A Winter Shoot

On an early Saturday morning in the middle of winter I found myself in my back garden setting up lights and reflectors for my first photo shoot. My great friend Roxy was needing some shots for her website blog and with her being a South African, we couldn't miss the opportunity of the snowy background. I normally photograph landscapes, cityscapes and interiors so a model shoot was an exciting and very nerve wracking task.

Fortunately the sun was working with us and was creating a soft glow around Roxy so all I needed to do was set the reflector and the strobe light to balance with the natural light.

Everything was going great and the only changes that were needing made were upping the strobe to keep up with the rising sun and repositioning myself so I was catching a sunburst and flare in the shot.

The sun was shining and both Roxy and i were having a great time.

Time for lunch break and a change of wardrobe for Roxy. When we got back out things had changed. The sun was high and harsh and balancing the strobe with the natural light was a constant task. The second half shots came out with a very different look with a bit more zing and less glow as every time I tried to get the flare it gave more of a harsh glare, taking over the photo and washing out any details.

THE LAST OF THE SUN FLARE

THE LAST OF THE SUN FLARE

I decided to flatten out the strobe and shoot tighter with less sky.

The whole experience was great fun and I really enjoyed this type of photography. Roxy was great and was a true professional even when standing, shivering inbetween strobe light and reflector adjustments.

Walking and photographing the West Highland Way

West Highland Way

 

It has been a month since we completed the West Highland Way (WHW) and I am still buzzing with the experience. What a journey and what a country to explore by foot. We were extremely lucky with the weather - not one drop of rain for the 7 day hike, unheard of - and because we chose late in the season to walk the WHW there were no annoying travel companions following our route…. I’m talking about the Scottish midge of course. Because of this I feel rather guilty. I hear others who had to endure wind, rain and fog during the hike, missing many of the stunning views that are on offer and then having to supply blood to the millions of midges that swarm camp each evening. My pitiful complaints consisted of bringing too many warm / waterproof clothes and that some days were a bit too warm for walking… The hardship… 

 

I gave myself a target of capturing one photograph that I was happy with each day. Some days this was easy and the opportunity presented itself without so much as a sideways glance. Other days were a bit more tricky. The endless blue sky didn’t help with landscape photography. It might be nice to look at but for photography having a big blue sky without clouds creating any drama and harsh light on the land makes for a very emotionless photograph. I enjoyed the challenge of photography the ever changing landscape and the hiking that was involved. 

 

I do and will continue to recommend the WHW to everyone. It was such a fantastic experience and really the best way to see that part of Scotland.

 

If you are interested in walking part or all of the WHW check out this link.

http://www.west-highland-way.co.uk/home.asp

 


The lake district

We have been driving South for several hours, it’s late on a Thursday night, passing only the odd lorry, we make good time. The destination is the South Lakes, England and the plan is to walk, hike, scramble the Fairfield Horseshoe which starts and finishes in Ambleside. It’s an early start on Friday morning to pack the backpack with camera gear (always pack too much) and lunch (can’t pack enough) we set off. The forecast’s promise of dry weather holds true which is quite something for the Lake District and we are soon taking our layers of windproof jackets and multi activity soft fleece jumpers off as we bake in the mid morning sun. Will it last...?

 

The purpose for this walk is to photograph Lake Windermere through the valley that leads to the town of Ambleside and on to Windermere. When we get to the middle ridge, just before the Fairfield summit we look south down Rydal Beck Valley for the photograph. In all the guide books and walking blogs of the route it’s THE view, regularly described as the best in the Lakes and a must for a clear day, it doesn’t disappoint. There were quite a few clouds forming by now making an ideal scene for some black and white photographs. The sun was occasionally breaking through and lighting the valley, this really created drama and needed for mid-day photography.

The view towards Ambleside and Windermere.

The view towards Ambleside and Windermere.

Hello to a blog.

.The very thought of writing is scary and doesn't come naturally to me. Spelling, grammar, flow, all these will be terrible and I apologise. It was only a couple of sentences ago that I though ‘in fact’ was one word… 

I am planning on keeping these very short and are really just an outpouring (and this is one word…not two..) of plans, thoughts and findings all based around my photography. I will blog about places I have been and places I plan on going, sharing what I am hoping to achieve and capture when I get there. I will discuss equipment and my set-up for the journey and shoot. I will also share some of my workflow which will vary drastically from shoot to shoot just so you get an insight to my technique/chaotic preparation. 

I am very aware that I don’t have a specific style, maybe because I am still learning about the photographic process or maybe because I like lots of different styles. Hopefully this blog will help explain and make clear, mainly to myself, why I choose various styles by capturing my thoughts and my feelings when out on a shoot. It might be that I am heavily influenced by other photographers or artists that I have viewed recently (Mirjam Appelhof). Maybe it is down to the music I’m listening to (Steve Reich - Phases), the book I’m reading (In America, Travels with John Steinbeck by Greet Mak) or something like the traffic whilst driving to a location. Who knows?

Lets see what happens.