Creation Fine Arts
framed The Fine Art Photography of Nigel Walker www.nigelwalker.co.uk
Photography is more than a medium for factual communication of ideas. It is a creative art Anselm Adams
To consult the rules of composition before making a picture is a little like consulting the law of gravitation before going for a walk. Edward Weston
Fine art photography Creation Fine Arts
This publication introduces the photographer Nigel Walker to those who may not yet know him. He has been taking photographs for over forty years whilst pursuing his main career. Now retired he is using that knowledge and experience to develop his own work further and teach others. He is, as he says himself, “improving slowly”. Fan of many traditional and contemporary photographers he has been inspired by Anselm Adams, Henri Cartier Bresson, Bill Brandt, Lee Miller, Dorothea Lange, Imogen Cunningham and Jane Bown among many others. “There is,” he says, “No-one that you can’t learn from.” His aim is to take, process and present photographs of “ the landscape geographic, personal, human, economic, emotional and of that unique and personal landscape - the spiritual.” “The main aim of photography for me is to look, see and interpret” he says, “..and these are all more challenging than they seem.” His photos may ask questions or tell stories but they all speak to us.
Photography is the simplest thing in the world but it is incredibly complicated to make it really work Martin Parr
Light makes photography. Embrace light. Admire it. Love it. But above all, know light. Know it for all you are worth, and you will know the key to photography. George Eastman
Name :- Nigel Walker Born :- Liverpool, England, January 1950 Worked in Health and Social Care from 1973 until 2010. Owned and curated Creation Fine Arts gallery between 2010 and 2015. He lives in Beverley, East Yorkshire . Website : www.nigelwalker.co.uk
This publication contains a very limited number of images, as does the website. The words alongside each picture describe and give an explanation of the photograph with some exif information for each. Nigel updates images on the website frequently as new photographs become available. Nigel only produces a limited edition of three copies of most images on high quality art or photographic papers with archival inks. These are signed and numbered and mounted on acid free backing boards to the highest standards. This adds a rarity value to his printed work. He can be contacted directly through his website.
Photograph by kind permission of Andrew Chandler (http://www.andrewchandler.co.uk)
I have always enjoyed travelling as it provides many opportunities to photograph all the things I have an interest in - broadly I suppose - the human condition. This picture is a great example of opportunistic photography and geographic beauty . I was waiting for a water taxi when the sun rose to a height where it started to burn off the light fog. I realised I would have only a couple of minutes to capture this and hurriedly pulled my camera and lens from the bag at my feet. I managed three shots only before the mist dispersed completely and this is the best, due partly to the position of the boat sailing in front of San Giorgio Maggiore. Serendipity ! (Canon 300D; f10 ; 1/400th sec at ISO 100 ; focal length 70mm )
Some photographs arrive despite circumstances. The picture below was the result of spending four hours at sunrise on the banks of the Dordogne. Intent on photographing a chateau on top of the lime cliff opposite as the sun rose the mist refused to go anywhere. On a 100 metre beach less that 10 metres wide there was not a lot to do for four hours. However such circumstances do make you look carefully and this picture was a result of that process. Photographers should always assess their surroundings carefully, even when the purpose of the visit may seem futile. There are often other possibilities and nothing is wasted. (Canon EOS 5d Mk II ; f 22; 1 second at ISO 100; focal length 115 mm )
This is from an ongoing series provisionally called “Artists at Work” . Each picture will eventually be shown with work by the artist alongside it and the portrait will carry within it an element of how the artist works. Photojournalist Lee Karen Stow has worked for many major magazines worldwide and this photograph was taken when she was showing work in my gallery. Her work in support of feminist agendas (and especially of women in Sierra Leone) have brought her wide admiration, a massive following and an honorary degree - her touring exhibition “Poppies, Women and War” drew more people in six weeks than any previous show at the Museum of Liverpool. Any portrait I take has to show people at ease and being themselves, which is as much the job of the photographer as taking a picture. This photo made the Open Exhibition at The Ferens Gallery in 2015. (Canon EOS 5d Mk II; f4.5; 1/60th sec at ISO 1250 ; focal length 50mm )
Sometimes a picture can tell a story. The light in Domme was magical…but tell me what’s happening ? That’s the secret. I can create a thousand magical tales from this photograph - just as Scheherezade did. Your call…. (Canon EOS 5d Mk II ; f9.5; 1/250th sec at ISO 250. Focal length 105mm)
Taking a picture of a well known city that represents it is not easy. So you have to find a new view! When I took this photo the Rockerfeller Building had just opened its top floor (Top of the Rock) to visitors only weeks before and, as the second largest building in NY it offered unrivalled views. The slanting cloud and late winter light helped, with Ellis Island and The Statue of Liberty off to the right. Look for something different to refresh the view. (Canon 300d; f6.3; 1/250th sec at ISO 100 ; focal length 59mm )
This photograph was taken in autumn. The old greens and new yellows and oranges filled the path. A bank sloping off to the right provided a nice line and the tunnel of trees on the right led the eye away into the distance. But when I looked at it the image seemed hackneyed. I liked the composition and so worked on it to produce something different. The composition has not been compromised. However de-saturating the colours has produced an image that is more interesting than just another autumnal shot. (Canon EOS 5d Mk II; f5.6; 1/250thd sec at ISO 3200; focal length 92mm)
Black and white is sometimes more powerful than colour. The tall spire of South Dalton Church dominates the skyline of this area of East Yorkshire. The low clouds scuttle by while a patch of sunlight lifts the higher reaches. But all is dominated by the ominous black above. It looked a lot less impressive in colour! (Canon EOS 5d Mk II; f22; 1/250th sec at 100 ISO; Focal length 92mm)
A field of wild flowers found accidentally in rural France can present a range of opportunities. Here tight control of depth of field has helped create a central belt of focus without destroying the image. It was breezy too so a higher ISO helped keep the speed up and the shot still. Cropping to a letterbox size during post-production has helped too. Try and be aware of what your final image may look like when taking the photograph. (Canon EOS 5d Mk II; f8; 1/1500th sec at 800 ISO; focal length 210 mm)
Flowers are a great staple for photographers, especially when it is wet and cold outside and we have a macro lens to hand. Sets can sometimes help you sell and mounting in a size where it is easy to buy a ready-made frame makes sense too. This sort of set I never make a limited edition of.
(All these photographs were shot on a Canon 5D Mk II with a 100mm macro lens. However each was separately light and so other details vary.)
The colours of this pile of chairs caught my eye while is Kas, Turkey. They were simple school chairs being used by a restaurant that was yet to open but had been painted in primary colours and piled up haphazardly. The almost abstract nature was too good to miss, although it is easily possible in this case to interpret the picture. (Canon EOS 40D; f 14; 1/640th sec; ISO 320; focal length 38mm)
Making people look hard at a photo is worth it. It forces them to consider alternatives. Few things are better at helping than reflective surfaces. In the picture below it is simply the very still surface of a beck near where I live. The lily pads are floating on the surface (together with other small pieces of debris which you can distinguish in the photo) and the sky and prow of a moored boat are seen in it. It is surprising however how many people can’t work out what’s going on immediately. (Canon EOS 5D Mk II; f18; 1/20th sec at ISO 6400; focal length 24mm)
I love architecture and photography can help celebrate the skills and materials that have produced buildings we live and work in. This block of flats at Mann Island in Liverpool (which also houses the Open Eye photographic gallery ) was a gift for me when visiting my home town. The two open windows and the bird manage to give a sense of scale while the glass surface makes it look as though it is floating. The angle and cropping imply the bow of a ship, which, given the maritime associations, seemed appropriate. So use the history of place and create pictures that tell you more about the building than just a recording of it. (Canon EOS 5D MkII; f 7.1; 1/100th sec at ISO 100; focal length 24mm)
Increasingly in recent years we have seen the growth of panoramic photographs. Newer smart phones even do it for you so long as you can turn the camera in a reasonably straight line. However, even with the great stitching abilities of a contemporary computer programme, the photographer must still make key decisions and ensure an informed approach to give consistency in exposure, for example. The photograph below, of Thixendale in East Yorkshire, shows the the dip of the Dale in the centre, turning away in the distance with the different colours of the fields, illustrating the range of crops and farming methods, on either side. Some wild grass sprinkled with poppies makes for a pleasing foreground and the sky shows how big it can be in that area. (Canon 5D MkII; 40mm focal length at f8 Varied but fast exposure times around 1/250th sec and ISO 100)
Do it differently‌. Living in the arable East Yorkshire with many huge and rolling fields of wheat and barley I see many pictures representing this aspect of life here. Most are straightforward close-ups of ears of wheat or broad fields, sometimes with the odd poppy in to vary the colour. So how do you get away from those images which have, however well taken and competent, become hackneyed over the years - like sunsets and sunrises. My solution is to make it more abstracted. This shot was taken on a windy day with a longer exposure. Some of the wheat was protected and so remained fairly still which tells the viewer what it is they are seeing. The movement adds abstraction and the longer exposure lightens the colour slightly. I don’t know whether that does it for you but it does bring a fresh perspective. This photograph was selected for exhibition in East Riding Open Art at Treasure House gallery, Beverley. (Canon 5D MkII; f22; 1 sec at 100 ISO; focal length 67 mm)
Finally another black and white landscape of a field and tree not far from my home. The rape was yellow, the sky very blue and the emerging leaves a wonderful pale green. All very ordinary. Using post production to make an infra-red copy of the original created a very different sort of shot. (Canon 5D MkII; f11; 1/250 sec; ISO 100; focal length 35mm)
After word I hope that you have enjoyed these few photographs and my commentaries on them. They are all entirely my own views and you may wish to disagree. The problem with photography Is that it is always much more complex than you think it should be. Knowledge and experience can help combat that, but not always…. Sometimes you will have to grab the shot and worry about the settings later. Sometimes you will be able to scout out a landscape and wait for the right conditions. Sometimes you’ll find you have forgotten the lens you suddenly need or the memory card is full and you have no spare or the battery loses charge. Whilst my advice would always be to try and get the shot you want with your planning and knowledge don’t ignore post production. Photographers have always manipulated images in the dark room and there is no reason you should not do the same in Photoshop….but use it sparingly or it will show. If printing and exhibiting don’t use cheap paper, ink, mounts or frames. Your work is worth more than that and people will know. I also choose to make very limited editions of most of my printed shots to add a rarity value. It doesn’t make them much more expensive to be honest. But mostly have fun and think about what you want to achieve with a shot. Much comes with practice but you still need to look, see and interpret. Feeling is just as important as anything technical if you want to move from taking photographs to making art. It is thinking that will make your shot an original and not a copy. Good hunting… Feel free to contact me via my website if you wish. www.nigelwalker.co.uk Nigel Walker
I think that emotional content is an image’s most important element, regardless of the photographic technique. Much of the work I see these days lacks the emotional impact to draw a reaction from viewers, or remain in their hearts
Anne Geddes
Photography for me is not looking, it’s feeling. If you can’t feel what you’re looking at, then you’re never going to get others to feel anything when they look at your pictures.
Don McCullin
Framed www.nigelwalker.co.uk