RPS Landscape Magazine, Autumn 2023 by Royal Photographic Society

Landscape THE MAGAZINE OF THE ROYAL PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIETY LANDSCAPE GROUP Issue 12

THE ROYAL PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIETY RPS House, 337 Paintworks, Arnos Vale, Bristol, BS4 3AR, UK rps.org Incorporated by Royal Charter

HRH THE PRINCESS OF WALES President and Chair of Trustees Chief Executive Officer DAN JONES Hon Treasurer CHARLOTTE FRAIBERG

Magazine Editor: Candia Peterson ARPS Assistant Editor: Gaynor Davies ARPS Magazine Production: Paul Cayton LRPS Committee

Patron

SIMON HILL FRPS

RPS LANDSCAPE GROUP

Colin Balfour LRPS: Chair (Officer) Viv Cotton ARPS: Secretary (Officer) Mark Edwards LRPS: Treasurer (Officer) Mark Reeves FRPS: Vice Chair Chris McIntosh: Professionally-led Events Manager Howard Klein LRPS: Exhibition and Member-Led Events Candia Peterson ARPS: Magazine Editor Peter Fortune: Newsletter Editor Sue Wright: Website Editor David Travis ARPS: Circles Co-ordinator

Please send contributions to landscapemagazine@rps.org COVER IMAGES: Front Cover: Glen Affric Misty Autumn Morning by Andy Leonard LRPS Back Cover: Early Morning Derwentwater by Viv Cotton ARPS Landscape is the magazine of the RPS Landscape Group and is provided as part of the annual subscription to the Group. © 2023 The Royal Photographic Society All rights reserved on behalf of the contributors and authors. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the written permission of the copyright holder. Requests for such permission must be addressed to the Editor. The Royal Photographic Society, RPS Landscape Group and the Editor accept no liability for any misuse or breach of copyright by a contributor. The views expressed in this magazine do not necessarily reflect the policies of the Royal Photographic Society or of the Landscape group.

Printed on behalf of The Royal Photographic Society by Fretwell Print and Direct Mail, Healey Works, Goulbourne Street, Keighley, West Yorkshire, BD21 1PX

In this issue Regulars 4.

Welcome

24.

The Post Processing Page

48.

Webb Watch

62.

Inspiration

David Rosen looks at curves in post-processing. Stunning images from the Webb Telescope - the ultimate landscape. Watch, follow, read and listen – some ideas to keep your landscape photography fresh.

Professional Photographers

12.

Autumn Inspiration Robert Harvey ARPS takes us to the ancient Savernake Forest to explore some magnificent veteran trees, resplendent in their autumn glory.

18.

The Human Landscape Angie McMonigal shares her “Urban Quilt” series of the Chicago skyscape.

28.

The Nature of Landscape Joe Cornish HonFRPS continues his series on different themes in landscape photography by looking at the two extremes of Geographic and Intimate landscapes.

50.

An Alternative View Stephanie Johnson describes her photographic journey through Intentional Camera Movement.

Member Contributions 6.

Where in the World? I - Jean Robson FRPS Jean describes her post-covid journey to the Arctic Circle.

36.

Memories of Geography Lessons - David Battensby Reflecting Joe Cornish’s take on geographic landscapes, David gives us his interpretation.

42.

Exploring the Intimate Landscape - Steve Gledhill ARPS Steve picks up Joe Cornish’s work on the intimate landscape, with a flavour of his work that contributed to his ARPS.

56.

Where in the World? II - Ashok Viswanathan Ashok takes us to the little-known Inle Lake in the Shan hills of Myanmar.

Landscape Magazine Issue 12

Welcome Welcome from the Editor

to the magazine of the RPS Landscape Group.

I was delighted to have been asked by our Chair, Colin Balfour, to take on the fascinating task of editing our group magazine and I very much hope that you will enjoy this, my first issue, at the helm. Although this is my first time wearing an editor’s hat, I have given the project considerable thought, not just for this issue but for the next several, which you will now receive twice yearly. As such, I wanted to introduce some regular features that will offer consistency over forthcoming editions of the magazine and you will find the first of these across these pages. A great friend both to the RPS and the Landscape Group, Joe Cornish continues his series on different types of landscape – this time, from the very large to the very small, as geographic takes on intimate – and I have backed up both of these genres with complementary contributions from landscape group members Steve Gledhill ARPS and David Battensby. In recognition of Joe’s current, on-going and long-term support of the landscape group and the magazine, the group’s committee

is delighted to donate to two charities of his choice – The Woodland Trust and The World Land Trust. Two of my photographic heroes, Angie McMonigal and Stephanie Johnson, write respectively about Urban and Alternative landscapes. Robert Harvey, another good friend to the group, gives us a flavour of autumn and a preview of one of his guided walks in the English countryside. We also have another new feature: Where in the World? In this edition, we look at two very different landscapes: One to be found in the Arctic Circle, as experienced by Jean Robson FRPS and the second in Myanmar at Lake Inle, by Ashok Viswanathan. Forthcoming issues will take us around the globe to different exciting locations. I have added a few other shorter reads: David Rosen has contributed the first of what will become a regular series on postprocessing; in “Webb Watch” I have picked two images from the fabulous Webb Telescope website which is showing photos of what is, arguably, the “infinite

landscape” and, towards the back of the magazine, you will find some ideas and inspiration to take with you on your photographic journey. Ultimately, this is your magazine, members of the RPS landscape group, and it is my intention to feature as many of you as is practical within these pages over the coming few editions. If anyone would like to write in to me with ideas for content generally but also to pick up on the themes of urban, alternative and Where in the World, as well as those appropriate to the season (next up Spring), I would be only too delighted to receive these, as well as images for the covers and ideas for the inspiration page. I hope you will enjoy reading this edition as much as Gaynor, Paul and I have enjoyed putting it together and that you will draw some new ideas from it to keep your projects going over the months ahead. Candia Peterson ARPS Magazine Editor, RPS Landscape Group landscapemagazine@rps.org

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Wall Repair, Finnavarra Martello Tower, Co. Clare, Ireland by Shaun Parkes LDPS

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Where in the World? I Jean Robson FRPS RPS Landscape Group member Jean Robson FRPS discusses her sea journey up into the High Arctic and some of the challenges the trip presented. The images shown in this piece were part of her successful Fellowship submission. www.jeanrobsonimages.co.uk

Brasvellbreen Glacial Front

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Arctic Moods. Capturing the Landscapes of The High Arctic Whilst suffering a bout of Lockdown cabin fever I came across spaces on a small “expedition” ship, due to sail from Longyearbyen, Svalbard in April 2022. The ship carries 12 guests with a crew of 5. “Expedition ship” means that you don’t dress for dinner and that food, sleep and itinerary are dictated by what is happening outside the ship rather than by any plan. We were tempted, so signed up, fearing that the voyage, which we had already booked for the autumn, would be cancelled for the third time. Despite the literature and images posted by tour companies, always showing continuous, fabulous, soft Arctic light and wildlife on every side, we went with the attitude that whatever we saw would be fascinating and polar bears would be a bonus!

Approaching Storm

In April the weather was extremely variable but we did enjoy one or two days of glorious, low Arctic sun. On most of the days our skies were filled with ominous clouds and, sometimes, we were surrounded by complete white-outs, when, for most of the time, the towering peaks flanking the fjords were invisible. The guides hoped to take us far to the north to find the pack ice, where polar bear sightings are most common in spring, but the seas were too rough, which meant more days sailing in and out of spectacular fjords. I loved every minute of it! Although Svalbard is renowned as a wildlife photographer’s paradise, it also is hard to beat for landscape photography. As my fellow travellers sipped coffee in the warm cabin and bemoaned the lack of polar bears, I decided to work on a project showing that the scenery is wonderful in all weather.

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Arctic Dawn

Producing a landscape project in the High Arctic is not without challenges. Travel on foot, outside the centre of Longyearbyen, is only permitted in the company of an armed guard because of the risk of polar bear encounters. In April, sea ice makes approaching land difficult so that there are few chances to leave the vessel, even by Zodiac (an inflatable dinghy). Occasional sorties to walk onto the ice confirmed the fact that, although it appears solid, it is continually moving! On board, even when the ship is stationary, the engines are kept running almost all the time, in case a quick move is required so continual vibration must be allowed for in selecting shutter speeds. Achieving images with different perspectives is also quite a challenge. We were able, occasionally, to leave the ship in Zodiacs, allowing water-level views of small icebergs. Getting a straight horizon whilst bobbing up and down like a cork isn’t easy. When winds dropped and water calmed, other variations in perspective were achieved by climbing onto the roof of the ship’s bridge but, for the most part, images were taken from the deck. Protecting gear and fingers from the cold needs planning. Temperatures varied from a balmy -2oC to -10oC and add to that a good dose of wind chill. Cameras performed exceptionally well in the

cold; battery life is, of course, shortened, but the dryness of the atmosphere meant that we had none of the anticipated problems with condensation. My specs didn’t even steam up when coming in from the deck to take advantage of hot tea and coffee, available 24/7. I was keen to explore all the weather but, at its worst, safety considerations required the doors to be locked tight with us inside, giving us excellent underwater views through our cabin porthole as the ship rolled! Achieving a variety of images showing the Arctic in different weather and ice conditions without using long exposure, mostly from the deck, with a limited range of shutter speeds, without using exposure bracketing and whilst been confined to cabins in the worst weather, seemed, to me, entirely feasible because the scenery was so magnificent! On our spring voyage we experienced some fabulous dawn and dusk light. At the most northerly latitude these were separated by only a 3-hour blue spell. The sea ice as it formed, changed and moved, created an amazing array of ever-changing foregrounds and there was ample opportunity to capture shafts of light breaking through the clouds.

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Barren Lands

Freezing Waters

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Isfjorden in Spring

Numbers of fulmars and guillemots were starting to build up for the short Arctic breeding season so I could often wait for one to enter my compositions. On the days where no landscape was visible through the fog and fresh snow covered the ice, giving a blanket with no discernible contrast, waiting for a fox, walrus or bird to appear provided plenty of entertainment.

We felt incredibly lucky to be able to visit the archipelago at the end of the season, as well as the beginning, providing opportunities for illustrating very different scenery. I was able to develop my project despite the challenges and I am absolutely delighted to report that it was entirely possible to capture enough images, despite the challenges, to satisfy the Fellowship distinction panel.

In late August the sea ice had reached its lowest extent and the wind had swept most of the land clear of snow. Most of the cliffs are only sparsely vegetated, adding opportunities to illustrate and understand the geological forces that shaped these lands. Massive glaciers which empty nutrients into the ocean, attracting wildlife, can be more closely approached and photographed, including the Brasvellbreen glacial front, the longest ice cliff in the northern hemisphere.

And in case you wondered, we did see polar bears in the autumn.

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North West Coast

Reflections of Time

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Autumn Inspiration Robert Harvey ARPS Robert Harvey ARPS is a professional photographer based in Wiltshire. He leads one-day workshops in mid-November on the veteran trees, avenues and tree tunnel of Savernake Forest for the RPS Landscape Group. For details please visit his website: www.naturalworldphotography.net/photography-tours.

‘Arthropod’ Veteran Oak

Landscape Magazine Issue 11

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The Veterans of Savernake Forest Savernake is an ancient hunting forest near the market town of Marlborough. Established in the 12th century, the forest is privately owned by the Marquess of Ailesbury and has never been bought or sold. It is now managed for timber by the Forestry Commission and is open to the public 364 days a year.

Some historically important trees are named and appear on local maps, such as King Oak and Queen Oak, both near the Twelve O’Clock drive. Big Belly Oak, standing right beside the A346, has a girth of 11 metres and is estimated to be at least one thousand years old.

One could wander for days and, indeed, weeks in the forest, still discovering new subjects. Veteran trees, particularly oaks, are scattered throughout the forest, along with many mature beeches.

Many of the most delightful trees to photograph are not shown on maps. One of the most bizarre looks like a giant arthropod lumbering through the forest waving its tentacles. Another, “Sleeping Dragon” oak, has an upper trunk that has toppled right over and broken off. It used to arch right down to the ground but sadly the end of its arching trunk snapped off in 2020. Remarkably, the tree is still going, having produced twin spiralling stems to replace its broken trunk. Nearby “Gargoyle” oak is deceased and spectacularly hollow, with many spiky branches.

‘Sleeping Dragon’ Veteran Oak

‘Gargoyle’ Veteran Oak

Although not well-known outside Wiltshire, Savernake has amongst the highest densities of veteran trees to be found anywhere in Europe. A magnificent Grand Avenue runs through the heart of the forest and is exceptional at the peak of autumn colour. The forest is also rich in fungi during autumn.

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Tucked well away in the depths of the forest, “Fallen Preacher” has a trunk split down the middle. Half is lying on the ground but the remainder is still standing, with its branches like outstretched arms, as if the tree is welcoming and addressing the faithful. The photographic potential of these quirky behemoths is obvious but not always easy to realise. Stand too close and you will get many distracting highlights from the sky. Stand too far and the tree may be obscured by surrounding vegetation. I find telephoto lenses most useful to isolate compositions, exclude sky, frame subjects and make subjects bigger in the frame. Careful positioning is essential. To ensure sufficient depth of field a small aperture such as f/16 may be needed. Alternatively, a fairly wide aperture (around f/8) can make a tree stand out from a soft-focus background. Focus stacking is another useful technique, enabling a series of sharp slices to be captured of the main subject with the aperture wide open (for example f/4), which, when stacked, leave the background soft. Grand Avenue traverses the forest, lined with avenues of beech planted in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. At 3.9 miles, it is said to be the longest tree-lined avenue in Britain. The Avenue provides a strong leading line through an image.

‘Fallen Preacher’ in fog

Gnarled Beech Tree

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Grand Avenue in mist

Running from north-west to south-east, in November the rising sun shines down the length of the Avenue, giving the opportunity of interesting back-lighting. Late afternoon sun side-lights the Avenue and this golden light looks fantastic when the trees are at the peak of their colour. A short telephoto lens is ideal to compress perspective and fill the frame with trees, excluding distracting areas of sky. Towards the south-east end of Grand Avenue, on the right hand side travelling from Marlborough, is an area of veteran beeches, well-spaced out for photography. Look out for a fine pollarded beech in the middle, with an almost horizontal branch. A variety of compositions are possible here and the location merits repeated visits. At 1,800 ha (seven square miles), Savernake is the largest wooded area in Wiltshire. However, the original hunting forest was much larger in the Middle Ages, extending to 40,000 ha (150 square miles). Vestiges of this ancient forest can be found in the countryside around Savernake. My favourite location is a remarkable tree tunnel, as yet unknown to most in the photographic community. Leading up a hillside between open fields, a view along the tunnel looks like a portal into another world.

A fish-eye lens can capture this effect but I prefer the result from a short telephoto looking along the tunnel. A few minutes before sunset, as its entrance goes into shade, golden light fills the tunnel. Autumn is the obvious time to photograph Savernake. Because of the sheltering of so many trees, the peak of colour arrives later than in many other parts of southern England and, thanks to climate change, that peak has shifted later into November over the quarter century I have been visiting. Last year, for the first time, Grand Avenue was resplendent on 25 November. It still made a decent golden-hued photograph on 1 December. The essence of veteran trees is their shape and form so photographing them in winter, when there are no leaves to distract from their character, can also be effective. Bright but overcast conditions are good, as is early morning backlighting on golden leaves. At any time of year, the ideal weather condition is mist or fog to add a sense of mystery to the scene and separate the ancient trees from their background. Even a little early morning mist adds that extra ingredient, giving a sense of enchantment to the forest.

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‘Fallen Preacher’

Tree Tunnel

Sulphur tuft (Hypholoma fasciculare)

Tree Tunnel

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Robert Harvey BA ARPS EFIAP CEnv CSci MCIWEM www.naturalworldphotography.net

Common Rustgill (Gymnopilus penetrans)

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Grand Pier Teignmouth

The Human Landscape Angie McMonigal Angie is a fine art and commercial architecture photographer from Chicago. Her work has been included in several publications including National Geographic and Architectural Digest and her work has been exhibited across America and in Barcelona. Her workshops in cities around the world are deservedly well-renowned. She says of her work “my focus is more frequently on bold architectural details rather than sweeping cityscapes, creating images that celebrate those unexpectedly iconic elements hiding in plain sight.” Her series on the Urban Quilt, which she discusses here, has become synonymous with her work. www.angiemcmonigal.com

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The Urban Quilt

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In the city that built the first skyscraper, the lines that structure the urban landscape run north and south, east and west, thus creating ‘the grid’. However, the most striking lines are the ones that run from street to sky. The façades of Chicago’s imposing towers make up this whole other grid; the one staring straight at you, composed of windows, beams, balconies, pillars and rooflines.

Quilting The City

We are surrounded by horizontal and vertical lines repeating rhythmically in steel, brick, stone and glass. I’ve started to see this grid as a quilt. Because I don’t just see individual buildings standing there as imposing towers of steel; I see a patchwork. Different colours, different textures, different materials, different architectural styles, all pieced together. Some patches are pristine and new; others a little more worn. There are iconic patterns, immediately recognisable, and also bits that are hard to identify; fragments that feel familiar but are hard to place. I see spindly fire escapes tacked on, looking like bits of stray stitching. Some blocks make clear that they were destined to be joined together, whilst others look like accidents or even challenging points of tension.

The grid is impossible to miss when you see the bold black lines of Mies van der Rohe or the red lines of the CNA Center. Sullivan embellishes his patch of the grid with bits of gorgeous ornamentation. The Wabash Building — Roosevelt University’s new “vertical campus” — sneaks in a sleek diagonal. The Burberry shop on Michigan Avenue playfully inserts the brand’s signature tartan into the quilt.

We often think of photographs as capturing a single moment in time. A shutter clicks, an instant is preserved. When I started photographing the city as an urban quilt, I became more aware of the way these buildings preserve different moments from our history. Those moments aren’t arranged in a nice orderly timeline like you’d find in a history book or a museum display. They’re standing next to each other, layered on top of one another. My photographs flatten out the miles between the streets and erase the years that separate one construction project from the next. It’s all stitched together now on a single plane. The modern lines of the Art Institute’s newest wing frame the classical details of Daniel Burnham’s Peoples Gas Building, completed across the street almost 100 years prior. It’s all stitched together now on a single plane.

I do like the idea that there are these clean lines running through the messy city, underlying rules that make it all make sense. And I like that the rules get broken in sneaky little ways and that, just when you think you’ve got the hang of it, there’s a new complication to keep you on your toes.

Quilts, as I learned from my grandmother, are slow. They take hours and hours to make. They are passed down from generation to generation. A single quilt can take scraps of fabric from different eras and bring them together into a unified whole — a whole that celebrates, rather than hides, the uniqueness of each of the pieces and the time and effort it takes to bring them together. The oldest surviving Chicago skyscraper was completed in 1891 and the urban quilt contains traces of every decade since. Like every square of a quilt, each of these pieces is still in use, performing a real function in the present moment. That Peoples Gas Building from 1911 is home to a shiny new Walgreens and you can still have lunch or take a dance lesson a few blocks away in the Fine Arts Building, which dates back to 1885. When I look at the beautiful quilts my grandmother made, I’m transported back to rural Wisconsin where I grew up, far from the grid of the big city and the steel of Chicago’s massive skyscrapers. I’ve always loved her quilts but they’re a product of a different place and time and I would never have imagined making anything like that myself. But with these photographs, which have taught me to see time and space a little differently, I think I’ve found a bit of the quilter in me after all.

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The Post Processing Page David Rosen David is an award-winning photographer specialising in fine art monochrome landscapes. He is well known to the RPS for his excellent series of on-line workshops covering different aspects of the landscape genre, from the creative theory to the finished image. Here, he talks about using the tone curve in Lightroom. www.davidrosenphotography.com When flexing our creative muscles in Lightroom, with its array of powerful new AI tools, it can be easy to overlook the power of the curves tool. Too often it is relegated to tweaking the contrast using simple S curves, while its true potential for creative image crafting remains overlooked. However, the way we treat the distribution of tones in our shadow areas for example, will influence the degree to which we can add drama to our images. Using curves, we can create a sense of mystery by hiding or revealing shadow detail, posing unanswered questions for the viewer and potentially creating a sense of mystique. For some images, a cinematic look can add a unique sense of emotion and depth to a landscape. In these instances, the careful handling of the deepest blacks using the curves tool (zones 1 and 2) may be called for. Conversely, in the age of digital sensors, we are no longer able to rely on the more forgiving characteristic curves of negative film to handle challenging highlights. Digital sensors simply flatline the highlights when they are over-exposed, leading to ugly and unrecoverable blown-out areas in our images, even with raw files. In other situations, such as back-lit scenes, important choices must be made regarding which highlight details in zone 8 are important while 24

limiting the luminosity of the brightest areas in zones 9 and 10, which will lack almost any detail or texture: The aim being to create less-distracting tones by selectively repairing or lowering the brightest highlight values. Before we start to describe how we might influence shadow and highlight areas or explain what exactly we mean by a cinematic look and feel in luminosity terms, let’s overlay the zone system over the tone curve to show exactly which areas within the image our adjustments are going to influence in the image. In his book ’The Negative’, Ansel Adams provides us with granular detail on exactly what the tones in each of these zones might look like. Here are his examples: Zone 0: Pure Black. Zone 1: Near black, with slight tonality but no texture. Zone 2: Textured black: The darkest part of the image with slight detail. Zone 3: Average dark materials and low values, showing adequate texture. Zone 4: Average dark foliage, dark stone or landscape shadows. Zone 5: Middle grey: Clear north sky, dark skin, average weathered wood.

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Taking Control of your Curves 2. CRUSH AND LIFT THE SHADOWS:

Zone 6: Average Caucasian skin, light stone, shadows on snow in sunlit landscapes. Zone 7: Very light skin, shadows in snow with acute side lighting. Zone 8: Lightest tone with texture: Textured snow. Zone 9: Slight tone without texture: Glaring snow. Zone 10: Pure white: Light sources, specular reflections - paper white, no detail. With these zones and the image subject matter they represent in mind, let’s now look at some example adjustments we might make to the tone curve, when we might use them and the effects they may have on the image. 1. CRUSH THE SHADOWS:

When we crush and lift the black tones, we are again influencing two aspects of the dynamic range of the image. Firstly, we are limiting the maximum depth of the blacks. At the same time, we are also shifting tones in zones 0 and 1 into zones 2 and 3, effectively creating softer graduations within the shadow area. This creates more muted blacks, with the image appearing less ‘digital’ and more cinematic. 3. CRUSH THE HIGHLIGHTS:

When we crush the highlights, just as with shadow crushing, we are forcing two changes. Firstly, we are limiting the brightness of the highlights within the image. In effect, we are shifting tones in zone 8 to zone 9 and the tones at the start of zone 9 to just under 10. At the same time, we are increasing highlight contrast within the image by increasing the slope of the curve in the brightest areas of the image. 4. REPAIR THE HIGHLIGHTS:

When we crush the blacks we are, in fact, forcing two simultaneous changes across the dynamic range of the image. Firstly, we are taking the last few gradations within zones 1 & 2 and (depending on the degree of crushing), conflating them into the pure black tones of zone 0. At the same time, we are increasing the shadow contrast within the image by increasing the slope of the curve in the darkest areas of the image.

When highlights over-shadow an image and/ or clipped highlights are present, one way to address this is to ‘repair the highlights.’ By bringing down the luminosity of the clipped highlights and transitioning zone 9 highlights to zone 8 and upper zone 8 tones to lower zone 8, we can refocus attention on the main subject and reduce the distraction of over-dominant highlights. This will also have the effect of reducing the dynamic range within the image. 25

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5. CINEMATIC CONTRAST ADJUSTMENT:

The film stock used in cinema has a different and lower contrast range than that of digital sensors. There is no true black point and highlights are generally softer. Using the tone curve to bring zones 9 and 10 in the highlights lower and raising the shadow tones out of zone 10 and the lower end of zone 9 can bring an air of cinematic atmosphere to your images. Dynamic ranges with excessive contrast may create punchy images but can tend to lack atmosphere and may feel inauthentic. Are highlight and shadow adjustments using curves more precise than using Lightroom sliders?

ORIGINAL IMAGE

HIGHLIGHT SLIDER ADJUSTMENT

CURVES HIGHLIGHT REPAIR The three images above show the effect on the histogram of reducing the highlights using either the highlight slider or by applying a highlight repair curves adjustment. It can be seen from the images that there is a significant difference between the two methods, with the highlight repair offering a more subtle and nuanced solution. The differences are also clearly visible within the histogram, with the highlight slider tending to influence all of the tones, whereas the highlight repair specifically targets brightest tones in zones 10, 9 and 8 parts of the image. The challenge with curve adjustment techniques is they tend to be time consuming and must be applied with accuracy along each point of the curve. Over the past few months, I have been working to find an effective and efficient post-

processing solution. I have now created and launched a set of curve adjustment presets that provide a one-click series of options, enabling these adjustments to be precisely applied and viewed in real time in Lightroom and Adobe Camera Raw. There are seven separate effects: Linear contrast Cinematic contrast Crush the shadows Crush the highlights Crush the highlights and shadows Lift the shadows Repair the highlights. Each of these effects can be previewed by simply running your mouse over the adjustments in the Lightroom or ACR panels and clicking on them to apply them to the image. Choosing an alternative option replaces the effect with the newest choice. There is no effect on any other panel within the image, only the curves panel is affected. The screenshot below shows how your Tone Curve Preset panel looks when one of the preset options are selected, in this case cinematic contrast. From 0 to 5 decreased contrast is applied, 6 is no effect. 7-16 applies increasing levels of cinematic contrast adjustment.

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Finally, here are a few examples of the preset options applied to several images seen here with before and after shown CRUSHING THE HIGHLIGHTS & SHADOWS

One-click adjustment of unedited raw file. CINEMATIC CONTRAST ADJUSTMENT

One-click adjustment of unedited raw file. To learn more about the Tone Curve Expert Toolkit and purchase a copy at the introductory price of £18.50 click on or visit www.discoveredatstreetlevel.com/store. Dr David Rosen is a workshop leader for the Landscape Group, teaching fine art photography, advanced post-processing techniques and creativity development skills. His website can be found at: davidrosenphotography.com.

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The Nature of Landscape Joe Cornish HonFRPS We continue our series of articles by Joe Cornish. These articles were previously published in On Landscape Magazine, which Joe co-founded, though he has kindly agreed to make some changes and give us some new, wonderful images. For this edition, we have taken two of his original pieces and merged them to give a sense of two opposite ends of the landscape scale – from the Geographic to the Intimate. www.joecornishphotographer.com

Glen Etive Granite

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From the Geographic to the Intimate One of the great virtues of photography is its ability to stimulate our interest in the subject photographed. Admittedly, a good or great photograph may be more likely to achieve that than an average one. But even so, any wellexecuted landscape photograph that reveals detail and space, form and shape – the content of a scene – in a moderately interesting way, can be described as geographic. It was gratifying to discover that the Wikipedia definition of geography provides much evidence to support this

Holy Island

assertion, beginning with a translation from Greek: γεωγραφία, geographia, literally “Earth description”. Undoubtedly, landscape photography would appear to have Earth description as its very foundation. It’s likely that many readers may not see themselves as geographers or even feel this is a relevant or worthwhile aim. Perhaps that is because mere description might appear a little trite or shallow. On the face of it, artistic endeavour would be aiming higher than this.

Yet while the unflinching, sometimes all-seeing, detail of the camera lens can keep the image rooted in the facts of the matter, this is not necessarily incompatible with a creative exploration. Sometimes it is the very strangeness of reality that sets the image apart. Even if not, a well-composed, clear, descriptive photograph of a scene can have the simple virtue of documentary evidence and, in print form, become a tangible record of a perspective made at a specific place in a specific moment.

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It’s tempting to try and imagine what it must have been like for the photographer working, say, in the late 1880s, making a ‘landscape’ photograph, whether of a rural or urban scene. What kind of thoughts and ideas might have informed the photographer’s approach? Did they reference painters? Did they ever imagine the day we might be able to record in colour? Were they mindful of the world changing? Or was it the timeless aspect of a scene that appealed? Did they have an awareness of geology, history, architecture, agricultural practices? If working in the UK, were they a product of the British class system and part of the privileged elite? If so, how did that affect their gaze?

Prospect of Assynt

Chess Pieces

Sociologists and historians may know the context in which these photographs were made. What is undeniable is that they provide an extraordinary, often moving, connection with the past. Even in black and white there is a frank directness rarely found in paintings. These images are an insight into the appearance of things as they were then. It’s true, it seems, that photographers mainly concentrated on human subjects and so the landscape is less well-documented. But if our definition of landscape includes the urban and rural vernacular then the actual environmental context is as interesting as the human subjects. And 130 years or so later we see what has changed and, in some cases, what has remained the same.

Thus, landscape photography is a form of evidence of time and place, of a certain point, a certain moment. Some photographs, it can be said, are pure geography: Earth description. If I find a landscape interesting for its own sake, I am often motivated to photograph it. No high expectations or profound creativity are involved, just a curiosity about the place and its appearance. How has it evolved to look as it does today? What are its hidden secrets, its halfconcealed histories and legacies? The process of making the photograph often helps me to connect and to appreciate in a way that is impossible without the camera’s encouragement.

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Looking through my archive in search of images that fall readily into this ‘geography group,’ most are horizontal in aspect and sometimes panoramic (2x1 or wider). There is a notable absence of spectacular light; indeed, the emphasis is quiet, not dramatic. The details of the picture can emerge gradually through study. You may feel that this is a boring field of photography. But while the pictures are being made the photographer still enjoys the benefit of practicing their photography, never a wasted experience. Perhaps on a more sombre note, the very real environmental changes that are coming as a result of runaway habitat destruction and climate change may mean that reliable records of now will have a poignant value for future generations that we cannot yet predict. In this series I am attempting to probe my motivations as a photographer, to question my practice, curiosity and creativity.

Wahaba Crater

Feth Buidhe Intimate Landscapes is one theme in which my motivations are at their least compromised. Why so? Well, I have never had a commercial or professional incentive to make intimate landscapes. But I have done so out of a response to what I find in the natural world and

from the inspiration of some of our photographic predecessors and contemporaries. These are pictures that I have made for the joy and sense of discovery alone. Although I may have sold a few prints from some of the photographs and used many in articles and books, intimate landscapes are rarely requested

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Eigg Geology by publishing clients or by gallery colleagues. So, at the outset, intimate landscapes are, mercifully, commercially pointless! So where does an intimate landscape begin…or end? This may be unanswerable but, for the sake of the article, I have included one photograph made at 1:1 magnification in-camera and then several at a greater working distance, ending with another that includes a distant mountain. I know for sure that the inclusion of both these two extremes will prove controversial (I hope so anyway!) but I will still try to provide a valid argument for their inclusion. Dewdrop Galaxy is the image at 1:1. Made hand-held with the lens wide open, it might have little in common with orthodox landscape photography. Yet it was certainly shot in the landscape and has some merit as a study of

Forge Twilight form, pattern, colour and light. Which is what good landscape photography often does. Although the emphasis might be the inner landscape of the imagination, this picture is still recognisably a study of dewdrops (or, more accurately, melting frost), with the out of focus phenomena providing a blend of optical phenomena and spatial ambiguity. In no sense is the selection intended to illustrate a comprehensive range of intimate landscapes; the opportunities for this type of photography are almost limitless after all. But I hope that the examples prove that there is a wide range of places to start. Of all the photographers who have influenced my direction, Ansel Adams and Edward Weston were among the first, and remain the most enduring.

Dewdrop Galaxy

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Nest of Stones While it’s inevitable that Ansel’s global reputation is built on such vista landscapes as Moonrise at Hernandez (New Mexico), Clearing Winter Storm (Yosemite) and Mt McKinley (Alaska), my favourites are his intimate landscapes. These include pictures like Aspens (Northern New Mexico), Roots (Foster gardens, Honolulu) and Spring Rain (Tenaya Creek, Yosemite). Edward Weston was less inclined to make images in the landscape but, when he did, so they were influenced by his discoveries made in the studio or elsewhere indoors. His pictures seem as if from the eye of a sculptor and this intense revelation of form makes his work unforgettable. It may not be obviously apparent but I am convinced that Weston’s compositional masterclass has influenced me profoundly, especially with regard to the intimate landscape.

Among colour photographers, Peter Dombrovskis and David Ward have also been inspirational. Peter’s images seem to grow from a very spontaneous love of the outdoors; his work speaks of nature’s therapeutic power to heal the soul. For David, photography is a game, a search for mysteries in places often neglected or derelict and his best pictures are revelations that force the viewer to see the world in a new way. For my part, the camera gives a reason to be outside, while practicing the craft I love. Practice helps refine technique so I can grapple with ideas as well as the practicalities of how to position the tripod. On days when the light is soft with cloud, rain or snow, then the details of nature often provide the inspiration to make images of surprising juxtapositions, colours and textures. Or of icy

puddles transformed into strange creatures. Or of a tree stump scorched black by fire reflecting back the colours of light. Or of water flowing lazily around rocks. The intimate landscape may be that place in landscape photography where we can justly claim that our medium is a form of visual poetry. Perhaps the final reason for me to indulge in my love of the intimate landscape is that I regard the form and detail of nature to be a priority. This means that when I photograph wider views the background is often less important than the foreground and so, to study these forms close-up, for their own sake, can prove valuable practice when widening the view.

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Southerscales

Aspens Early Winter

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My final photograph in this selection, Unto the Hills, is not really an intimate landscape. Or is it? Sure, the mountain looms in the far distance, a dusting of snow lining the parabolic curves that lead to its

Unto the Hills

summit. Yet just as important to the composition, perhaps more important, are the unassuming tufts of grass emerging from bog in the foreground. While these obviously play an important compositional role, I genuinely

also believe that their emphasis is a reflection of my own values; which is that beauty is found everywhere in the day-to-day detail and incident of nature.

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Geographic Landscapes David Battensby David Battensby is an RPS Landscape Group member who has responded to Joe Cornish’s observations on “Geographic Landscapes” with his own interpretation of the diverse, yet sweeping, geography of Namibia, Patagonia and Scotland. Instagram @davidbattensby

Namibia - Dunes as far as the eye can see

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Memories of Geography Lessons I have been privileged during my working life and retirement to have visited over thirty different countries and have lived in two of them. I wonder what my response would have been if I had been told during school geography lessons, looking at the map of the world, that the above would come to pass. For a number of years geography was one of my favourite school subjects and, to this day, I still can’t resist spending time looking at a map. School geography, I recall, included time spent learning how to read, interpret and understand the topography shown/described on Ordnance Survey Maps. Learning was further enhanced by completing the hikes for the Duke of Edinburgh Awards scheme and a couple of years in the Army Cadets.

Topography, in its simplest form, could be described as the arrangement of the natural and artificial physical features of an area. Topography also implies form and shape of an area. As landscape photographers, topography forms the basis of the photographs we make. From a personal perspective I am drawn to the arrangement of the natural features of an area, particularly deserts and mountains, and my three favourite locations are Namibia, Patagonia and the north west of Scotland. Namibia has towering sand dunes, Patagonia and Scotland have mountains, lakes/lochs and Patagonia also has glaciers. Photographing in the above locations has instilled in me a deep appreciation of the natural world. The towering sand dunes of Namibia, the glaciers of Patagonia and the mountains of Patagonia and Scotland are awe-inspiring.

Namibia - Wind blown dune spurs

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During my trips to Namibia I have taken helicopter flights over the Namib-Naukluft Great Sand Desert. Once above the sand dunes the vista is stunning. The topography, form, shape and vastness of the desert are jaw-dropping. The desert covers 160,000 square kilometres and is advancing in a westwards direction.

Patagonia - Towers of Torres Del Paine

Scotland - Isle of Skye, Old Man of Storr

Photographing mountains brings out mixed feelings in me. There is the rugged beauty of a location and recognition that mountains are dangerous places. The next two images taken in Patagonia and Scotland certainly brought out those feelings.

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What I have learned from visiting these locations is to take time out from looking through the viewfinder/live view screen. It is important for me to look at the surroundings and try and attain a sensory experience. This allows me to let my mind wander and think about the forces that created the landscape and also the impact that we humans have had, and are continuing to have, on the landscape.

Scotland - Isle of Skye, Quiraing

One thought that crossed my mind in Scotland was how I could relatively clearly see the flow, shape and texture of the mountains and wondered if this would have been possible if the Great Caledonian Forest had still existed in its entirety. It is ironic to think that, by felling trees and clearing the land, for example for sheep farming, it has enabled us to get a clearer view and photographs of mountains from certain locations.

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Climate change came to mind in Patagonia when I was at the Perito Moreno Glacier. Glaciers worldwide are retreating at an alarming rate and I wondered if there would be only rock, boulders and gravel left for future generations to view.

Photographs made at locations capture a moment in time and, as such, photographs can be viewed as evidence for future generations of what the location topography was like.

Patagonia - Perito Moreno Glacier I came to landscape photography late in life and I don’t have any photographs taken from high up in the mountains. However, I content myself with lower level views of the mountains.

Patagonia, El Calton sunrise 40

I do admire the great dedication of two masters of mountain photography, namely Alex Nail FRPS and Colin Prior FRPS, through YouTube videos, books and DVDs. I often wonder what might have been if I had started earlier in life.

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A special mention for Alex. Five years ago I met up with him in Inverness for a one-to-one, concentrating on the Assynt/Coigach area of north west Scotland. This was my introduction to photographing mountains and the start of my love of mountains. I did have a slight concern due to my fitness level that comes with age difference and Alex’s mountain skills. However, this was dispelled as Alex subtly encouraged me and I was very

surprised with what I achieved, culminating in a loop up and around Stac Pollaidh. The experience gained on this short trip gave me confidence to tackle the trip to Patagonia and subsequent trips to north west Scotland. It is, in a way, amazing how geography lessons from sixty years ago have come together with my love of photography.

Namibia, Sea fog shrouding the dunes

Scotland, Isle of Skye, Quiraing morning light 41

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Intimate Steve Gledhill ARPS Steve Gledhill ARPS is an RPS Landscape Group member who has responded to Joe Cornish’s observations on “Intimate Landscapes” with a discussion of his journey to ARPS success in this genre. www.virtuallygrey.co.uk

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Exploring the Intimate Landscape Landscape photography covers a very wide range of genres which includes everything from grand and dramatic vistas all the way through to minute selections of, for example, rock patterns; in other words, the intimate landscape. Whilst I enjoy the full range of landscape subjects, I came to realise that it was the intimate end of the scale that offered me far more opportunity and challenge than forever seeking more dramatic locations with only occasional ‘good’ light. There is no perfect definition of what constitutes an intimate landscape. For me, it seems to

be a view of no more than a few metres across; sometimes a bit more and, often, much less. As such, I have become increasingly drawn to paying more attention to composition, textures, relationships, balance and ambiguity within the confines of restricted space. My greatest pleasure and satisfaction comes from building an image from the things that are physically closer to me. I have always used a viewing frame to find images and, at a time when all of my work was 5x4, this helped greatly in selecting

and composing the scene before setting up my camera and making a single film exposure. Although nowadays we can literally take hundreds of shots and decide on the one we like ‘back at the ranch’, for me, there is something more satisfying about getting it right in-camera for the first time of asking. I suspect that my many years of viewing frame use has given me my own mental viewing frame which is active almost all of the time!

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I mentioned opportunity and challenge. The opportunity arises from the fact that intimate landscapes are around us everywhere, often quite literally at our feet. These profit also from being less demanding of the perfect light that the grand views or vistas often require. The challenge is to select the image area from an almost infinite number of camera positions to make the most of the attractive or compelling feature. It may, for example, be that the textures are the main interest of the image, in which case the challenge is to select the best camera position and lens to show this. The same really applies to all subject matters; the arrangement or 44

relationship of a mushroom to the tree bark and a leaf, the rock shapes and textures to a barnacle pattern, the way the light falls across leaves, the reflections from a water surface. There is infinite variety available for intimate landscape photography and often on one’s doorstep - maybe even literally.

as long as it takes to home in on the most satisfying composition. Generally, I will use a tripod which, should the image require it for reasons of front to back sharpness and/or subject brightness range, enables the fixed camera position for focus stacking and/or exposure blending.

Time pressure is something that often afflicts photographers of the open landscape, particularly when the light is changing rapidly or, more specifically, deteriorating. I don’t experience this pressure when exploring an area for its intimate landscape potential. Then when I have found such an area, I will take

There’s a great deal written and talked about composition and its “rules”. I am definitely a rule breaker or, perhaps better expressed, a rule ignorer. A composition has to look “right” to my eye but I find it almost impossible to express what it is that makes a composition satisfying. There’s usually a

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feeling of balance and cohesion which seldom has anything to do with, for instance, the rule of thirds. I conduct most of my UK photography in photohiking projects which entails photography along, say, the full length of a national trail such as The Thames Path or The Cotswold Way, or exploring a particular area many times over the course of a year, examples being Bredon Hill or a canal towpath such as Worcester to Birmingham. On all of them, I am always drawn to photographing that which is close to me. The larger views and vistas get a look in now and again

but the continually presented opportunities for intimate landscape constantly draw my attention and certainly slow my hiking progress. My early photography was almost exclusively with black and white film. After using 35mm b&w film (when I worked for ILFORD for 13 years in production, engineering and IT) I ‘progressed’ to 5x4 b&w film. That lasted for almost 20 years until digital capture finally took over around 2012. This, for the first time, brought colour to my world and I took to it immediately. However, looking back over my digital back catalogue, I see at first a high proportion

of colour which has steadily given way to more and more monochrome and I now find myself back to where I started. Intimate landscapes have, for me, proved to be well-suited to monochrome. In September 2022, I submitted a panel of 15 monochrome intimate landscape prints for assessment for an ARPS Landscape award and was delighted to have been successful. All were taken around Mewslade Bay on The Gower in south Wales. The images illustrating this article are a selection from my ARPS intimate landscape panel.

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Webb Watch Candia Peterson ARPS Like many of us, I have been glued to images coming out of the Webb Telescope. Their website generously offers unlimited high-resolution downloads with the disclaimer that appears on the following page. It is quite easy to get lost in the dozens of images on their site, although perhaps less easy to come to grips with the mind-boggling science of creating them. For an excellent read on how the images are created from start to finish, scan the QR code on the right with your phone, or type this shortened link into your browser: shorturl.at/hlwFW We plan to show two images in each forthcoming edition of the magazine. The descriptions come from the Webb website. Candia Peterson ARPS, Editor. Rho Ophiuchi The Rho Ophiuchi cloud complex is the closest starforming region to Earth. It is a relatively small, quiet stellar nursery but you’d never know it from Webb’s chaotic close-up. Jets bursting from young stars criss-cross the image, impacting the surrounding interstellar gas and lighting up molecular hydrogen, shown in red. Some stars display the tell-tale shadow of a circumstellar disk, the makings of future planetary systems. The young stars at the centre of many of these disks are similar in mass to the Sun or smaller. The heftiest in this image is the star S1, which appears amid a glowing cave it is carving out with its stellar winds in the lower half of the image. The dust of the cave structure becomes wispy toward eight o’clock, trailing off and allowing stars and distant galaxies to show through. Above the arched top of the dust cave three groupings of stars with diffraction spikes are arranged. Smaller stars are scattered around the image. A dark cloud sits at the top of the arch of the glowing dust cave, with one streamer curling down the right-hand side. Red dual opposing jets coming from young stars fill the darker top half of the image. The dark shadow of the cloud appears pinched in the centre, with light emerging in a triangle shape above and below the pinch, revealing the presence of a star inside the dark cloud. The image’s largest jets of red material emanate from within this dark cloud, thick and displaying structure like the rough face of a cliff, glowing brighter at the edges. At the 48

top centre of the image, a star displays another, larger pinched dark shadow, this time vertically. To the left of this star is a more wispy, indistinct region. This star is also beginning to clear out space around itself like the one at the centre of the dusty cave below. Ring Nebula Formed by a star throwing off its outer layers as it runs out of fuel, the Ring Nebula is an archetypal planetary nebula. It is relatively close to Earth at roughly 2,500 light-years away. This new image from Webb’s NIRCam (NearInfrared Camera) provides unprecedented spatial resolution and spectral sensitivity. For example, the intricate details of the filament structure of the inner ring are particularly visible in this dataset. There are some 20,000 dense globules in the nebula, which are rich in molecular hydrogen. In contrast, the inner region shows very hot gas. The main shell contains a thin ring of enhanced emission from carbon-based molecules known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Roughly ten concentric arcs are located just beyond the outer edge of the main ring. The arcs are thought to originate from the interaction of the central star with a low-mass companion orbiting at a distance comparable to that between the Earth and Pluto. In this way, nebulae like the Ring Nebula reveal a kind of astronomical archaeology, as astronomers study the nebula to learn about the star that created it.

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Space – The Final Frontier and The Ultimate Landscape Unless otherwise stated, all material on the Webb Telescope site was produced by NASA and the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI). It was created, authored, and/or prepared for NASA under Contract NAS5-03127. Unless otherwise specifically stated, no claim to copyright is being asserted by STScI and material on this site may be freely used as in the public domain in accordance with NASA’s contract. However, it is requested that in any subsequent use of this work NASA and STScI be given appropriate acknowledgement.

Rho Ophiuchi

Ring Nebula

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An Alternative View Stephanie Johnson Stephanie is known worldwide as a leader and mentor of Intentional Camera Movement (ICM) photography. She is also the founder, creator and publisher of ICM Photography Magazine (www.icmphotomag.com). Stephanie teaches ICM and multiple exposure ICM photography with the highly regarded Santa Fe Workshops and has given numerous webinars and talks for Camversation. stephjohnphoto.com

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A Reimagined World - Seeing Differently through ICM

To see a World in a Grain of Sand And a Heaven in a Wild Flower Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand And Eternity in an hour from Auguries of Innocence by William Blake (1757-1827)

These four seemingly simple opening lines in William Blake’s 132-line poem Auguries of Innocence hold much deeper meaning and thought-provoking truths when contemplated from below the surface, beyond the literal. When we peer into what these lines might mean, new possibilities and potential for a new world order begin to emerge and, as we begin to more fully

understand those possibilities, we become more aware of how we see, think and interact with the world around us. There is so much more going on beneath the surface, both in these lines and in the world, and it takes a different kind of vision process to experience that expanded life more fully.

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I know…you are probably wondering what this has to do with Intentional Camera Movement, aka ICM, and with photography in general. For me, it has everything to do with both. I’ve held these four lines close since I first read the poem and wrote an expository paper on it during my English Literature studies at University nearly 30 years ago. These lines remind me there is more going on beneath the surface of the literal and beyond what I see through my physical eyes. They remind me that, to live fully, I must look for the essence of things and I must feel every moment through all of my senses. They remind me that the literal interpretation of a subject is only one possibility out of an unlimited number of other possibilities; all of which is at the heart of my ICM journey and why I use the camera to reimagine

and create abstract visions of the world around me. An ’augury’ is a sign or an omen of what might happen in the future and little did I know when I turned to ICM in 2017, when it was still very much outside the mainstream of conventional photographic thinking, that it would see such a rise in popularity and acceptance in a few short years. But when I turned to ICM it brought me back to the very wonder, excitement and joy these four lines of poetry have always held for me as I began to see the possibilities and potential of scenes before me that I had been blinded to previously when looking through the lens of more representational photography. That’s not to say there is anything wrong with more representational forms of photography. There is absolutely,

and always will be, a place in the world for straight, literal interpretations of the world. But, at that particular time, my own inner world and creative vision were expanding and ICM was the conduit that connected the pieces for me. In 2015, I went through a divorce after 24 years of marriage and I turned 50. These two not insignificant life events ultimately led me back to the inner creative expansion I had been longing for over the years. I travelled to Ireland for the first time and the magnificent landscapes of Ireland brought me back in touch with my camera and to the pursuit of landscape photography that I had always wanted to explore but wasn’t able to for various reasons across the years. I travelled to Ireland several times in the period of two years, mainly to

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immerse myself in the place and to photograph the landscapes that were speaking to my inner spirit. However, I always found it difficult to find that same joy and passion for getting out with the camera when I was home, in the much more pastoral, less dramatic, landscapes of Iowa. At that point, I was still seeing far too much through my physical eyes and not connecting to the lines of the poem in a way that would enable me to see my home landscapes in a different way. As with most things, evolution occurs over time and a few things came at precisely the time they were needed in my life; ICM being one of them and a book by the Canadian photographer David duChemin, A Beautiful Anarchy, being another. In duChemin’s book, he talks about the concept of ‘doing the work’ and drives the point home repeatedly that inspiration is not something that just arbitrarily

happens or doesn’t. You can’t wait for inspiration to hit; you have to get out and ‘do the work’ and it is in the doing of the work that inspiration comes. Inspiration comes from being immersed in the doing of the work.

lines of his poem. With ICM I am able to connect more fully with the essence of the world around me but also to my own inner creative vision and voice, which comes through in the uniquely individual images I create by moving the camera about.

Taking this concept of ‘doing the work’ and applying it to the concept of using ICM to see my local landscapes differently, I began my ICM journey and I have not looked back. After my last trip to Ireland in 2017 and a trip to the Outer Hebrides in early 2018, I did not travel away from home again until 2022, yet I created more prolifically in that expanse of years within a 30-mile radius of where I live.

All of this may be a bit more philosophical than you were anticipating but I honestly don’t approach my creative work from a technical perspective. I understand that a lot of photographers are engrained, and perhaps even entrenched, in the idea of needing to know all the technicalities, but ICM is so unique and individual that there really is no “one-size-fitsall” recipe. The possibilities are endless and each person has to find their own path by getting out to do the work as much and as often as possible.

I’ve been immersed in ICM as my primary form of creative expression ever since. It is my passion, my joy, my way of life. With ICM I see all of the intangible concepts and ideas Blake asks us to see in those four

My hope is that the images speak for themselves and make you feel something and that they

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open up new neural pathways in your own creative psyche to explore. Perhaps more than anything, I hope the images represent freedom; creative freedom, expressive freedom, freedom from rigid concepts, freedom to play, experiment and explore. If the images and anything I’ve written here have opened up new ideas or have given you the confidence to be bold and push the boundaries, then that is far more a success, in my mind, than filling the white space with a bunch of technical details. If you’d like to see the gallery of Ireland images that ultimately led me to ICM, here is a link on my website stephjohnphoto.com/wild-light-ireland I no longer keep my ‘traditional’ landscape galleries linked or active on my website as I define myself as an ICM and creative photographer and that work represents my artistry, so my website is dedicated to all the various ways I express myself using ICM, as single exposure ICMs, multiple exposure ICMs and even through mobile ICMs. I teach more of the technical aspects through camera club presentations, as well as in online and on-location workshops, which can all be seen on my website at - stephjohnphoto.com/ I’m also very happy to answer questions, to be of assistance and to do what I can to help others find their own creative vision and voice. I’m as passionate, I’d say, about helping others expand their own artistry as I am about expanding my own, so please do reach out anytime. I’d love to know more about your own ICM experience and to see the role it has played in helping you see things differently. Websites: stephjohnphoto.com/ www.icmphotomag.com/ www.theicmexperience.com/ Social Media: Facebook ~ @stephjohnphoto Instagram ~ @stephjohnphoto

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Where in the World? II Ashok Viswanathan Ashok Viswanathan is based in Chennai, India. He is a retired company executive whose photographic passions include travel (as he loves to travel the world) and landscape. His work has been widely published and has been featured in several international exhibitions. He is also an occasional YouTuber. His website is www.pbase.com/chubbix

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Landscapes of Inle Lake

Inle: A little-known lake located in the Shan hills of Myanmar in south east Asia. It’s a freshwater lake of 116 sq km, in a well-preserved landscape surrounded by mountains. It supports a variety of activity. Fishermen in their long tail boats dot the lake, going about their unique style of fishing, with one leg wrapped around a pole and the other on the boat. The lake was once supporting a variety of businesses; touristy resorts on stilts, shops selling garments and souvenirs, restaurants, silver handicraft factories, a jumping cat monastery and even floating farms growing tomatoes and flowers. Apart from fishing, the boats carry visitors around as well as moving supplies of food and material to residents still living on the lake itself. A few longnecked women with brass rings around their neck sit in the shops and pose for portraits by available

light. Today coronavirus and the political problems in Myanmar have resulted in most businesses shutting down and almost no tourists. Many of the restaurants and homes on stilts are closed. Old structures are starting to fall apart. The lake itself is beautiful, with a light mist creating soft light. The images here are taken from a low, long tail boat while exploring the lake with my Fuji XE3 with 18~55mm and 10~24mm lenses. My camera is set to RAW+JPG, where the highlight is set to minus 1 and shadow +1 in order to ensure that the sky is not blown out. LCD brightness is minus 2 which greatly helps to extend battery life up to 500 shots per charge. The camera profile ”Classic Chrome” is tweaked to resemble Kodachrome slide film, a favourite of mine. The

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viewfinder grid is on to help with composition and the metering mode is usually centre-weighted or spot. Horizons are often not level and need to be corrected in processing. Wherever you look there is a potential image to be made. With almost no pollution, the sky is blue. Getting in and out of these low, narrow boats is an art in itself. The jetty is a few rotting planks of wood that has seen better days. Each boat takes 5-6 people plus the boatman. Comfortable steel chairs with cushions seat the passengers. These boats can move fast so you need to brief the boatman that you are in no hurry to get where you are going.

The boatmen are happy to position the boat for you to get your images. Make sure you don’t pass another boat too close as the engines throw up large amounts of water spray. Shooting from a boat low in the water ensures you are at the same level as your subjects. However, boats are unstable and tripods are best left at home. Monopods don’t work as the floor of the boat vibrates. Handheld at speeds of 1/1000 and faster is the way to go. A kit lens and a wide-angle zoom work well as you can get as close to the subject as you wish. While on the lake, check out the patterns and reflections on the water from the buildings on the lake.

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People speak basic English and are friendly and happy to help. The local currency is devalued: Exchanging US $200-300 will leave you with a bag full of local currency, enough to last a week (excluding hotel rooms), with some local shopping and a few meals in a decent restaurant. Hotel bills come in the local currency as well as US$ and credit cards are accepted in 4 and 5 star hotels. Eating out is easy. Choose between pizza, burgers, salads or a regular Burmese meal, where rice is the staple dish with a choice of chicken, pork or fish curry. Meals come with some vegetarian side dishes including

a salad or two and beer and alcoholic beverages are easily available. Eating out is cheap by western standards. Getting to Inle is easy. It’s a one hour flight from Yangoon to Heho airport and then about an hour’s drive to the Novotel Hotel on the lake. If you want a holiday in a photogenic country then Myanmar comes highly recommended: The country is opening to tourists again and you will be very welcome.

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Inspiration Wherever we are in our photographic journey, there is always room to learn, discover and take inspiration from the work of others. Here are a few ideas. Read this: Creative Garden Photography by Harold Davis. Publisher: Rocky Nook Subtitled “Making great photos of flowers, gardens, landscapes and the beautiful world around us”, this book delivers in spades. It is beautifully illustrated with the author’s own images from all points of the world and is a happy blend of a myriad number of techniques, both for the camera and post processing, together with his approach to creativity. Follow on Instagram Five Instagrammers from around the world: @felixschreiner – Leipzig-based Schreiner specialises in landscapes on a large scale; big sweeping vistas, mostly mountainous – great inspiration for the budding “geographic” photographer. @eldajimenezphoto – From Mexico, Elda Jimenez presents images in a variety of styles and subjects and does some fun things with a fisheye lens. @jimmyhe_photo – From China, another geographic landscaper, Jimmy He’s work is dramatic and intensely colourful. @herry.with.an.e – Canadian Herry Himanshu captures the scope and beauty of his homeland and makes good use of both drone and videography. @larrypixels - Diogo Morgado is a Portuguese photographer who tackles a wide range of subjects but shows off some fabulous coastal photography. Subscribe to this YouTube channel: photoshopCAFE (and website www.photoshopcafe.com) Scots born, New Zealand raised Colin Smith has been teaching Photoshop and Lightroom almost since they were born. With any number of books, video courses and awards under his belt, his YouTube channel is great for short bites of intelligence presented in an affable and approachable manner. The website as a back-up tool offers several freebies as well as premium features. For the ear buds Die Moldau by Smetana – Chicago Symphony Orchestra – Daniel Barnenboim album 1987. If there was ever a piece of music that defines a landscape, it is this. For suggestions to be included in future editions of the magazine, please write to: Candia Peterson at landscapemagazine@rps.org.

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Image: Last light at Lovcen National Park, Montenegro by Justin Minns FRPS