to enjoy both the art and the cakes. But I’m about to go on a journey that will take me away from this very British scene. Much has been written both about and by Joe Cornish. That’s because he has a lot to say – not just about photography, but also about the manifold influences that have led him to use it (landscape photography in particular) as his means of expression. We are here to talk about his latest book project, and, inevitably this takes us off on many tangents – some of which we will come to later. The book is entitled This Land, and is a collaboration between Joe and writer Roly Smith. It isn’t intended to be an exhaustive pictorial and written account of the British Isles – there isn’t a photographer living or dead who could fulfil such a brief in a mere 50 images (‘locations’ rather than images). It’s more a case of two people responding to a theme in their own, very personal ways.
“The book was Roly’s idea,” Joe starts by saying. “He has written many interesting books on landscape, is equally passionate about it as I am, and even more experienced. He approached me with the idea, on the assumption that I’d have suitable archive images already.” This wasn’t the case, however, meaning that Joe had to set out with his camera to shoot many places specifically to fit the concept. As a result, at least 75 per cent of the images in the book are new and previously unpublished. “It was an opportunity not only to create new work,” Joe explains, “but also to revisit places we know and love.” While Joe admits that the fun part came at the end, when the two of them had to wrangle about what should and shouldn’t be included in the book, he says that first they had to agree about what they were trying to achieve. In simple terms, it was a “balanced vision of the British landscape. On the one hand it’s very subjective, because it is distilled from the opinions of two individuals, but on the other, it is an authentic effort to express what is universally beautiful and appealing, and you could say timeless, about the landscape.” It comes as something of a surprise to learn that neither looked at the >>
“I’m totally selfish as a photographer. I’m only interested in what works for me. It sounds terrible, but fundamentally it’s essential”
Linhof Techno and Phase One P45+ with 40mm lens, 45 seconds at f/11, 0.6 ND hard grad, Big Stopper
8 Hasselblad 503CW with 40mm lens, 1/4sec at f/11, 0.9 ND medium grad
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Dinorwig, Snowdonia Apparently dull and flat lighting sometimes proves ideal for places of varied texture, colour and scale. Subdued contrast suits these vast abandoned workings
other’s work in order to generate ideas or create a response – each operated independently. “We’re not illustrating what the other has written or photographed,” Joe reveals. “The essays stand on their own, as do the photographs, but echoes and references can be found by looking at both.” He describes the result as “a quiet book in many ways. Hopefully, as the reader dips in and turns the pages, it will gradually acquire meaning. That’s partly because of the way the images are rendered – more or less unsharpened, with minimal use of colour – but partly because that’s my voice anyway.” As such, it is a book that will definitely reward the reader who is prepared to invest time in it. “There are a lot of
pictures where, in order to take in the content, you may have to work at it. But I hope that they will reward prolonged observation. If that’s not something a viewer enjoys, then they may not like this book.” Does that worry him? “I’ve given up worrying about that sort of thing. If I did worry, I probably shouldn’t be doing it.” Given the obvious pleasure that he derives from collaborating with others – be that writers such as Roly Smith, or photographers such as his longtime friend and sparring partner David Ward – Joe makes a statement that, at first glance, is something of a surprise. “I’m totally selfish working with my camera,” he asserts. “I’m only interested in photographing in a way that works for me. It sounds terrible, but fundamentally
LEExposure xposure 9 Linhof Techno and Phase One P45+ with 150mm lens, 1/15sec at f/16
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Cranborne Chase, south England Thick mist and sub-zero temperatures encouraged the unusual tactic of shooting straight into the sun. Over-exposed, the idea is intended to emphasise light over form
it’s essential; I imagine if you were to ask most artists or photographers they would say something similar.” But it makes perfect sense. After all, could any of us name an artist who would pin their success on making work that pleases others first, and themselves second? For Joe, the driving force is to make an image he loves. He would be doing a disservice to those who purchase his books or prints, or attend his workshops, if he expected them to appreciate and understand an image that he didn’t have faith in. It all sounds very simple, but it isn’t. As a photographer, you spend years working on your technical expertise, learning your equipment inside out and developing an intuition for how the scene in front of you will translate – via your choice of lens, shutter speed and aperture – into a two-dimensional medium. However, you also immerse yourself in wide-ranging external influences that end up playing their part in the choices you make. And what’s so fascinating about talking to Joe is that
photography itself can appear to take something of a back seat. He is equally articulate and passionate about history, architecture, 18th and 19th century painting, and the environment. While it would be impossible for him to say that ‘a’ has influenced ‘b’ and resulted in image ‘c’, it’s quite clear that everything comes back to the photographic image in the end. “There’s a great Ansel Adams quote,” he says (admitting that, these days, he tends to prefer Adams’s words to his pictures). “It is: ‘You don’t make a photograph just with a camera. You bring to the act of photography all the pictures you have seen, the books you have read, the music you have heard, the people you have loved.’” Joe goes on to ask the question, “If you don’t draw on your own deep influences to make your work, can you really be an artist?” If there’s one struggle almost every artist – barring a select few – can appreciate, it’s the difficulty of >>
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Nikon D800 with 24mm PCE lens, 1/80sec at f/14, 0.6 ND hard grad
striking a balance between making ends meet and producing work that means something to you and therefore, by extension, to others, too. The changing sphere of photographic technology has, it has been well documented, opened up the possibilities of photography to more people than ever before. As Joe puts it, “You used to be able to do well in photography because it was technically challenging, but now the technology has solved the problems of making a sharp, well-focused picture more or less completely. All you are left with is an eye, and a knowledge of form, space and the meaning of light. And unfortunately that doesn’t seem to count for much.”
For any landscape photographer, there are two main challenges: to find the ‘new’ in locations they regularly photograph, and to avoid the obvious when visiting somewhere they haven’t shot before. “You might love a particular place because you previously made a successful picture there,” Joe says. “But it’s important to avoid repeating yourself. Having said that, I’m about to contradict myself, because you might sometimes repeat a composition to compare the change in seasons. Landscapes are dynamic, and – in the UK especially – responsive to the weather, and in some cases it can be the seasonal lighting >>
Whale bones, Cuverville Island, Antarctica It took around an hour and a half to compose and shoot this exposure. Penguins rarely stop to pose for pictures…
East of Whitby, North Yorkshire Summer storms – you can’t beat ’em! But they can seriously beat you. Within a minute of the picture being made, I was soaked
Forge Islands, Antarctica Sleeping out under the Antarctic sky (in an expedition-quality sleeping bag) ranks highly in my ‘special memories’ folder. Sunrise was 2.45am local time
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Nikon D800 with 24mm PCE lens, 1/200sec at f/8, 0.6 ND very hard grad Nikon D800 with 24mm PCE lens, 1/30sec at f/10, 0.9 ND very hard grad
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Sony A7r II with 16-35mm lens at 24mm, 1/3sec at f/14, 0.9 ND hard grad
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Iceland The country of epic sagas surpasses its own reputation in the north of Iceland. Early sunlight sharply defines the rugged volcanic landscape
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Porth Nanven, Cornwall It seems a beautiful contradiction that granite, which is among the hardest commonly occurring rocks, can be eroded through time to express a soft fluidity
“All you can do as a photographer is respond to what you see there and then. It’s about finding it ‘perfect’ in that moment”
Linhof Techno and Phase One IQ180 with 90mm lens, 1/2sec at f/11.5, 0.9 ND pro glass standard
and contrasts (in a similar composition) that make it interesting.
the standing he has in the landscape photography world.
“When I visit somewhere the first time,” he continues, “I am often guilty of doing something fairly obvious. A first recent workshop trip to Iceland, for example, was wonderful, but on reflection my images were all too predictable. I’m looking forward to spending more time there in years to come, so I can discover my personal view.”
“For me, to justify the privilege of sharing my knowledge and guidance with others, I have to feel as if I can genuinely help,” he explains. “David and I want to encourage participants to photograph ‘themselves’, not ‘us’, and to believe that the things they’ve seen, done, felt and considered are what matter. What you’re doing is encouraging someone to have the confidence they need to make a photograph that means something to them.”
The workshops Joe runs with David Ward allow him not only to revisit places, but also to learn from those who attend. It took him a while, however, to feel entirely comfortable with the idea of leading – he certainly never felt ‘entitled’ to run workshops simply because of
When Joe speaks of the places he has seen, it is with not only a sense of wonderment, but also a depth of understanding. It’s this combination that
LEExposure 15 keeps his photography alive, rendering it a constant exploration, both physically and mentally. In particular, he is fortunate enough to have visited Antarctica, which he describes as “the nearest thing you can find to a Lost World”. He continues, “South Georgia is the size of Essex yet has around a dozen (temporary) inhabitants, while the UK would get lost if it were dropped into Antarctica. Most of it has never been visited by humans and we know almost nothing about it.”
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So how do these sorts of experiences influence him when he’s looking through his camera’s viewfinder? “You have to accept and work with the limitations of the medium,” he admits. “What I hope is to share a sense of wonder at the miracle of life. Ultimately, the more enthralled you are to the subject, the more respect and reverence you are able to bring to the way you approach it. Your photographs are informed by your understanding of the place, but ultimately the pictures are still of the moment, the weather and the light. All you can do as a photographer is respond to what you see there and then. It’s about finding it ‘perfect’ in that moment.”
Jökulsárlón, Iceland Undoubtedly, it is difficult to work in the rain, but when Icelandic locations are involved it’s essential, and exciting, to try it Sony A7r II with 25mm lens via tilting adapter, 1.6 seconds at f/11, 0.9 ND pro glass standard, 0.6 ND soft grad
I’ve been with Joe for only three hours, but I could happily go on talking with him for another three. It’s impossible to spend time with him and not come away enthused about the things he’s inspired by, and a little better informed about what’s important to him. For my final question, I ask him whether he finds he is constantly ‘making’ pictures in his mind’s eye. “No,” he says, emphatically. “It would be too exhausting! It’s important to come to a session of photography with a fresh mind and excitement, and a desire to do something a bit different. This could be anything – your choice of focus, the way you’re using space, or the balance of chaotic elements. That’s a never-ending challenge in landscape photography.” As long as Joe Cornish continues to relish those challenges, those of us who enjoy his photography will be challenged in turn. And that can only be a good thing. n Visit joecornishgallery.co.uk
This Land, by Roly Smith and Joe Cornish, is published by Frances Lincoln, price £30
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The new additions MANY READERS WILL HAVE NOTICED THAT THE FAMILY OF LEE FILTERS NEUTRAL-DENSITY GRADS HAS WELCOMED TWO NEW ARRIVALS RECENTLY. WE EXPLAIN HOW THE MEDIUM AND VERY HARD GRADS WILL HELP YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY
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Left to right: The soft, medium, hard and very hard neutral-density graduated filters
Ask almost any landscape photographer which filter they would find it virtually impossible to live without, and the answer in most cases will be the neutral-density (ND) grad. This filter is the mainstay of many a camera bag, for a variety of reasons, the most crucial of which is the control that it gives the photographer. There are very few situations in which the light reading taken from the sky is perfectly balanced with that of the foreground. As such, it’s the norm for a scene to require a grad in order to ensure that the sky isn’t overexposed or the foreground underexposed.
drawn not only to their stylish retro appeal, but also to their weight. Because they are significantly lighter than your average DSLR set-up, they are an appealing option not only for long treks into the landscape, but also as a carry-on item in these days of restricted-weight hand luggage on flights.
Until recently, ND grads came in two types – hard and soft. However, LEE Filters has recently added two new types to the line-up – medium and very hard. In fact, LEE Filters has been manufacturing the medium grad to order for professional photographers for some time, and its popularity was such that the decision was made to make it available to everyone.
Such cameras feature smaller sensors than their fullframe counterparts, and this can create something of a problem for the ND grad user. What it means is that the area of transition in a neutral-density graduated filter takes up a bigger percentage of the sensor area in a mirrorless camera than it does in a full-frame-sensor camera (see diagram on the right for explanation). As a result, a photographer using an ND hard grad from the LEE Filters 100mm system on a full-frame camera would obtain a more defined demarcation than they would if they used the exact same filter from the 100mm system on a mirrorless camera.
This decision was driven not only by demand, but also by the huge increase in popularity of mirrorless cameras. These smaller cameras pack a hefty punch in terms of quality, and many photographers have found themselves
You might think the Seven5 system provides the solution for this. And in many ways, it does. The grads for this smaller system are designed specifically with mirrorless sensors in mind, therefore feature tighter transitions
LEExposure 17 between the coated and uncoated areas of the filter. However, because manufacturers are increasingly producing lenses for mirrorless systems that have filter thread sizes wider than 72mm, photographers who might have used the Seven5 system exclusively for such cameras now find themselves having to switch to the 100mm system instead, when using these bigger lenses. This is because the Seven5 system is only suitable for lenses up to a diameter of 72mm. What this means is that a medium ND grad from the 100mm system is the equivalent of a soft grad in the Seven5 system, a hard grad is the equivalent of a medium, and so on (see table, below).
100mm System
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Very hard grad
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Hard grad
Hard grad
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Medium grad
Medium grad
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Soft grad
Soft grad
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Expand your creativity The purpose of the new filters is to give photographers even more flexibility and precise control than ever. As can be seen from the examples on the following pages, the very hard grad is perfect for seascapes in which the horizon line is completely flat, without anything extending into the sky. It’s particularly useful to attach when shooting just before sunrise, when there can be a very bright strip just above the horizon. The very hard grad reduces the intensity of this brightness with more precision than would be possible with a hard grad. The medium grad is extremely versatile and is fast becoming a favourite among the photographers who have been using it. It provides that perfect ‘in-between’ control when shooting scenes in which a soft grad would be either insufficient or too subtle, but where the use of a hard grad would be too obvious. It is equally at home being used when shooting a seascape as it is in a woodland setting. As photographer Chris Ceaser says, “It gives all the control of a hard grad, with most of the forgiveness of a soft grad.” Both the medium and the very hard neutral-density grads are available in strengths of 0.3 (one stop), 0.6 (two stops), 0.9 (three stops) and 1.2 (four stops). And whether you are an aficionado of the Seven5, 100mm or SW150 systems, the new ND grads are certain to become as essential a part of your filter kit as their soft and hard siblings. >>
COMPARISON OF ND GRAD FILTERS ON DIFFERENT SIZES OF SENSOR
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On the left is a Fuji X-trans sensor (real-life dimensions 23.6 x 15.6mm), and on the right is a full-frame sensor (real-life dimensions 36 x 24mm). This diagram reveals how a neutral-density hard grad takes up a larger percentage of the X-trans sensor than it does of a full-frame sensor. It demonstrates why it is necessary to have a grad with a tighter transition when using a small-sensor camera in order to achieve the same effect as that on a full-frame sensor
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John Miskelly St Monans
“I have started using medium grads for my longexposure seascapes when there is a clear separation between the sky and the sea. Sometimes the transition on the hard grads is just too much and the soft grad is too gentle. This is where I’m delighted to have the option of the medium grad. I suspect it’s going to become my favourite grad filter.
Nikon D810 with Zeiss Distagon T* f/2.8 21mm lens, 571 seconds at f/11, ISO 64, 1.2 ND medium grad, Super Stopper
It was just after sunset at St Monans in Scotland, and the difference between the exposure of the sky and the land was around four stops. I thought the hard grad would provide just too extreme a transition for this image, so I went for the medium grad, which was perfect. I also used the new Super Stopper, which gave me a 9½ minute exposure.” Visit johnmiskelly.co.uk
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Mark Bauer “When the sun is about to break the horizon, there can be a huge difference in brightness between the sky and the foreground, even when the foreground is a large, reflective surface such as the sea; the sky is lit by the sun, but there is no direct light falling on the foreground. To capture the full range of tones in this shot, it was obvious that I needed a graduated filter. With an absolutely straight horizon, and the brightest part of the scene being close to it, the very hard grad was the obvious choice to ensure that the sky and foreground were balanced. The new very hard grads are an extremely useful addition to my camera bag. They work well in situations such as this – sunsets and sunrises with level horizons – but I also find them handy when I’m shooting with APS-C cameras, such as my Fuji X-Pro2. The smaller sensor means that the transition zone of a normal hard grad is spread over quite a large percentage of the recording surface, effectively softening it. The harder transition zone works very effectively with these cameras.” >> Visit markbauerphotography.com
Canon EOS 5DS with 24-70mm f/4L lens at 28mm, 240 seconds at f/11, ISO 100, 0.6 ND very hard grad, Big Stopper
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Chris Ceaser Westminster Bridge Storm “A recent trip to London was hampered by seemingly consistent rain. So, when the opportunity arose to actually get out and shoot something, I headed over to Waterloo Bridge to capture the moody clouds as
they drifted over the city. This was a perfect scenario for the medium grad. The problem here was the fact that the horizon had been ‘broken’ by some of my key subjects. The multitude of buildings stealing into the
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Canon EOS 5D Mark III with EF24-70mm f/2.8 II USM lens at 35mm, 0.8sec at f/13, ISO 100, 1.2 ND medium grad
sky made it tricky to use the hard grad, and the soft grad would be just ‘too soft’, not really gradding down to the horizon. It was quite dark and so I needed something that could balance the unusually stark
difference in contrast between the sky and the foreground. The answer? A 1.2 ND medium grad. This gave me all the control of a hard grad, with most of the forgiveness of a soft grad. Perfect!” >> Visit chrisceaser.com
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Mark Bauer
Canon EOS 5DS with EF16-35mm f/4L IS USM lens at 16mm, two seconds at f/16, ISO 100, 0.6 ND very hard grad, 0.3 ProGlass
“The famous Jökulsárlón beach in Iceland provides endless opportunities for photography. This image was taken just after sunset, when there was still some brightness in the sky. I wanted to have an exposure of a couple of seconds, in order to capture the trails of water as they swirled around the ice, so I attached a 0.3-stop ProGlass filter. However, because of the brightness in the sky, I also needed an ND grad, and the very hard grad was the right choice because of the absolutely flat horizon. Had I composed so that the icebergs were breaking the horizon, I would have needed a different grad. The brightest part of the scene was fairly close to the horizon, so having a grad that maintains its full strength all the way down to the transition line was very useful – it blends in unobtrusively.” Visit markbauerphotography.com
No Filter
LEExposure 23 Lizzie Shepherd “The morning sun was lighting this group of gnarled trees and boulders beautifully, but there were some potentially distracting bright wide clouds just above the horizon that would have blown out with a single exposure. Blending two exposures together was not an option because there was a strong wind that was causing movement among the trees. I knew I needed
a two-stop grad, but the soft version wasn’t sufficient to reduce the brightness just above the horizon, where the sky is at its brightest. A hard grad, on the other hand, would have left an obvious demarcation across the tree line. The gradation of the medium ND grad was perfect for balancing the exposure.” n Visit lizzieshepherd.com
Sony A7R II with Zeiss Loxia 35mm lens, 1/13sec at f/11, ISO 100, 0.6 ND medium grad
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Whether the weather EARLIER IN 2016, A GROUP GATHERED IN GLENCOE TO IMMERSE THEMSELVES IN PHOTOGRAPHY AND FILTERS FOR A WEEKEND. BY THE END OF IT, NOBODY COULD ACCUSE THEM OF BEING FAIR-WEATHER PHOTOGRAPHERS, AS AILSA MCWHINNIE REPORTS
It’s a Saturday morning at the end of January, and dotted at irregular intervals along the banks of the River Etive in Glencoe, in the Scottish Highlands, are half a dozen photographers. Their cameras are mounted on tripods, and, armed with the usual array of lenses, tripods and filters, they are all concentrating on capturing a slice in time from the scene in front of them. So far, so ordinary. Except for the conditions. Days of heavy rain have left the river in spate, and it is crashing deafeningly over the rocks, mini whirlpools and waterfalls interrupting the flow. And then there’s the wind. This, apparently, is the tail end of Storm Gertrude. But even the tail end has a sting in it – a 60-70mph sting, to be exact. Not quite ideal conditions for landscape photography, but nobody is put off, because we’re all here to learn, no matter what the conditions throw at us. Welcome to the LEE Filters winter workshop. The group had gathered the previous afternoon, travelling from places as diverse as Turkey and the Netherlands, as well as the Lake District and Lancashire. We are there with one common purpose – to increase our knowledge of how to use filters, and then to apply that knowledge out in the Scottish landscape. The course leader is professional landscape photographer Jeremy Walker, who, like so many others who mainly work in the outdoors, has an ethos of getting as much as possible right in camera, allowing him to keep time spent in front of the computer to a minimum. We’re greeted in the meeting room not only by Jeremy, Peter Sturt and Graham Merritt (both from LEE Filters), but also by a Field Pouch for each of us. Like excited children at a tea party, we explore the contents and find them stuffed with filters to cover most eventualities
– everything from a 0.3 ND soft grad to Big and Little Stoppers. There’s also a handy self-published booklet by Jeremy, showing before-and-after examples of landscape images taken with and without filters – a useful reference for understanding the effects they can have and the contexts in which they are useful. As the tea and coffee flows (and the rain continues to fall outside), Jeremy takes us through a slideshow of his images. During his talk he explains not only how to meter a scene when using filters (meter for the sky, meter for the foreground, work out the difference between them, fit filter, take picture), but also how to use a polariser, combine filters and avoid falling into the trap of ‘over-gradding’. At one point, the sky appears to
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Still smiling, despite the weather. Left to right: Peter Sturt, John Gorrigan, Fred Cook, Graham Merritt, Ailsa McWhinnie, Timur Karslioglu, Jay Tomkins, Alan Tarry, Max Witjes, Jeremy Walker
break and we grab our gear, hurrying out to a spot at the lochside, just a few hundred yards from the hotel. Almost as quickly, we’re back inside again, as the weather closes in, the elements doing their best to scupper our enthusiasm to start making images. But we’re not put off for long, and the following morning, we’re back at the same spot for a pre-breakfast session. With six people attending the workshop, and Jeremy, Graham and Peter on hand for advice and attention when it’s needed, the ratio of one expert to two attendees feels reassuring and not a little luxurious. While the weather is still a little on the wild side, the shelter afforded by the small, slate-covered bay, which nestles in a dip, means that a satisfying photography session is possible. Later, as we compare the results of shooting across Loch Leven towards the Pap of Glencoe, our images could even be described as tranquil. Who says the camera never lies? Although everyone has made a slightly different interpretation of the scene, most of us have chosen
a 0.6 ND hard grad to help balance the relative brightness of the sky (in which, thankfully, some pleasing detail in the cloud has been retained) with the foreground. Polarising filters have also proven popular, as they have a two-pronged purpose – to cut reflections from the dark, wet slate in the foreground, and to reduce the glare from the water’s surface. It makes for a more pleasing, less contrasty image. It’s during this session that Jeremy introduces us to the Mist Stripe filter, which is an instant hit. As its name suggests, this filter has a softening effect across its centre, which – like the area of transition in an ND grad – can be placed anywhere in the frame. For its effect to be plausible, however, placing it so the soft area falls somewhere around the middle or lower part of the frame is what makes most visual sense. With only one such filter available during the workshop, the words, ‘Who’s got the Mist Stripe?’ become something of a clarion call. Of course, a filter like this is useful only in very particular circumstances, and the wild scenes that greeted us at the River Etive later >>
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that morning certainly don’t fall into the right category, the crashing rapids described earlier being in complete contrast to the stillness of the loch. While the weather (have I already mentioned the weather?) remains wild throughout the weekend, there’s one thing it brings that’s guaranteed to gladden the heart of any landscape photographer – and that’s snow. After all, what’s the point in travelling all the way to Glencoe in winter, if not for a covering of the white stuff? While its arrival necessitates some careful negotiation of the roads, there’s no way any of us is going to forego the opportunity to photograph the majestic and iconic Buachaille Etive Mor while it’s clad in a mantle of snow. There’s plenty to photograph at this location – not only the mountain itself, but also the countless eddies of water from the River Etive and its tributaries. They act not only as foreground interest, but also, when shot in close-up, as subjects in their own right. A half-hour drive west then south from the Buachaille, and we find ourselves at Castle Stalker. This 14th-century fort sits on an islet in the middle of Loch Laiche, with the Morvern mountains providing a picturesque backdrop, and is famed for being used as a location in the film Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Sadly, by the time we arrive, the weather has closed in and the photogenic snow has turned to slush, with little in the way of detail punctuating the grey sky. But a photogenic location is still a photogenic location and, undeterred, our by-now hardy bunch set up their cameras and tripods to make the most of what’s in front of them. The Mist Stripe comes into its own here,
introducing atmosphere to the scene, and making it appear as if the castle is rising up out of the cloud. The foreground has promise, too, with plenty of characterful seaweed-covered rocks to provide interest. Back at the hotel that evening, thawing out for the final time over a glass of wine and/or a dram of whisky, we discuss what we’ve learned during the exploits of the previous couple of days. Without exception, every one of us is leaving armed with better knowledge and experience, and better equipped to use filters both creatively and unobtrusively. Having spent the past few days being lashed by almost everything the elements could throw at us, the question is, would we do it all over again? The answer, needless to say, is a resounding ‘yes’. n
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Canon EOS 5D Mark III with 24-70mm lens at 24mm, 1/4sec at f/11, ISO 100, 0.6 ND hard grad, polariser, Little Stopper
Jay Tomkins I felt as if the river were almost quenching the valley’s thirst
“I’m an amateur photographer who has been playing with digital photography for the past eight years or so. A few years ago, I made a trip to Death Valley and met a number of photographers who were using filters. I then invested in a number of LEE filters and holders, but never really used them properly, so the workshop was ideal for me to get to grips with them. Not only did I learn how and when to use filters, but I now also think more in terms of using them in combinations and at angles – not only on straight vertical or horizontal planes.
A crucial part of the workshop was meeting fellow photographers, because of the diverse experience they bring. During the discussions in our sessions with Jeremy, it became evident how differently each photographer thought and saw images, and their approaches have now influenced me. Shortly after the workshop, I went to Iceland, where I was able to apply the various tips and tricks I’d learned. All in all, Jeremy and the team from LEE Filters were patient, professional, and excellent teachers of the art of photography.” >>
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John Gorrigan
Leica M (Typ 240) with 35mm f/1.4 Leica Summilux, 1/125sec at f/16, 0.6 ND hard grad used at angle to follow the side of the mountain
I liked the tiny cottage and the little access bridge set against the towering mountain
“I live on the edge of the Lake District, and am recently retired. I have had a life-long love of photography but was frequently disappointed with many of my landscape images, which often lacked the impact that prompted me to take them in the first place. I came across Jeremy Walker using LEE Filters on a YouTube video tutorial. When I found out he did weekend courses on the use of filters – and in Glencoe – I thought it was just what I needed. It didn’t disappoint. I’ve never been a big filter user but saw this as an opportunity to learn from an expert. I was amazed how even the most subtle filtration can restore the impact of the scene you’re looking at. We were each provided with a selection of LEE neutraldensity graduated filters and a polariser. As I have a
rangefinder camera, I was loaned a Seven5 system, which has opened my eyes to the creative possibilities in landscape photography. I learned so much about the use and effects of filtration from Jeremy and the two Lee experts who accompanied him. With six of us on the course, a pupil-teacher ratio of 2:1 was pretty impressive. There were several points I applied the next time I was out with my camera: that to reproduce what you see with your eye requires filters; that no matter how awful the weather (and it truly was), there will always be a photographic opportunity – especially if you’re able to position yourself between the direction of the wind, rain and snow and your camera; to look behind you and never lose sight of what’s going on away from your subject; and finally, a sturdy tripod is a must...”
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Alan Tarry
Nikon D300 with 18-200mm lens at 26mm, 1/8sec @ f/11, ISO 100, 0.6 ND hard grad, 0.6 ND medium grad, Mist Stripe
I particularly like minimalistic images and often break the rule of thirds to achieve them
“I have been a keen amateur photographer for a number of years, but it’s only in the past decade that I’ve been able to seriously concentrate on improving all aspects of my photography. My passion is landscape photography, based upon my love of the great outdoors. The most useful things I learned at the workshop were to have the confidence to use manual settings all of the time, to get the very best out of the poorest of light by use of filters, and how to better use my ISO settings. What I wasn’t expecting to learn from the workshop was
how important it is to establish a really efficient workflow when on location – something that was demonstrated to me on more than one occasion. Over the years, I have learned a lot from photographers more experienced than me, and from attending workshops. The Glencoe weekend was no exception. Some things I learned were game changers, while others were smaller but equally useful. I have adopted and put into practice all of these elements and feel I am now a much-improved photographer.”
Shot during a snowstorm, I wanted to make the mountain appear massive but also ethereal, poking out from the storm clouds
Fred Cook “Having been a teacher for my years, I used to be very involved in taking photographs of activities going on in the school. Since then, my main area of interest has been landscape photography. However, I have found it difficult to get good instruction on what filter to use, when to use it and the best way to get good results. The one thing that I learned on this workshop was to go out no matter what the weather, as you will be surprised at what can be achieved. In working as a group, it was good to see how other people looked at the same scene as you, but came up with an entirely different viewpoint. That was one thing that really stuck with me. Being able to get detailed
Nikon D810 with 24-105mm lens at 24mm, 1/30sec at f/11, ISO 64, 0.3 ND hard grad
feedback from Jeremy on what I was doing and how to improve an image was really important, and I felt that his way of communicating was very professional without being condescending. Since doing the course, I have been to Iceland, where I applied what I learned, and feel that I have improved my composition and use of filters a great deal.” >>
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Canon EOS 5D Mark III, 16-35mm lens at 16mm, 30 seconds at f/11, ISO 100, 0.6 ND hard grad, Little Stopper
Max Witjes The snow-covered rock in the foreground injects a splash of brightness to the scene
“For me, photography is a creative escape from an otherwise busy life and it has changed the way I look at the natural environment. My main interest is in landscapes, although I occasionally try to explore other types of photography, and I find it a challenge to balance the light in landscape photography. Whenever I get the opportunity, I travel or combine travelling with photography. My goal is to apply as little post processing as possible, and filters are indispensable for achieving this. I like coming to
a workshop that’s held over several days, because you focus fully on photography with like-minded people. And on workshops such as this one, you get to play with all sorts of filters, including the new ones. The Glencoe workshop was a new experience, as the weather limited our options. Nevertheless, it was nice to get some good photographs even in bad weather, which doesn’t show on most of the images. It was a good experience again to view professional photographers’ pictures and be inspired.”
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Sony A7R II, 24-70mm lens at 24mm, two minutes at f/11, ISO 50, 0.6 ND hard grad, Big Stopper
Timur Karslioglu This was the loch just behind our hotel. Having chosen my spot, my problem was how to make the water a bit more interesting. I opted for an exposure long enough to give a silky quality to the water
“My aim for this workshop was to improve my landscape photography. Shooting landscapes is all about being in the right place at the right time – and knowing what to do at the right moment. Glencoe was certainly the right place for the workshop, especially as I hadn’t experienced winter landscape photography before. As my camera (a Sony A7R II) was new at the time, it
took me a while to get to grips with it, but with the support of Jeremy, Peter and Graham, I learned to use it in manual mode, to read the histogram and to adjust settings such as aperture, ISO, shutter speed and white balance. It was a surprise to witness the effects of ND grads and the Mist Stripe filter. Previously, I had found it difficult to balance the exposure. By using filters and not adjusting the white balance (which is what I used to do), I found it was possible to get most things right in camera. I particularly enjoyed the group aspect of the workshop. All our needs and levels were taken into consideration, and no question was considered silly. It was an extremely positive experience.” n
Workshops with LEE Filters Weekend workshops Snowdonia, Wales 14 to 26 October 2016
One-day workshops Glencoe, Scotland 27 to 29 January 2017
Jurassic Coast, Dorset 19 and 20 November 2016
For full details, visit http://www.leefilters.com/index.php/camera-directory/camera-dir-workshop/category/ jeremy-walker-landscape-workshops
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Composition masterclass With Dave Kai-Piper WE’RE ACCUSTOMED TO FILTERS BEING USED TO ENHANCE LANDSCAPE IMAGES, BUT LESS SO WHEN IT COMES TO HIGH FASHION AND PORTRAITURE. FOR DAVE KAI-PIPER, HOWEVER, IT’S SECOND NATURE… For Birmingham-based Dave Kai-Piper, being a photographer is, as he puts it, “A state of mind.” This is his response to being asked how long he’s been working professionally in the field, but it’s a question he finds tricky to answer. “It’s difficult to specify a date and time,” he says. “I always thought I was learning, until a housemate said, ‘You’re a photographer.’ I realised I either was or I wasn’t. So, even though I worked part-time in a pub when we had the conversation, I decided from then on I was a photographer.” At that point, he realised he’d actually been one for a long time, “It had just taken me a while to get there mentally,” he says. His first job that involved wielding a camera was for a high-street portraiture studio. He was sacked shortly afterwards. “They wanted sales people and buttonpressing operators,” he explains. “I brought a bit too much thought into the pre-ordained process of how high-street portraiture worked.” Following this, he assisted for a high-street wedding company from where it was, as he puts it, “A slow navigation into portraiture and taking pictures of people. They’re the subject I find interesting, and the camera gives me multiple ways to filter out the environment to suit what I’m trying to tell.” Since making that crucial psychological leap into becoming a photographer, Dave has built a reputation for stylised, constructed fashion and portrait images that display an in-depth understanding of light, colour and mood. Whether shooting in a studio, the interior of a country mansion or out in the field, his work displays all the hallmarks of someone who spends a great deal of
time considering concepts before he even unpacks his camera from his kit bag and sets up the tripod. And his work isn’t only about him – it’s a collaboration between photographer, make-up artist, hairstylist and model, and it wouldn’t exist in its current form if it weren’t for these other crucial contributors. While the models who feature in Dave’s work are, of course, the ‘main’ subject, the act of composing actually takes place before any figure is introduced. “I’m not necessarily a photographer who finds images – I tend to set them up,” he explains. “As such, a lot of my work starts out very much as a landscape image and I then place a model into it. It’s very much how a film would be made – everything’s quite planned in that way.” Unusually, for a fashion and portrait photographer, filters play an important role in creating the image he has in his mind’s eye. “I use the Fuji system and always have a matt box on the front of my lens that’s stacked full of filters. The way I see it is this: the camera allows you to capture ambient light. I then add light using flash, and I use filters to remove light. It just seems the natural way to shape what’s in front of me. Photographers are comfortable with this approach when they shoot landscapes, but less so when it comes to portraiture.” So not only do the filters add to the effect of the composition, by introducing line and shape where there would otherwise be none, but also they allow Dave to be more creative with where he ‘places’ the light. “The temptation is to use Lightroom and a digital filter,” he concludes. “But that for me doesn’t really cut it.” Visit ideasandimages.co.uk
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Fujifilm X-Pro2 with 90mm f/2 lens, 1/100sec at f/7.1, ISO 200, two 0.6 ND medium grads
Alex Kelly “I defy anyone to find someone smiling in my portfolio! I do like a certain deadpan kind of aesthetic, but not one that’s unhappy. I try not to let the model’s emotions dictate how someone is going to read the image. I’m a huge fan of Helmut Newton and am becoming more and more interested in the concept of dark, provocative, moody images. This one is also inspired by Pulp Fiction, with the model’s bob haircut looking a bit like Uma Thurman’s in the film, and the white shirt. The bottom right of the frame is in silhouette: that’s ambient light. I used a grad at an angle coming up from
the bottom right and a second one coming down from the top left. This left a clear channel across her face, which I emphasised using a snoot. There was a black wrap around the flash to give thin strip of light, so I was both removing light and adding it at the same time. When you have simple lighting – I see this as a simple set-up – I like the idea of having more complicated poses. Any model who’s worked with me will tell you I’m a micro-poser. With this image, I got Alex to tuck her right foot through the back of the chair – it was quite a painful angle and I think her knee hurt for a bit! But I like that sort of intricacy.” >> Hair and make-up: Penny Grimley. Shirt: Gucci
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LEExposure 35 Jodie Larkin “This was a pretty funny shoot. I’d done a promotional job for Fuji the day before. The next day, Jodie and I went to have a coffee and to do some Christmas shopping. However, I found £20 in my pocket, so we went to Primark, where she bought this sweater and coat, and we ended up taking pictures in the middle of this car park in Birmingham. This is a typical example of my way of working, in that the camera was in place and set up before Jodie was positioned in the frame. If you were to take her out of the scene, it would still work. That sort of thing is quite important to me, and the composition is strong because it’s a strong environment. If I’d been shooting for a magazine, I’d have positioned her at the side, so that the image could be used over a spread without the gutter slicing through her. But when you’re shooting for fun, you can think a little differently. I used a grad at both the top and the bottom of the frame to bring in the sky, but it’s quite subtle. The flash comes directly from the top of the camera and the ambient light is underexposed slightly to make it appear darker. It’s a very typical example of my style, whereby I combine flash and graduated filters. It makes the whole process quicker and simpler, and this image is pretty much out of the camera with very little postproduction. Although it was an impromptu shoot, Fuji ended up using this image as part of the display at a big show in Japan. Oh, and when we’d finished the shoot, we took the clothes back to Primark, then went and had a hot chocolate…” >> Make-up: model’s own. Coat and sweater: both Primark
Fuji X-T1 with XF16-55mm lens (pre-production lens, so EXIF data not recorded), two 0.6 ND medium grads
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Make-up: model’s own. Top: ASOS
Fuji X-Pro2 with 90mm f/2 lens, 1/60sec at f/6.4, ISO 200, 0.9 ND soft grad
Stephie Rebello Fuji needed some new images for its brochures, so this was shot using its 90mm lens, and I deliberately composed so that Stephanie would be looking into the middle of the page. In many ways, the composition is about colour in this image, and the echo between the colour of her hair and the leaves – I changed the latter to red in Photoshop. This was shot outdoors during a rainstorm. The rain had stopped for a few moments, and light suddenly started to pour in through the clouds, as you can see from the bright, specular highlights on the tree branches at the top right of the frame. At this point, we let off some smoke pellets (the type that plumbers use in pipes to identify whether there are any leaks) and the
resulting smoke created a separation between the main tree and those in the background. I used a graduated filter on its side on the left of the image, to bring out detail in the smoke. There are some people who don’t like this image – the way in which the branch comes up from the bottom left at a diagonal and through her eye, and also the twig that goes into her right shoulder three-quarters of the way up the frame – and they say I should have cloned them out. But I find that the more digital work I do, the more imperfections I’m inclined to leave in. Those things don’t bother me, and they weren’t deliberate – I was too busy trying to capture the image in the short time before the smoke disappeared and the rain started again.” n
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the
Gallery FEAST YOUR EYES ON OUR SHOWCASE OF FINE PHOTOGRAPHY, ALL SHOT USING LEE FILTERS
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Derek von Briesen Sedona, Arizona
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Sedona, Arizona This image was taken about ten minutes from my home in Sedona, Arizona, at a now fairly well-known grouping of ephemeral pools on a mesa adjacent to the famous landmark of Cathedral Rock. Easily my best ever image from this incredible location, which I’ve been shooting for more than a dozen years, it conveys everything that people worldwide travel to see in Red Rock Country. It’s a perfect combination of late western sun, dramatic monsoon clouds, water in the shallow pools, no wind, a perfect mirror reflection and – in the very last 90 seconds of light – that rainbow. What serendipity. The stillness, drama, sunset light, colour contrast, reflection, rainbow and golden cloud all combined in that one moment. My tripod was about two inches from the sandstone ground, at the edge of the pool. A fully bloomed, spiny, prickly pear cactus, just inches from my elbow, completed the experience. I took five shots using focus stacking, with the closest point being just inches from the lens front. >>
Canon EOS 5Ds R with Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM at 24mm, 1/4sec at f/11, ISO 200, polariser, 0.6 ND hard grad. Raw file adjusted and converted in Lightroom 5, aligned and blended in Photoshop CS6, with incremental adjustments to contrast, saturation and sharpening
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Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III with Canon EF 24-70 mm f/4L II USM at 70mm, 0.8sec at f/11, ISO 100, polariser, 0.2 ND hard grad, Really Right Stuff BH 55 ballhead, Induro CT 213 tripod. Raw file adjusted and converted in Lightroom 5, Photoshop CS6 for incremental adjustments to contrast, saturation and sharpening
Summer monsoon, Monument Valley The vista of Monument Valley from Hunt’s Mesa is flatout thrilling. Late-afternoon light sweeps across the landscape, creating an amazing interplay between the tan, red and orange sandstone mesas and monuments, and the cool, dramatic storm skies of summer. This was a particularly wet monsoon season, quite clearly and beautifully conveyed in the green grasses on the valley floor that wrap the sinuous curves of the sandstone. The deep sunset was the result of an abundance of water vapour – half an hour earlier, we’d been huddled in a steamy Chevy Suburban hiding from a torrential downpour! It’s always an adventure to lead a workshop here, and it’s awesome to see photographers from all over the world experience Hunt’s for the first time.
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Mount Rainier with lenticular clouds Bench Lake was relatively calm, but the clouds above were being driven across the face of this huge mountain at speeds of 60-80mph. To accentuate that movement and sense of grandiosity, I used a combination of the Big Stopper, a 1.2 ND standard filter and a 0.6 ND hard grad, along with a polariser, to achieve a 64-second exposure in the mid-afternoon summer light. Moments later, the
wind abated and a perfect mirror reflection emerged, but that one’s already reserved for National Geographic’s official 2017 wall calendar (and maybe even the front cover, fingers crossed!). Sorry. >>
Canon EOS 5Ds R with Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM at 27mm, 64 seconds at f/4, ISO 200, polariser, Big Stopper, 1.2 ND standard, 0.6 ND hard grad, Really Right Stuff BH 55 ballhead, Induro CT 213 tripod. Raw file adjusted and converted in Lightroom 5, Photoshop CS6 for incremental adjustments to contrast, saturation and sharpening
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White
Sands
National Monument,
Inspired by the minimalist beauty of this magnificent location, I wanted to convey the vastness of the high desert and sky, with wind-propelled clouds streaming overhead. Even at midday, the colour and light were amazing. A 30-second exposure of a yucca in wind might seem challenging – in truth, I was shooting almost straight into the sky. The atmosphere above was kinetic, but at dune level, it was completely calm. In addition to the movement, I was drawn to the softness of white mirrored in both landscape and sky.
New
Mexico
Minimising the dune, emphasising the sky, with diagonals to and from the off-centre placement of a single, silhouette-like yucca, this composition has always been a favourite, reinforcing the idea that thinking slightly outside the box (midday light, long exposure, upward perspective, unusual composition) can sometimes bring a highly original result. >> Visit dvbphotography.com
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Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III with Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L USM at 70mm, 30 seconds at f/18, ISO 50, polariser, Big Stopper, Really Right Stuff BH 55 ballhead, Induro CT 213 tripod. Raw file adjusted and converted in Lightroom 5, Photoshop CS6 for incremental adjustments to contrast, saturation and sharpening
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Leon Taylor Canterbury, Kent
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Cuckmere River, East Sussex Drawn to the reflection of the clouds and sky in the still water, I wanted to convey a sense of wide-open space and depth in this image. I set up my tripod, so I could use a low ISO setting. I knew I wanted front-to-back sharpness, too, so a fairly small aperture was necessary, meaning the shutter speed would be slow. Scenes like this require the best possible sharpness that is achievable, so a steady base for the camera was important. I would have liked to be closer to the fence that crosses the water, but that would have meant losing the curve and flow of the river, so I’m quite happy with the composition as it is. I am predominantly a monochrome photographer and quite new to digital cameras. I tend to see most scenes in black and white, and despite trying to retain colour in a scene, I nearly always end up converting to black and white. >>
Fujifilm X-E1 with Fujinon XF18mm lens, 1/15sec at f/13, ISO 200, 0.3 ND hard grad, some dodging and burning in Adobe Lightroom
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Government Acre Beach, Ramsgate, Kent I’d done some pinhole photography around this area, and I wanted to emulate that, but with the sharpness that can’t be achieved with lenless photography. I used a tripod, leaving the legs unextended so the camera was low, a 0.3 ND soft grad on the sky and a Big Stopper to slow down the exposure. I wanted it just slow enough to affect the sea, but not enough to really smooth out the waves or blur the sky.
I really like the amount of texture in the sea, with the soft dappling around the unbroken wave, and the timing was perfect to stretch out the white foam in the foreground. However, in hindsight, I should have used another ND grad to even out the sky, as I needed to do quite a bit of burning to the top right area in Lightroom.
Fujifilm X-T1 with Fujinon XF 18mm lens, three seconds at f/11, ISO 200, 0.3 ND soft grad, Big Stopper
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Pentre Ifan dolmen, Pembrokeshire The light was quite flat, and lambs were gambolling about the fields around me, but this didn’t really convey the moody atmosphere that I usually associate with standing stones. The wind was blowing quite hard, and I knew I only had half an hour or so at the location, so I needed to make some creative decisions about distorting the scene appropriately. I used a tripod as it was very windy and I needed a sturdy base. I wanted to slow down the exposure, so
Fujifilm X-E1 with Fujinon XF18mm lens, 30 seconds at f/16, ISO 200. Some dodging and burning and mono conversion in Adobe Lightroom
I reached for the Big Stopper, which gave me an exposure of 30 seconds at my chosen settings. This would add the interest and atmosphere to the sky that I was looking for. Because of the long exposure, I was a bit worried about the sheep, but I quite like the odd blurred sheep in the image – I think it adds to the eeriness. >> Visit leontaylor-photo.co.uk
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Steven Hanna Cullybackey, County Antrim
Fanad Head Lighthouse We had a very early start, which was followed by a two-hour drive in the frost and snow before we finally arrived at Fanad Head in north Donegal. I had always wanted to photograph the lighthouse in stormy conditions, as I knew we would get plenty of drama. I had been hoping for a moody sky with some lovely colour, mixed with a relatively high tide and choppy sea. I love shooting long exposures, so when we arrived, I knew that conditions would be perfect, providing the sky cleared a little. Thankfully the Photographer’s Ephemeris app and the Norwegian weather forecast predicted conditions accurately. We just had around 30 minutes before the hail and rain arrived, but by that time, we had already got the images and were on our way back to the warmth of the car. >>
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Canon EOS 5D Mark III with 16-35mm f/4 L lens, 33 seconds at f/11, ISO 100, polariser, 1.2 ND soft grad
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Mussenden Temple This is one of my favourite locations to photograph on the Causeway Coast, and we were blessed with a good four or five hours of relatively clear skies on this particular night. I don’t usually place my main subjects bang in the middle of the frame, but, because of the arch of the Milky Way, I felt that this was the perfect placement for Mussenden Temple. This panoramic is made up of 14 images stitched in PTGui software. Each vertical image was a 25-second exposure.
LEExposure 51 Canon EOS 5DS with 14mm lens, 14 separate images merged in PTGui, polariser
Canon EOS 5D Mark II with 17-40mm L lens at 21mm, 124 seconds at f/13, ISO 50, polariser, 0.9 ND soft grad
The Giant’s Causeway I’ve photographed the Giant’s Causeway many times as I only live about 30 miles from it, yet, every time I visit, I’m drawn to this little inlet. No matter how still the sea is, this inlet nearly always seems to have some water movement. This was taken just after sunset, and the long exposure helps pull out what colour is left in the sky. >> Visit stevenhanna.co.uk
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Colin Jarvis Preston, Lancashire
Mary’s Shell, Cleveleys
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Mary’s Shell is a wonderfully evocative sculpture by Stephen Broadbent, and is based on a tale in the book The Sea Swallow, by Gareth Thompson. It perfectly suits a long exposure, which creates an ethereal mist of water around the shell. It can be photographed well on both an incoming and an outgoing tide, and you can set up on the seafront steps, so you don’t even have to get your feet wet. For this shot, the Big Stopper extended my exposure to 60 seconds. I didn’t need to filter the sky, as it was quite well balanced with the sea, and a grad might have created problems with darkening the top part of the shell. It was a rather misty day, so the horizon was already partly obscured, but I emphasised this in postproduction by blurring it to create a rather ethereal scene. >>
Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM, 60 seconds at f/13, ISO 100, Big Stopper, converted to mono using Silver Efex Pro 2
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Canon EOS 5D Mark II with Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM at 17mm, 61 seconds at f/11, ISO 100, Big Stopper, converted to mono using Silver Efex Pro 2 and the High Contrast preset
Parkway Gate, Manchester University These three buildings, which provide accommodation for Manchester University students, have fascinated me for a number of years, and I have photographed them on many occasions. They are located adjacent to the Mancunian Way on Wilmott Street and are clad in three different materials: glass, stone and distressed steel. I used a wideangle lens and a deliberately distorted perspective to emphasise the height of the
buildings and extreme angles that were used in their construction. The conditions were perfect – the sky was overcast and it was windy. What more could I ask for? I wanted to juxtapose the inorganic solidity of the structure with the fluidity of the sky, so I decided to slow the exposure down using my Big Stopper. An exposure of 61 seconds at f/11 created very pleasing movement in the clouds that was emphasised in postproduction.
LEExposure 55 Imperial War Museum North, Manchester The Imperial War Museum North at Salford Quays is a very powerful building. Designed by Daniel Libeskind, it represents a fractured world destroyed by conflict. The particular viewpoint emphasises the height of the shard (designed to represent a shard of glass). I used a wideangle lens and deliberately adjusted the angle of the camera on the tripod to ensure that the corners of the frame led the viewer’s eyes into
the image. The sky was pleasantly blue with plenty of cumulus clouds and a reasonably stiff wind. This would have produced a perfectly acceptable image, but was perhaps too ‘sunny’ for the photograph I had in mind. I decided to use my Big Stopper to slow the exposure and create some drama in the sky. At f/13 I was able to achieve an exposure of 50 seconds, which allowed me to capture wonderful movement in the cloud as it wisped across the top of the building. >>
Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM at 17mm, 50 seconds at f/13, ISO 100, Big Stopper, converted to mono using Silver Efex Pro 2
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Crown tin mines, Botallack The Crown tin mines are located in the far south west of Cornwall, near the small village of Botallack. The scene that greeted me was attractive enough, but there wasn’t a great deal of drama in either the sea or sky, so to make things more interesting I used a Big Stopper to slow the exposure down to 147 seconds. I was amazed that what was a rather featureless sea at 1/100sec was transformed. Wonderful patterns emerged of the waves as they crashed over hidden rocks. The next problem was to deal with the rather dull sky. I used a 0.9 hard grad to reduce the exposure on the sky and retain some of the cloud detail that I knew was present but rather difficult to see without filtration. I had to make two exposures, one with the grad in place and one without. The reason for this was because the grad darkened the headland on the right hand side of the image. Both images were loaded into Photoshop and the filtered image was selectively erased to reveal the unfiltered headland. The image was then flattened and a delicate sepia tone applied. n Visit colinjarvis.co.uk
Canon EOS 5D Mark II with Canon EF 1740mm f/4L USM at 40mm, 147 seconds at f/16, ISO 100, Big Stopper, 0.9 ND hard grad
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Karl Holtby North Ferriby, East Yorkshire
Autumn I’d made the trip to Wastwater at the end of autumn, hoping to catch the last of the riot of colour. As it happened, I came away from this particular trip with images that bore no resemblance to those I’d imagined beforehand. It doesn’t matter what kind of conditions one encounters here, it is always picturesque. I knew there would be a good photo opportunity, due to the moody, low cloud. I was wandering the shoreline looking for a pleasing composition, when I came across this driftwood and solitary leaf, which had blown onto the rock, adding a pop of colour to the grey scene, and the branch drawing the viewer into the cold water. I wanted to smooth the water to reveal the rocks beneath the surface, giving a sense of depth to the foreground. To achieve this effect, I used the Little Stopper to lengthen the exposure. >>
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Sigma DP0 Quattro, 25 seconds at f/18, ISO 100, 0.6 ND hard grad, Little Stopper
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Wastwater Mountainous locations can at times feel quite foreboding; this particular morning, however, was incredibly serene. A calm Wastwater can be seen here, the motionless rock sitting Zen like. To me, the foreground rock mirrors the mountains, so my aim was to portray the interconnectedness of the landscape. To enhance the feeling of calm, I used the Big Stopper, which smoothed the water. It can be difficult to capture
the grandeur of mountainous locations; no photograph can quite replicate that feeling of the expanse of wideopen spaces. With that in mind, I tend to avoid the wideangle vistas, my aim being to simplify the landscape, attempting to bring the viewer into the heart of the scene. In post processing, I’ve applied a little dodging to the foreground rock along with adjustment to levels to achieve the desired contrast.
Sony A7R with Carl Zeiss 24-70mm f/4 FE Vario Tessar lens at 38mm, 274 seconds at f/16, ISO 100, 0.6 ND hard grad, Big Stopper
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Confluence As I looked for a good composition of the Fairy Pools on the Isle of Skye, I was struck by the intensity of colours in these rocks along the banks of the River Brittle. With limited time and feeling a little under pressure to get the classic shot, I almost didn’t set up for this scene. Luckily, sense and creative urge prevailed, as this is the type of image that gives me the most pleasure – one that shows beauty in the detail. The bright red/orange sediment in these rocks leaps out, contrasting nicely with the
Alpa 12TC with Phase One IQ3 digital back and 35mm Rodenstock lens, one second at f/16, ISO 100, landscape polariser
turquoise water and providing clues to the geology of the surrounding landscape. Using a medium-format camera with fixed lens meant some precarious balancing acts were required to get the composition that I wanted, but that’s all part of the fun. I’ve applied little in the way of post processing – only a slight boost in saturation and the application of a vignette to frame those intense colours. n Visit karlholtby.com
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Anatomy of a minimalist image LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHS THAT APPEAR TO BE VIRTUALLY EMPTY ARE DECEPTIVELY TRICKY TO CREATE. THREE PHOTOGRAPHERS REVEAL THE THOUGHT PROCESS THAT GOES INTO MAKING AN IMAGE THAT EVOKES PEACE AND STILLNESS
Dovercourt High Lighthouse, Essex By Paul Sanders Kent, England
Paul Sanders didn’t set out to shoot this location, but as he happened to be in this part of the Essex coast, he decided to park up and take a look at the 153-yearold lighthouse that has proven to be so popular with photographers. “I’ve been in the area before and not shot it, because I always felt it had been done to death,” he says. “But on this day there was nobody around, and I sat and watched this storm brewing.” Such is the apparent serenity of the image, it’s something of a surprise to learn it was photographed
Fuji X-Pro2 with 35mm lens, 18 minutes and 20 seconds at f/16, ISO 200, 0.45 ND soft grad, Super Stopper
in conditions Paul describes as being like “the end of days”. But there’s a reason for him photographing it this way. “I’ve never felt able to capture that sort of power in my images,” he says. “I don’t know why, and it sounds rather strange, but I tend to see things as they would be if they were slowed down.” As a result, he found himself mesmerised by the way in which the rain was blurring the horizon and the light hitting the front of the lighthouse. “There’s something really gentle in there,” he suggests.
LEExposure 63 Paul set up his camera and sat on the sea wall under his umbrella. The wind and rain were coming from behind, meaning the front of his camera and filters stayed reasonably dry. He knew he would need a very long exposure to extract a sense of calm from the scene.
Paul normally avoids the rule of thirds, but in this case he had to apply it, as he wanted to exclude a marker buoy to the left of the frame and a beach hut below it.
His Super Stopper gave him an exposure time of 18 minutes. “So much can change over that sort of time,” he explains. “You never really know what you’re going to get, and with something like 18 minutes, you only really have one shot before the light changes completely.” >>
Paul deliberately lined up the image so that the white line on the horizon appears to run through the point at which the lighthouse divides between the white top and the black base.
The clouds were running and moving away from right to left, and were very dark. Paul realised that a long exposure, therefore, would create a dark band across the sky.
The white line was created by light appearing between the clouds in the distance. Paul often tries to achieve a sense of infinity in his images, as well as calmness and space.
Despite the weather conditions, which were pretty breezy, the water remained very still, so the reflection of the lighthouse was clear.
When processing the image, Paul converted it to black and white, then added a slight tint, in order to reflect how he perceived it on the day.
ABOUT THE PHOTOGRAPHER Until 2012, Paul Sanders was entrenched in the world of press photography. He worked his way up through regional newspapers and agencies, joining Reuters in 1998 and The Times newspaper in 2002. Two years later, he was made picture editor, and became responsible for all visual content, including the website. To do this, he had to view anything between 17,000 and 20,000 images a day. “The quest was always to find a front page picture that set the Times apart from its competitors,” he explains. “On a quiet news day, it was horrible. During a big news event, it’s one of the best places you could work.” However, the pressure of the job started to take its toll, and Paul became very ill. “I became the job,” he recalls. “It dictated who I was and left me feeling quite empty, as the materialistic rewards really clashed with my faith. For me to move forward in
life and be more true to the person I thought I was, I had to leave. It would have killed me.” When Paul left the newspaper in 2012 he had, by his own admission, never taken a landscape picture in his life. He started off, as many do, buying a book by Joe Cornish and attempting to copy his style. But a year later he wasn’t selling any images, and realised he simply hadn’t found his own way of expressing his connection with the landscape. “I started taking more risks and stopped trying to please people,” he says. And that’s when his landscape work started to take off. Now, he sells prints and runs workshops. “I have a much better, richer, more fulfilled life than I did before,” he concludes.
Visit paulsanders.biz
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Lake Tarawera, Rotorua By Rachel Stewart Mount Maunganui, New Zealand
Canon EOS 6D with Canon F4L17-40mm lens, 207 seconds at f/11, ISO 100, 0.9 ND soft grad, Little Stopper
“This location really is a photographer’s dream,” says Rachel Stewart of Lake Tarawera. The lake sits in a geothermal valley in Rotorua, and surrounds one of New Zealand’s most famous volcanoes, Mount Tarawera. The 1886 eruption of Mount Tarawera buried not only a village but also New Zealand’s famous pink and white terraces. “Because the lake sits in a valley, it is rarely affected by wind,” Rachel explains. “The reflections are perfect, there is a jetty, surrounding bushland, and Mount Tarawera sits almost perfectly centred from the viewpoint I usually shoot from.” Experience has taught Rachel that the location works best at sunrise, with the viewpoint facing east towards the sun. She shot this particular image at around
5.45am, some 20 minutes before sunrise, and describes the conditions as “almost perfect”. Not only was there plenty of high cloud and a slight breeze, but the scene was quiet and empty. “I knew the composition I was after,” she says, “and I specifically wanted a human element to it. The figure at the end of the jetty is me, and I was able to do this by using a self-timer. I wanted to be slightly transparent in the image, so I stood at the end of the jetty for approximately three-quarters of the exposure time.” Many of Rachel’s landscape images are characterised by a ghostly figure in a hat. The purpose is so that viewers can visualise themselves standing where she is, and put their own thoughts into the image. “As for
LEExposure 65 the hat,” she says with a smile, “I’ve always worn one – it’s just a bit of me.” Rachel chose the Little Stopper, as she knew she wanted to achieve a very long exposure, and even though the
The translucent figure at the end of the jetty is Rachel herself, and introduces an unusual human element to the scene. Without this, the image would be far more prosaic.
light is minimal at this time of day, the darkness alone wasn’t sufficient. “I also added a 0.9 ND soft grad to balance the sky with the foreground,” she says. “That’s my go-to set-up for any photographs I take either before sunrise or after sunset.” >>
Mount Tarawera is in the centre of the composition. While it isn’t the most important part of the image, it brings even more depth to the scene. The clouds were moving slowly, and Rachel knew she wanted to achieve a wispy effect. To create the long exposure she needed, she used a Little Stopper to increase the shutter speed by six stops.
Rachel wanted to capture most of the jetty in the frame, but off-centre, so that the viewer’s eye is led into the scene.
The headlands to the left and right help to frame the image, and the space between them gives the viewer’s eye somewhere to go.
The colour and subtly varying tones of the reflected water play an important role in the composition. Rachel set up her tripod at threequarter height in order to exclude the foreshore, which would have cluttered up the composition.
ABOUT THE PHOTOGRAPHER Rachel Stewart, who hails from Mount Maunganui, New Zealand, describes her photography as “being characterised by my desire to seek out and find the beauty created by the natural world”. Self taught, she specialises in landscape, travel and adventure photography, and makes a point of seeking out elements that connect humans with nature. During her twenties, she travelled a great deal, always armed with a camera. It was when she bought her first DSLR that she realised she wanted to pursue photography more seriously. “My earlier work was created during daily walks at sunset along the
beach,” she says, “as well as the beautiful coastlines that surround New Zealand.” When it comes to planning and visualising a photograph, Rachel has a number of features she always looks for. “I always seek out both natural and human elements, and how they marry together,” she says. “I look for a main subject that I hope will be the centrepoint, a foreground that brings the image together, and a background that is always noticeable, but doesn’t necessarily stand out. This is the basis for a lot of my images.”
Visit rsnzphotography.com
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The Tree, Bavaria By Bas Meelker Groningen, The Netherlands
Canon EOS 5D Mark II with EF16-35mm f/2.8L II USM at 24mm, 1/80sec at f/11, ISO 200, 0.3 ND soft grad
Following a freezing cold day during which Bas Meelker and his wife Janneke had photographed bears, foxes and bobcats in the Bavarian forest of southern Germany, they were heading back to their hotel for a much-needed hot bath and meal. However, Bas suddenly spotted this scene from the car, and instantly knew there was a picture to be made. “I drove on for about a mile to a point where I was able to turn round, then drove back, parked on the side of the road and got my gear out of the car again,” he recalls. Immediately, Bas was able to visualise how he wanted
the scene to look – and that included bringing the tones of the sky and the snow closer together, so they were given more equal weight. “To do this, I used a one-stop ND soft grad,” he explains. “But I used it upside-down. This allowed the sky to come through so the exposure was more even.” This approach meant that more emphasis was placed on the focal point of the image – the tree. “Had the sky been darker, it would have blended in too much,” he says. “And I deliberately placed the tree to the right of the frame so that the eye travels across the image from left to right before reaching it. If I had placed it on the
LEExposure 67 left, the first thing you would come across would be the tree, and you’d have nothing left to look at.” However, Bas goes on to point out that this approach only works when there is no depth or foreground interest
within the scene. “If there had been something in the foreground, I would have made a different composition,” he explains. “I did shoot a vertical version, as well as one where the tree was in the middle, but this was the obvious final choice for me.” n
The small areas of sky that are slightly darker than the rest introduce a subtle sense of depth to the scene. The tree is placed to the right of the frame so that the viewer’s eye can travel across the scene before coming to rest on the main focal point.
Bas took several versions of the scene, including one where the horizon was higher in the frame, but this one worked best.
As is always the case when shooting snow, it was necessary to overexpose to ensure it was rendered white, not a midtone grey.
A 0.3 ND soft grad was placed upside down in the filter holder, in order to bring the tones of the sky and foreground closer together.
ABOUT THE PHOTOGRAPHER Bas Meelker hasn’t always been a photographer. Until 2008, he worked in marketing and communications, with photography as a hobby that fulfilled his love of nature and the landscape. It was when Canon started using some of his images in its brochures that he began to consider a change in career. Nowadays, he produces images for numerous clients and agencies, and tries to ensure an even balance between his personal work and his commissioned work. The sheer flatness of his home country of The Netherlands provides an ongoing challenge for Bas. “I’m always learning about the fieldcraft of composition,” he says. “The Netherlands is made up of flat landscapes and lines, and learning how to see ‘through’ such a landscape was a real challenge. But by learning how to seek out good compositions in The Netherlands, it makes things easier when I go to other countries.”
Wherever possible, Bas revisits locations to shoot them again, using his understanding of weather conditions to ensure he has an idea of how the light might behave, and the clarity of the air. “When I look at my images, I try to see if there’s something missing,” he explains. “It might be my composition or technique that could have been better, or it might be the weather. That always motivates me to return to a location, as there’s always a better image to be made, wherever you go.” He admits to a particular appreciation of flat, empty landscapes that he can shoot with wideangle lenses. “I like to create a sense of tranquillity, openness and solitude,” he says. “It says something about me. I’m a sociable person, but I’m happy to be alone.”
Visit basmeelker.nl
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The knowledge LEARN HOW TO MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR FILTERS WITH THESE HINTS FROM THE PROFESSIONALS
How to mix your filters When working with one of the Stopper filters, chances are you’ll be using it in conjunction with ND grads, too. If this is the case, when placing your filters into the filter holder, always position the grad filters first. This makes it much easier to get them into the right place without trying to look through a 6, 10 or 15-stop ND filter at the same time. As a result, remember not to start in the slot closest to the lens when positioning the grads, as you’ll
need to keep that free for the Stopper. You should follow this process when using any solid ND filter with grads, even if it’s not as strong as a Little, Big or Super Stopper. David Newton, Buckinghamshire Visit photopositive.co.uk
Canon EOS 5D Mark III with EF16-35mm f/2.8L II USM, 6.2 seconds at f/18, ISO 100, 0.3 ND hard grad, Little Stopper
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Canon EOS 5D Mark II with EF70-200mm f/4L USM lens at 104mm, 42 seconds at f/22, ISO 50, Big Stopper
Keep the colour cast When using the Big Stopper for a colour image, try not to completely remove the blue colour cast that can be inherent in such a filter. Often, leaving a slight blue tinge can give a pleasingly cool mood to the resulting
photograph. Not only that, but it complements the soft blurring effect that the filter has on your subject. >> Craig Roberts, Yorkshire Visit craigrobertsphotography.co.uk
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Positioning paler filters Careful positioning of grad filters is essential for best results, but there are times when actually seeing where to place them can be difficult. One filter that can cause particular problems is the 0.3 soft grad. I often use my 0.3 soft grad when shooting cityscape or village scenes on a sunny day in order to achieve the correct exposure balance. However, it’s extremely difficult to see the transition line of this filter when looking through the viewfinder, so a simple trick is to take a stronger grad and use this as a guide. Simply place the stronger filter
Canon EOS 5D Mark II with 17-40mm lens at 31mm, 1/250sec at f/13, ISO 200, 0.3 ND soft grad
in the same holder, push both filters down together and now with the extra strength it should be much easier to place the filters in the correct position. Once you are happy, simply remove the stronger filter and you are left with the weaker filter in the perfect position. Chris Herring, Norfolk Visit theuklandscape.com
I could see these two sailing boats heading my way on the Norfolk Broads. I had a few minutes to set up my gear, so I opted for a 0.3 soft ND grad to subtly bring the brightness of the water and reflections up without making them too bright
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Canon EOS 5D Mark II with EF24-105mm f/4L IS USM at 32mm, 1/60sec at f/11, ISO 100, polarising filter
Reach for the polariser As a landscape photographer living in the Hebrides, I am fascinated by skies, clouds and bad weather – which is perhaps just as well. While my ND filters, Stoppers and ND grads are almost always at hand, I have to admit that I do not often reach for my polariser. While this is a versatile piece of kit, I do think it is best used sparingly and with sound judgment. The polariser is best known for darkening down blue skies and making white clouds ‘pop’. The key here is that there should be clouds in the sky. A polariser used to photograph a clear blue sky looks unnatural and will render uneven blue tones. The polariser will also remove reflections from glass and water – the latter can be extremely useful when photographing a classic mountain burn or a turquoise sea off the west coast of Scotland in the summer. And for those of us who find so many contemporary images a little overcooked from some heavy-handed use of the saturation slider in Photoshop, the polariser can lend a subtle touch, particularly to autumn colours. I reach for
my polariser in all of these situations, but my favourite time to use it is when confronted with a towering bank of cumulonimbus, one of my favourite cloud formations. You can just sense the energy and power pent up in them. Photographing these clouds with a polariser against a blue sky really brings out their grandeur. But as a photographer who frequently works in black and white, I adore the way in which the polariser darkens down the sky and shows the cumulonimbus cloud in all its majesty. Weather watchers will know that these clouds bring short and intense squally and stormy conditions, and once photographed, you would be wise to get your kit, including your precious LEE filters away and seek shelter – quickly! n Sam Jones, Isle of Mull Visit islandscapephotography.co.uk
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Far and wide IN THE RELATIVELY SHORT TIME THAT AUSTRALIABASED SARAH HATTON HAS BEEN MAKING IMAGES, SHE’S ESTABLISHED HERSELF AS A LEADING CHAMPION OF ADVENTURE TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY. HERE SHE EXPLAINS WHAT DRIVES HER, THE THRILL OF EXPERIENCING THE WORLD’S MOST REMOTE PLACES, AND WHY ONLY THE WIDEST LENSES WILL DO…
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Mount Cook, New Zealand This is, to date, one of my favourite frames of the mighty Sir Cook…
LEE Filters
What first sparked your interest in photography?
Sarah Hatton
I have always had an interest in photography, even from a young age, when I found myself noticing the little details that others may have overlooked. It rapidly bloomed from a hobby into a serious passion, and the hunger to be outdoors behind the camera grew stronger. However, it wasn’t until late 2012 that I decided to pursue
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Nikon D810 with 14-24mm f/2.8 lens at 24mm, 1/60sec at f/10, ISO 31, Twilight 0.6 ND soft grad
photography on a more serious level, and I haven’t looked back. With so much interest from new clients and my iso100 trade name gaining so much traction, I felt it was the right time to take the dive into photography full-time. My greatest inspiration comes from being outdoors in nature. There is something about being in the wilderness that sets alight the creative fire within. These days, it’s easy to get a ‘quick fix’ of inspiration from social media, and following those whose work I enjoy
provides me with an endless stream of visual stimulation. However, I try not to be too influenced by others, as I want to remain true to my own style, and it’s important for me not to be tainted by trends. Many photographers these days are too easily influenced by what’s fashionable, which only serves to make them blend in with the endless stream of the mediocre.
LF
When did you first start to photograph seriously? >>
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Mount Fitz Roy, Patagonia, Chile
Midday adventures aren’t infrequent in a place as stunning as Fitz Roy. Ten minutes before I made this image, it had been snowing heavily. In a brief lapse in the weather, the clouds broke and exposed the mountain Nikon D810 with 14-24mm f/2.8 lens at 24mm, 1/4sec at f/14, ISO 64, 0.9 ND standard, 0.6 ND soft grad
LEExposure 75 SH
I began shooting seriously at the end of 2012. The idea of investing more time in this passion quickly became a reality. Australia has some of the most stunning and diverse terrain in the world, making the hunt for new and exciting landscapes a far more enjoyable experience. We have everything from snow-covered alpine regions to secluded island beaches, and everything you could imagine in between. It’s something the majority of the world fails to recognise about Australia.
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After learning and sharpening my skills in my own ‘backyard’, I then began to travel with my photography. As a guide for photo tour company One Of A Kind Photography Adventures, things escalated quickly as I began travelling and shooting some of the world’s most sought-after photography destinations. I love what I do and I only hope to continue to grow, travel and enjoy life as a landscape and adventure photographer.
LF
You are a graphic designer by trade – how has this informed your photographic work?
SH
I am a creative at heart. Although design is my trade, photography offers a far better outlet for me to be creative. Being outdoors in the elements, surrounded by constantly evolving inspiration, always pushes me forward and on to my next adventure.
LF
How did you start to refine your photography?
SH
Long-exposure photography was a major influence when I started; not being able to see what you are about to create keeps things exciting. It brought a whole new dimension to my photography and took things >>
The Moeraki Boulders, Kohekohe Beach, New Zealand Wading out into the ocean, thigh deep in the middle of New Zealand’s winter, tears in my eyes from the crippling cold, all just to get ‘the shot’. One of the few shots that has satisfied me the most. On my workshops we do what we need to do to get the shots!
Nikon D810 14-24mm f/2.8 lens at 14mm, 1.6sec at f/8, ISO 100, 0.9 ND hard grad, Little Stopper
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Horseshoe Falls, Central Highlands, Tasmania Shot while working for Tourism Tasmania, these were some of the most perfect conditions I’ve seen at the falls, with a perfect amount of flow
to a new level. When I was learning and photography was relatively new to me, I would allow myself to be influenced by others, but in hindsight I believe that clouds the personal style, so I have limited my inspiration to nature itself, and the landscapes I seek to shoot. As I gained momentum, my hunger to progress took over. Development and learning is so important, so I am always looking for ways in which to refine my skills as a photographer. The core of my workflow essentially remains the same, but new little tricks always make their way in. I would say I take more time over my photography these days. Attention to detail is key – the perfectionist aspect of my personality is always hard at
work, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I always aim to get as much as I can correct in camera so that I spend only minimal time in postproduction.
LF
Are there any particular feelings that you try to evoke with your images?
SH
There is no one feeling or set of feelings that I attach to my images. Each is different and in turn has its own story to tell. People who have the ability to ‘see’ will be able to read my images and the stories they tell. I also believe that every individual will glean something entirely
LEExposure 77 Nikon D810 with 14-24mm f/2.8 lens at 18mm, 1/6sec at f/5.6, ISO 200, 0.9 ND soft grad
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Mount Hotham, Victoria, Australia A summertime view looking out over the rolling mountains beyond Mount Hotham in the Victorian Alps
different from each other. The same image might simply inspire one person, while instilling a sense of calm and peace in another. The spectrum is so broad. What is evoked truly is in the eye of the beholder.
LF
What’s more important to you, visiting new places, or revisiting places you’ve already photographed?
SH
Both have their positives and challenges. I love to explore new places, seeking out new compositions and discovering places that speak to me. However, revisiting old locations offers an opportunity to do
better, which is just as important. You can nearly always do a place more justice photographically.
LF
How do you plan your shoots?
SH
There is always an element of planning. I use a variety of tools that allow me to dictate light directions, tides, swell, wind, wind direction and a host of other factors. The Photographer’s Ephemeris and PhotoPills are fabulous apps for tracking and managing light direction and times – they give you the upper hand when it comes to preparation and planning your shoots. To be able >>
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to pinpoint the perfect spot pre-shoot heightens your chances of success, and very rarely do I head out to a shoot totally unplanned.
a scene, but only in the right context. The main reason I do this is to add a sense of grandness or scale to the heroic nature of the scene.
There have been times when the urge to get out and shoot on a whim has won. However, a certain level of planning and management is absolutely necessary to come away with something great.
LF
LF
SH
Sometimes you place yourself or others within the frame – what message are you conveying when you do this?
SH
If it’s a girl in the photo, it is always me. I don’t like shooting other people in my iso100 photos. I think putting a ‘human element’ in the frame can complement
Your recent work is characterised by the use of ultra-wideangle lenses. Did you find it took practice to get it right?
Shooting wide has always been my format of choice, so when LEE Filters announced the launch of the SW150 Mark II system (which I had been patiently waiting for), I immediately bought the Nikon 14-24mm lens. I am a lover of the wideangle look, but wanting to push it further was the next step. The introduction of the SW150 Mark II was the next level for me; the progression from >>
Nikon D810 with 14-24mm f/2.8 lens at 24mm, 13 seconds at f/14, ISO 100, 0.6 ND soft grad
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The Cathedral, Mount Buffalo National Park, Victoria, Australia This image was shot while I was working for Tourism Victoria and was the best alpine sunset I’ve ever experienced. Sitting there watching this sky explode was one of the best moments I have experienced in photography
Nikon D810 with 14-24mm f/2.8 lens at 24mm, 25 seconds at f/18, ISO 31, 0.9 ND standard, 0.6 ND soft grad
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Torres Del Paine, Patagonia, Chile A creative astro blend of a cloudy and rather moody evening at Lake PehoĂŠ
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Mount Fitz Roy, Patagonia, Chile During my 2016 Patagonian workshop, we experienced this powerful and explosive sunset. The colour stretched across the entire sky, and lasted for half an hour
Nikon D810 with 14-24mm f/2.8 lens at 14mm, one second at f/8, ISO 31, 0.9 ND soft grad, Little Stopper
a 16-35mm with the 100mm system to the SW150 was a real game-changer. This was the solution, and I couldn’t be more thrilled with the ‘look’. Setting up compositions can, at times, be tricky, but nothing that cannot be overcome. The main thing to watch is not getting too low and compromising your minimum focusing distance. If anything, using an ultra-wideangle lens has forced me to look closer. With it, far
more of the scene is included in the shot, so setting up a composition carefully is of paramount importance.
LF
What technical difficulties do you have to overcome when using them?
SH
Some ultra-wideangle lenses are known to be soft around the edges, so be wary of this. I would recommend the Nikon
LEExposure 81 Nikon D810 with 14-24mm f/2.8 lens at 14mm, two seconds at f/8, ISO 31, 0.9 ND soft grad
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Torres del Paine, Patagonia, Chile This remains one of the grandest sights I’ve ever seen. I hiked up one of the steepest inclines to reach this place, which is perhaps one of the world’s best spots to greet the rising sun
14-24mm paired with the SW150 Mark II system to anyone. It is my weapon of choice; this lens and filter system on a Nikon D810 body is, in my mind, the ultimate wideangle landscape photographer’s set-up. It is bliss!
LF
What other kit do you use?
SH
My main kit consists of Nikon D810 and
D800 camera bodies, while my lenses include the Nikon 16-35mm, Nikon 14-24mm and Nikon 70-200mm. Then there’s the Lee Filters 100mm system, 0.6 and 0.9 ND grads in soft and hard, 0.6 and 0.9 ND standard filters, a circular polariser, Little Stopper and Big Stopper.
LF
Long exposures also feature heavily in your work. When do you decide to use a long exposure? >>
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Nikon D810 with 14-24mm f/2.8 lens at 24mm, 101 seconds at f/18, ISO 40, 0.6 ND soft grad, Big Stopper
SH
I love the textured movement that is created in a longexposure landscape, be that in cloud or water. It’s this movement that I find to be one of the most stunning things about photography.
Patagonia, specifically the Torres Del Paine National Park. The shape, scale, colour and light of this place are unlike anything I have ever experienced.
LF
Do you ever simply stand and look at a scene, and not take a picture?
Much of your photography features mountainous locations. What is so special about these places?
SH
The mountains truly speak to me. Majesty on the grandest scales. I love all landscapes, but it’s when I am in the mountains that I feel most inspired, and most at home. The most inspiring mountainous region I have had the pleasure of shooting is in Chilean
LF
SH
There have definitely been times where I have sat back, taken in a scene and not reached for the shutter release. Sometimes you need to just take in the moment without the distraction of ‘getting the shot’. We can sometimes miss those beautiful moments getting caught up in our photography.
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Mount Cook, New Zealand Mount Cook is one of those locations I keep getting drawn back to, a place that really speaks to me. Even though I’ve shot it on many occasions, every time I come around the bend and see this view, it’s like the first time all over again
LF
Have you ever found yourself in any hair-raising situations in the quest for capturing a photograph?
SH
I try to be as safe as possible when shooting, for my own sake and for the sake of my gear. However, if the occasion calls for a sketchy position or location I will do what I need to do in the safest possible manner. Having said that, I have still found myself perched on the very edge of cliffs, or hanging off things, or up terribly high… A perfect example of this was on a recent trip to Yosemite National Park. I found myself sitting on a small rock cliff to shoot Glacier Point. I’m so scared of heights, but proud I overcame my fear and managed to perch myself so high.
LF
You’re a relative newcomer to photography, but have already achieved a great deal. What are your aims as you look to the future?
SH
Yes, things have certainly gained a lot of momentum, especially since 2014 when I turned to photography full time. Aside from undertaking ongoing and new projects, I would love to open a gallery in a high-traffic area of Melbourne and focus more on selling my work – an area I have not given the proper attention to, and not from lack of interest! n Visit iso100.com.au
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