WAITINGFORTHELIGHTDAVIDNOTON
ADAVID&CHARLESBOOK
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TomywifeWendy,forallthelove,lifeandlaughs,whilewaitingforthelight.
JettynearBrenzone,LakeGarda,Lombardy,Italy
Inthecoollightbeforedawnthecloudsarescuddingacrossthesky,drivenbyabriskwindfromtheeast.ThedistantbulkoftheDolomitestothenortheastiscappedbydark,angryskies,andthewatersofLakeGardaarechoppyandrestless.TherewillbenowarmMediterraneanlightthismorning.So,IpileoneveryneutraldensityfilterI’vegottoslowtheexposuredowntoatedioustenminutes,opentheshutterandwait.InfiveminutesI’lltakeanotherexposurereading,butfornowI’vejustgottoletallthatmovementintheimagedothejob.Iwouldturntocrimeforacaffelatterightnow.
•FujiGX617,90mmlens
ContentsTheWaitingGame6
PartOne:Vision12
PartTwo:Environments44
PartThree:Gallery110
PartFour:Mechanics142
Acknowledgments158AbouttheAuthor158Index159
CloudburstovertheIsleofHarrisfromNeistPoint,IsleofSkye,Scotland
I’mhuddlingontheclifftopsonthewesterntipoftheIsleofSkye,wind-battered,sodden,anddespondent,waitingforthelight.Willthesecloudseverpart?Lookslikeanotherfruitlessvigil.AfaintlighteningoftheskyfarouttoseaovertheIsleofHarrisrousesmefrommymusings.There’syetanotherdownpourrollinginofftheAtlantic,I’llgetanothersoaking,butbehinditthesunisthreateningtobreakthrough.I’mscrabblinginmybagtogetthefilteronmy70–200,fumblingwiththeadaptorringwithcoldfingers,glancingovermyshoulderattheevermoredramaticsky.Forjustsecondsaheavenlyshaftofsparklingnorthernlightbacklightstherain.Iexpose,doafewbrackets,andithasgone;ascenenevertoberepeated.
•NikonF5,70–200mmlens
TheWaitingGameI’mstandingbymytripod,mydefaultsetting,waitingforthelight.WatchingthedawnbreakoveraRockyMountainlakeisanexperiencetostirthesoul.Mistseepsacrosstheflat,calmwaters,diffusingtheperfectreflectionsofthejaggedpeaks.Thecallofaloonechoes;abeaversurfacingbrieflyripplesthewater;thefirstlightofdayseepsthroughtheskytingeingthecloudsclingingtothemountainswithpink.Thisismyeighthmorningwaitingherebythetripodandfinallyalltheelementsarecomingtogether.Thislocationwasfoundonthefirstday;undergreyskieswithachillwindwhippingthewateritlookedaverydifferentscene,butthepotentialwasevident.Threemorningslater,afterseveralfruitlessdawnpatrols,thedaystartedcalmandclearwithstrongsunlightbut…notacloudinthesky–nomist,nodrama,nomood.So,westayedon,waitingforthelight.Now,aftereightdaysourpersistenceisrewardedwithcloudsdrapedoverMountRundleandalayerofmistoverthestillwatersofVermillionLake.Asalways,thisimageisafusionoftheelementsMotherNaturechoosestooffer–light,clouds,mist,reflectionsandthelandscapeitself–andmyinput;beingthere,pre-visualizinghowthescenecouldlookintherightconditions,persistenceandlastly,technique.Inshort,thispicturewasmadebyamarriageofnature’sperfectionandphotographicvision–thesearetheelementsthatarethemakingofaphotograph.Let’scuttoagrey,windyFebruaryday,1981.I’mupaladdercleaningthe
windowsofanofficeblockonatradingestateinWatford…soundstantalizingdoesn’tit?Photographyhasjusttakenovermylife,withmypayofffromtheMerchantNavyI’vejustboughtmyfirstSLRcameraandlifewillneverbethesameagain.InowknowIwanttobeaprofessionalphotographer,buthaven’tgotacluehowtoachievethat.AsIworkmysqueegeeI’mdreamingoffarhorizons,theHimalayasinparticular.MyfriendPedrohasjustreturnedfrombackpackingthroughNepalandI’msojealous.LastnightIwasdroolingoveratravelfeatureonAnnapurna.Surely,ifIcouldscrapetogetherthecashtogetthere,greatimageswouldjustfallinmylap,right?Wrong.It’sapopularmisconceptionthat’seasytofallinto–abeliefthatjust
turningupsomewhereepicwillbeenough,thatgreatshotsarejustthereforthetakinglikeripefruitoffatree.Butthereallyunique,striking,achinglysubtle,perceptiveimagesaremade,nottaken.Theyaretheproductofanidea,avisionbroughttorealitybypersistenceandsoundtechnique.Thisisthecrunch–thedifferencebetweenthe‘taking’and‘making’ofaphotograph.Thisbookisall
differencebetweenthe‘taking’and‘making’ofaphotograph.Thisbookisallaboutthatdifference.There’stheartybit–thedevelopmentofaphotographicvision,andthepracticalbit–howtoworkinthefield,orupamountain,orinthejungle.Andintheprocesswe’regoingtoseetheworld.So,let’sgo.
ChâteauStUlrich,VosgesMountains,Alsace,France
Westartedtrudgingupthemountainbythelightofourheadtorchesthroughmist-shroudedwoods.Directlyoverheadthestarswerevisible,wejusthadtogetabovethelow-lyingcloud.Asthetwilighttonesspreadthroughtheskyfromtheeast,weemergedpantingfromtheswirlingfogstoourchosenviewpoint.Somesightsstaywithyouforever–thisisone.
•FujiGX617,105mmlens
HotWokExposuresSomeplacesareallaboutthebigviews,butforme,theessenceofSouthEastAsiacanbefoundinitsmarkets.Theyaresuchaculturaloverloadandariotofcolour–aworldawayfromsterilesupermarkets–thatit’sdifficulttoknowwheretolookfirst,ortotrainthelens.Theyarecrowdedandchaoticwithdifficultlightingbutinamongstthepilesofchilliesandlemongrasstherearestirfriedphotographstobemade–quick,instantandsizzlingstraightoutofthewok.
Strawberriesonthemove,Hanoi,Vietnam
Thefishmarketatdawn,HoiAn,Vietnam
AplatterofThaiingredientsatWatPharaSingh,ChiangMai,Thailand
Chillidealingattheflotingmarket,DamneonSaduak,Thailand
AyounggirlsellingvegetablesatamarketintheMekongdelta,Bentre,Vietnam
CashbeingexchangedatWashmarket,ErHaiLake,nearDali,YunnanProvince,China
PartOne:Vision
Beforeacameraiseventouchedmuchofthehardworkofphotographyisdone.Theelementsthatmakeaphotograph–thoseoflocationfinding,pre-visualizing,composingandplanning–allcomebeforealensisfitted.Theonlyequipmentneededforthesecrucialstepsareapairofphotographer’seyes.Trainingthoseeyestoseethepotentialinalocation,envisaginghowascenecouldlook,appreciatingthenuancesoflight,motion,colour,perspectiveandcomposition,iswhatphotographyisallabout.Developingthatvisionisajourneythatneverends.
LakePehoeandtheTorresdelPaine,Patagonia,Chile
•FujiGX617,105mmlens
BeingThere
ChâteauleChenonceau,LoireValley,France
Underagreyskywiththewindwhippingthewaterthisscenelookedfairlysombre.Thekeywastoenvisagehowitcouldlookwiththefirstsoftlightofdayandperfectreflections.
•FujiGX617,105mmlens
Beingintherightplaceattherighttimeis,ofcourse,theprimeessentialofallphotography.‘BeingThere’isallaboutthefinding,visualizingandplanningofanimagebeforeshootingthepicture.Aseasonedprowillhaveanuncannyknackforit.Whateverthediscipline–sports,news,wildlife,fashionorlandscape–it’sthesameforallofus.Findingthatspecialplaceisthehardgrindofthisgame,it’swhattakesupthemosttimeandeffort,andiswithoutdoubtoneofthebigdifferencesbetweenmakingagreatshotandtakingasnap.Knowingwhattodoonceyouarethereisthesecondhalfoftheequationthatproducesstrongimages.So,wheretobegin?It’simportanttohaveastartingpoint,anideaofwhat
you’reafter,whetheryou’reintheRockyMountainsortheLoireValley.Aimlesslywanderingisrarelyproductive.Guidebooks,existingphotographs,othertravellersorlocalknowledgecanallbeuseful,butultimatelythere’snosubstituteforgettingthebootsonandeyeballingthelieoftheland.It’stimeconsumingandoftenfrustrating,butithastobedone.There’snothingworsethanbeingsomewheretantalizingwithgorgeouslightsplashingacrossthelandscapeandnotknowingwheretoheadtogettheshotasthesunstartstodrop.Justtogotowhereeveryoneelsehasbeen,tothewell-knownviewpoint,toreplicatewhathasbeendonecountlesstimesbefore,isnotanoption.That’sjusttakingasnap.Tomakesomethingspecialmeansgettingoutandlooking;
justtakingasnap.Tomakesomethingspecialmeansgettingoutandlooking;usingyourmostimportantpieceofkit–youreyes.Oncethatmagicalspotisfoundthekeyistovisualizehowitcouldlookin
differentlightingconditionsatthebeginningorendoftheday,takingintoaccountwherethesunisrisingandsettinginrelationtothelieofthelandandseasonalfactors.Thisisaskillthatcomeshand-in-handwithafeelfornaturallightandiscrucialforalllocationwork.Itcan’treallybetaught,it’sacaseoflookingandlearning.Reallyuseyoureyestoanalyseeveryelementinthescene.Afterallthatitbecomesalogisticalexercise,planninghowandwhenyou’re
goingtobeinthechosenplaceattherighttime.Thatcanbeaseasyasadriveandastroll,orcanmeanseveralhourshikinginthedarkbeforedawn.Comparedtoallthat,shootingthepictureistheeasybit.
“Reallyuseyoureyestoanalyseeveryelementinthescene”
TheFourSeasons,MilbornePort,Somerset-Dorsetborder,England
Iwantedtodoasetofimageswithidenticalcompositionstoillustratethepassageofthefourseasons.Findingalocationwithastrongcompositionthatwouldworkinthedifferentlightingconditionsoftheseasonswasthekey.IshotfromtheroofofmyLandRovertogetabovethelevelofthehedgerows.WinterwastheshotIwasmostworriedabout;snowyconditionswithcrispmorninglightareararityindeepestDorset.IshotthisatdawnwiththefirstlightcreepingoverthevillagefromthesoutheastandtheVicarlookingbemusedashewalkedhisdog.Springwasshotatdawnstraightintothelightbeforethesunpoppedoverthehorizon,withmistlyinginthefields.Ilovethesoftwatercolourfeelofthisone.SummerwasshotlateonaJuneeveningwiththelastsunsidelightingthevillagefromthenorthwest,andautumnfeaturedWendyonherbikeonanOctoberafternoon.Itiedamarkerinthehedgetomarkmyspotaftershootingwinter,butIguessacowmusthavemunchedit,becauseitwasn’tthereinspring.
•FujiGX617,180mmlens
TheOldManofStorr,IsleofSkye,ScotlandIt’swindy,it’swet,mycamerasareuntouched,theLandRoverisfullofsoggycampinggearandthemidgesareswarming–alltypicalconditionshereontheIsleofSkye.WiththefieryCuilinRidge,thematuredTrotternishandsaltycoastlinesallgarnishedwithdashesofnorthernlight,Skyeservesaheadyphotographicmenu.Thereis,however,onemajordrawback:theweather.Oh,andlet’snotforgetthemidges.We’vespentfourdayslocationsearching;now,wewait.
midges.We’vespentfourdayslocationsearching;now,wewait.Dramaticsky,gorgeousdawnlighthighlightingthepinnaclesoftheOldManofStorr,theCuilinbeyondwithanendlesslyrecedingvistaofloch,mountainandsea–thisiswhatIrequire-Iwantitall.However,whatIrequireandwhatnaturedeignstoprovideareoftenpolesapart.I’vehadthisimageinthebackofmyheadnowfortenyears;itmayhavetowaitanotherten.Now,sippingTaliskerintheevening,I’mponderingthechancesof
gettingdawnlight.ThefrontsarepilinginofftheAtlanticwithrelentlessregularity,andanythingcouldhappen.Wehavetogoforit,soit’sa5amstartwithaone-hourclimbtobeinplacebysunrise.I’mconcernedaboutthesewindsthough;they’llgivemeproblems.Itdoesn’tmatterhowsturdymytripodis,galeforcewindsmakelifedifficult.At5am,Icanseestarsthroughbrokencloudcover.Upthehillwe
plod,wonderingifI’mtoooldforthis,lungspounding,Idon’twanttobelate.MaybeIshouldgobacktowindowcleaning.WendyisbehindwithanothertripodincaseIwanttodoubleupon35mm.Whatatrooper.Bigblackcloudsaresweepingovertheridgepromisingrain,butin-betweentherearecleargaps.Itcouldbegood;italldependsonthosecloudsmassedovertheTorridonstotheeast.Finally,we’reupthereinthehalf-lightofdawn.Thewindiswhistlingovermychosenmound,wecan’tevenstandstill,butImanagetofindaledgethatisreasonablyshelteredtuckedawayjustbelow
“WhatIrequireandwhatnaturedeignstoprovideareoftenpolesapart”
thesummit.Iwanttosetupthecameraandwaitbuteveryfewminutesthere’sashower,soIhavetokeepitinthebaguntilthelastmoment.I’musingmyFujiGX617witha90mmlens,220Velvia,nofancy
I’musingmyFujiGX617witha90mmlens,220Velvia,nofancyfiltrationhere,justa0.9NDgradonthesky.I’llletthequalityoflightandcompositiontakecareoftherest.We’dbeenuphereafewdaysagotocheckitout.WhenthelightisgoodIneedtobeready,notstilldebatingmyoptions.Wendyiswatchingtheskytothenorth,lettingmeknowwhenlikely
breaksinthecloudswilloccur.Thesunisjustupbutobscuredbycloud,butI’mgettingincreasinglyoptimisticandexcited.Theskyisfantastic,asisoftenthecasebetweenshowers.Igothroughmyusualpre-shootingchecks,thendoitallagain.ThisisaroutineI’vebeenallthroughsomanytimes,butyoucannevertakeitforgranted.Outofnowhere,goldenlightexplodesontothescene,bathingthe
landscapeingorgeouscrystalclearlight…sheerabsoluteperfection.Thepressureisonnow,thismayonlylastafewseconds.Spotmeterreadingonthepinnacles,setaperture,shoot…1/3-stopbracketseitherside,theexposureischangingasI’mexposing.Eightframesgone,reload;withhighwindsandcoldhandsit’snotimetobemessingabout,thisneedsalltheefficiencyofaFerraripitstop.Igetoffafewmoreframesbeforethelightgoes.DidIgetit?Willwegetanotherchance?DidIgettheexposureright?IsthefilterOK?Anyrainonthelens?Alltheusualdoubts.Thesuncomesoutagainabout20minuteslater,butitdoesn’tquite
havethequalityofearlier.Ifloatbackdownthehillonair,buzzing,knowingwe’vewitnessedoneofthosespecialmoments.Whenit’sgood,Scotlandisvery,verygood.MaybeI’llputoffareturntowindowcleaningfornow.Afterthatmorningtheraincloudscloseinagain.WecrosstoHarris
butdon’tshootasinglepicture.So,twoweeks’workboilsdowntoatwo-minuteburstoflight.Butitwasworthit.
Bluebellsinawood,Dorset,England
I’mkneelinginamongstthebluebellsonaspringeveningwithsoftlightfilteringthroughthetrees,gentlybacklightingthescene.HowdidIfindthisspot?Iwentforawalk.Locationfindingisn’trocketscience,it’sjustgettingmudonyourboots.
•CanonEOS-1DsMKII,70–200mmlens
AutumncoloursatIsérablesabovetheRhoneValleynearSion,LeValais,Switzerland
ThelateafternoonlightcatchesthealpineautumncoloursabovetheRhoneValley.Thisisanimagethatcouldonlyworkinautumn.BeingThereisusuallydependentontheseasons.I’lloften‘bank’alocationwiththeideaofreturningwhentherightseasonalconditionsprevail–itcouldbemonthsoryearslater.Agoodideaforauniqueimageisavaluableasset.
•CanonEOS-1DsMKII,70–200mmlens
Light
DawnatPolblueMarshes,BarringtonTops,NewSouthWales,Australia
Twokangaroosbounceoutofthemist,passingbetweenthetentandme.DidIjustseethat?Australiaissodifferent:thewildlife,vegetation,landscape,pubs…Iloveit.CampingoutinthebooniesinOzisoneoflife’sgreatestpleasures.ThismorningIhavetheluxuryofshootingwithinyardsofourcamp.Therisingsunbacklightsthemistlyingonthemarshes,silhouettingtheeucalyptustreesinliquidgold.
•FujiGX617,90mmlens
Lightisthemostfundamentalelementofphotography.Aphotographmadeinthewronglightisworthless,nomatterhowdramaticthesubject.Conversely,giventherightlightaphotographercanmakealumpofcoallookgood.Unlikestudiophotographersintheirwarmdrystudioswhocreatethelightingtosuit,wetroopsoutinthefieldhavetousewhatnatureprovides.Waitingforthelighttofilterthroughtheatmosphereisfrustratingandtime-consuming,butthesubtletiesareendlesslyvariable.Allphotographerscan,givenhalfachance,droneonadinfinitumaboutthequalityoflight.Therearesomanyvariablesthataffectit.IntruthafteraquarterofacenturyIfeelI’mstilljustscratchingthesurfaceofappreciatingthefinerpointsofusingnaturallight.Asamusician’searbecomes,withexperience,attunedtothesubtletiesofpitchandtonethattherestofuscan’thear,soaphotographer’seyepicksupthevariablesoflightthatmostdon’tnotice.Buttostarttoappreciatetheseaspectsoflightit’simportanttounderstandtwofundamentalsthatdetermineitscharacteristics–thedirectionalnatureandcolourtemperatureoflight.Naturallightcanbestrongdirectionalsunlight,orsoft,hazy,diffuse,overcast
oracombinationofallofthese.Basically,whatdeterminesthedirectional
natureofthelightwereceivefromthesunistheatmosphereit’sshiningthroughandatwhatangle,i.e.thetimeofday.Clouds,haze,pollutionandtheweatherallhaveaneffect.ThecrisplightinNewZealandafteraweatherfronthaspassedthroughisverydifferentfromahumiddayinBangkok.Ontopofallthosevariableswehavereflected,artificialandambientlighttoconsider,andhowtheyallbalance.Intruth,beingaphotographermeanslivingyourwholelifesubconsciouslyconsideringthelight,butthereareworsethingstobeobsessedwith.
“Beingaphotographermeanslivingyourwholelifesubconsciouslyconsideringthelight”
EileanDonanCastle,LochAlsh,WesterRoss,Scotland
OnadullOctobermorningonthewestcoastofScotlandamomentaryburstoflightspotlightstheincomparablysituatedEileanDonanCastle.Aluckyshot?Youjustdon’tknowhowlongIwaitedforthis.AndofcourseBeingTherehasnothingtodowithluck.ThelightinScotlandatthistimeofyearistodiefor,butitoftentakessomewaitingfor.
•FujiGX617,180mmlens
DawnlightonthesassiatMatera,Basilicata,Italy
IsawMaterafeaturedonaTVprogrammeandjusthadtocome.It’slikeasceneoutofbiblicaltimes.Rightupuntilthe1960speopleusedtoliveinthecaves,calledsassi,underthetown.YesterdayIdidmylocationsearchesandnowI’mhereatdawn,settingup,wrestlingwiththetripodlegs,waitingforthelight.Iseethefirstraysofthedaykissingthetopofthechurchtower,slowlycreepingdowntobathethetowninwarmth.There’sadramaticskybeautifullysidelitbytherisingsun.Ifonlyitwerealwayslikethis.
•CanonEOS-1DsMKII,17–40mmlens
OldSherborneCastleinthedawnmist,Dorset,England
I’mstandinginafieldsurroundedbycows,gatheredaroundlikeabunchofpaparazzi.I’mconcernedthatthey’regettingsoexcitedabouttheinterruptionofanotherroutinedaymunchinggrassthey’llpooinmyLowepro.OneseemsdeterminedtolickmyCanon.I’mnotsureit’sdesignedtostand
suchtreatment.AcrossthevalleyOldSherborneCastleliesshroudedinmistearlyonasummer’smorning.TheartofBeingTherehasbeenenhancedonthisoccasionbylocalknowledge–thisismypatch,andIknowwhenandwheremistislikelytoliefrommanydawnpatrols.
•CanonEOS-1DsMKII,100–400mmlens
TheGrandCanyon,Arizona,USA
Waiting–it’sthenameofthegame.I’mstandingontherimoftheGrandCanyonatdawnperusingtheskylinetotheeast,wonderingifthecloudswillpart.Heavystormcloudsliebroodingoverthemassivegorge.Thenaheavenlyshaftoflightlastinglessthan30secondspaintsthelandscapemomentarilyandmakesthewholetripworthwhile.
•FujiGX617,105mmlens
Alllightsourceshaveacolourtemperature(CT),measuredindegreesKelvin.Themostdominantone,thesun,isreckonedtohaveaCTof5,500Katmidday–thisiswhatisdefinedaswhitelight.AtypicaldomesticlightbulbradiatesTungstenlight,whichis3,200K.It’sactuallyacoolerCT,butconfusinglylooksmoreorangethanwhitelight,sowecallitwarmer.ThesunlightatsunsetathasalowerCT,typicallyanythingdowntoabout2,000K,andlookswarmandgolden.Thisisbecausetherayshavetoslicethroughalargerlayerofatmospheretogettous;thedustintheairscattersthelongerwavelengths–theblueendofthespectrum–leavingtheorange,shorterwavelengthstotransmitthrough.Correspondingly,theambientlightleftbouncingaroundtheatmosphereafterthesunhassethasaveryhighCTinexcessof10,000K,andsolooksblue.Toreallyappreciatethis,standoutsideyourhouseatdusk,lookingin.Asitgetsdarkertheinteriorlightslookveryorangecomparedtothebluelightoutside.NormallyoureyesandbrainadjusttocompensatefortheCTofthedominantlightsourcetomakeitappearwhite,butseenthiswaywiththetwolightsourcesinjuxtapositiontheeffectisobvious.AlongwithBeingThere,afeelforlightisTheMostImportantElementof
Photography.Ifyou’reintherightplace,withtherightlightthenthemostimportantelementsinthemakingofaphotographareinplacebeforeacamerais
importantelementsinthemakingofaphotographareinplacebeforeacameraiseventouched.It’swhyIspendfar,farmoretimewaitingforthelightthanIdobehindthecamera.Ithasaffectedmysanity,butlikelocationsearching,ithastobedone.
ShapesPointandshoot–that’showmostpicturesaretaken.Look,raiseyourcamera,pointandshoot.Whatcouldbesimpler?Butweallknowthedifferencebetweenagrabshotandastrikingimageisdowntothecomposition.Giventhatyou’reintherightplaceattherighttime,theartybitisoftenhowthepictureiscomposed.Aneyeforthearrangementofshapeswithinaframeisoneofthedifferencesbetweenthetakingandmakingofaphotograph.Composition,ormoresimplywheretopointthecamera,isallaboutarranging
shapesintheframe.Ourfirstnaturalinstinctistoputthemainobjectofinterestinthecentre,pointandshoot,butabitofthoughtabouthowtoframeapicturecantransformasnapintoaworkofart.Thesimpleexpediencyofmovingthemainsubjectawayfromthecentreoftheframecanhaveadramaticeffectontheimpactofanimage.TheGoldenRuleofThirdsisacompositionaltoolthathasguidedartistsfor
centuries,possiblymillennia,maybeeversincemandaubedpicturesoncavewalls.Iftheareaofapictureisdividedupintothirds,thenstronglineswithinthecomposition–suchasthehorizonoraprominenttree–will
PrayerwheelsatSwayambhunathTemple,Kathmandu,Nepal
ThefirstdirectraysofthedayeventuallypenetratethehazesittingoverKathmandu,lightingupthetempleofSwayambhunathonthehillabove.It’smylastdayinNepalandI’mtryingtosqueezeoutafewmoreshotsfromwhathasbeenamagicaltriptotheHimalayanKingdom.Thecountryisrapidlydescendingintochaos,strifeandguerrillawarfarebutfornowallispeaceandBuddhistharmonyasmonkscirculate,chantingandspinningtheprayerwheelsinthecrispdawnlight.Theintricatelycarvedwheelsandthewoodworkleadintotheshot,andIdropthebackgroundslightlyoutoffocustogiveasenseofplacewithoutdetractingfromtheforeground.Theverticallineofthetempleisaboutone-thirdinandthelineofwheelsone-thirdup,butit’snotaconsciousdecisiontousetheGoldenRule,moreoftenthannotitcomesnaturallybecauseitjustlooksright.
“Thebestcompositionsarealwaysthesimplest;thereshouldbenothingintheframethatdoesn’tdeservetobethere”
PontAlexandreIII,HôteldesInvalidesandtheRiverSeineatnight,Paris,France
I’mstandingwaitingforthelightstocomeon,shufflingfromfoottofootinthecoldwinterwindblowingalongtheRiverSeine.There’salwaysthisdeadtimeofaboutanhourtowaitafterduskbeforeit’sdarkenoughtomakeanightimagebutatleastI’vehadplentyoftimetocomposethisshot.WiththePontAlexandreIIIleadingintotheframetowardstheHôteldesInvalidesit’saclassicadherencetotheGoldenRuleofThirds.ThetwolinesoftheembankmentandthetopsoftherowoflightsonthebridgeandLesInvalidesbisecttheimageareabyathirdhorizontally,whilethetwotowersattheendofthebridgeroughlydothesamevertically.It’snotanexactscienceandtherearediscrepancies,butasaruleofthumbforhowtopiecetogetheracompositionittakessomebeating.Eventuallythelightscomeonandtheskydarkensenoughformemakethisexposureandheadforwarmth.Parisissurelythemostbeautifullylitcityatnight.
•FujiGX617,180mmlens
givethemostpleasingarrangementiftheyarepositionedalongoneofthoselinesofthirds.It’satechniquethatisunfailinglyuseful,tosuchanextentthatmostpaintersandphotographers,indeedallartists,havedevelopeditasasubconsciouscompositionaldefaultsetting.InstinctivelyIwillpositionelementswithinaframealongthelinesofthirdswithouteverthinkingaboutit;infacttodootherwisetakesaconsciousdecisiontooverridetheGoldenRule.Itisunarguablytruethatphotographyistheartofknowingwhattoleaveout.
Mymother-in-law(blessher)whentakingasnapusuallymovesbackintotheadjacentcountyinorderto‘getitallin’.Theresultisacresofdeadareaasforegroundandamassofconfusion(thefamily)inthemiddledistance.Thebestcompositionsarealwaysthesimplest;thereshouldbenothingintheframethatdoesn’tdeservetobethere.Confusingdetailinthebackgroundkillsashot.Getitout;dropitoutoffocus,move,changecomposition,bendyourkneesorclimbatree,dowhateverittakes.Sweepyoureyefromcornertocorneroftheframeandconsidereveryelementintheshot,howcanthecompositionbeimproved,isthereanythingintheshotthatshouldn’tbe?Bebold,beexperimental,bearty,gethigh,orgetlow,whateverwillmakeforaboldercomposition.
Detailofsaddleryofahuaso(Chileancowboy)atrodeo,SanFernando,CentralValley,Chile
Sometimescomposinganimagehastobealightningfastdecisionbasedonintuition.AtarodeoinChile’sCentralValleyI’mcirculatingamongstthehuasoswaitingtheirturntotameacalfinthedustyring.IknowthesortofshotIwant-highlightingtheintricaciesandelaboratecraftsmanshipoftheirequipment–butinevitablywhenthemomentcomesit’sfleeting.Iarrangethestrongshapesintheframe,sweepmyeyefromcornertocorneroftheeyepieceandshootaframe,adjusttheframingslightly,checkfocus,andexposetwomoreframesbeforethehuasospurshismountintoaction.
•NikonF5,70–200lens
Afeelforcompositionisallaboutthepositioningofstrongshapesinrelationtooneanother.AssuchIdon’tbelieveitcanbetaught;tomeit’sprettymuchinstinctive.AskwhyI’veplacedthatrockintheforegroundinthatcorneroftheframeandIcan’texplain,it’sjustamatterofharmony.It’sanotherskilltobe
frameandIcan’texplain,it’sjustamatterofharmony.It’sanotherskilltobedevelopedandkeptinyourtoolboxtobeusedintandemwithalltheothersaspartofthephotographer’svisionthatstartstocreateaphotographbeforeacameraiseventouched.
Derwentwateratdawn,LakeDistrict,Cumbria,England
Dawnseepsthroughthesky,reflectinginthestillwaters.Alliscalm,tranquilandethereal.Iliveformomentslikethis.I’vebeenstandingbythetripodontheendofthepier,watchingasthedarknessbreaks,waitingforthelight.AstheflameredspreadsthroughtheskyfromtheeastItakeanexposurereadingandstarttoexpose.Allrulesaremadetobebroken,andhereI’mdeliberatelyfloutingtheGoldenRuleofThirdsbyplacingthepierslapbanginthemiddleoftheframe.Usuallythat’sadefiniteno-nobutthelinesleadingintotheframeherearesostrongitjusthastobedone.Imagessuchasthese,evokingpowerfulconceptsfortheviewertoconnectwith,arealwayswinners.Idobelievepicturescanbeoveranalysedbutitwouldn’ttakeahugeleapofimaginationtoconnectthisonewiththoughtsofdeparture,discoveryandnewbeginnings.IampayinglipservicetotheGoldenRulewiththewaterlinebeingone-thirddowntheframe.Cruciallythere’snothinganywhereintheframethatdistractsfromthesimplelinesofthecomposition.
•FujiGX617,90mmlens
NewYearParade,Singapore
AtaNewYear’sceremonyinSingaporetheIndianwomenareintheirfinestsaris.ThisfleetingmomentcomesandgoesalmostbeforeIcanregisteritinmyeyepiece.Themechanicsoftakingapicture–theexposure,focusetc.–should,withpractice,becomesecondnature,leavingtheeyetoconcentrateonwhat’shappeninginfrontofthelens.Tomethisexquisitelypresentedladyrepresentsallthat’sexoticabouttheIndianculture.Thevibrantsarisandsharp,tropicallightgivinghighcontrastdictatethatthiscanonlybeaverycolourfulpicture.
•NikonF5,70–200mmlens
ColourIntermsofcolourtherearefiveoptions.Fullthrottlecolour:bright,bold,saturatedandfullon.Subduedcolour:muted,subtleandwashedout.Minimalcolour:sorestrainedyoudon’tevennoticeit.Monochromaticcolour:asmanyshadesasyoulikebutallofonecolour.Andmonochromaticcolourwithnocolour:blackandwhite.Howphotographersusecolourisusuallydependentonthenatureofthelight.
Bydefinition,amistydawnlandscapewillhavesoft,watercolour,mutedhues.
Bydefinition,amistydawnlandscapewillhavesoft,watercolour,mutedhues.Thecoloursinascenelitbystrong,clear,directionallightwillbebrightandsaturated.Thecontrastandthecolourvibrancyofanimageareinextricablylinked;increasethecontrastinpost-productionandthecoloursaturationseemstoincrease,andviceversa.Inthefieldandinpost-productionthephotographerhastomakeadecisionwhethertoemphasizeorminimizethecolourcontentofanimage.Gotoofaronmaximizingcolourandtheresultlooksfalse,treaclyandtasteless…althoughcoloursthataretoorestrainedcanrobtheimageofitsimpact.Asusual,subtletyisthekey.Butcolourisalsoakeyconsiderationwhenpre-visualizingandcomposing
images.Usingjustonesplashofcolourinanotherwisemonochromaticsceneisaverypowerfultool,asisoffsettingprimarycoloursinsimple,bold,graphiccompositions.Andpre-visualizinghowascenecouldlooklitbythewidelyvaryingcolourtemperaturesofnaturallightatdifferenttimesofthedayisyetanotherkeypartofaphotographer’svision.
GannetcolonyatMurawi,NorthIsland,NewZealand
ThesunhassunkintoalayerofcloudovertheTasmanSeaandthecolourtemperatureoftheremainingambientlighttakesonacool,bluetone.I’vebeenshootingthesunsettingovertheseastacksandcarryonasourstardisappearsforthenight.Iuseaneutraldensityfiltertoprolongtheexposure,givingamilkyeffecttothemovementofthewater.Peoplewillthinktheblue,monochromatictonesaretheresultofafilter,butinfactit’salldowntothenatureofthelightatdusk.Oureyesandbrainsintandemdoasortof‘autowhitebalance’,meaningwedon’tusuallyregistertheseshiftsinthecolourtemperatureofthelight;butfilm,oradigitalsensor,does.
•FujiGX617,90mmlens
“Howphotographersusecolourisusuallydependentonthenatureofthelight.”
BodiamCastleatdawn,EastSussex,England
AnothermistydawnatBodiam.Thesunisupbutissofarhavingtroubleslicingthroughsomuchmist,soI’vegotthemeresthintofdirectionallightstrikingtheleftwallofthecastle.Colourandcontrastusuallygohandinhand,andthisissuchalow-contrastscenethatthecolourisrestrainedtothepointthatthere’shardlyany.Itishowever,tomyeyes,abeautifullysubtlescene,andwouldbeaverydifferentpictureifshotinblackandwhite.
•FujiGX617,90mmlens
AmistydawnintheBlackmoreValefromBulbarrowHill,Dorset,England
WendyandIspendmuchoftheyearontheroad,livingoutofarucksackorthebackofacar.Itcanbeabitofarootlesslife,sosummerisusuallydevotedtoreconnectingwithhome.Workingmyhometurfgivesmetheadvantageoflocalknowledge.Withahigh-pressuresystemsatoverEngland,afterastillnightIknowmistisboundtobedrapedoverthepatchworkoffieldsintheBlackmoreVale.I’mstandingontheslopesofBulbarrowHill;it’shardlyaHimalayanpeakbutitdoesgivegreatviewsoverthegreenandpleasantlandofDorset.Withthelightofdawntingeingthemist,it’sasoft,low-contrastscenelikeawatercolour,withmuted,subduedcolours.
•CanonEOS-1DsMKII,70–200mmlens
Montmartreatnight,Paris,France
Iamofthelastgenerationofphotographerswhoweretrainedinitiallyinblackandwhite.Inthefirsttermatcollegestandinginthedarkroom,watchingmyfirstprintappearinthedishofdeveloperinthegloomofthesafelights,Ithoughtitwasmagic.Istilldo.It’snotjustnostalgia;noonecandenythatblackandwhitehasauniquequality.Inthisdigital,full-colourageitseemstimeless.Sadly,Idon’tworkinmonoasmuchasI’dlikeanymore.MaybeIshould.Theysayyoucanalwaysconvertfromdigitalcolourimages,whichIknowistrue,butIthinkaphotographer’svisionneedstobetunedintodifferentwavelengthstoworkbestinmono.
•NikonF5,70–200mmlens
HikersnearMountCook,AorakiNationalPark,SouthIsland,NewZealand
There’snobetterwaytogiveasenseofscalethantoincorporatehumanfiguresintotheshot.I’mshoutinginstructionsacrosstomywifeandbrother-in-lawtogetthemtoposeinasuitablyintrepidmanner.Thefirstsunlightofthedayisplayingacrossthesnow-cappedpeaksoftheSouthernAlps,silhouettingmyreluctantmodels.IfIweretomovebacktheperspectiveofthemountainswouldappearbiggerinrelationtothefigures,butIfeelWendyandSimonwouldbesomewhatlostintheimage,andthey’redoingasterlingjob.Crawlingoutofyoursleepingbagpre-dawnandhikingseveralmilestostandonahillocklookinginawewhilebeingshoutedatbyademandingphotographerbeforebreakfastisn’teveryone’sperfectwaytostarttheday.Funnythat.
•FujiGX617,180mmlens
DistanceIcouldcallthissection‘Howtomakethingslookbig’,aswe’retalkingallaboutscalehere.HowdoyouemphasizethesizeoftheHimalayas,forexample?Easy,showtheminrelationtosomethingrelativelysmallthatweallknow,likeatree.Fine.Butifyou’restandingatthefootofthetreewithitloomingoveryouitlooksmassiveevencomparedtothetoweringmountainsinthedistance.Takeafewstepsbackandtheeffectislessened.Comeback100feetandthetreeisstilllargebutnotasdominating.Comebackamileandthetreelooksdwarfedbythemountainsloomingoverit.It’sonlyfromthisdistantperspectivethatweseethingsattheirtruesizeinrelationtootherfeaturesaroundthem.Thetroubleis,bydefinition,wehavetobealongwayback.It’saviewontheworldphotographerscallalong-lensperspective,asthat’sthetoolweusetoemphasizeit.Anythinglongerthanabout100mm(in35mm-formatterms)doesthejob,butthelongerthelensthemorepronouncedtheeffect.
Carcassonne,Languedoc,France
TheCitéofCarcassonneiseveryone’sfairytalecastlerealized.SituatedinoneofmyfavouritecornersofFrance,ittakessomebeating.Everyyearweseemtoendupdriftingthroughthispartoftheworldinahazeofcroissants,cassouletandcarafesduvin.I’veshottheCitéfromallangles,upcloseandpersonalandfromafar.Thiseveningwe’vedrivendownafarmer’strackandhavetheluxuryofworkingfromthetailgateoftheLandRoverwithabaguetteandfromageonthegotoeasethepassageoftimeaswewaitfortheeveninglight.Ispentallofthepreviousdaycyclingthroughthecountrysidesurroundingthetownlookingforthisviewpoint,ithastakensomefindingbutit’sworthit.I’mabouttwomilesawayworkingwitha400mmlenstoflattentheperspectiveoftheCitéandMontagneNoirebeyond.Thenarrowangleofviewalsohastheadvantageofenablingmetoexcludealltheclutterofthemoderntown,whichsprawlsaroundthebase.I’mworriedabouttheriskofwindcausinglensmovement,whichisalwaysanissuewhenworkingwithlonglenses,butit’sarelativelytranquilsummereveninginLanguedocsoIshouldbeOK.Asthesunsinksintothehazethelightlosessomeofitspunch,softeningitatouch,butalsogivingthewarmtoneI’vebeenwaitingfor.
•CanonEOS-1DsMKII,100–400mmlens
TheRockefellerCenter,NewYorkCity,USA
Fromoneextremetoanother,fromaFrenchlonglensperspectivetoafisheyeinNewYork.I’mcrouchingbythetripodunderneathastatueattheRockefellerCenter,craningmynecktolookupthroughtheeyepiece.Theextremewide-angleperspectiveallowstheforegroundtodominate,withthecameralookingalmostverticallyupandthetowersleaningintotheshot.Usingtheunusualperspectiveofeitherlongorshortlensesisoftenaveryusefulwayofgettinganewslantonwell-knownvistas,particularlyincities.
•NikonF5,16mmfisheyelens
Ioftenusea400mmlenstoreallyflattentheperspective.Similarlytheup-closeviewwiththeeyedominatedbytheforegroundandthedistantobjectstinyinrelationwecallawide-angleperspective.Afocallengthshorterthan35mmgivesthisview,buttoreallyemphasizethiseffecttotheultimatedegreeIusea15mmfisheyelenswitha180-degreefieldofview.Withthisperspectiveeverythingfromafewinchesinfrontofthelenstothedistantmountainsneeds
everythingfromafewinchesinfrontofthelenstothedistantmountainsneedstobesharp,soacorrespondinglysmallapertureformaximumdepthoffieldisusuallyprescribed.So,inthefield,trampingaroundintheheatoftheday,chasinglocations,
choosingviewpoints,itpaystobethinkingaboutperspective.It’sallabouttheforeground,doyouwantittodominateornot?Thosewildflowersbloominginanalpinepasture,howdoyouwanttofeaturethem?Getdownamongstthemwithafisheyelensandtheplantsvirtuallytouchingthefrontelement,inwhichcasethedistantmountainswillbebutpinpricksonthehorizon,orstandbackandhavetheflowersasacarpetofcolourinthebottomoftheframewiththepeaksrearingabove?Orsomethinginbetween?Thechoiceisyours.
RoussanouMonastery,Meteora,Greece
Strangepeople,monks.Theytendtositetheirmonasteriesinthemostinaccessibleplaces.Iguessthere’sareasonforthat,andnotjustforthebenefitoffuturephotographers.IsawthemonasteriesatMeteorainnorthernGreecefeaturedinaBondfilmyearsagoandtheystruckachord,sohereIam,scrabblingacrossrockyslopesinsearchofthedefinitiveangle.Withthesofteveninglightsidelightingthescene,Ishootwithalonglenstoisolatethemonasteryandcliffs.Thisperspectiveemphasizesthedramaticsightingofthemonasterydwarfedbythesurroundingrockypinnacles.
•NikonF5,70–200mmlens
“It’sonlyfromadistantperspectivethatweseethingsattheirtruesizeinrelationtootherfeaturesaroundthem”
inrelationtootherfeaturesaroundthem”
Time
AutumnintheSacoValley,WhiteMountains,NewHampshire,USA
Ispentallafternooninthisspot,usingthecrisp,low-angledlightofOctobertoinvestigateallthephotographicoptions.OftenI’mwaitingforthesuntodropneartothehorizon,buthereinmid-afternoonintheNewEnglandFallthelightwasperfect.Bythetimethesunwassetting,thetreesonthebankwerethrowinglongshadowsoverthewater.There’saperfecttimeforeveryshot,knowingwhenthatislikelytobeiswhatit’sallabout.
•FujiGX617,105mmlens
“Theperiodimmediatelybeforeandaftersunsetandsunriseishappyhour”
Aphotographer’slifeisdominatedbytheneedtobeintherightplacefordawnanddusk.Theperiodimmediatelybeforeandaftersunsetandsunriseishappyhour,whenthenaturallightgoesthroughsomewonderfultransformations.Ninetypercentofmyphotographyhappensaroundthesetimes.Thereareexceptionsofcourse;theseasonsandlatitudehaveahugebearingonmytimetable.ForexamplenorthoftheArcticCircleinsummerthesunjustbumpsaroundthehorizonallday,neversetting,andnevergettingthathigh.Thelightcanbefantasticall24hours,whichpresentssomethingofaprobleminknowingwhentotimeaneyelidinspection.UponCanada’sEllesmereIslandIwashappilyshootingawayinslantinggoldenlightat2am.IncompletecontrastasIsitwritingthisbookit’s12noonhereontheSeychellesislandofLaDigue,alittleparceloftropicalparadiseslapbanginthemiddleoftheIndianOceanjustsouthoftheequator.Thesunisverticallyoverhead,beatingdownwithatropicalferocitythatsendseventhemostfanaticalsunworshippersheadingfortheshade.Photographicallyit’sahard,high-contrast,unflatteringlight.Here,
shade.Photographicallyit’sahard,high-contrast,unflatteringlight.Here,betweenthehoursof9amand5pmIwouldn’tdreamoftouchingacamera.Converselyconsiderawinter’sdayintheScottishHighlands.Thedaysareshortandthesunnevergetsveryhighinthesky,soifthesunappearsit’squitefeasibletobeshootingallday.Thekeyistheangleofthelight,low,slantingrayssidelightingtheworldarewhatwelike.Butthereareendlessvariationsthataphotographer’seyeneedstobetunedinto.
ROUNTTHEWORLDINSEARCHOFLIGHT
4amEypePoint,LymeRegis,Dorset,England
AfullmoonhangsovertheJurassicCoastcastingamoonshadowofmebythetripodovertherocks.ThefaintestlightisstartingtoseepthroughtheskyfromoverPortland,makingaphotographjustpossiblewithanultra-longexposureof15minutes.Thecolourtemperatureoftheambientlightgivesthewholesceneabluetinge,eyeautomaticallyadjustsforitbutthefilmdoesnot.It’ssodarkIbarelyseewhatI’mframingthroughtheeyepiece,butthelightstwinklinginthedistanceatleastgivemesomethingtofocuson.
•NikonF5,17–35mmlens
5.30amCapeBreton,NovaScotia,Canada
AnothercoastlineontheothersideoftheAtlanticatdawn.Thesunisn’tyetupbutfromitslairjustbelowthehorizontotheeastit’sbottomlightingtheclouds,sendingstreaksofpinkandmauvethroughthesky.There’snodirectsunlightyetbutthediffuseglowisstartingtogivethefaintesttouchofsoft,low-contrastdirectionallightonthelandscape.It’sanotherlongexposure,andI’mcheckingandadjustingthetimingconstantlyasthelightlevelsincrease.
•FujiGX617,90mmlens
6.30am:TorresdelPaineNationalPark,Patagonia,Chile
ThesunpopsoverthehorizonandthefirstdirectraysofgoldpaintthehighestpeaksoftheTorresdelPaine.Thecloudsclingingtothemassifarelitupinthefierylightandit’soneofthosemomentsIknowwillstaywithmefortherestofmydays.Iworkmethodically,double-checkingtheexposure,filtration,focusandframing.We’vecomealong,longwayandcampedoutinhowlingwindsforaweekforthis…whatareward.
•FujiGX617,180mmlens
9am:TarnHows,Cumbria,England
OnanautumndayinCumbriathecloudspartandthesunsplashespatchesoflightacrosstheLakeDistrict,makingtherussettonesglowbeneaththeheavybroodingsky.AsusualwiththiscorneroftheBritishIsles,ithasbeenanexerciseinpatience,waitingforthelight.Thecloudscloseinagainandthesceneisbutamemory.Icouldhavealongwaituntilthenextopportunity.
•CanonEOS-1DsMKII,24–70mmlens
10am:Locationsearching
Thesunishighintheskyandthelighthaslostallitssubtleappeal,soit’stimetogetoutlocationsearching–findingandplanningthenextfewdays’shoots,byfoot,cycle,carorboat,whateverittakes.Sometimesit’saseasyasgoingforapleasantstroll,othertimesit’satoilinvolvingmanymiles.Well,nooneeversaiditwaseasy.
2pm:Siesta
Thosedawnrisescatchupwithyousoonerorlater.
5pm:DunguaireCastle,CoGalway,Ireland
Thesunisdroppingfastoverthewestcoast.I’mcrouchingbythetripodtryingtogetthedefinitiveangleonthecastlewhenasliceoflightpiercesthestormycloudsrollingofftheocean.I’dbeeneyeingtheswanwithhercygnetsforsometime,hopingagainsthopethatshe’dstayinsitulongenoughtoprovideforegroundinterest.
•NikonF5,20–35mmlens
6.30pm:GrandCanyon,Arizona,USA
Thelastweaksunofthedayissidelightingthecanyon,pickingoutthereliefandtexturesofthegapingchasm.Thelightisfadingfastbutithasacertainsoftquality.JustasI’mcheckingmyexposureatouristappearsatmyelbow,wantingtotellmeallabouteverycamerahe’severowned.Thisisoneofthehazardsofthejob,particularlyinwell-knownspotslikethis.Inudgehimtohisfateovertherimoftheprecipice.Of
courseI’mjoking,butIdidstronglyconsiderit.
•FujiGX617,105mmlens
8pm:TheTwelveApostles,GreatOceanRoad,Victoria,Australia
Thesunhassunkbelowthewesternhorizonandtheskyisstreakedwithpinky-orangeinacarboncopyinreverseoftheNovaScotiadawn,onlythistimeI’vegotthesilverycrescentofthemoonontonight’smenu.Fardownonthebeachaposseofpenguinswaddleashore.Whatabeautifuleveningonthetipofthisbeguilingcontinent.JustonepointI’dliketomentiontomyAussiefriends;thosestacks,theApostles?Someonecan’tcount.
•CanonEOS-1DsMKII,24–70mmlens
9pm:PiazzadelNettuno,Bologna,Emilia-Romagna,Italy
It’sgettingdarknowandthelightsaroundthepiazzaarecomingon.There’sstilljustenoughlightintheskytobalanceperfectlywiththeartificiallighting.There’saperiodofabout10–15minuteswhenthebalanceisperfectfornightshots:leaveittoolateandtheskywillgoblack.Tomymindtheshadowofthestatueontherightmakestheshot.Igetsomefriendstobecreativeblursintheleftcorneroftheframeandwe’reaway.
•CanonEOS-1DsMKII,24mmshiftlens
MotionLifeoftenseemsabitofablur.Muchaswe’dallliketoslowthingsdownnowandthenwe’reallwhizzingabout,andsoistheworldaroundus.Waveslap,treeslean,cloudsdrift,birdsflutter,leavesscatter,grasssways,waterripples,windgusts,sheepgraze,peoplestrideandthesunrises–theworldisabusyplace.Aphotographmustsomehowconveythatmotion,tonotdosousuallyresultsinasomewhatsteriletakeontheworld.Photographershaveachoice;toblurornottoblur,thatisthequestion.Using
fastshutterspeedswecanfreezeallmovement,orgoslowandeverythingbecomesabitfuzzy;lockthecameraoffonthetripodwhiletheworldswirlsaroundit,orhavethecameramovingaswell.Ifit’sthelatterthentheslowertheshutterspeedthemoresurreal,evenimpressionistic,theimagebecomes.Iusemotioninpicturestosuggestspeed,ortoemphasizethebustleofabusymarketorstreetscene.
“Toblurornottoblur,thatisthequestion”
Howmuchmotionisevokedisdependentontheshutterspeed,thevelocityatwhichthesubjectismovingandtheamountofpanning;it’sacomplexrelationshipthatisbestperfectedwithtrialanderror.Typically,foracyclistwhizzingpastalongaDutchcanalI’duseashutterspeedofabout1/8sec.Ofcourse,thebeautyofshootingdigitallyisyoucanfine-tunetheamountofmotionblurwithjustafewtestshots.Butwhether
DuskontheLizardPeninsula,Cornwall,England
It’slateonawinter’safternoonandI’mstandingcountingoffthetimeinthemiddleofaneight-minute
exposurewiththewaveslappingaroundmyfeet.ThetideiscominginandafterthisexposureI’llhavetoupsticksandmoveupthebeachtoavoidasoggycamerasituation.It’sariskysetup;onelargewaveandseveralthousandpounds’worthofequipmentishistory.I’musinganeutraldensityfiltertoslowdowntheexposure.There’smovementinthewaterandintheskyasthecloudspileinofftheAtlantic.Thelighthasgotasteely,cold,greyquality,withthesettingsunweaklypiercingthecloudstothewesttogiveafewheavenlyshafts.Themovementintheseaandskyisemphasizedbythesharpdetailinthesculptedrocksandshiponthehorizon.Standinglookingatthisscenewiththenakedeyeitalllooksverydifferentfromhowthefinishedpicturewilllook;butthatisallpartofdevelopingaphotographer’svision.Andheavenlyshaftsalwayshelp.
•FujiGX617,90mmlens
Streetscene,Hanoi,Vietnam
ThealleysofHanoiareawhirlwindofunfeasiblyloadedbicycles,marketstallsandwomeninconicalhats–it’sintoxicating.Ispendseveraldaysengrossedinthemayhem,panningandworkingquicklyhandheld,revellinginthecultureshock.Thewomenwiththehatsandbasketsofproducearetheiconsthistime,andthebustleofHanoicanonlybeconveyedwithmotion.Inthiscaseeverythingismoving,theladieswiththeflowersandvegetables,thecameraandme.TheycomepastmeandIslotinbehindandupcloselongenoughtosqueezeoffafewframesbeforetheybecomeawareofmeandstopinbemusement.There’snothingsharp,buttheblurmakesforanalmostimpressionisticfeel.Herethebackgrounddistractionsarelostinawonderfulfudgyblur,andthat’sbeforeabeerortwo.
•NikonF517–35mmlens
usingfilmordigitalafewtrialrunspractisingthisusefultechniqueandnotingtheresultsincontrolledcircumstancesarewellworththetimeandeffort.Ninetimesoutoftenthere’ssomethingmovingsomewhereinmyframe,andIoftengotogreatlengthstoaccentuatethatmovement.Istopdowntotheminimumapertureanduseneutraldensityfilterstoslowtheexposureasmuchaspossible.I’vespentsignificanttractsofmylifewaitingforawaftofbreezetoswaythegrassintheforeground,ortheoneinahundredwavetocrashontherocks–
grassintheforeground,ortheoneinahundredwavetocrashontherocks–morewaiting,asiftherewasn’tenoughalready.Inalandscape,movementcanaddmoodandinterest.Inastreetsceneitcandothesamewiththeaddedbonusofmaskingunsightlydetails;litterstrewnonstreetsbecomesbrightstreaksofcolour,asdogarishadvertisinghoardingsandalltheotherdetritusoflife.Emphasizingmotionisyetanothertoolinaphotographer’sarsenal,avitalelementinthemakingofapicture.
Passingcar,Havana,Cuba
AmongthemostvisibleiconsofCubaarethe1950scars.AnotheraspectofHavana’soldtownisthefadingeleganceofthecolonialarchitecture,slightlydecrepitbutatmosphericnonetheless,andIwanttocombinethesetwoelementsinanimagethatjustsays‘Cuba’.Thetroubleis,upclosealotofthedetailsofHabanaViejaarefairlygrotty–uglycabling,litter,mangydogsandlotsoftourists.Soit’sgoingtohavetobeapanningshot:themovementwillconveythebustleoftheplacewhilelosingsomeofthedistractingdetails.Findingtherightbackgroundwascritical.Itrudgedaroundthecityfendingoffthehustlersandhookerslookingfortherightbuildings,onesthatwouldlookgoodwithabitofblurandeveninglight.So,hereIamallsetwiththeoldBuickstrundlingpastandsoftgoldenraysbathingthebuildingsbehind.Gettingasmoothpanningactionisthekey–ittakessomepractice.
•NikonF5,24–70mmlens
PartTwo:Environments
Eachdifferentenvironmentintroducesitsownchallengesforthephotographer,bothinthewayweuselightandconstructimagesandinhowwemanagetobeintherightplaceattherighttime.Thelightinarainforestisverydifferentfromthatofadesertdawn;eachparticularenvironmentwillpresentthephotographerwithuniqueopportunitiesandproblems.Butoftenthephotographycanseemtheeasybit;justgettingaroundandsustainingyourselfcanbethetoughesttask.Butwhenitallcomestogether,likewatchingthepinkraysofdawnkissthepeakofAnnapurnaastheshutterclicksopen,there’snothingbetter.
AlexandraFjord,EllesmereIsland,Nunavut,CanadianArctic
•FujiGX617,105mmlens
IntheFootstepsoftheIncaBythecoldlightofdawnIencounteredMarina,ayoungshepherdess,tendingherflockaloneonthepampas,highabovetheSacredValley.Wechattedaway,unhinderedbyourcompletelackofamutuallanguage.MySpanishisweak,butitwouldhavemadenodifference,forsheisQuechua,adirectdescendantoftheInca.Itwasoneofthoseencountersthatrefreshthesoul.MachuPicchu,Cusco,thesoaringAndes;allofthesemakethisabreathtakingexperience,butforme,MarinaisthefaceofPeru.
MachuPicchu?
QuechuawomaninthemistnearMarras
QuechuawomanatChincerromarket,nearCusco
Chincerromarket,nearCusco
Marina,aQuechuashepherdgirl
FarmlandabovetheSacredValleynearsChincerro,nearsCusco
Children,Chincerro,nearsCusco
Chincerrofarmer
QuechuawomanatChincerromarket,nearsCusco
Womenwithhatsanddoublepigtails,Chincerromarket,nearsCusco
Oldwomaninthesquare,Pisac,SacredValley
FarmlandabovetheSacredValleywiththeUrubambaCordilleraoftheAndesbehind
Womantillingafieldwithbabyinthemorningmist,Pampasmojo,Marras
TheRoadtoZhongdianHowcanyoupossiblysumupChina,geographicallyhugeandpopulouslyvast?Workingthereischallenging,atonemomentexhilarating,thenextdepressing.Butthemenuforthephotographer’stake-awayisenticing:haunting,massive,variedlandscapes,bustlingstreets,franticmarkets,new-agecitiesandrusticvillages;andpeoplesofarichandvariedculture,despitetheyearsunderamonolithicgovernment.Afewtraveltips:don’tforgetyourthermals,takeabathplugandpreparetohaveallyourpreconceptionsshattered.
Rickshawsinthesnow,Beijing
TheGreatWall
CyclistsinTian’anmenSquare,Beijing
ImperialPalace(ForbiddenCity)inthesnow,Beijing
Childrenplayingamongdryingnoodles,YunnanProvince
Wasemarket,ErHaiLake,nearDali,YunnanProvince
CobbledbridgeinLijiangatdusk,YunnanProvince
Baiwomenintraditionalcostume,Wasemarket,ErHaiLake,nearDali,YunnanProvince
Naxiwoman,YunnanProvince
JietangSonglinMonasteryoutsideZhongdianwithprayerflags,YunnanProvince
LiRiver,nearYangshuo,GuangxiProvince
Wasemarket,ErHaiLake,nearDali,YunnanProvince
DetailofBaiwoman’scostume,Wasemarket,ErHaiLake,nearDali,YunnanProvince
Farmer,LiValley,GuangxiProvince
Baigirls,Dali,YunnanProvince
RockThere’snodenyingit,allphotographersseemdrawntothemountains,unsurprisinglyastheyprovidesomeofthemostdramaticlandscapesontheplanet.Photographyaside,tostandonapeakatdawnlookingattheworldstretchedoutbeneathyouisoneofthoseexperiencestoconnectyouwiththeveryrootsofyoursoul.It’satoughenvironmenttoworkinthough.Gettingtowhereyouneedtobeforthatepicvistacanbesomewhattricky,to
saytheleast.Youcanusemountainroadsandcablecars,butdependingonhowfaryouwanttotakeit,soonerorlateryou’regoingtohavetogetyourbootsonandwalk.There’snogettingawayfromit.Lugginggearuphillsisjustpartofthejob.IwastwoinchestallerbeforeIwasaphotographer.Amountainphotographerwillfirstandforemosthavetobeamountaineer,willingandabletodealwithallextremesofweatherandterrain.Mountaineersthoughareobsessedwithonlyonething–TheRoute–whilewephotographersarefixatedsolelyonTheShot.Tobeintherightplaceattherighttimehighinthemountainsforthatultimateimagecanbeacomplexlogisticalchallengeinvolvingmanynightsspentcampinginthethinair.Toughchoicesaboutwhatcanbecarriedonthebackhavetobemade–anotherlensormorefood?InanidealworldIwouldhavethepanoramiccamerathereonaloftyridge
withboth90mmand180mmlenses,andalsomycompleteDSLRsystemwithlensesrangingfrom15mm
LagunaMiscantiandCerroMiñiques,TheAndes,Chile
We’recampingupatLagunaMiscanti,whichlieshighintheChileanAndesabovetheAtacamaDesert.Thesemountainsaredryasabone,thethinairequallyso,makingtheMilkyWaydisplayatnightthebestI’veeverseen.NormallyforashotlikethisI’duseapolarizertoaccentuatethebluesky,buttheairissoclearupherethere’snoneed.NormallyIhateuniformblueskies,devoidofany
interest,butcloudsupherejustdon’thappen.It’saprettyelementalshot,entirelyinkeepingwiththeenvironment.
•FujiGX617,90mmlens
MontBlancinwinter,LeBrévent,aboveChamonix,Haute-Savoie,France
ThelastglimmeroflightfromthesettingsuncatchestheserratedridgeontheflanksofMontBlanconthiswinterevening.I’vecheatedforthisone:ratherthanhikinghere,IcaughtthecablecaruptoLeBréventtomakethemostoftheviewacrosstheFrenchAlps.
•NikonF5,70–200mmlens
TheAlpsfromAiguilleduMidi,MontBlanc,nearChamonix,Haute-Savoie,France
DowninChamonixthevalleyliesunderalayeroffog,butuphereattheAiguilleduMidiit’sapristine
wintermorningwithviewsasfarastheMatterhorn.I’vebeenwaitingaweekforconditionslikethis.I’mwheezinginthecoldthinairwithastinkingcoldthatwillturntobronchitisafterthismountainforay.Butwhataview…
•FujiGX617,105mmlens
to400mm,butunlessIhaveasmallarmyofSherpasinsupportthat’sjustnotpractical.Allthatkitistwo,maybethree,fullloadsonverysweatybacks.IntheHimalayasIdouseporters,whichgivesmetheluxuryoftakingeverything,butusuallyworkinghighmeansworkinglight.Infacttakingtoomuchgearisamistake–eventuallyitwillweighyoudownphysicallyandmentally.Ithastobefun,ajoytobethereratherthanthedrudgeryofanendurancecourse.IfthelightandthelocationaredramaticenoughtheclassiccombinationofanSLRwithamid-rangezoomwillsuffice.Typically,Itakeacarbon-fibretripod,myDSLRbodyandjusttwolenses;a24–70mmand70–200mm,alongwiththeusualbitsandpieces:cablerelease,polarizerandNDgradfiltersand,crucially,sparebatteries.Uphigh,inthecold,withtheworldlaidoutbeneathyouisnotasituationtobeinwithflatbatteriesandnospares.Allofthatcanbecarriedwithonlyminordamagetothespineandknees,alongwiththeusualmountainnecessities:clothing,food,water,headtorchetc.Butofcourseallthisstuffissecondarytothereallyimportantgear,youreyes,which
“Amountainphotographerwillfirstandforemosthavetobeamountaineer,willingandabletodealwithallextremesofweatherandterrain”
ValdiFassa,Dolomites,Trentino-AltoAdige,Italy
OnmyfirsttriptotheDolomitesIneversawthemountains,theyremainedobstinatelyshroudedinthicklowcloudandIretreatedintoAustriawithoutasinglepicturemade.Ithappens.Dealingwiththevagariesoftheweatherisoneofthemostfrustratingaspectsofthejob,andmountainclimatesarenotoriouslyfickle.OnthissecondvisittoItaly’smostdramaticmountainrangeI’mluckier,andadayspenttrekkingaroundtheValdiFassahasyieldedthissuperblocation.Persistencehasbeenrewarded.
•NikonF5,24–70mmlens
Lochannah-AchlaiseandtheBlackMount,RannochMoor,Highlands,Scotland
Intermsofheight,theScottishHighlandsdon’treallycutthemustardcomparedtotheHimalayas,Rockies,AlpsorAndes.Butsizeisn’teverything.Atmosphericallyspeaking,theCaledoniansaresecondto
none.Thecombinationoflownorthernlight,dramaticweatherandanabundanceofmountainandsealochsmakeitaMeccaforlandscapephotographers,despitetheunpredictableclimate.It’swherethephotographicbugfirstbitme,changingmylifeforever.Patienceisamustwhenworkinghere;I’vehadmany,manyfruitlesstrips,campinginGlencoe,listeningtothesoundofrainlashingthetent.It’senoughtodriveyoutowhisky.
•FujiGX617,90mmlens
areconstantlysearching,lookingatthelight,consideringperspectives,pre-visualizinghowthosesoaringpeakscouldlookindifferentlightingconditions.Butmountainphotographydoesn’talwayshavetobesoextreme.ActuallyI
thinkthetopsofmountainsareoftenoverratedplaces;bleak,windsweptandshroudedincloud.Someofthebestalpineviewsareofthetoweringsnow-cappedpeaksrearingaboveverdantvalleys,thejuxtapositionofthetwoemphasizingthescaleofthemountains.Andnophotographercanresistrockysummitsreflectedinaglaciallake.MountainculturesaresomeofthemostvibrantandcolourfulI’vecomeacross.TrekkinginNepalisn’tjustaboutthehugevistas;thepeopleandtheirvillageslivingintheshadowoftheHimalayasmakeforaheadyphotogenicmix.AndthecoloursandfacesoftheQuechua,directdescendantsoftheIncaslivinghighintheAndes,havetobeseentobebelieved.
DawnatLakeMatheson,nearFoxGlacier,WestlandNationalPark,SouthIsland,NewZealand
Sometimesmountainsjustlooktheirbestfromafar.Atdawnontheshoresofthelake,theSouthernAlpsaremirroredinthestillwaters.I’mrevellinginnature’sharmony,untilaposseofboisterousbackpackersarrive,destroyingthemoodastheyshouttoeachotheracrossthelake.Heathens.
•FujiGX617,180mmlens
Pokhara,NepalThepeaksoftheHimalayasriseabovethemistonthelakeshore,impossiblyhigh.Todaywe‘reoff,afterthejoysofKathmanduandafewdaysgettingorganizedit’stimetodowhatwe’vespenthourstalkingaboutinpubsinDorset,theAnnapurnatrek.YesterdaywemetLil,whoistobeourguideandporterforthenextfewweeks.IfeltatwingeofwesternguiltasIshowedhimtherucksackwehopehe’llcarryforus.Lilisjustover5ftandonlymarginallytallerthanourmonstroussackfullofdecadentpossessions,whichwe’reexpectinghimtolugfor$5aday.Hisownpossessionsconsistofabundlenobiggerthanmybumbag,allthathe’llneedforseveralweeksinthehighmountains.Severaldayslaterwe’retoilingupyetanothernever-endingascent.
TheHimalayasarebig.It’sadeeplyhumblingexperiencewhenalitheandsprightlybarefootoctogenarianskipspastasI
puffandsweatupthethird1,500ftclimboftheday.NowondertheGurkhasaresofit.Ihaveallmyphotographicgearonmyback,WendyhasadaysackandLilhasthekitchensink.LilandIareplayingaconstantgameofguessinghowhighweare.Ihaveanaltimeterwatchandhe’sconvincedI’mcheating,butI’mnot,much.Theviewsdownthevalleytothesteepterracedhillsidesandvillagesperchedinludicrouslyinaccessiblespotsareabsolutelybreathtaking.RightnowthereisnowhereelseI’dratherbe.We’retoilingourwayuptoavillagecalledGhorepani,whereIthink
we’llbaseourselvesforacoupleofdaysasthevistasuptheresoundmostpromising.We’veleftroadsfarbehindbutit’squiteabusyplace,withaconstantstreamofporters,donkeytrainsandothertrekkersusingtheancientpathways.MygearforthistripconsistsoftwoSLRcamerabodiesandfour
lensesupto200mmplusthepanoramicbeastwitha105mmlens.It’sallcrammedintoaphotographicrucksackwithabackpackingharness,whichmakesallthedifferencewithsuchaheavyload.Acarbon-fibretripodisstrappedtotheback.It’sagoodlittle’podanddelightfullylight,butImisstheheightandstabilityofmyregularpiece.Butalltripodsarecompromises,andwhentheonlytransportsystemisyourownfeetyoucan’thaveitall.Hereinearlywinteratthisheightthetemperaturesatnightplummetandbatteryconsumptionisanissue.I’vegotlithiumsintheF5sandthespotmeterwithacoupleofsparesets.Noneofthesevillageshavemainspower.At5amthenextmorningwe’regoinguphillagain,thistimebythe
lightofourheadtorches.Mybreathinginthethinfreezingairisalittleeasier,asI’mgettingusedtoit.Totheeastthefirstglimmerofpinklightistingeingthesky.BehindusinthegloomI’mawareofthevastbulkofAnnapurna,oneoftheworld’sfew26,000ftpeaks.MypaceincreasesasIfeeltheexcitementandtensionofwhatmaybetheshotof
increasesasIfeeltheexcitementandtensionofwhatmaybetheshotofthetripunfolding.UpontopofthehillIturnroundwithgaspinglungsandthereisAnnapurnarisingoutofthecloud,I’llneverforgetthissight.Ihaveafewsecondsgazinginawebeforebattlingwiththetripod.Withmycoldfingers,gettingthefilterringsonthelensthreadisafussandI’mawareofthebrighteningsky.Ihaven’tcomethisfarandclimbedthishightomissthesunrise.ThesunpeeksoverthefoothillsandpaintsthesnowyupperslopesofAnnapurna.Shoot.Windon.Checkeverything.Hell…thefilterhasmistedup.Wipeit.Takeanotherspotmeteroffthecloudaroundthemountain’sbase.Resetexposure,Wendyisonfilter-wipingdutyasthelensisconstantlymistingupbetweenframes.Shootmore,dobrackets,reload.Checkeverythingagain.Thecloudisnowobscuringthepeak.Thatwasit,alloverinmaybethreeminutes.Oneweeklaterandwe’reamblingdownthetrailbackfromthe
AnnapurnaBaseCamptowardsGhandrukwithacoupleofFrenchtrekkerstalkingaboutfood.Ithasbecomeanobsession,andourlittlePhotographicArmyofthreecertainlydoesmarchonitsstomach.TheNepaleseliveonDhalBhat,avegetablecurrywithHimalayan-sizemountainsofrice.It’sgoodhealthyswagbutIhavetosay,afterthreeweeksofitI’dsellmysoulforabaconsandwich.Nepalhasbeenaclassictrip.Photographicallyithasbeenfarmorethanjustmountainscenes;thepeopleandvillagelifeareunique.Lilisstillwithus–he’sarealstar,henevercomplains.
SandTherearefewmoreelementalenvironmentsonthisplanetthandeserts,andphotographersfindthemirresistible.Theclassicsweepingsanddunelandscapeisthedefinitivedesertviewthattakessomebeating.Thecleanlinesandshadowedcurvesofaseaofdunesinthefirstorlastlightofdayarequitesimplyphotographicnirvana.Butthere’sfarmoretodesertsthansanddunes;thetexturesandpatternsofthedesertenvironmentinmicrocosmarefascinating.Tinysandsignaturesofallsortsofcreaturesletyouknowyouarenotalone.Ifyoulookhardenough,theplantsandwildlifeareexquisite,andleaveyouinaweoftheirpowersofsurvival.Eachtimeyougoback,youseemore;itisabewitchinglypureenvironment,dailyrefreshedbytheblowingsandserasingalltracesofpassing.Anddesertsarenotallsand,butoftentwistedrockylandscapesshapedbywindand,yes,water.
AfisheyeviewoftheNamibDesert,Namibia
Ihavetobesocarefulnottogetmytripodlegsintheshothere.The180-degreefieldofviewemphasizestheripplesinthedunesintheforeground.Combinedwiththeextremebarreldistortionofthefisheyelensitcreatesagraphicimage.It’snotaneffectthatoftenworks,andcanbeeasilyoverdone,butit’sadelightfullytinylensI’dnotbewithout.
•NikonF5,16mmfisheyelens
MonumentValley,Utah,USA
I’veonlyjustarrivedbutthisviewlookssofamiliarfromsomanywesterns.I’mhalfexpectingJohnWayneorClintEastwoodtoridethrough.ThelandscapesoftheAmericansouthwestareimpressivelydramatic,buthavebeenphotographedextensivelybylegionsofAnselAdamsdisciples.Itmakesitachallengetocomeupwithsomethingunique,butIshouldneverunderestimatethevarietyofMotherNature’sfare.SooftenIhavetowaitdaysorweeksfortherightlight,butonthisoccasionI’minluck.Alocalrainstormsweepsacrossthedesert,droppingabriefshoweronthebuttesofMonumentValleyandpresentingmewiththemostdramaticskyIcouldhavewishedfor.Sooftenaninterestingskycanmakealandscape.
•FujiGX617,105mmlens
IwasnoyoungsterwhenIsawmyfirstdesert,andnowIhavetosayI’mhooked.Ofcoursetheyarenoteasyplacestohangoutinforlong.Proximitytowaterdominateseverythingandeveryone,andnobodyintheirrightmindchoosestobeoutlonginthemiddaysun.Atalltimes,whetheronfoot,inacaroronacamel,carryplentyofwater.Peopledieasaresultofsomethingastrivialasapuncture.Hikingupdunesladenwithgearisseriouslyhardworkintheheat,andkeepingsandoutoftheequipmentisamajorbugbear.Hardasyoutry,particlesstartaccumulatinginthedepthsofthecamerabag.Afterweeksofdesertlife,thecarandallinsideitarecoatedinlayersofdust.
Eventuallythelensesstartmakinggruesomegrindingnoiseswhenfocused,asoundaswelcometophotographersasfingernailsonachalkboard.ButIneverlosesightofthefactthatthisiswhattheyarefor.Attachedasyoumaybetoyourgleamingopticstheyareultimatelyjusttools.Usethem,don’tgettoopreciousaboutthem,andjustresignyourselftohavingtosendthemforservicingonyourreturn.
TheOlgas,KataTjuta,NorthernTerritory,Australia
Australia’sRedCentre:endlessdrybush,eucalyptustrees,bouncingJoeys,hugelumpsofredrock,ThornyDevilsandflies.Oh,theflies.ItisinconceivabletomehowthenativesoftheOutbacklivewiththem.Theytrytogetinyoureyes,nose,earsandmouth;Ihatethemwitheveryfibreofmybeing.AndIthinkthisismaybethehottestplaceI’veeverbeen.We’recampingnearby,notbychoicethistime.Muchaswelovetheoutdoorlife,aboltholeawayfromthefliesandheatwouldbewelcome,butallthelocalhotelsarefull,soit’stough.Butyouhavetosufferforyourart,anddespiteallofthatIwouldn’ttradethisexperiencefortheworld.
•FujiGX617,90mmlens
Thedesertisoneofnature’smostelementalenvironments.Photographicallydesertsareirresistible,largelybecauseofthefantastic,beautifulshapesthatwindandwaterhaveshapedthelandscapeinto,betheythesweepingdunesoftheNamibortherockformationsofUtah.Sometimesthesheeremptinessandabsenceofanythingcanbecompelling.Intheseflat,seeminglyfeaturelessexpansesnoobstructionsmaskthesun’sraysinthelastminutesbeforeitdropsbeneaththehorizon.Insuchlandscapesonelonefeature,suchasarock,atreeorevenaroad,can
becomeadramaticicon,emphasizingtheemptinessbeneathlimitlessskies.Insuchsituationslensesofextremefocallengthcanbepowerfultools,bothwideangleandsuper-telephotos,butformethedesertjustcriesoutforthepanoramicformat.
Oryxvertebra,NamibDesert,Namibia
Theabsenceoftreesandotherfeaturestogivescaletothedesertmeanstheuseofhumanfigures,orinthiscaseanimalbones,isahandywayofgivingdepthtoanimage.Ijusthavetobevigilantnottowalkintomyownshot,besmirchingthepristinescenewithmyfootprints.
•NikonF5,20–35mmlens
“Onelonefeaturecanbecomeadramaticicon,emphasizingtheemptinessbeneathlimitlessskies”
NAMIBDESERT,NAMIBIA
3.30am:Wecrawloutofthetentinthepitchblack,blearilyregisteringthecarpetofstarshangingoverhead.Thefactthatthere’sacompletelyclearskyistakenforgranted,thereareseeminglyneveranycloudshere.
4am:We’retrundlingalongtherutteddirtroadinour4x4headingintothe
NamibDesertNationalPark,eyesoutonstalksforanywildlifestraying
intoourpath.Theoddwreckedvehicleabandonedalongthewaytestifiestotherisks.It’sa90-minutedrivetotheBigDunes,andwe’lldothisroutefourtimestoday.
5.20am:Thelastsectionisstrictly4WDonly,andinthehalflightbeforedawn
theToyotaissquirminginthesoftsand,theengineworkinghardasweploughon.ThisisrealBoy’sOwnstuff,Iloveit.
5.40am:We’reonfootnow,toilingupamassivedune,tripodonmyshoulder.
Twostepsup,onestepback.Iseemtobemakinglittleheadwayastheskytotheeastisgettingrapidlylighter.
6am:Lungspumping,Icrestthedune.Infrontofmeliesaseaofdunesas
farasIcansee.Wewerehereyesterday,locationfinding,butinthefreshlightofdawnit’sanaltogethermoredramaticsight.InmyhasteIgrapplewiththetripodlegslikeadrunkenbagpiper,eventuallysubduingthem.Cameraontripod,frameshot,placefilter,attachcablerelease,setaperture,checkfocus,windonfilm,checkthecameraislevel,checkallistightonthetripod,takeapreliminaryspotmeterreadingoffthesand,setshutterspeed,glanceattheeasternsky.Thesunisnotupyetbutwillbeimminently.Checkeverythingagain.
6.20am:Fromourelevatedpositionwecanseethesunlightcreepingacross
thedesert,paintingthelandscape.Thisisit;thisisthemomentweworkfor.Takeanotherlightreadingandadjusttheshutterspeed,shoot.Windon,expose-1/3stop.Windon,expose+1/3.Doitallagain.Takeanotherlightreading;thelevelsareincreasingallthetime.Doitallagain,reload.Pause.Consider.HowcanIimprovethis?Asenseofscaleismissing.
6.30am
Wendyslowlywalksintotheframe,takingonestepatatime,carefulnottotarnishhersolitaryfootprints.Withhersackonherbackshe’slookingsuitablyintrepid.Ibeckonforhertostopintheprimespot,givingahumanperspectivetothesweepingscene.Takeanotherexposurereading,expose.Bracketexposures.Doitallagain.Reload.Double-checkeverything.Exposeagain.
6.40am:Thepowerofthesunisnowburningthrough.Idosomealternativeson35mm,goingintightonmysupermodelwithalonglens.Itlooksgreat.
9am:Thelongdrivebacktothecampsiteseemsachoreinthemorning
heat.We’vegotnooption,stayingoutintheopendesertwouldbemadness.
11am:I’msittinginthepoolatthecampsite,notswimming,justwallowing
likeahippo,tryingtokeepcool.
2pm:I’dreallyliketosleep,butthere’snowheretoshelter.Thetentisa
furnace,soI’mstillinthepool,reading.
4pm:Atlast,we’recheckingourstuff,saddlingupfortheeveningshoot.
4.30pm:
Drivingagain,thenoveltyofthisrouteisstartingtowearoff.
6pm:
I’mshootingasolitarystuntedtree,dwarfedbythesanddunebehind.Workingwitha300mmlensthetrueperspectiveisemphasized.It’sagraphiccomposition.Anoryxwanderspastinthedistance.Whatdotheyfindtoliveoff?
7.30pm:Backontheroadagain.Inthedusklightanostrichracesalongside
ourvehicle,leavingusstanding.Showoff.
9pm:Wendyiscookingpastabythetent,I’mclutchingacoolbeer,gazing
upatthestars,feelingtotallyandutterlycontent.Ithasbeenalongday,andtomorrowwillbetoo.
IceWhereIliveinsouthwestEngland,ithastobesaid,wintersareasaddisappointment.Grey,windyandwet–they’llnevercatchon.IgrewupinCanada,andchildhoodmemoriesareofawinterwonderlandbetweenNovemberandApril.Imissthosecrispsnowydayswiththefreshsnowhangingfromthetreesinsparklingwinterlight–Ijustdon’tgetenoughofthemphotographically.ItookthemforgrantedbackinOntario;I’dgivemyeye-teethforafewofthemeverywinternow.So,theonlyansweristoheadnorth,orbacktoCanada.Ofcourselikeallenvironmentstherearesomeparticularchallengesto
workinginicyclimes.I’mnotyourgrandmothersoIwon’timploreyoutowrapupwarmly,butitgoeswithoutsayingthatifyou’renotpreparedthephotographywillsuffer.Thisgamecaninvolvelongperiodsofinactivitywaitingfortheperfectconditionsforexposure.Batteryconsumptioninthecoldisalsosomethingtobeawareof.It’sshockinghowquicklystandardalkalinebatterieswillrundowninsub-zerotemperatures.Tobeprecise,asetofalkalineAAswilllastforapproximately3,000picturesat20°C,at-10°Cyougetjust300.Iuselithiumbatteriesinwinter,whichwilllastmuchlonger.Alsoconsiderkeepingyourcamerabodyinsideyourjacketforwarmthwhilewaiting.That’snotreallyanoptionwiththepanoramicasit’saseriousbeastofacamera.Asit’stotallymanual,batteriesaren’ttheissuebutleafshuttersdon’tlikethecoldandcanstick.
BanffNationalPark,Alberta,Canada
We’respendingChristmasinBanff,excepttheunthinkablehashappened,there’snosnow!Largeareasofuglybrownstreakthehillsides,whatistheworldcomingto?Finally,uptheBowValleynearLakeLouiseI’vefoundapatchwherefreshsnowishangingfromthetrees.Exceptthismorningthewholeregionsitsunderabankofdense,lowcloud.I’mstandingwaitingforthelightwith
frozentoes,wishingI’dboughtthethermalboots.FinallytherearetracesofblueaboveandtheRockiesjuststarttoappearthroughtheclearingmists.I’mbalancingtheexposurebetweenthesunlitmountainsandtheforegroundwitha0.9NDgraduatedfilterandformyexposurereadingsI’malternatingbetweenspotmeterreadingsofthesnowintheforegroundandthetreesinthemiddledistance.ForthesnowreadingsIopenup1½–2stopsontheindicatedexposure.ThetwodifferentmethodsseemtocorroborateeachothersoIcan’tbefarout.Eventuallythesunburnsoffallthecloud,butIsuspecttheshotswiththefirsthintsofthepeaksloomingthroughwillbesubtler.
•FujiGX617,90mmlens
Berctesgarten,BavarianAlps,Germany
I’vegotallhotandsweatytrudgingupthehill,mybootscrunchinginthesnow;nowI’mstanding,waitingforthelightandcoolingrapidly.ThepictureIhaveinmindisastraightforwardimage(thebestalwaysare)withthefirstlightofdaystrikingthepeaks.Calculatingyourexposureswithalotofsnowaroundcanbetricky,buttakingareadingfromamid-tonewillalwayswork.Thetrickistoknowwhatyourmid-toneis;inthiscaseItookaspotmeterreadingoffthetreesbytheAlpinechaletinmid-distance.
•FujiGX617,105mmlens
“Exposingforsnowisallaboutconsideringhowmuchtextureyouwantinthesurface”
EileanDonanCastle,LochAlsh,Scotland
Onourlastnightthesnowfell,givingperfectconditionsovertheScottishHighlandsjustaswehavetoheadsouth.It’sadeeplypainfulexperience,havingtodriveawayfromherenow.I’mruingthedeadlinesandcommitmentsthatclutteruplife,makingthisdeparturenecessary.AswecrossthebridgefromSkyethefirstsunlightbeamsalongLochAlsh,takingourbreathaway.Afewminuteslaterwe’repassingEileanDonanCastle.Thisistoomuch.NotonlyistherefreshsnowbutperfectreflectionsforthisclassicScottishscene.Ijustcan’tresist–Ipullinanddiveformygear.Stuffthetimetable.
•NikonF5,17–35mmlens
Winterlightcanbesodramatic.Daysareshortandthesunnevergetsveryhighinthesky,meaningphotographyispossibleallofthedaylighthours.Makingexposureswithsomuchlightbouncingaround–offthesnow,iceorwater–canbetricky.Whatdoyouexposefor?Wherearethemid-tones?Exposingforsnowisallaboutconsideringhowmuchtextureyouwantinthesurface.Overexposeandthewhitesblowout,underexposeandthesnowlookslikeadirtygreymass.Ideally,everycrystalandrippleinthesnowwillbevisible.Howyoutacklethiswilldependalotonwhatkityou’reusing.Intheolddays,andstillnowwithmypanoramiccamera,Itakemultiplespotreadingsoffthesurfaceofthesnowwithahand-heldexposuremeterandopenupabout1½–2stopsontheindicatedreading.Shootingdigitallythebrightnesshistogramdisplaybecomesanespeciallyusefulaidafteratestexposureinthesesituations,toensurethathighlightsaren’tbeinglost.Buthereagain,aswithmostaspectsofphotography,experimentationisrewarded.Dotests,notewhatyou’redoingintermsofhowyou’reexposing,analysetheresultscarefully,learnfromyourmistakesand
you’reexposing,analysetheresultscarefully,learnfromyourmistakesandenjoyawarmglowofsatisfactionfromthewinners.Withallthetechnologyintheworld,trialanderrorstillremainstheonlywaytoconsistentlyimproveyourphotography.Aswithdeserts,thecraftsmanshipofMotherNature’ssculpturesinsnowand
iceprovidesuswithendlessinspiration.Thebiggestchallengereallyofthistypeofworkisfindingthoseperfecticylandscapes–thecombinationoffreshsnowandsparklinglightisarareone.
ALEXANDRAFJORD,ELLESMEREISLAND,CANADIANARCTIC
27July:We’reonthefirstplaneintofog-boundResolutefortendays,embarkingonaseakayakingexpeditionintheCanadianArctic.There’sjustoneproblem;nokayaks.Apparentlythey’refollowingonanotherplane.So,wewait.
28July:We’restillawaitingthekayaks,sowe’resamplingthejoysof
Resolute.IfCanadahadpoliticalprisonersthisiswherethey’dbesent.ForgetanynotionsofpristineArcticlandscapes.Inthedensefogandbitingcoldthisisagrey,bleakdump;acollectionofpre-fabhutsthatisthejumpingoffpointformanypolarexplorations.Butwe’rebuzzingatthestartofourArcticAdventure.Afterallthebookswe’vereadonthequestfortheNorthwestPassagewe’rehere,onCornwallisIsland,andhopefullytomorrowwe’reheadingfurthernorth;totheveryedgeofthepermanentice-pack,toAlexandraFjordonEllesmereIsland,offthenorthshoreofGreenland,sofarnorthit’soffthetopofmostmaps.Maybe.NothingisforsureinthehighArctic.
29July:Thekayakshavearrived,andsowe’retakingoffinaTwinOtterwith
allourgearfortwoweeksatthetopoftheworld.Weflyfortwo-and-a-halfhoursinacompletewhiteoutbeforeburstingoutintothesunglintingofftheunspeakablyspectacularglaciers,peaks,baysandiceflowsofEllesmereIsland.ItissuchacontrasttoResolute.Landingonavaguelylevelandstraightstripoftundrawesetupcampontheedgeof
abaycrammedwiththemostbeautifullyshapedice.Iwalkalongtheshoreintheevening;infactit’smorelikemidnight,butwith24-hourdaylightheretimebecomeselastic.
30July:Asweassembleourkayaks,I’mlookingattheamountofkitwe’ve
gottogetin.Itdoesn’tseempossible,evenbeforeIconsiderthephotographicstuff;afullNikon35mmsystem,tripod,andthepanoramiccamera.Noway!
31July:Finallywe’reready.Ourtwo-mankayaksarecrammedfullofall
we’llneedforafortnight–campingkit,foodandwater,allsealedinwaterproofsacks.Ihavenoideahowwe’vemanagedtocramitallin.We’rewearingtrendybrightyellowsurvivalsuitsincaseofimmersioninthefreezingwater,andontheforedeckofourvesselI’vegotmycamerakit.Andsofinallywe’reoff,paddlingdownAlexandraFjordonglassywatersamongsttheicefloes.Beardedsealoccasionallypopuptotrackourprogress.There’sawalrushauledoutontheiceaheadso
wespend15minuteshiding;theyhavebeenknowntogetinquisitivewithkayaks,evenamorous.Beingtippedintotheseblackicywatersbyahumpingwalrusdoesn’treallyappeal.
1August:
Withthesunbehindthickcloudandawindblowingofftheicethetemperatureplummets,andwe’rewearingeverylayerwehave.ThisistheArcticsummer,whichlastsforafewweeksatmost.You’vegottowonderwhatthedarkwintersarelike.Ourcampisonanislandinthefjord;ourtentisdefinitelyaRoomwithaView.Sometimeintheafternoon/evening/night(whoknows)thewinddropsandthecloudspart,revealingthemostperfectsceneofArcticsplendour–flatcalmwatersmirroringtherippledclouds,floatingiceandthesweepofthefjordbeyond.Thistriphasbeeninthebackofmymindforsolong,apersonalambitionthathasfinallycometofruition.IfIdon’tmanagetoshootonemorepicturehereitwillhavebeenworthwhile,forthis.
3August:Anotherdayspentdodgingthewalrus.Thepackicehasclosedaheadandwehavetofindaspottocampbeforewe’restuck.We’rewellintoitnow,paddlingboldlyinthispristinewilderness.Mindyou,ashowerandamaltwhiskywouldbeverywelcome.Butthisisthebusiness,itisthewildest,mostremoteplaceIhaveeverbeen.
4August:I’monahilllookingdownonavistaoficeandrockstretchingto
infinity.Inthestillairthesoundofabarkingwalrusreverberatesover
thepackice.Thelightfromthenorthernhorizonislowandgolden.Mywatchtellsmeit’s2amandIreallyshouldbegettingsomesleep,we’vegotanotherlongpaddletomorrow,butIjustcan’tpullmyselfawayfromthisscene.Inthebaybelowtherestofthecrewarehuddledintheirsleepingbags.ApartfromthemIdoubtthere’sasingleotherpersonforhundredsofmiles.CertainlyIknowIamthesolehumangazingoutatthissceneofuttertranquillity.It’salmostpossibletobelievealliswellwiththeworld.
5August:We’refloatingamongsttheiceonmirroredwaters.Dippingour
paddlesintotheperfectreflectionsseemsatravesty.I’mgrapplingwithmypaddle,tryingtogettomycameraswithoutdrippingsaltwateralloverthem.Kayaksaregreatwaysofgettingaroundthesepartsbutnotsogoodforphotographingfrom.IthinkI’vealreadylostalenstothesaltydrips.ButI’mnotlosingsleepaboutit.
6August:Alongday,greyandwindy.Thetentsareanchoreddownwithrocksandthesleepingbaghasneverbeensowelcoming.I’mcontemplatinghowthetripisgoingphotographically.Asusual,thewormofself-doubtturnsinmygut.HaveImadethemostofthisuniqueenvironment?We’veseensomeincrediblesightsonthewater,butshootingfromthecanoesisanightmare.Gettingtothecamerainahurryisimpossible,bythetimeIhaveitandhavesortedoutmycompositionwithoutourpaddlesintheshot,attachedafilterandexposedafewframestherestofthegrouparewayahead,leavingusadriftintheiceflow.Still,ifitwereeasyeveryonewouldbedoingit.
7August:We’retalkingtoResoluteontheradio,tryingtocoordinateourpick
upfromabaytoournorth.Butthereareproblems,theydon’tthinkaplanecangetinthere,sowe’llhavetoheadbacktoAlexandraFjord.
9August:We’vebeencampingonaheadlandnorthofAlexandraFjordfortwo
days,waitingforthewindstodrop.Thepreviouslyflat,calmwatersarenowraginggreyseaswithwhitehorsesandspindrift.There’snowaywecancrossintheseconditions,sowewait,spendinglonghourshuddledinourtents.I’mreadingabookabouttheearlyArcticexplorersbeingforcedtospendwinterstrappedintheiceintheseveryparts.Hmmm.I’mnotsurewe’veenoughpeanutbutterforthat.Thebriefsummeriscomingtoaclose,thesunisbrieflydippingbelowthehorizonatnightandalayeroficeisvisibleonthewatersclosetoshore.Aplaneissupposedtobepickingusuptomorrowbutunlessthewindsdropitwon’thappen,andwhenonewillbeabletogetinafterthat,nooneknows.We’reallfeelingatouchexposed.
10August:Intheearlyhoursthewindsdropandwepackupforthecrossing.By
thetimewe’rereadythewindisbackatfullforce,butwedecidetogoforit.Launchingthekayaksovertheiceshelfintothechurningwatersis…challenging.Actually,we’reallterrified.Butbyhelpingtostabilizeeachother’skayakswegoforit,immediatelypointingthebowsintothe3ft-highwaves.Greyicywatersurgesoverthedeck.Oncewe’realllaunchedweploughacrossthefjord,paddlinglikewe’veneverdonebefore,fearbalancedbyexhilaration.Inthemiddleofthefjordthewinddropsandwe’repaddlingthroughthebizarreiceshapes,buzzingwithouradventure.Moodscanchangehereinseconds–frombleak,icydangertobenign,tranquilbeauty.Aswehaultheboatsoutforthefinaltimeonthesouthshoreitstartssnowing.
11August:Goodnews,aTwinOtterisonthewaytopickusup.Allourflight
connectionsbacktotherealworldhavebeenmissed,butwhocares?Thefreshsnowonthemountainsbackdropstheapproachingplane,it’ssobeautiful–doIreallywanttoleave?ItseemsImaynothaveanoption.Thepilot’smoaningaboutourloadandsaysIhavetoleavemyphotographicgearforasubsequentplanetopickup.AsIsuspectthatmaynotbeuntilnextsummerIdigmyheelsin:ifitcan’tgo,neithercanI.Astandoffensues.EventuallymyCanadianfriendJimmanagestonegotiateanagreementandI’mallowedontheplaneclutchingmysalt-encrustedcameras.Theplanelaboursintotheair,headingsouth,aswepeeroutatthedramaticArcticwildernessweareleavingbehind.
EarthAsa14-year-oldboyonourreturnfromCanada,IrememberlookingdownfromthecirclingJumboJetatthepatchworkoffieldsthatmakeupEngland’sgreenandpleasantland.ItseemedatoylandscapeincontrasttothehugeopenspacesofCanada.InEuropetherurallandscapeshavebeenshapedandmaintainedbymanforcenturies,evenmillennia,tosuchanextentthattheoldstonewalls,rusticbarnsandchurchsteeplesareasmuchpartoftheenvironmentasthetreesandhills.Agegenerallymellowsman’sinputandtheruralarchitectureofaregionbecomesdeeplyembeddedinitscharacterandculture.Forallthechallengesofdesertsandicecapssomeofmyfavouritetripshave
consistedofloadingupthemotoranddriftingthroughtheruralheartlandsofEurope.Onalonghaulflightdifficultcompromiseshavetobemadewithwhatcanbetaken,andIoftenopttotravellightwithjusttheDSLRsystem.Soontheseroadtripsit’ssucharelieftoloadupvirtuallyallthegearIown,includingtheheavyartillery.
SunrisenearCortonDenham,Somerset,England
It’slateJune,about4.30amandI’minthemiddleofapoppyfieldwaitingforthelight.Beforethesunpopsoverthehillandboresintomylenscausingflare,Iexposewiththedawnskyandthepoppiesswayinginthebreeze.
•CanonEOS-1DsMKII,17–40mmlens
OlivegrovenearCazorla,Andalucia,Spain
We’vefoundthisspotinAndaluciathat’sprovingverydifficulttoleave.Withthewildspringflowersgrowinginamongtheolivegrovesit’saverdant,lushlandscapethatwe’recyclingthrougheverydayinsearchoflocations.IreckonI’vemadesomeworthwhileimagesandit’sprobablytimetomoveon,butsomehow,wejustcan’tseemto.
•FujiGX617,90mmlens
PoppiesnearSt-Rémy-de-Provence,Provence,France
Byoneofthosetypicaltree-linedroadsnearSt-Rémy-de-ProvenceIfindthisconcentrationofpoppies.They’reeverywhereinsouthernFranceinlateMay.Inevercanresistgettingtheminmyforeground.Well,Monetdid,sowhycan’tI?
•FujiGX617,90mmlens
I’vebeenweddedtothepanoramicformatforsome17years.Ifirsthiredapanoramiccameraontrialandwassobowledoverbytheimpactofthebig6x17cmtransparenciesforlandscapeworkthatIimmediatelyboughtone.Sincethenitanditssuccessorhavebeenroundtheworldmanytimes.Asyetthere’s
thenitanditssuccessorhavebeenroundtheworldmanytimes.Asyetthere’snopracticaldigitalalternativetothebig‘pano’andIstilllovetheimpactandqualityoftheformat.Thecameraitselfisbigandbulky,butnotparticularlyheavy.It’salsodelightfullysimple,withnoelectronicsandnotmuchtogowrong.Havingsaidthatitdoesdemandadifferent,morerigidwayofworking,IhavetobemeticulousinthewayIputtogetheranimageandoperatethecamera.Istronglybelieveyouneedtobediligentwhatevercamerayou’reusing,butwiththepanoramicitdoestakeawhilelongertosetupanddeploy.Thiscanbeagoodthing,imposingamoredisciplinedregimeonthebusinessofmakinganimage,andwhenyouseeaprintfromthisformatenlargeduptoseveralfeetwideitmakesitallworthwhile.
“Locationsearchinginsuchregionscanandshouldbearealjoy”
Littondale,YorkshireDalesNationalPark,England
ThestonewallsandbarnsoftheYorkshireDalesareanationaltreasure.It’soneofmyfavouritepartsofEngland.It’sanearlysummerevening,about8.30pm,andfriendsarewaitingformeinthepubinKettlewell,butIjustcan’tcomeaway.It’stoughmaintainingasociallifewhenthedaysarelongandthelightisgood.
•FujiGX617,90mmlens
DawnatComptonPauncefoot,Somerset,England
I’vecycledpastthisscenecountlesstimeswithoutitreallyregistering–it’sononeofmyregularroutesfromhome.Thenlasttimeitsuddenlystruckme;there’sashothere.WhyhadInotnoticeditbefore?EitherI’mjustauselessphotographerorthere’salessonhere;I’mnotsure.So,hereIamthenextmorning,shootinginthesoftlightofdawn,withtracesofpinkkissingthecloudsandthehedgerowfullofearlysummercolour.
•FujiGX617,90mmlens
InEuropetheclassicregionsofProvence,TuscanyandAndaluciatakesomebeating,butofcoursetherearemany,manyotherequallybucolicandenticingareas.Indeedpartoftheattractionofsuchtripsisgettingoffthebeatentrackanddiscoveringforyourselfruralbackwatersnotmentionedintheguidebooks.Bytheirverynaturetheseareenvironmentslackinginanyparticularchallengeofsurvivaloraccess.Asalways,locationfindingiscrucial.I’veoftenfoundmyselfinaregionIknowisattractive,withmuchphotographicpotential,butIcan’tseemtoexpressitinanimage.It’sextremelyfrustrating,andithappensalltoofrequently.Amentalblockcandevelop,theharderyoulook,thelessitallcomestogether.Butpersistenceusuallypaysoff.Thelocationsearchingitselfinsuchregionscanandshouldbearealjoy;ifitbecomesachorethensomethingisnotright.Cyclingandwalkingaremypreferredwaysoffindingmyspots;drivingisOKbutit’salltooeasytowhizzpastascenewithoutevennoticingit.Ijustcan’tworkoutthoughwhyalltherandonnéesseemtoincorporatelunchinasun-dappledsquare.Allinthenameoffamiliarization,ofcourse.
ThevillageofEusperchedonahilltopwiththePicdeCanigoubeyond,thePyrenees,Languedoc-Roussillon,France
IthastakenmefourattemptstomakethisshotofthechurchwiththePicdeCanigoubeyond.I’vebeenbattlingwithindifferent,hazylight.I’mstillnotentirelyhappywithit;I’dlikemoredramainthesky.Butwe’vebeencampingnearbyatVernet-les-BainsinthePyreneesforfivedaysnowandit’stimetomoveon.
•CanonEOS-1DsMKII,24–70mmlens
ITALIANSUMMER
Day10:OurItalianCampaignisgoingwell.LiketheVandalsandVisigothswemarchedintoItalyviatheBrennerPassfromAustria.We’regivingsackingRomeamissthistimebutareblazingatrailofexposedimagesthroughthecountry,leavinginourwakevacatedcampsitesand
decimatedpastadishes.We’veplunderedtheDolomites,LakeGardaandVeronaandarenowponderingournextconquests.Achangeofplanwasdecidedlastnightoverourvinorosso;we’reheadingontoTuscany.We’vebeenmanytimesbefore,butnowwe’rethisclose,wecan’tresistit.Ithasn’tgelledhereinEmilia-Romagnaandanotherwasteddaycouldresultinalossofmomentum,thatcuriousfusionofcircumstanceandframeofmindthatdeterminesjusthowproductiveatripis.AfterabriefvisittoMaranellowebombdowntheautostradaandsetupcampinChiantishire.TheentirepopulationoftheNetherlandsisonthecampsitewithusbutthisisgreat.Fromourtentwelookoveravalleywithvineyards,pointytreesandvillas,justbeyondtheGerman’scyclingshortsdryingontheline.
Days11–15:
Ourlocalvalleycollectsthemistatnight,soithasprovidedafewgooddawnsessions.IloveitwhenIcanjuststumbleoutofthetenttostandblearyeyedbythetripodwithouthavingtodriveformiles.I’vebeenworkingonvineyards,bothaspartofthelandscapeandclose-upsoftheripegrapesinthewarmeveningsun.They’realmostreadyforpickingandthesmellisintoxicating.TheancientvillageofBadiaaPassignanowasthesettingforaneveningshoot,withanolivegroveintheforeground.Gutlessskiesandhazehavecontinuedtobeaproblem,buthey,lifeisrarelyperfect.Therehavealsobeendetailsofwindows,doorwaysandmarketstoshootinthevillageslikeCastellinainChianti.
Day16:
Thegrapepickersturningupforworkaregivingmewryandbemusedlooks.I’mstandingonthecustomizedphotographicroofplatformofourLandRoverparkedinamongstthevinesatdawn.IfthiswereBritainI’dnodoubthaveaniratefarmeronmyhandsbutnothere,noonecares.I’vegotthepanoramicGX617onthetripodupherewitha180mmlens,apolarizeranda0.9NDgrad.Thesuniscominguptomyleftgivingcrosslightingbutit’shavingtosliceitswaythroughaheavylayerofatmosphericmiasma,andtheskyisjusthopeless.Thiscouldbeastrongshotthough,andI’mnottooconcernedaboutthehaze.Itwillsoftenthelightatouch,whichintuitivelyIthinkmayhelpthisimage.Why?Idon’tknow,Ijustfeelit.I’mframingsothere’spreciouslittleskyintheshot,andthelinesofthevinesandtrackleadustothevillaandvalleybeyond.There’stheannoyingdetailofourcampsiteonthehillsidetotheright,I’lljusthavetoannihilateourtentandtheDutchcaravansinPhotoshoplater.
Day17:We’removingontoPugliatoday.AswedriveawayfromTuscanyI
seemoregreatlocationsandwishwehadmoretime.Well,we’lljusthavetocomeback–that’llbenohardship.
DawnonthebeachatBamburghCastle,Northumbria,England
IreckonI’veseenmoresunrisesthanI’vehadhotdinners,butthisonetakesthebiscuit.Standingbythetripodatdawninthemiddleofatwo-minuteexposureI’mmarvellingatthecoloursripplingthroughtheskyandreflectingoffthewetsand.AsurfisrollinginofftheNorthSeaandBamburghCastlestandscommandinglyoverlookingthebeach,silhouettedbythefirstlightspreadingthroughthewispsofcloudinunbelievablehuesofpinkandpurple.Thenoveltyofthisexperienceneverwanes,evenafter25yearsofdawnpatrols.Lastnighthighwindsshatteredourtentandweendedupsharingwithcompletestrangersintheirs.TothemysterycouplefromYork,thanksverymuch;hopewedidn’twakeyouwhenwecreptoutat5amforthedawnlight.We’dconqueredthewildsofPatagoniabutcameunstuckinNorthumberland–allpartoflife’srichpageant.
•FujiGX617,90mmlens
WaterInavillageoutsideZhongdian,highontheTibetanplateauinChina’sYunnanProvince,thekidswereplayingupforthecamera.Theymayneverlayeyesonadistantocean.Formanyofusthatseemsinconceivable.Ourconnectionwiththeseaiswoundintoouridentityandpermeatesourlives.Weareallinescapablydrawntoit,forourleisure,ourwork,orjusttogazeendlesslyatitsever-changingmoods.Forusphotographersthatisdoublytrue.Thecoasthasaninescapabledraw.Photographicallythepossibilitiesareendless.Icouldspendmywholecareer
shootingthesea,quitehappily.What’smoreit’saccessible,atleastifyoudon’tliveinZhongdian.It’seasytostrollalongthecoastalpathandshootsomedramaticimages,right?It’ssafe,anyonecandoit.Well,inallmytravelstheonlytimesI’veeverbeeninperilhavebeenwhenI’vebeenafoolandunderestimatedthepoweroftheseeminglybenignsea.Icamewithinaninchof
drowninginTahiti,tryingtowadebetweentwoislands.AFrenchjet-skierpickedmeup.I’vebeencaughtbythewavefromthePerfectStormonthenorthCornishcoast,pickedupandtossedwithallmygearontothe
AnseSevere,LaDigue,Seychelles
TofindtheperfectpalmtreestretchedacrosstheperfectwhitesandbeachIsearchedtropicalislandsrightaroundtheglobeinatwo-yearquest.Itwastoughbutsomeonehadtodoit.I’venevertakenthejoboflocationfindingtosuchextremes.IfoundmyHolyGrailhereonLaDigueintheSeychelles,whichispossiblyoneofthemostbeautifultropicalislandsintheworld,locatedinthemiddleoftheIndianOcean.I’mherenow,writingthisbookabouthalfamilefromthatbeach.ThetreeisnomoreI’mafraid,butatleastthatmeansthispicturecanneverberepeated.
•FujiGX617,105mmlens
SunriseatTeParePoint,nearHahei,CoromandelPeninsula,NorthIsland,NewZealand
There’sclaritytothelighthereinNewZealandthat’sunique.Perhapsit’sduetotheabsenceofanozonelayeroverAotearoa,butitmakesforsomesparklingphotographicconditions.We’vehadanother3.40amrisethismorning,a40-minutedrive,followedbyanhour’shike,ortrampastheysayintheseparts,andnowwe’reinpositionastherisingsunbathesthebaysandcliffsoftheCoromandelPeninsula.Wescoutedthislocationyesterdayandnowalltheelementshavecome
togetherbeautifully–MotherNaturelikesusthismorning.I’mponderinghowI’mgoingtomakethisimage,bothhereandbackatbase.MyworkingmethodshaveevolvedoverthelastfewyearsasI’vepartiallyswitchedtoshootingdigitally,andthismorning’shigh-contrastscenewillrequirealltheflexibilitythenewmediumgivesme.Thesensitivityofthesensor,theexposurelatitudeoftheRAWfileandthescopeforskilledandsensitiveprocessingmakeadigitalcameraanincrediblyversatiletool.
•CanonEOS-1DsMKII,17–40mmlens
WearyBayatdawn,Queensland,Australia
TracingthenamesuptheeastcoastofAustralia,yougetagoodindicationofCaptainJamesCook’sstateofmindastheEndeavoursailednorthonhisvoyageofdiscoveryin1769.Justouttoseahere,offQueensland’sCapeTribulation,theystruckthecoralreefandalmostfoundered.AftertemporarilypluggingthebreachinthehullwithcanvasthecrewtowedthestrickenEndeavourwithoarpoweracrossthisbayinsearchofsheltertoeffectrepairs.Ilovesaltystorieslikethat,andhavetoadmitCookisaheroofmine.I’monthepierofarainforestlodgeatdawn,breakingallthecompositionalrulesagain.It’salongexposure,andImanagejustacoupleofbracketedexposureswhilethefireintheskylasts.It’sabeautifulsightinatranquillocation,butawormisturninginsideofme;I’mconcernedIhaven’tmadeenoughstrongimagesyetonthistrip.It’stheconstantphotographer’sangst,whichcanonlyberelievedtemporarilywithanotherproductivephotosession.Soonerratherthanlater,itreturns.
•NikonF5,17–35mmlens
PortlandBillatdusk,Dorset,England
OffthispointistheRace,ameetingofcurrentscreatingsometrulyevilseas.Normallyinwinterthisspotisbeingbatteredbymonsterwaves:it’sthegraveyardofmanyshipsandcameras.Thisafternoontheseaislikeamillpondandtheskyaleadengrey;Ialmostabandonmywatch,butdecidetohangonabitlonger.SomanytimesI’vegivenupprematurelyandheadedfordinner,onlytocursemyselfbitterlyasafinalburstoflightofthedaytauntsme.I’mrewardedasaflickerofgoldignitestherocks.I’mscrabblingtotakeameterreadingandexposewhilethelightlasts.TheseaissocalmI’mconcernedthescenewilllacktheusualdramathislocationprovides,butthequalityofthelightmorethanmakesupforit.
•FujiGX617,90mmlens
rockslikeapieceofflotsam.Ithurt.AndI’vebeencutoffbythetideinScotland,onlytobesavedbyInternationalRescueintheformofmywifepaddlingouttoretrievemeinarowboatinthedark.IsuspectI’venotheardthelastofthatone.AndI’velostmanycamerasandlensestotheeffectsofsaltwater.Whydoesallthiskeephappening?Well,apartfrommebeinganidiotthere
aretwomitigatingcircumstances.Firstly,andI’msureit’strueforallofus,whenI’mworkingonanimageIgettotallyabsorbed,therestoftheworldceasestoexist.Timepasses;IoftenthinkI’vebeencrouchingbythetripodfortenminuteswhenitturnsouttobemorelikeanhour.Andsecondly,thebestimagesaremadewhenyougofortheboldestcomposition,andthatmeansgettingthetripodlegswet.You’renotgoingtomakeaknockoutpicturefromthecarpark.Keepingyourkitdryisoneofthebiggestchallengeshere,andthereare
waterproofcoversmadeforcameras,which,whilenotprotectingfromamonsterwave,willkeeptheworstofthesprayoff.Ofcoursethatdoesn’tactuallyincludethefrontlenselementorfilter,asthisbydefinitionmustbeexposed.Sobetweenexposuresasoft,drylensclothisneededtoremoveallthesaltymoisturesteadilyaddingdiffusiontoyourimage,whetheryouwantitornot.
WildflowersonthecliffsoftheLizard,Cornwall,England
It’slatespringinCornwallandtheclifftopsontheLizardareburstingwithcolour.I’mfeelingalternativethismorningandmakeashotwithnosky,concentratingjustonthewildflowersandcraggycoast.MaybeI’mbiased,butIthinkwe’reluckyintheBritishIslestohavesomeofthemostvariedanddramaticcoastlinesanywhere.
•FujiGX617,90mmlens
Usinglongexposureswithmovingwaterishardlyanewidea,butit’sonewe’reallhookedon;itgivesadreamy,ethereallookandI’vespentmanyhoursstandingwithwaterlappingaroundmyfeetwaitingtofinishanothersix-minuteexposure.Toslowexposuresdownneutraldensityfiltersarecrucial:Iregularlyusea0.6or0.9ND,whichequatesto+2or3stopsofexposure.Onlargerformatcameraswithtinyminimumapertureslikef/45andslowISO50film,longexposuresarealmostobligatory,butwithdigitalcamerasit’softendifficulttoslowexposuresenough.WithdefaultsensitivitiesofISO100orfasterandminimumaperturesofonlyf/22,exposureslongerthanasecondcanbedifficulttoachieveevenwithNDfilters.Usingtwoinconjunctionhelps,buttheymustgoodfilters–bothopticallyandintermsofcolourquality–otherwisesharpnesswillsufferandgruesomecolourcastsbecomeapparent.IusetwoLee0.9NDglassfiltersmadeespeciallyfordigitalcameras.Theamountofmovementdesirableisforyoutodecide.Anexposureof1/2seconabreakingwavewillgiveapleasingblurrydrama,whileaneight-minuteexposureatdusktransformsthewaterintoaseaofmercury.Again,dotrials,experiment.Andaboveall,knowwhatthetideisdoing–isitebbingorflowing?Checkthetidetimes,wearwellies,andrinsethetripoddownwithfreshwaterafterwardstopreventitrustingandcloggingupwithsalt.
“Thebestimagesaremadewhenyougofortheboldestcomposition,andthatmeansgettingthetripodlegswet”
Porthcurno,Cornwall,England
AsthesunrisesovertheLizardstreaksoffirearcthroughthedawnsky.A0.9graduatedneutraldensityfilterholdsbacktheexposureonthesky,whilsta0.9neutraldensityfilterallowsmetoslowtheexposureto25secondstorecordsomemotionblurofthewavesbreakingonthebeach.Iexposeatestframe,checkmyhighlightalertsandhistogram,dialin+0.3exposurecompensationwithapertureprioritymatrix-metering,andstartexposing.
•CanonEOS-1DsmkII,16–35mmlens)
WoodTherainforest:adensegreenmassofvegetation,difficulttobein,evenhardertoworkin.Wheretostart?Surelyonepatchofjungleismuchlikeanyother?Everythingisupclose,inyourface,drippingandslimy,therearenosweepingviews,andthelightisawful.Butanyonewhohasspenttimeinrainforestsknowswhatfascinatingplacestheyare–fulloflife,thelungsoftheplanet:Ialwaysfeelprivilegedtobethere.It’sanenvironmentthatassaultsthesenses;thesoundsandsmellsofthejunglepermeatemysoul.Andtheyarealldifferent.Definitelydifficulttophotograph,butnooneeversaidthisgamewaseasy.
MonteverdeCloudForestReserve,CostaRica
Withthelightlevelsfluctuatingwidelyasthecloudsfilteredthroughthetrees,exposingforthisshotwasmurder.Halfwaythroughafive-minuteexposurethesunpenetratedthemist,sendinglightlevelsandcontrastthroughtheroof.Iabortedtheexposureandstartedanother.Ishottworollsof220justtogetoneperfectexposure.
•FujiGX617,90mmlens
WaterfallwithwildBusyLizzies(Impatiens)nearAlajuela,CentralValley,CostaRica
It’softendifficultintherainforesttoseeanycolourotherthangreen.HerebythewaterfalltheseBusyLizziesgiveasplashofpinktooffsetthecoolbluesandgreensdeepinajunglevalley.
•FujiGX617,90mmlens
MonteverdeCloudForestReserve,CostaRica
Themistspassingthroughtheforestgaveanetherealmoodandalovelylow-contrastlight,perfectforthisenvironment.Italsomeanteverythingwaspermanentlymoist,thevegetation,theair,thecameraandme.Keepingthedripsoffallthegearwasamajorundertaking.
•FujiGX617,180mmlens
“Lightlevelsareverylow,thinkintermsofexposuresofminutes,sodon’tevenconsidergoingwithoutatripod”
Asusual,locationsearchingisthekey,andthatmeansgettingthebootson.Findingastrongcompositionisthegoal;it’sacaseoftuningyourphotographicvisionintothefinedetailsoftherainforest.Ilookforvisuallystrongfeaturestobaseacompositionon,suchasroots,vines,streamsorsomegraphicdetail.Lightingistheotherbigissue,buthereunderthedensejunglecanopyallthepreviouslyheldnotionsofwhatlightIlikeforlandscapeworkareredundant.StrongdirectionalsunlightisdefinitelywhatIdonotneed:thecontrastgoesthroughtheroof,orrathercanopy,resultinginburnt-outhighlightsanddenseblackshadows.Leadengreyskiesgivingaflat,diffusetoplightingareperfect.Lightlevelsareverylow:thinkintermsofexposuresofminutes,sodon’tevenconsidergoingwithoutatripod.
Giantcedartree,MearesIsland,ClayoquotSound,VancouverIsland,BritishColumbia,Canada
Notallrainforestsaretropical.HereonMearesIslandthegiantcedartreesthatusedtobefoundalloverVancouverIslandaretrulymajestic.Howcananyonecontemplatecuttingdownoneoftheseancientlivingentities?ThisonewouldhavebeenasaplingwhentheRomansruledsupreme.Ican’tincludetheentiretoweringgiantintheframesoIconcentrateonshowingitsgirthinrelationtothenewgrowtharoundit.
•FujiGX617,105mmlens
Buttressrootsontree,tropicalrainforest,Daintree,Queensland,Australia
TherootsofatreeinthetropicalrainforestremindedmeoftheflyingbuttressesonGloucesterCathedral.Isupposethey’resimilarlysupportiveinthethinsoil.
•FujiGX617,105mmlens/NikonF5,16mmfisheyelens
Fill-inflashcanbeeffectiveforlightingdetails.Andtakeanemptyfilmcanisterfullofsalt.It’sfortheleechesyousee:ifyoufindanyoftheseblood-suckersclingingtoyouranatomyjustpoursaltonandtheyshrivelanddropoff.Anumbrellaisalsousefulas,funnilyenough,itoftenrainsintropicalrainforests,andImeanseriouslyrains.It’sfartoohottowearajacketandunderanumbrellayoucancontinueshooting.BeingabitofacontrolfreakIusuallyresistbeingledanywherebythehand,butthere’snosubstituteforlocalknowledge,soaguidecanprovideafascinatinginsightintothecomplexecosystem.Aboveall,stop,lookandlisten.Letthejungleenvelopyouinitsmystery.It’sfartooeasytotrudgepastthingsofinterest.
WestlandNationalPark,SouthIsland,NewZealand
AtthefootofFoxGlacierinNewZealand’sWestlandNationalParklietractsofdensetemperaterainforest.Itseemsabizarremix:iceanddensegreenery.Temperaterainforestshaveaverydifferentfeeltotheirtropicalcounterparts–they’remuchmoremossy.Infactthemoretimeyouspendinthewoodsthemoreyourealizeallforestsaredifferent.
•FujiGX617,90mmlens
SantaElenaCloudForestReserve,CostaRicaThemudgetseverywhere.I’mwearingaplasticponcho,butit’shopeless;nothingstaysdryinhere.It’sanetherealplace,everythingis
hopeless;nothingstaysdryinhere.It’sanetherealplace,everythingisdrapedinmoss,thecloudhangsamongstthetrees,it’sdark,dampandmuddy,andweloveit.Afterafewdaysofthiseverythingweowniscoveredinathinlayerofrainforestslime.Thedampmistsareswirlingallaroundus,theleavesareconstantlydripping,andaswebrushthroughtheundergrowththeyshedmoresoggydelightsonusjustforgoodmeasure.Thetrailisaslipperyquagmirethatwesloshandslidealonglikeinebriatediceskaters.WelcometothecloudforestsofCostaRica.ThespineofmountainsthattothenorthconstitutetheRockies,andto
thesouththeAndes,crossesthenarrowisthmusofCentralAmericaasa6,500ftjungle-cladridge.ThewarmairfromtheCaribbeanstreamsoverthisridgeenroutetothePacific,coolingasitdoesandformingdensedampcloudsfilteringthroughthewoods;thisisacloudforestandit’safirstforme.We’respendingfourdaysheretrampingtheforesttrailsinsearchofthedefinitiveimagesofthisuniqueecosystem,anddespitethegrimeit’sgreatfun.Photographingthecloudforestpresentssomeseriouschallenges.The
dampandthemudisaninconveniencetousbutifitgetsintomykitallsortsofbadthingswillhappen.Everydaywetrudgethoroughtheforestinsearchofstrongcompositionsamongtheseeminglyimpenetrablemassofvegetation.Asitturnsoutthere’sawealthofpotentialonceyougetyoureyetunedin.Themudsquelchesbeneathourfeet,Istopandlook.There’sashot
here.WendyreleasestheplasticsheetfromthebackofmyLoweproandlaysitinthemudforthebagtoreston.Ierectthetripod;WendythenholdsanumbrellaoverthebagasIrummageinside.Dripsrundownmyneckbutthe
“Everydaywetrudgethoroughtheforestinsearchofstrongcompositionsamongsttheseeminglyimpenetrablemassofvegetation.Asitturnsoutthere’sawealthofpotentialonceyougetyoureyetunedin”
kitisprotected.We’reworkingasawelloiledmachinenowafterdaysofthis.Itransferthecameratothetripodunderthebrolly;I’musingthepanoramiccameravertically.Ispotmeteroffaleafintheforeground,opentheshutterandstartthelongwait.Withapolarizerontosaturatethecoloursinthevegetation,atf/45theexposuretimeiseightminutes.Asthefeeblelightdoesitsworkonthesilverhalidecrystalswewatch
Asthefeeblelightdoesitsworkonthesilverhalidecrystalswewatchthemistsswirlingthroughthelushcanopyabove–it’sincrediblyatmospheric.Thesoundsoftheforestenvelopeus,wearenotalone,that’sforsure.Ajaguarcouldbewithinspittingdistanceandwe’dneverknowit.AfterfourminutesItakeanotherreading.Thelightlevelsare
fluctuatingasthecloudblowsthroughthetrees;it’shalfastopbrighternow.Iendupgivingitsixminutesandstartanotherexposure,andsoon.Igetoffjusteightframesinanhour.Idon’tfeelit’senough,allowingforbracketedexposuresandthevaryingamountsofmist.Ireloadandstartonanotherexposure.Occasionallythesunbrieflypenetratesthemistsintheuppercanopy,sendingthecontrastskyhighandforcingmetoaborttheexposure.Generallythough,theflatlow-contrastlightpredominates.Trudgingback,bagheavyonmyback,muddy,soggy,exhausted.
Imageshavebeenmadethough,andthatalwaysengendersadeep-seatedfeelingofsatisfaction.Wedescendintothebrighttropicalsunshineoflateafternoon.BelowandtothewestliestheBayofNicoyaandthePacificcoast,ournextdestination:palmtrees,beachesandsunshine.
WallStreet,NewYork,USA
EarlymorninglightbeamsdownWallStreethighlightingthetrudgetoworkinNewYork.
•NikonF5,17–35mmlens
ConcreteIntheurbanjunglethere’salwayssomethingtopointyourlensat,whateverthetimeorweather.Inthecountryside,days,evenweekscangobywaitingfortherightconditions,butafewdaysspentworkingthemeltingpotsofhumanitywillalwaysbeproductive.Poundingthepavementsoftheworld’sconurbationscanbedispiriting,butwhocanfailtobestimulatedbythevibrancyandvarietyofcitiestheworldover?Bangkok:it’snotaprettycity.OnmyfirstvisitIhatedthe
citiestheworldover?Bangkok:it’snotaprettycity.OnmyfirstvisitIhatedthechokingfumesandoppressivesprawl.Now,aftercountlesspitstopsenroutetoexoticAsiandestinations,Iloveit:thetemples,tuktuks,monks,streetfood,thebustleandlife.Sydney:isthereabetter-sitedcapitalanywhereintheworld?Watchingthesunshiningdowntheharbourintheearlymorning,orcatchingtheOperaHouseandHarbourBridgeasjoggerstrotpast.Rome:allroadsleadtoit,whichiseasytobelievewatchingthetrafficchaosaroundthePantheon.AbowlofpastainthePiazzaNavonamaysetyoubackafewEuros,butwhenthelightscomeonintheEternalCityatduskit’sasettingnottobemissed.
CommuteronMillenniumBridgewithStPaul’sontheskylinebeyond,London,England
Thesteelylightofawinter’smorninginLondonlightstheelegantlinesoftheMillenniumBridgeovertheRiverThames,leadingtheeyetoStPaul’sCathedralasacommuterhurriestowork.It’saclassicexampleoftheuseofminimalcolour.
•CanonEOS-1DsMKII,17–40mmlens
Gondolasatdawn,PiazzaSanMarco,Venice,Italy
EveryoneshouldseeVeniceatleastonceintheirlives.Itdoesn’tmatterhowmanytimesyou’veseenpicturesofit,thefirstimpressionsareasifyou’vesteppedontoanoperastage.IthasbeenaMeccaforartistsforcenturiesandisendlesslyinspiring.I’venowbeenfourtimes;maybeIshouldcallitadaybeforethenoveltyofshootingbobbinggondolaswearsoff.
•FujiGX617,105mmlens
Cityparksareoftenexquisitemini-landscapesintheheartofametropolis,andthentherearethepeopleinthem,jogging,walking,snoozing;theceremonies,themonuments,themarkets,cafés,barsandrestaurants–it’sendless.Andofcourse,thestreetlife.Photographyaside,people-watchingfromapavementcaféinthespringsunshineisanaddictivepastime.Photographically,withsomuchonoffer,thechallengeiswheretobegin.Allcitieswillhavetheirclassicviewsthathavebeenshotadinfinitum,socomingupwithsomethingnew,auniquetakeonawellknownsubject,isthenameofthegame.Compositionally,you’redoingexactlywhatyoudoinotherenvironments;arrangingshapes,bearinginmindtheGoldenRuleofThirds,lookingforforegroundinterestandconsideringunsightlydistractions.ButascitiesareallaboutpeopleIliketoincludethem,ifpossible.Afewblurryfiguresinthekeyspot,eveniftinyintheframe,canliftanimageandgiveasenseofperspectiveandplace.Andboldcompositionswithgraphicshapesfromunusualviewpointsaretheorderoftheday.Thinklaterally.Useyoureyes.Bendyourknees,ortalkyourwayontothatrooftopterrace.
FountaininTrafalgarSquarewithpigeons,London,England
ThelastofthesunlightbacklightsthefountaininTrafalgarSquare.ImanagedtosqueezethisoneoffbeforeIwasarrestedandsenttoaGulagbytheTripodPolice.
•NikonF5,80–200mmlens
HorseridersinHydePark,London,England
It’scolouratfullthrottleforthisstudyinmotionoftheHouseholdCavalryexercisingtheirmountsinHydeParkearlyinthemorning.Springismyfavouritetimeforshootingcities;theparksareablazewithcolour.
•CanonEOS-1DsMKII,24–70mmlens
JoggeratMilsonsPoint,Sydney,NewSouthWales,Australia
EverywhereyougoaroundSydneyHarbourthey’rejogging,orrollerblading,orswimming;they’reafitbunchtheAussies.Isetthisshotupwithmycousin’sdaughtertrottingupanddownendlesslywhileIexperimentedwithdifferentshutterspeeds.Asalways,IthinkahumanelementliftsthewellknownviewoftheHarbourBridgeandskyline.
•CanonEOS-1DsMKII,17–40mmlens
Menplayingpétanque,Barcelona,Spain
IntheparkinBarcelonatheoldboysgatherforboulesandachatinthespringsun.Seemslikeagoodwaytopassthedaytome.
•NikonF5,80–200mmlens
Salzburginthesnow,Austria
ThepreviouseveninginSalzburgI’dstruggledupthehillabovetheOldTownwithasprainedankleandacoldtoshoottheilluminatedcity.ThefloodlightsnevercameonandIretreatedtomyhotelroomfeelingsorryformyself.Thenextmorningthewholeworldlookedamuchbetterplaceasalightsprinklingofsnowdustedthecity.
•FujiGX617,105mmlens
ThehistoricalarchitectureoffamousEuropeancitiesjustshoutstobephotographed.Thebuildingsspeaktousofthepassingoftimeandareoftenbeautifullylitatnight.Eventhemostunappealingareabydaycanbetransformedwhenilluminatedintheevening.Gettingtoknowhowacityislitatnightispartoftheuniquechallengeofurbanlocationsearching.Makingnight
nightispartoftheuniquechallengeofurbanlocationsearching.Makingnightimagesisallaboutplanningandtiming.Onceanimagehasbeenpre-visualizedandtheexactcompositionplanned,it’sacaseofsettingupasduskfallsandwaitingforthelightstocomeon.Thebestnightshotsarenotmadeinthedark;theidealtimeiswhentheskiesaredarkeningbutstillholdingenoughambientlighttogivearich,dark-bluetonetooffsetthewarmtonesofthelights.Shoottooearlyandtheeffectsoftheartificiallightsaren’tapparentenough,leaveittoolateandtheskiesblacken.There’susuallyawindowofaboutfivetotenminuteswhenthebalancebetweennightanddayisperfect.Citiesarehardwork,you’reonthegovirtuallyalldayandsomeofthenight.
Eveninbadweatherthereareshotstobemade,infactIoftenwishforraintoturnpavementsreflectiveatdusk.Aswellasthephotography,therearetheendlesslocationsearches,andstrugglingonandoffthemetroatrushhourwithamonstercamerabagandtripodinsearchofthenextlocationisexhausting.Sometimesit’snecessarytocarrythehugebag,butmoreoftenIknowwhatsortofimagesI’mafterandtaketheappropriatesetup.IfforexampleI’mworkinginabusy,crowdedmarketIhavejustabodyandtwolensesandnotripod.Fill-flashcanalsobeveryusefulhere.Ialsoloveusingafast85mmf/1.2lensforportraitsincrowdeddarkbazaars.ButtheonepieceofkitIwouldn’tbewithoutthoughforanycitytripismy24mmshiftlens.Makeapicturelookingupatanybuildingandwhatdoyousee?Convergingverticalsmakingitlookasifthebuildingisfallingoverbackwards.It’sactuallyhowweseeit,butinprintitjustlookswrong.Soarchitecturalphotographershavelongusedlarge-formatcameraswithmovementsenablingthemtocorrecttheverticalsandkeepeverythingstraightbyshiftingthelensaxisupordowntocontroltheangleofviewwhilekeepingtheimageplanevertical.On35mmordigitalSLRcameraswecanachievethesamebyusingashiftlens.They’reexpensive,butminehaspaidforitselfmany,manytimesover.
CharlesBridgeatdawn,Prague,CzechRepublic
Thetowers,statuesandminaretsofPrague’sOldTowntakeusstraightbacktothedaysofMozartwithnomoderndistractionstodisrupttheskyline.OnagreyovercastmorningI’mstrugglingtomakesomethingoftheCharlesBridgeintheflatlight.JustasIswitchtoblackandwhiteacouplestrollspasthandinhandandIseizethemoment.
•NikonF5,80–200mmlens
AlonefigureonViaCardinalFerrariatnight,Parma,Emilia-Romagna,Italy
Idolikeabitofhumanblurinmynightshots,justintherightplace.Asusual,it’sWendyagainastheghostlyfigureinParma.
•CanonEOS-1DsMKII,24mmshiftlens
“Citiesarehardwork,you’reonthegovirtuallyalldayandsomeofthenight”
OldcarpassingtheGranTeatroandCapitolio,HabanaVieja,Havana,Cuba
AlltheiconsofHavanainoneshot,theCapitol,Theatreandanoldcar.AllIneedisanoldmanwithacigar.
•NikonF5,17–35mmlens
Streetscene,Hanoi,Vietnam
Foralltheimpressivemonuments,it’sthehumaninterestthatdefinesacity.ThisstreetsceneofawomancarryingvegetablestypifiesHanoi.
•NikonF5,80–200mmlens
Citiesdohavetheirdownsides.Somehow,atripodwhenerectedseemsamagnetforeverydrunk,stagnightgangandhustlerinthecity.Pickpocketsandthievesarealwaysinthebackofmymind.Anddon’tgetmeontothesubjectoftheTripodPolice.Theyareamodernphenomenon,gangsofjobsworthso-calledsecurityguardshiredspecificallytostopphotographerstakingpicturesfromselectedfamousspotsoftheirownnationalheritagewithoutapermitcostingafortuneappliedformonthsinadvance.Scaffoldingisanotherbugbear.OnonevisittoFlorence,greensheetingandscaffoldingwhererestorationworkwasunderwayblightedeveryshotItried.AndwhileI’matit,tryingtosleepinhotelroomsnotbigenoughtoswingacatinwiththenoiseoflatenightrevellersinthestreetoutsideandtheamorouscouplenextdoor.AndNewYorktaxidriverswhodon’tknowthewaytoBroadway…Butattheendofthedayallenvironmentshavetheirspecificchallenges,andcitiesprovidesuchrichpickingsthatthey’reworthtrudgingthestreetsfor.
Chillies,ChowKitmarket,KualaLumpur,Malaysia
ThestallholdersinKualaLumpur’sChowKitmarketaresomewhatbemusedasIcrouchwithininchesoftheirdisplays,holdingthecamerawithonehandandaflashwiththeother.It’sacramped,swelteringrabbitwarrenofstallsdisplayingallthecolourfulingredientsofAsiancuisine;freshfish,chillies,vegetables,livechickens,lemongrass,spices…younameit.It’salsoahellholeofmixedlighting.Hardsunlightpiercesgapsintheawnings,tungstenbulbsmixwithfluorescentlights;hencethefill-inflash.
•NikonF5,17–35mmlens
PadThainoodlesbeingstirfriedontheKhaoSanRoad,Bangkok,Thailand
TheKhaoSanRoadinBangkokisaMeccaforallthebackpackersandtravellerspassingthroughthiscornerofAsia.PadThaihastobethebeststreetfoodintheworld.Ihadthecameravirtuallyinthewoktoshootthisasthechillisaucewentin,andbalancedtheambientlightwiththestreetlightsandadashoffill-inflash.
•CanonEOS-1DsMKII,24–70mmlens
ParisianWalkwaysI’vephotographedParismorethananyothercity.Ifinditan
endlesslystimulatingsubject–everytimeIgoIgetfreshinspirationforthenexttime.Ideasarethekeytoavoidingjustrehashingthefamousviews.There’snogettingawayfromthefactthattheEiffelTowerisapotentsymbolofnotjustParisbutofallthingsFrench,butofcourseithasbeendonetodeath.ThereissimplynopointinshootingtheclassicviewfromthePalaisdeChaillotyetagain.However,foriconsasfamiliarastheEiffelTowerit’snotnecessarytoshowitall.Onelegofthefamousstructureamongstthefoliagebeneathisenough.Longlenses,fish-eyes,unusualviewpoints,blackandwhiteandinfraredfilm:they’reallusefultoolsinendeavouringtobringfreshperspectivestofamiliarsubjects.
Tricolourblowinginwindatdusk,ArcdeTriomphe,17tharrondissement
RiverSeineandEiffelToweratduskfromPontAlexandreIII,7tharrondissement
TheCathedralofNotreDame,IledelaCitéandRiverSeineatnight,4tharrondissement
TheEiffelTowerandChampsdeMarsinspring,7tharrondissement
ArchedelaDéfense
SkinMuchasIlovetoproduceepicpanoramasofsweepingvistasit’softenthepeoplewhobestcapturetheflavourofaplace.IdeallyIaimtoreturnfromatripwithacomprehensivecollectionofimagesrangingfromlandscapestostreetscenes,portraitsanddetails,whichwillformaphotoessayonmywebsiteandsupporteachotherasaset.Eachimageisstrongerasapartofthatsetthanitisonitsown,andtheportraitsandcandidimagesofpeopleintheirownenvironmentsareavitalelement.Everyphotographerhasastyleanduniquewayofworking.AsIseemto
spendhalfmylifestoodbesidemytripodwaitingfortheperfectlightformylandscapework,Iadoptacompletelyoppositeapproachwithmypeopleshots:opportunistic,spontaneousandimpulsive.Iliketoreacttowhat’sgoingonaroundmeratherthantomanipulateit;posedportraitsofpeoplestaringbalefullyatthecameraarenotforme.It’sallaboutobservation,interactionwiththesubjects,speedandmakingthemostoffleetingopportunities.
Farmboy,nearChincerro,PeruThecompositionofaportraithastohappenalmostinstantaneously,butas
withallimagesthearrangementoftheshapeswithintheframeandtheabsenceofbackgroundclutterarecrucialfactors.UsuallyforportraitsIworkwiththelenswideopenatf/2.8todropthebackgroundoutoffocus,butIhavetobesoaccuratewiththefocusingatthatapertureandrange.Usually,theeyesarethefocusingpoint.Thecamera’sauto-focusdoesagoodjobnormally,butIhavetobeawareofwhatitisfocusingonandbereadytooverrideitquicklyifnecessary.•CanonEOS-1DsMKII,70–200mmlens
Quechuawoman,Chincerromarket,nearCusco,PeruMarketsarealwaysagoodhuntinggroundforpeoplepictures.Herein
Chincherro,abovetheSacredValleyoftheIncas,thisQuechuawomanispossiblyadirectdescendantoftheIncas.ThecoloursandvibrantculturesofPeruareunique;therearen’tmanyplacesleftintheworldwheremostpeoplewearnativedress.•CanonEOS-1DsMKII,24–70mmlens
“It’sallaboutobservation,interactionwiththesubjects,speedandmakingthemostoffleetingopportunities”
Oldladiesinarickshaw,Hanoi,Vietnam
YoutakeyourlifeintoyourhandscrossingthestreetinHanoi.Thereneverisabreakinthestreamofbleepingmotorbikesandbicycles.Youjusthavetotakealeapoffaithandstepoutintotheflow.I’mstandingwatchingtherushofhumanitypassunderaheavyleadengreysky.I’vebeenoutalldayshootingtherichpageantofVietnamesestreetlife.Arickshawapproaches,Idialin1/8secwithshutterpriorityexposure,panandshoot,fleetinglyawareofpiercingstaresboringintomylensastheypass.It’samomentthat’sgonebeforeIcanbarelyregisterit,adecisivemomentonlytoberecognizedonthecontactsheetamonthlater.•NikonF5,20–35mmlens
DoIalwaysaskpermission?No,forcandidshotsitdoesn’twork,themomenthaspassed,butsometimesitwouldberudenotto.Peopleoftenrefuse,manyatimeI’vetrudgedawayfromanabsoluteclassic,butwhatmorecanIdo?Refusalsusedtobearealsetback;I’dbroodonthemforhours.I’dseldomgetbackintothegrooveafteracoupleofbrusquerejections,butI’vebecomelesssensitiveandthicker-skinnedovertheyears.I’vehadfruitthrownatmeanddogssetonme,butit’smyjob,soIjustgetonwithit.I’mneverintrusivewithmyphotography,butthisgameisallaboutgettingstuckin,makingthemostofasituation,beingupclose,inthethickofit;sittingonthefringeswithalonglens
situation,beingupclose,inthethickofit;sittingonthefringeswithalonglensafraidofupsettinganyonejustdoesn’twork.
MonkatWatPhraSingh,ChiangMai,Thailand
Wemakeagoodteam,WendyandI.Peopleoftenfreezeupwhenthecameraisraised,staringwoodenlyintothelens,bodytense;ittakessomeefforttoloosenthemup.HereinWatPhraSinghinChiangMai,Wendyisofftomyleft,chattingtothemonktodistracthimfromtheintrudingphotographer.ThenastheycontinuetotalkImoveinforastudyofhishandsclutchinghisscroll.
•NikonF5,17–35mmlens/NikonF5,28–70mmlens
Lijiang,YunnanProvince,China
Thesunatthisaltitudebeamsdownwithsearingclarity.I’msittinginthesquarejustwatchingtheworldgopast,soakinguptheraysandtheatmosphere,feelinggood.Anoldboysitsonthewallnexttome;hisfaceislikeahistoricalmapofChina.Thelightistooharsh,butI’vegottotryforashot,whathaveIgottolose?Igesture,hegesturesback,Igestureagain;Ithinkit’sgameon.Withthe70–200mmf/2.8zoomsetatabout135mmIsqueezeoffafewframes.Westartcommunicatingagain,despitethetotallackofacommonlanguage.He’spointingatmyshadesonthetopofmyhead,hewantstotrythemon.Ipassthemoverandraisemycamera;compose,focus,expose…he’slovingit.There’saclutchofChinesetouristsnowtakingpicturesofthetwoofus,thequintessentialfaceofChinawearingOakleysandme,thewesternerwithabiglens.Hethenjumpsupandmakesasiftorunoffwithmysunglasseswithmeinmockpursuit,andthewholesquareeruptswithlaughter.It’sjustoneofthoseraremagicaltravelmomentsthatleaveawarmfeeling.Iheadformylunchtimenoodlesonahigh.
•NikonF5,70–200mmlens
Asadfactoflifenowadaysisthatpeopleoftenwantmoneyforpictures.Shouldyoupay?It’satoughquestion.GenerallyspeakingI’dsayno,itjustruinsitforeverybodyelse,distortsthelocaleconomyandmakesthelocalsintophotographichustlers.InthePlazadeArmasinHavanathere’sablokewithawrinkledface,fulsomegreybeard,Guevaraberetandcigarwhomakesalivingchargingtourists$5perpicture.WhenIwasjudgingatravelphotographycompetitionrecentlyhismugpoppedupnumeroustimes,andhe’scurrentlystaringoutofthewindowofthelocalbookshopfromthecoverofaCubantravelguide.ImustadmitIshothimtoo,butasIwalkedawayfromthatencounterIfeltafraud.
SemanaSantafiesta,Málaga,Spain
AtEasterthroughoutSpaintheSemanaSantaprocessionsparadethroughthestreetsinadisplayofreligiousdevotion.I’minMálagapushingmywaythroughthecrowds,tryingtogetanangleonitall.Theblokesinthetallpurplehatsandblackrobesinevitablydrawmyattention.Ididn’texpecttheSpanishInquisition.I’mtreadingonpeople’stoesasItrytogetthebestbackdropastheprocessionmarchespast;thecrowdsmakeitdifficultandthere’ssomuchgoingon.Achoirboyismomentarilybacklit,lookingsuitablydevoted.TheprocessionhaltsandIspotablack-cladwidowwithfeaturessoSpanishit’soutrageous.Imovearoundtoshoothercrosslitbytheeveningsun;it’sabitharshbutwhatcanIdo?Notphotographher?SheknowsI’mfocusedonherbutshelovesit,strikingnumerousnobleposesbeforetheymoveon.
•NikonF5,70–200mmlens
Backwaterscenes,Kerala,India
FivedaysspentbeingpaddledalongthebackwatersofKeralaonahouseboathavegivenusauniqueviewpointonruralIndia.Ourmerrycrewconsistsoftwoboatmentopoleusalongandacooktofeedusunfeasibleamountsofcoconutcurry.WejustsitandwatchIndiadriftpast.It’snotagreattripforthefitness,thisone,butwe’recertainlywelloffthebeatentrackandthere’splentyoftimeforcontemplationandphotographicexperimentation.AcoupleofwomenintheirbrightsarisarewalkingalongthepathamongstthelushtropicalvegetationandImakeaslowpanningexposureofthem,blurringthemotiontoanoutrageousextent.Aseveningsettlesafarmertendshisflockofducksontheriver:howdoeshepossiblyremainbalancedinsuchatinycraft?
•NikonF5,80–200mmlens/NikonF5,300mmlens
Myshotwasundoubtedlynodifferentfromcountlessothers,aworthlessreinforcementofastereotypedcliché.IhavetobelievethatwhatI’mdoingisunique;otherwiseit’sjustarecord.Ofcourse,therearetimeswhensomeonehasgenuinelyputthemselvesoutforyouandinthosecasessomesortofdonationisreasonable.Usuallythefurtheryouareoffthebeatentrackthelessofanissuethisis.I’vehadpeoplethankingmefortakingtheirpictureinthebackwatersofKerala,andontheTibetanplateauthekidswerealmostfightingtobethesubjectofmylens.Butwherelegionsofcamera-clutchingpackagedtouristspredominate,thelocalswillmostlikelybeseeingdollarsignswhenacameraisfocused.
Kathmandu,Nepal
It’sthelastdayoftheNepaltripandI’vetakenawalkjusttoseewhatIcomeacross.ThereareacoupleofsadhushangingoutinDurbarSquare,holymenlookinglikesomethingfrombiblicaltimes.Today,withnospecificlocationinmindI’mamblingwithabodyandjusttwolenses,a28–70mmand70–200mmf/2.8zoom.Ikneelnexttooneof
lenses,a28–70mmand70–200mmf/2.8zoom.Ikneelnexttooneofthesadhusandwehaveahaltingconversation–myHindiislousy.I’mbuyingtimeandtryingtodevelopsomesortofrapportwhilecomposingtheshot,assessingthelightanddiallinginmycamerasettingswithoutbreakingeyecontact.Whenanopportunitypresentsitselfthere’snotimeforchanginglensesormessingaroundwithcameracontrols,soit’simportanttobetotallyfamiliarwithyourkit.Ifit’saclassicmediumtelephotoportraitsuchasthisI’llalmostalwaysbeworkingwiththelenswideopenatf/2.8sotheminimaldepthoffielddropsthebackgroundoutoffocus.Evenso,annoyingdetailsinthebackgroundcanruinashot.Ipointtomycamera,raisemyeyebrows…Yes!Isquatdown,movearoundtoisolatehisfaceagainstadarkbackground,raisethecamera,lightlydepresstheshutter,holdthefocusonhisrighteyeasIrecompose,shoot.ExposureOK?Notimetobracket:ataperturepriorityAEwith+0.3compensationdialledintocompensateforthebrightnessofhisbeardandfacepaint,I’mtrustingtolongexperienceofmycamera’smeteringtogetitright.Thelightoflateafternoonisstronganddirectional;ideallyI’dlikeitabitsofter,butthisistherealworld.Fiveframesexposed,Imovearoundforadifferentshot,buthe’shadenoughsoIstop.Namaste.Ibackawaywithaspringinmystep.
“Whenanopportunitypresentsitselfthere’snotimeforchanginglensesormessingaroundwithcameracontrols,soit’simportanttobetotallyfamiliarwithyourkit”
PartThreeGallery
Ultimatelyapicturemuststandonitsownmerit.Alltheeffortthatwentintomakingit–thephotographictechniques,theequipmentusedandthelengthsthephotographerhadtogoto–isirrelevant.Somepicturescomeeasily,whenMotherNaturesmilesandalltheelementscometogetherseeminglyeffortlessly.Moreusuallythestrongestimagesrepresenttriumphsofperseverance,orfleetingmomentsofperfection.Sometimesafterwaitingforthelightforhoursorevendays,asplashof
lightpaintsthelandscapeforjust30seconds,andIonlymanagetoexposetwoorthreeframes.Asthecloudscloseinagain,Iamoftenleftwondering,didIgetit?Howweremyexposures?It’sgoodtobeyourownharshestcritic,tobeconstantlystrivingtoimprove,buttherealsocomesatimetotrustyourvisionandexperience,andmoveontothenextimage.
TrotternishPeninsula,IsleofSkye,Scotland
•FujiGX617,180mmlens
DurdleDoor,Dorset,England
MygrandfatherusedtopatroltheseveryclifftopsintheHomeGuard.Atleastthat’swhathetoldus;mymotherreckonedtheyweremostlyinthepub.AfteralifetimeoftravelI’vereturnedtomyroots,hereinDorset.It’simportanttofeelyoucomefromsomewhere.Thisstretchofcoast,whichwe’vealwaysknownisspectacular,isnowaUNESCOWorldHeritageSite,theJurassicCoast,rankingalongsidetheGrandCanyonandtheGreatBarrierReef.Thisisoneofmymostpopularimages;ithassoldallovertheworld,andhangsovermanyfireplaces,which,consideringmyphotographycoversallfourcornersoftheglobe,sayssomething.
•FujiGX617,105mmlens
StMichael’sMount,Cornwall,England(DavidNoton/NationalTrust)
OverthecourseofthissummerI’vebecomealittlebitobsessedwithStMichael’sMount.I’vevisitedseveraltimestoshootindifferentcombinationsoftideandlight.Here,onalongeveninginJune,thesunissettingwaytothenorthwest,givingperfectcrosslighting.I’musinga0.9NDfiltertoslowdowntheexposureasmuchaspossible,inconjunctionwithanapertureoff/45,acentre-weighted0.3NDtoeventhecoverageofthiswideformatandISO50film,whichallcooksupanexposureofabout15minutes.Additionally,I’vegotyetanotherfilteron,a0.9NDgraduatetoholdbacktheexposureoftheskyinrelationtothewater.Thisismymostusedfilter;it’semployedonprobablytwo-thirdsofallmyshots.Thetideisgoingout,graduallyexposingthecauseway,leadingtheeyetowardsthemount.AsIidlethetimeawaywhiletheshutterisopen,I’mponderingallthesefactors:thedepthoffield,theexposure,thefiltration,thecolourtemperatureofthelightandthecomposition,whileweighingtheoverallimpactoftheimage.Themakingofaphotographisafusionofscienceandart.
•FujiGX617,90mmlens
CoastalheathonthecliffsofHighveerPointaboveHeddon’sMouth,nearLynton,NorthDevon,England
InlatesummerontheNorthDevoncoastthecoloursareincredible.WhereExmoortumblesintotheseathecoastalpathisfringedwithdenseprofusionsofbellheather.I’vetimedmyvisittocoincidewiththisharvestofcolour,butphotographinganorthfacingEnglishcoastinSeptemberisnoteasy.Atthistimeofyear,thesunrisesexactlytotheeast,andsetsbangonduewest.So,onanorthfacingcoastatdawnandduskI’meithergoingtobeshootingstraightintothelightorhaveitcomingfromdirectlybehindme,andduringthedaythesunwillswingroundtothesouth,castingthecliffsinshadow.It’shardlyideal.PurelyintermsofthelighttheidealtimetophotographanorthfacingcoastisinlateJune,butthecoloursaren’tattheirbestthen.Foraphotographeritisvitaltoknowexactlywherethesunisgoingtoriseandsetandtheeffectoftheseasons.So,hereontheclifftopsinDevonthesunisdroppingandI’mshootingstraightintoit.It’sascenario
besetwithproblems:flarefromthepowerofthesunboringstraightintothelensandbouncingaboutbetweentheelements,andthecontrastbetweenthelightreflectingoffthewaterandthedetailinthecliffs.Iwaituntilthesunisverylowandstartingtoloseitspunch,whichsolvestheflareproblem,butthecontrastissuecanonlyberesolvedbyshootingseveralexposuresforthehighlights,mid-tonesandshadowsandmergingthemlaterinthedigitaldarkroom.
•CanonEOS-1DsMKII,17–40mmlens
CroomePark,Worcestershire,England(DavidNoton/NationalTrust)
Withperfectreflections,adramaticskyandatraceofmistlyingonthelake,conditionsdon’treallygetanybetter.Thesunbeamsthroughthetrees;atmomentslikethistherearejusttoomanyoptions.IfIwereshootingfilmI’dbestrugglingtogetitthroughthecameraquicklyenough,wastingprecioustimedoingbracketedexposuresandreloadingjustwhenthelight’satitsbest.ButI’mnot,andshootingdigitallyinsituationslikethisreallypaysoff.Ishootoneframeandquicklycheckthemonitor.Ablinkingdisplayalertsmetosomelossofdetailwherethehighlightsareburningoutaroundthesun,Ire-adjustmyexposureby-2/3andshootanother,checkhighlightsandhistogram,it’sinthecan,orrather,onthecard.Justtwoexposures.Icannowmoveontoframingotherimages,makingthemostofthisbeautifulEnglishsceneatdawn.
•CanonEOS-1DsMKII,17–40mmlens
Buttermere,LakeDistrict,Cumbria,England
It’soneofthosemorningswhenallmysensesseemalivetothepleasuresofautumnintheLakeDistrict.Thecoloursareattheirprime,givingthelandscapearussetgoldentinge.ThebirdsongreverberatesoverthestillnessofButtermere.There’sdampnessintheairyoucanalmosttouchandthewoodssmellofautumn.Thisisfamiliarstompinggroundformanyphotographers,forgoodreason.I’veworkedheremanytimes(Ifirstcamehereonacollegefieldtripasaphotographystudentbackin1983),butit’sinfinitelyvariableandI’llprobablybecomingbackwaypastmysell-bydate.Nowthefirstlightisslowlycreepingdownthefell,butithasgotawaytogoyet,soI’mstandingbythetripod,kickingmyheels,scanningtheskytotheeast,thinkingofmynextmeal,waitingforthelight.IthinkI’vespenthalfmylifeinthismode.
•FujiGX617,180mmlens
SalisburyCathedralatdawn,Wiltshire,England(DavidNoton/Britainonview.com)
Iwaitedallsummerfortheseperfectconditions:thestill,settledconditionsofahighpressuresystemlayingmistoverthewatermeadowsaroundSalisburyCathedral.ThenoverthecourseoftwosubsequentdawnsIturnedouttodothejob.OnthefirstdawnIsawwherethemistwaslyingandmadesomereasonableimages,butIleftwithanaggingthoughtthatIhadn’tquitemadethemostofthesituation.Andsothefollowingmorning,asummerSundayat5am,Iwasthereagain.Pre-visualization,persistence,andBeingThere…itworks.
•CanonEOS1DsMkII,16–35mmlens
BamburghCastle,Northumberland,England
Northumberlandisabeautifulcounty:sweepingopenbeachesoverlookedbycastles,bigskiesandrollingcountryside.Ioftenchopandchangebetweenformatsdependingonmyvision.Somelocationsjustcryoutforapanoramicapproach,andthisisone.NowthoughI’mwindingtheexposed220filmthroughthepanoramiccamera,contemplatingmynextmove,asthebestofthepredawnglowisover.Asthesunpopsoverthehorizon,high-altitudecloudmasksitsdirectlight,butthiscloud,whichwaspreviously‘shepherd’sdelight’,isnowpartofamonochromaticmasterpieceoftonesandreflections.Withasolitaryfigure(youknowwhoagain)reflectedinjusttherightplaceintheframeIexposeasetwiththedigitalcamera.WiththesmallerformatIcanworkmuchfaster,bemorespontaneous,investigatemorealternativesanduseawiderrangeoflensesandperspectives.Thelargepanoramicformatrequiresamorepreconceived,consideredapproach.There’satimeandaplaceforboth.
•CanonEOS-1DsMKII,17–40mmlens
Thefourseasons,Stourhead,Wiltshire,England
Theautumnimagecamefirst.Stourheadinthefallisglorious,andafteraparticularlygoodsessionherethefourseasonsideacametome.Thereafteritbecameanexerciseinpersistenceandplanning.Findingalocationthatwillworkinthedifferentlightofalltheseasonsisdifficult.IlostcountofhowmanytimesIvisitedinthemakingofthisset.Winterwasthetoughone;thankfullyIwasinthecountryforoneofthefewfrostyspellswehad.Thedirectionofthelightintheearlymorningfortheautumnandwintershotswasperfect,alowcrosslightfromthesoutheast.Springandsummerweremuchmoredifficult:withthesunrisingtothenortheastIhadtowaituntilmuchlater,aboutmid-morning,beforethesunhadswungaroundtothesoutheast.Tohaveshotearlierwouldhavegivenmeflatfrontallighting,whichIhate,butthiswaythesunwasmuchhigherthanIwouldnormallyprefer.Intheenditwasacompromise.Summercamelast,andwhenIfinallyprintedthesetsidebysideIgotabuzzofsatisfaction:ayear’sworkhadcometofruition.
•FujiGX617,180mmlens
PoppiesandbarleyblowinginthewindwithlaCitéMédiévalebeyond,Carcassonne,Languedoc,France
EverytimeIcheckinforaflighttherulesaboutwhatcanbetakenandhowseemtohavechanged.It’sabigproblemforphotographers.Obviouslyit’sdesirabletotakeitallashandluggage,butthat’sjustnotpossiblewhentherearelonglenses,laptopsandpanoramicsystemstotake.Nottomentionalltheequipmentneededforlivingandcampinginthewilds.Ihatehavingtodebatewhethertotakemy400mmornot,andifit’sgoingtobeapanoramic-typetrip.WiththechangetodigitalInolongerhavetotravelwithhundredsofrollsoffilm,butthenumberofchargers,cablesandconnectorsInowneedhasmushroomed.Ourannualtimetableusuallyseesthewintermonthsdominatedbylong-hauljourneystothetropicsorsouthernhemisphere.InspringIoftenhaveablitzonEuropeancities.ByMayI’veusuallyhadmyfillofairportsandflightschedules.Sowhenit’stimeforanotherrovingtripthroughthelanesofFranceorItalyyoucanimaginewhatatreatitistobeabletoloadthecarwithwhatweneedandjustgo.We’vestayedinthisregionnearCarcassonneforoveraweek.That’sabitlongerthannormalbutthere’ssomuchpotentialaroundtheCanalduMidiI’mloathtomoveon.I’vegotagoodstockoflocationsscouted;somewillhavetowaituntilournextvisit.
•CanonEOS-1DsMKII,70–200mmlens
Cordes-sur-Ciel,Midi-Pyrénées,France
Fromtheguidebooks,afriend’stestimonyandpicturesI’dseen,thebastidetownofCordes-sur-Cielseemedapromisinglocation.So,afterahalf-daydrivefromthePyreneeswe’resettingupcampjustdownthevalley.AfteracoupleofhourscyclingaroundtheperipheryofthetownI’vesortedmymorninglocation:anadjacenthilllookingbackatthequintessentialFrenchhilltoptown.Onmyfirstmorningthereareclearskiesapartfromarebellayerofcloudonthenortheasternhorizon,obstinatelyobscuringtherisingsun.Ihangaroundfruitlesslyforacoupleofhours,beforeheadingfortheboulangerie.Theseconddawnisclear,tooclear.Thelightislowanddirectional,slightlyhazy,andthere’snotacloudinthesky.Somehow,it’sjustnotcomingtogether–there’snodramatotheimage.Onthethirdmorningit’smostlyclearagain,withscatteredcloud–perfect–butbythetimeI’minpositionI’mstandingunderleadengreyskies.It’sanotherfruitlessvigilbeforeheadingforthecroissants.Onthefourthmorningthere’sbrokencloudat4amsohereIgoagain.There’salayerofmistlyinginthevalley.Astherisingsunstrugglestomakeanappearancewaftsofmistdrapethemselvesoverthetown.ThisisthesortofthingI’vebeenwaitingfor.Thesunlightisdesperatelyweakbutit’senough;themistmakesthedifference.
•CanonEOS-1DsMKII,70–200mmlens
ThevillageofPreciinthemorningmistwithMontiSibilliniNationalParkbeyond,Umbria,Italy
Itisararebonuswhentheviewfromtheaccommodationturnsouttobeapeachofalocation,butsoitwashereonafarminUmbria.ThemorningafterourarrivalI’moutatdawn,lookingdownthevalleytowardsthemountainsofMontiSibilliniwiththevillageofPreciperchedimpossiblyonthehillside.ExceptIcan’tseethevillage:thewholevalleyisshroudedinmist.Itmayormaynotclear,butI’msetupwiththedigitalSLRandframingthescene,justincase,asthesubtletonesofdawnseepthroughthesky.Throughagapinthemistthevillageappearsfleetingly,longenoughformetomakeafewexposures,beforeitdisappearsbackintothemists.Ichecktheimageonthecameramonitor:itlooksOK,althoughverywashedout,andit’sabitflatwithalackofcontrastinthescene.IknowthoughthatlowcontrastisaproblemIcandosomethingaboutlater–ifalltheinformationisthereontheRAWfileIcanoptimizeitinpost-production.Cheating?Noway,I’mjustmakingthemostofwhatwasthereatthetime.It’snotasifI’mintroducinganyfalseelements;thisiswhatIsaw.Matchingthetonalrangeofthesubjecttothephotographicmedium,beitfilm,paperoradigitalimageiswhatphotographershavebeendoingsinceFoxTalbot’sday.
•CanonEOS-1DsMKII,70–200mmlens
GondolasatSanMarcowithSanGiorgioMaggiorebeyond,Venice,Italy
BobbinggondolasarederigueurforegroundinterestforallphotographsofVenice.I’maware,standinghereatSanMarcolookingacrosstoSanGiorgioMaggiore,thatthisisoneofEurope’sclassicviews.Isuspectafewotherpeoplemayhavetakenpictureshere.SoifI’mgoingtodoit,andwhocanseriouslyresistit,IhavetomakesureI’mstampingmyowntakeonthistimelessscene.I’vespentseveralsessionsonthis,tryingtogetthecombinationofgondolasrightwiththewarmsidelightingoflateafternoon.I’musingjustatouchofdiffusiontosoftenthescene,combinedwithahintofwarming(an81Ctobeprecise).GenerallyspeakingIavoidcolourfiltration,Ialwayshearmyfirstyearcollegelecturer’sadvice:‘Ifyou’rethinkingofusingafilter,don’t.’Thatisoverstatingthecase,there’satimeandplace,butifusedfiltrationhastobesubtle.Ifitsuseisobvious,you’vefailed.Butwhat’sgoingtomakethisshotisthegondolas:howmuchmovementtouse,andtheiralignment.Gondolierskeepcomingandgoing,butjustasthelightisatitsbestImakethisarrangementwithonejustcomingintoberth.Ahalf-secondexposuregivesthedesiredamountofblur.
•FujiGX617,105mmlens
Lonefigureonthedunes,NamibDesert,Namibia
Yes,it’smysupermodel,Wendy,treadingboldlyagain.IntheearlydaysItravelledmostlysolo,itwastheonlyoption,buttherewasnowaywecouldhavecarriedonthatwayindefinitely.AndsoWendystartedcomingonmoreandmoretrips.Nowwemakequiteateam.Havingsomeonetosharethedriving,helpestablishcampsandcarrykit,watchmybackandcruciallykeepmesanemakesahugedifference.Sharingthehighsandlowsmakestravelamuchmoreenjoyableventure.ShecanmagicamealoutofnothingwhilecampinginthesnowinPatagonia,isanursebytrade,andhasevolvedoverathousandusesforasarong.Beingaphotographer’spartnerisnoteasy:there’stheinterminablewaitingforthelightondraftyhilltopswhennormalpeoplearesittingdowntodinner,anddealingwithamonosyllabicphotographerwho’ssuicidalbecausehehasn’tmadeapictureinfivedays.Shethinksit’sentirelyreasonablethatallherhandluggageallocationistakenupwithphotographicgearwhenflying.And,ofcourse,shecontinuestobethelonefigureinthelandscape.
•NikonF5,80–200mmlens
SwayambhunathTemple,Kathmandu,Nepal
Thebestshotsalwayscomefromplanning.I’dpre-visualizedthisimageafterourfirstvisitintheheatoftheday.Nowit’sjustacaseofspendingalonghourcraningupward,waitingforthepigeonstoflyintherightspotonalateafternoonatSwayambhunathTemple.They’reflutteringeverywherebutwhereIwantthem.Ikeepstampingandclapping,tryingtogetthemtosimultaneouslyburstforth.Therearemonkeysscamperingovertheroofofthetemple,eyeingmeupsuspiciously.Iguessthey’veseenitallbefore.Myneckandarmsarefeelingthestrainofpeeringupthroughthecamera.IthinkwistfullyofmyfirstSLR,adelightfullycompactandlightOlympus.Modernprocamerashavecertainlyputonweight:isthatprogress?
•NikonF5,17–35mmlens
AngkorWat,Cambodia
TherecomesatimeoneverytripwhenIquestionwhatonearthI’mdoinghere.At2amI’mlyingsleepless
andsweatyinawindowlessprisoncellofaroominSiemRiep,swattingmosquitoes,jetlaggedandwithchurningbowels.AlltripshavetheirlowpointswhenallIwanttodoisheadforhome,andthisisonethem.Allsolotravellerswillknowthementalroller-coasterofthisgame,momentsofneardespairfollowedbypeaksofexhilaration.FortunatelyI’vebeenthroughsomanysuchlowpointsnowthatIknowthey’retransitory.Andsoitishere.ThenextdayI’mexposingthewarmeveningtropicallightofSoutheastAsiabathingtheancienttemplesofAngkorWat.
•FujiGX617,180mmlens
Teaplantation,Mataleregion,CentralHighlands,nearKandy,SriLanka
Elvisisourtaxidriver.He’sexplaininghistakeonsomeaspectsofhisBuddhistfaithashedrivesusatsomespeedupintothehills.Apparentlyitdoesn’tmatterwhatwedo,ourfatesarepreordained,sohowhedrivesaroundthisblindcornerisofnoconsequencebecauseofourkarma.Andanyway,we’reallgoingtobereincarnated.I’mstrugglingtoassimilatethisviewonlifeaswehurtleoveranotherbrow,dodgingcattle,smallchildrenandcyclists.ButclearlyitwasourkarmatoreachthisteaestatehighinthehillsofcentralSriLanka,asI’mnowlookingoutoverthisverdantgreenscene.It’sasifthelandscapeiscoatedinvelvet:lookcloserandthey’reteaplants,andinamongstthemarewomenwithbasketsontheirbacks,pickingtheleaves.Thelight’sdroppingandI’mbusywiththecamera.Awell-presentedmanapproachesandIinwardlybracefortrouble,toomanybrusheswiththeTripodPolicehaveleftmewary,butno,he’sthemanageroftheestatecometooffermeacupoftea.Laterwesitonourveranda,watchingthedusksettleovertherecedingplanesofthehillstothenorth,sensingtheheartbeatofAsia.SriLankagetsunderyourskin,givenhalfachance.
•FujiGX617,105mmlens
Womeninapaddyfield,BenTreProvince,MekongDelta,Vietnam
Vietnam.Justthenamegivesmeabuzz.It’salwaysbeenamustseedestinationforme,andI’venotbeendisappointed.I’mintheMekongDelta,about60milessouthofHoChiMinhCity(Saigon).It’saregionofricepaddiesbisectedbyabewilderingnetworkoftributaries,flatasapancake,andisprettymuchuntouchedbytheoutsideworld.I’minseventhheaven,andstayingintheCommunistPartyhostelinBenTre,whichhasaslightlydifferentatmospheretoaBestWestern;picturesofHoChiMinhabound.Ialsohaveanentourage:myeffortstorentacarresultedinadriverandinterpreterbeingthrownin.We’reallcrammedintoatinyPeugeotdatingfromtheFrenchcolonialera.Ijustcan’tbelievehowgreenthericepaddiesare.Ishootthisimageofwomenpickingriceasmymerrybandsitsinafarmer’shutsippingMekongwhisky(onlymarginallypreferabletolighterfluid).I’mstandingwiththemuddywatertricklingoverthetopsofmybootsclutchingthecameraand70–200mmzoom,tryingtocoaxtheladiestoraisetheirheads.It’sastrangewaytoearnaliving.
•NikonF5,80–200mmlens
KhoPhiPhi,Tiland
I’mstandingonthebeachat10.30am,thetimetheBigWavestruck,wonderingwhatI’ddointhecircumstances.Wheredoyougo?Rushforhighground?Therearesomelowhillsaboutamileinland,IguessatfullpeltIcouldgetthereinabout15minutes.Wouldithavebeenenough?Ihadtoreturnherepost-Tsunami.Somanyofmychoicesttravelmomentshavecomearoundtheedgeofthisnormallybalmyocean,incountlessbeachsidebarsandbungalowsinSriLanka,India,theMaldives,theSeychelles,MalaysiaandofcourseThailand.It’swhereIcutmyteethasatravelphotographer.
•FujiGX617,90mmlens
StiltfishermannearUnawatuna,SriLanka
Thetripodlegsareslowlysinkingintothesoftsand.Thesurfislappingaroundthem–it’snotthemoststableofsupportsrightnow.I’mnotsurethisisgoingtowork,butIhavetogiveitago.IneedthetripodbecauseI’musingaslowexposuretoaccentuatethemovementofthesurfbreakingbehindthefisherman.I’vegotthe300mmlensboltedon,whichisadifficultlenstokeepstillatthebestoftimes,letalonewhentheIndianOceanisbreakingaroundmyknees.Thesunissettingintothehazeinabigfieryball;it’sSriLankaatitsmostintoxicating.ThiscommunitywasdevastatedbytheTsunami;Ioftenwonderwhathappenedtothesefishermen.
•NikonF5,300mmlens
ErodedcoastlineofPortCampbellNationalPark,GreatOceanRoad,Victoria,Australia
TheGreatCircleroutebetweentheCapeofGoodHopeandPortPhilliptakesyouwaydownsouth,intotheRoaringFortiesandbeyond.Allthewayasolitaryalbatrossfollowedus,skimmingthewaveswithapparentlyeffortlessease.Thefirstlandfallintwoweeksregisteredasafaintlineontheradar,thecoastofVictoria’sPortCampbellNationalPark.It’sasightlitteredwithshipwrecksfromthedaysofsail,whentryingtofindthesafetyofPortPhillipwasliketryingtothreadaneedleinthedark.NowI’mgazingouttoseafromthatverycoast,waitingforthedawnlight.Iusedtospendhourswatchingthatalbatrossfromthepoopdeck,contemplatingthemoodsoftheseangryseas.Thismorningit’smorebenign,there’sagentleswelllappingthebeachandthelightisgraduallyseepingthroughtheskygivingadiffusedashoftwilighttothestacksandcliffs.It’sauniquestretchofcoasthere,likenoneI’veeverseen.Imakemyexposuresinthelightjustbeforesunrise,shiveringintheunaccustomedchill.It’smid-summerinAustraliabuthere,now,youcansenseAntarcticafaroverthesouthernhorizon.
•FujiGX617,90mmlens
Uluru(AyersRock),NorthernTerritory,Australia
Itmaybetemptingleafingthroughthisbooktothinkaphotographer’slifeisonedramaticvistaafteranother.Itisn’t.It’softendays,evenweeks,ofwaiting,travellingandboredom,interspersedwithoccasionalandverybriefburstsofcreativity.We’ddrivendowntheStuartHighwayfromDarwin,arrivinginAliceSpringsafterweeksofoutbackcamping,readyforabriefpitstopforrestandreplenishment.Andthentheheavensopened.Itrainedfordays,anddays,anddays.AllroadsoutofAliceSpringswereclosed,andLakeEyrestartedtofillforthefirsttimeinacentury.Thelocalstoldushowluckyweweretoseetheserareconditions,butlookingatthegreyskiesandmudwestruggledtoseeitthatway.Tendayslaterwewerestillthere,maroonedinamotel
roomwatchingtheweatherreports,wanderingaroundtheshoppingcentre,rapidlyexhaustingtheattractionsofAliceSprings.WehadplannedtoheadontoUluru,butthemeteronthistripwastickingandweweregettingnowhere.EventuallywemanagedtogetaflightouttoQueensland,andanopportunitytoregainthemomentumonthestalledtrip.LaterweextendedthejourneyandcamebacktoUlurutoconcludeourunfinishedbusiness.Afteralltherainsthedesertaroundthegiantmonolithwasaseaoffreshverdantgreengrowth,andthenweappreciatedourluck.Combinedwiththatsearinglycrispoutbacklightatdawnitwasamagicalsight,worththewait.
•FujiGX617,105mmlens
OponohuBay,Moorea,FrenchPolynesia
Atropicalparadiseisapopulardreamthat’sdifficulttofindinreality.I’mwadingalongtheshorelineofOponohuBayinthefirstlightofday,uptomyhipsinwarmwater,multi-colouredfishflittingaroundmyknees.I’mnottookeenontheideaofstumblingonthesubmergedrocks,asI’vegotthebagonmybackandthetripodonmyshoulder.I’vegotnochoicethough;thisistheonlywaytogettomychosenspot,foundafterseveraldaysofscramblingthroughthedensegrowthandwadingalongthisshore.Locationsearchinghas,asusual,beenthekey,IknewtheshotIwasafterbutfindingitproveddifficult.AfterseveralfruitlessdaysonMooreaIwasstartingtogettwitchy,hereIwasonanidyllicSouthPacificislandunabletomakeadecentpicture.Selfdoubtstartedtocreepin,maybeI’dlostit,ormaybeIneverhaditinthefirstplace…NowthoughI’mhappy,Iknowthisisagoodlocation,allIneedisthelight,whichhopefullyshouldbeabitmorepredictablethaninSnowdoniaatthistimeofyear.
•FujiGX617,105mmlens
PeritoMorenoGlacier,Patagonia,Argentina
WeslippedintoArgentinafromChilebythebackdoor,drivingdownafarmer’stracktoaborderpostwhereaboredsoldierunlockedthegatetoletusin,notbeforestampingreamsofpaperwork.Itmustbesaidthedrivingherehasn’tbeenahighlight;long,lurchingjourneysdowndustyboulder-strewnroads,wonderingifourrentalsedanwillmakeitasyetanotherrockgougesapieceoutoftheundercarriage.WearrivedinElCalafatefeelinglikethemarrowhadbeenshakenoutofourbonesandourinternalorgansre-arranged.NextitemontheagendaofourSouthAmericanodysseyisPeritoMorenoGlacier,amassiveriveroficetumblingdownfromthePatagonianicecap,thelargestoutsideofthePolarRegions,andatrulyjaw-droppingsight.Hopefullynowthistwo-monthadventurewillstarttodevelopsomemomentum.It’sweird,sometimesontheselongtripsaweekcangobywithoutacamerabeingtouchedduetoacombinationoftravellingdaysandindifferentweather.Howcanthatbe?Igetdecidedlytwitchyuntilthenextdecentimageisexposed.Oneofthetoughestchallengesontheroadcanbemaintainingapositiveattitudewhenthingsarenotgoingwell,particularlywhentravellingsolo.
•FujiGX617,90mmlens
SolitaryfigureintheValledelaLunaatdawn,AtacamaDesert,Chile
TheAtacamaDesertisthedriestplaceonearth–aripplinglunarlandscapeofrockandsaltpans.It’sdawnandWendyistreadingboldlyuparockyridge,providingperspectiveagain.I’monaledgeabove,lookingdownonherdwarfedbytheharshfoldsoftheAtacama,stretchingtothevolcanicpeaksoftheAndesthatdominatethehorizontotheeast.Inthemiddaysunit’saboutasharshaplaceasyoucanimagine,butinthesoftlightofdawntheelementalshapesandtexturesofthedesertaresimplybeautifulandinspiring.Topofmyagendaatthismomentisabattlewithadisintegratingcablerelease.AnaccessorycostingnexttonothingisonitslastlegsandIhavenoreplacement–somethingofanoversight.OnlongtripsItrytocarrysparesofthebitsandpiecesthataresoimportant:filterringsandholders,grads,quickreleaseplatesetc.,butweightisalwaysanissueandtoughchoiceshavetobemade.ThesunpopsoverthehorizonandImaketheshot.I’mgettingabitcasualaboutthelight–it’ssopredictable.Everydayit’ssunnyfromdawntodusk,andcloudsarejustamemory.Itmustbesaidthelightdoesn’thavethesubtletyofanOctoberdayontheIsleofSkye,butstilltheluxuryofdependablerayseverydayisarelief.
•FujiGX617,180mmlens
TheroadtoMarrasatdawn,Pampasmojo,nearCusco,Peru
Thesunisslowlypunchingholesinclouds.Justasthelightisbeginningtoliftthelandscapeintheforeground,afarmerdriveshisdonkeysdowntheroad,windingtheirwayintoframewiththeAndestoweringabove.Iusea0.9NDgraduatedfiltertoholdbacktheskyandwith+0.3exposurecompensationdialledinIexposeafewframes,revolvethecameraandmakeaverticalcomposition.Istheresuchathingasaluckyshot?Well,thedonkeysappearingattherighttimewasastrokeofluck,noquestion.ButI’vebeenhereondutybythetripodintheperfectspotattherighttimeofdayfortwomorningsnowandthatwasnoaccident.Astheysay,youmakeyourownluck.PhotographyisallaboutputtingyourselfinthesortofsituationswhereyoucanmakethemostofLadyLuckwhenshedoescomealong.
•CanonEOS-1DsMKII,70–200mmlens
TheKootenayRiverandRockies,KootenayNationalPark,BritishColumbia,Canada
It’sthelastnightofthetrip,atwo-monthadventurewanderingthroughAlbertaandBritishColumbia.TomorrowwecatchaflighthomefromCalgary,sowe’reenjoyingourlastnightofcampingintheboonies,cookingoverafirewithjusttheriverandRockiesasabackdrop.Ilovethiscountry,withitshugelandscapes,easypeopleandsenseofspace.I’veknockedofffromdutyaftertwomonthsofdawnandduskshifts,andwe’rejustenjoyingbeinghere,butthelastlightonthemountainsisgorgeous.MaybeI’lljustseewhatIcanmakeofthis.Imovetowithinjustafewfeetofwherewe’recampingandfindaverdantclumpofwildflowerstouseasforegroundinterest.Therushingglacialwatersoftheriverarealightskyblue,andthelastlightofdayisjustcatchingthepeaks.ThehugecontrastrangebetweenthesunlitRockiesandtheforegroundcallsforsomecreativeuseofneutraldensitygradsandapolarizertobalanceitall.Imaketheexposuresandwanderbacktocamp,mentallydismissingtheimageI’vejustmade.Itmaynothaveworked,ifitdoesit’sabonus,butunlikelytorivalsomeoftheepicvistaswe’vehadonthistrip.Itturnsouttobethebestshotofthetripbyfar.
•FujiGX617,105mmlens
PartFour:Mechanics
Andsotothenutsandboltsofthejob:thehardwareandsoftware.Theimportanceofphotographictoolsisusuallyoverestimated;neverthelesshowaphotographerpreparesandusesthoseimplementsiscrucial.Wearesurroundedbysomuchtechno-babble,especiallyintheworldofphotography,thatit’softendifficulttostripawayallthetechnicaldistractionsandirrelevanciestogettothenubofthetask:creatingstrongimages.SinceFoxTalbotfirstexposedhiscalotypesofLacockinthemid-19thcentury,themechanicsofthejobhavechangedimmeasurably,withthedigitalrevolutionofthelastdecadebeingthesinglebiggestupheavalsincehisday.Buttheessentialsremainthesame:alens,asensitizedsurfaceandameansofdevelopment.
CorfeCastleatdawn,Dorset,England
•FujiGX617,105mmlens
Deadvlei,NamibDesert,Namibia
It’sanightmaretryingtoflywithallthekitweneedforatriplikethis–allthephotographicgear,thepanoramicand35mmsystems,plusallthecampingkit.Pullingtogetheradesertexpeditionisamajorlogisticalexercise,butwhenyou’rethere,campingunderthestars,plugginginthedawnpatrolsandmakingtheimages,there’snothingquitelikeit.
•FujiGX617,105mmlens
Preparation‘Don’tthinkaboutittoomuch;justgo,’isthebesttraveladviceI’veeverheard.DoIpractiseit?Well,sortof.Itispossibletobetoopedanticaboutresearchingandplanningeveryaspectofatrip,asfewplanssurvivetheirfirstcontactwithreality.Butgoodresearchandplanningcanhelpyougetthemostoutofadestination.Actuallydecidingwheretogoandforhowlongisthemostdifficultpart.ReadingbetweenthelinesofguidebooksandInternetsitestodeterminethephotographicpotentialofaspecificregionisablackart,andabithitandmiss.Picturescanhelpbuttheycanalsomislead.BeforeembarkingonarecenttriptoNewZealandIwasresearchingtheHokiangaregionoutofinterest.Icouldfindlittleonitandvirtuallynopicturesonanyofthemajorphoto-agencywebsites.Thatcouldhavemeantitwasaregionoflittleinterest,ortheoppositebutsooffthebeatentrackthatfewphotographershaveeverbeenthere,inwhichcaseitwoulddefinitelywarrantavisit.Intheeventwewent,anditwasmoody,wildanddramatic.Conversely,Ihavevisitedmanyareaswithglowingreportsinguidebooksonlytowonderwhatallthefussisabout.So,thekeyistohaveaplanbutbuildinsufficientflexibilitytoenabledecisionsabouthowlongtostaytobemadeonthehoof.IdeascomeasImovethroughacountrytalkingtothelocalsandothertravellers;consequentlyItrytoavoidbookingmorethanafew
daysaheadunlessit’sabsolutelynecessary.Timeisthecurrencywe’reallshortofandit’stoughtodecidehowmuchtoallocateforeachphaseofajourney.AsaremarkablyfaithfulruleofthumbIhaveathree-dayrule;Ineverstayforless.That’sbecauseittakestimetofindlocationsthataren’tobvious,togetundertheskinofaplaceandmake
TheCompleteArsenal
OfcourseIwouldnevercarryallofthisonmybackatthesametime,butonalongtripwithnoairportrestrictionsthisisthekitItake.Weleftoutthekitchensink,andIneverreturnwithasmanylenscapsasIleftwith.
themostofitsphotographicpotential.Ifyou’removingoneverydayyou’retravellingfarbutseeinglittle,nevergettingbeyondasurfaceview.Ifindthedaysintransitarerarelyproductivephotographically,soIoftenstayformore–fivedays,aweek,sometimesmore.Bewaryoffirstimpressions–afteralong,tiringjourneytheycanbeverydeceptive.ManyatimeI’vebeenonthepointofskippingastopbasedonafleetingjudgement,onlytowonderfivedayslaterhowIcouldhavebeensowrong.
PracticalconsiderationsBeyondthosefundamentalchoicesofwhereandwhen,themodesoftravel,accommodationandwhattotakewillvaryconsiderablydependingonthetypeoftrip.ThereasonweappreciateourannualEuropeanwanderingssomuchisthesimplicityofthem:wejustloadupandgo.We’vegotaroughplanbutnothingisfixed.Butwhereflightsandcarrentalareconcernedthat’sobviouslynotpractical.Infact,dealingwiththehasslesandrestrictionsofairtravelisthemajorbugbearofmyjob.PlanningatriptotheNamibDesertwasamajorlogisticalexercise.Ican’trememberhowweusedtodoitbeforetheInternet.Andonefinaltoptraveltip:neverreadthewarningsaboutthedangersof
variousdestinationsinthefrontoftravelguides,they’llputyouoffgoinganywhere.BearsinCanada,spidersinAustralia,thievesinPeru,malariainMalawi,MaoistsinNepal,time-sharetoutsinSpain,alloftherisksareoverstated.There’snothinglikeabitoflocalknowledgetosortthegrainfromthechaff.Justgo.
Hadrian’sWall,Northumberland,England
Nothingbeatsabigpanoramic.Asyet,there’snodigitalalternative.Imagestitching?Fineifnothingismovingintheframewherethejoinsaremade.Troubleis,somethingusuallyis,especiallyalongHadrian’sWall;clouds,cows,Centurions,Picts…
•FujiGX617,90mmlens
EquipmentTheimportanceoftheequipmentinphotographyisusuallyoverestimated.Manypeoplearemoreinterestedinthegearandtechnologythantheactualimages.Tolistentosomeit’sasifthecameramadetheimage,andthephotographermerelyleantsupport.Let’sjustgetafewthingsstraight.Acameraisbutatool,uselessinthewronghands.Giveanexperiencedphotographerthecheapestcompactandanoviceatop-of-the-rangemodelandwhowillmakethebetterpictures?Aphotographstandsonitsown;itsworthdependssolelyontheimpressionitmakesontheviewer.Thecameraorlensthatwasusedtocreateitisirrelevant.Aphotographismadenotbyacamerabutwithaphotographer’svisionandcraftsmanship.Neverthelessthetoolsareimportant.
MycamerasI’veusedandownedmanycamerasofallformatsovertheyears.Iwasweddedinitiallyintheearly1980stotheOlympusOMsystem,whichwasdelightfullycompactwithgreatlenses.WhenOlympusabandonedtheprofessionalmarketIswitchedtoNikon.FornineyearsmytwoNikonF5scircledtheworldwithme,nevermissingabeat.TheF5isinmyviewthebest35mmSLRfilmcameraevermadeandmanyoftheimagesinthisbookwereshotusingone.AbatteredF5bodynowsitsonmydeskasamementoalongsideanOM1frommystudentdays.IthinkithighlyunlikelyI’lleverusethesamecamerafornineyearsagain.
AchoiceofformatsI’veownedvariousmedium-formatsystems–aHasslebladwasmyworkhorseforyearsofcommercialwork–butIneverreallygelledwiththesquareformat.Allphotographersaredifferent,andthere’snorightandwronghere;weusethesystemsthatbestsuitourapproaches.Formethat’sbeenacombinationofthe6x17cmpanoramicformatand35mm.Ifindthetwooffseteachotherwell.Thepanoramicformatdeliversincrediblequalityandallowsauniqueviewontheworld,particularlyforlandscapework.With90mmand180mmlenses,it’sarugged,simple
Buttermere,Cumbria,LakeDistrict,England
PerfectreflectionsonButtermere,shotwiththeCanonEOS-1DsMKIIwitha70–200mmf/2.8lenswithImageStabilization.IntheearlydaysIusedtolustafteropticssuchasthislensinthemistakenbeliefthattheirpossessionwouldimprovemyphotography.Itdoesn’t.Noequipmentdoes.
•CanonEOS-1DsMKII,70–200mmlens
andrelativelyportablesystem,butnotexactlycompact.And35mmhasprovidedtheflexibilityandspontaneity,withtheultimatechoiceoflenses.The5x4inlargeformatisnotforme;itdeliversimpressivequalitybutatthepriceofflexibility,butIrespectmyphoto-mateswhomakethisformatworkforthem.Aphotographer’schoiceofformatwillbeinextricablylinkedwiththeirvisionandwayofworking,and,ultimately,it’sthepicturesthatmatter.
Thedigitalswitch-overNowit’sallchangewiththeswitchtodigitalcapture.Istillusethebigpanoramicfilmcamera,asthere’snodigitalalternativeforthatyet,butthe35mmNikonshavebeenreplacedwithdigitalCanons.IdefectedfromNikontoCanonbecauseofthefundamentallyimportantissueofsensorsizeandnowI’vegotanextensivesystembuiltaroundtwoCanonEOS-1DsMKIIbodieswithlensesrangingfromthe15mmfisheyeto400mm.Theset-upbackinthedigitaldarkroomisjustasimportant.TimewaswhenI
thoughtwewerehigh-techwithjustafaxmachine;nowwe’vean
DawnatSleepyBay,FreycinetPeninsula,
FreycinetNationalPark,Tasmania
Thebeautyofworkingon35mm,andnowwithafull-frameDSLR,istheoptionofusinglensesofextremefocallength.HereinTasmania,a15mmfisheyegivesa180-degreeviewofSleepyBay,withoutgettingthetripodlegsinshot.
•CanonEOS-1DsMKII,15mmfisheyelens
officestuffedwithcomputers,monitors,scanners,printers…andakettle.AlotofpeoplegetworkedupabouttheMacvPCdebate;personallyIdon’tbelieveitmakesmuchdifference.WeusePCs,threeofthemplusalaptop,withloadsofRAMforhandlinglargeimages.Whatareofcrucialimportancearethemonitors–youhavetobeabletotrustwhatyou’relookingat,sotheyhavetobecolourcalibrated.Myadviceistoignorethetechno-babble,andjustgoforthebestmonitoryoucanaffordwithadedicatedcolourcalibrationsystem.AllourPCsarenetworkedandeachhastwomonitors,oneLaCieforthecriticalcolourworkandasmalleroneforthetoolstabletswhenworkinginPhotoshop.AlsoinconstantuseisourImacon646forscanningbigtransparencies.Andbeingable
constantuseisourImacon646forscanningbigtransparencies.AndbeingabletoproduceprofessionalartprintsnowwiththeEpson2100issucharewardingkick.Somewhatlessexcitingistheconstantnecessityofbackingupimages,bothRAWandprocessed.ForthatweuseacombinationofdedicatedharddrivesandtwoDVDlibraries,onestoredremotely.Othervitalbits?Well,agraphicstabletishandy…asisapacketofgingerbiscuits.
RainbowoverStMichael’sMount,Cornwall,England(DavidNoton/NationalTrust)
Thepanoramiccameraislowtechandbasic,thecompleteoppositeofthestateoftheartCanon.
•FujiGX617,90mmlens
DigitalvFilmInMarch2005,Ihadamid-lifecrisis.Iterminatedalong-termrelationshipwithmyNikons,switchedtodigital,andranoffwithayoungercamerasystem.Likeallsuchmomentouschangesitwastraumaticandexpensive,butithadtobedone.Now,severalyearslaterI’mruminatingoverthechanges,weighinguptheprosandcons.WhatdoIloveaboutmynewlife?Freedom,flexibility,quality.WhatdoIhate?ThefactthatInowfeelweddedtoacomputer.Still,inallhonesty,I’vegotnoregrets–thetimingwasright.
ThebigdebateI’mlookingbackatamagazinearticleIwrotefiveyearsago,whenthedebatebetweenfilmanddigitalwasinfullflow.Thedigitalrevolutionwasperhapsthebiggestseismicshiftinphotographysincetheevolutionofthenegative.Pixelswerereplacingthelight-sensitiveemulsion,andphotographerswerewonderingifandwhentomakethechange,andhowitwouldaffectthem.BackthenIdecidedtostickwithfilmoverissuessuchaspower,quality,andcompatibilitywithmyexistingsystem.Ifitworks,don’tfixitwasmyethos.ButthingsmovedonquicklyandjustayearlaterIcouldn’tignorethefactthatthelatestgenerationofdigitalSLRswereproducingimagesofsuperiorqualitytomy35mmfilmcameras.Ajumpinavailablequalitywasenticing,nottomentionalltheotheradvantagesofworkingdigitally.Therewas,though,abigproblemformeandmanyotherNikonusersdelayingmydecision:sensorsize.Nikon’sDSLRsuseahalfframesensor,suitableforpressworkmaybe,butnotmygame.ForafullframesensorI’dhavetoswitchtoCanonandchangemyentiresystem.Thiswasapainfuldecisiontomake,butthewritingwasonthewall.Nowthedebatehasmovedon,shootingdigitallyisthenormandmost
photographershaveafootatleastpartiallyinthepixelcamp.IhavetoadmitI’maconvert.Thedigitalrevolutionhasrungthedeathknellfor35mmfilm;thequalityandversatilityavailablefrommostDSLRsisfarsuperior.Asformediumformatit’satoughercall.I’vedonecomparisonsbetweenmyCanonandaMamiyaRZ67andnotonlyistheDSLRwaymoreflexibleandportable,itdeliverssuperiorimagequality.Surprised?SowasI,buttheEOS-1DsMKIIproducesacrisperimage.TheabilitytovarytheISOsettingtosuittheconditionsissouseful,nottomentionadigitalcamera’s
MrsWendyNotononlocationintheAtacamaDesert,Chile
Marina,aQuechuashepherdgirl,Peru
flexibilitywhendealingwithmixedlighting.Beforethechange,amongathrongofswirlingdancersinavillagehallontheTibetanplateau,WendywasmakingimageswithherdigitalcompactthatIcouldn’t–thatsaiditall.
“Thedigitalrevolutionhasrungthedeathknellfor35mmfilm;thequalityandversatilityavailablefrommostDSLRsisfarsuperior”
ApersonalchoiceStill,manywilldisagreewithme,andlet’sneverlosesightofthefactthatit’sthepicturesthatmatter.Ultimatelyinthisbigdebateintangiblescreepin.Aphotographerfriendofmineinsistsheprefersthefeeloffilm,hedoesn’tlike‘metallic’digitalimages,andanotherquestionstheirevennessoftone.Theseareissuesthatareimpossibletoquantify.Asktendifferentphotographerstheirfeelingsaboutaparticularfilmandyou’llgettendifferentopinions.IknowwhatIthinkthough:that’sallnonsense.Usingthosetwocrucialtoolswisely,theCurvesandLevelscontrolsattheRAWconversionandPhotoshopstages,Ihavefar,farmorecontroloverallaspectsofmyimagesthanIeverhavedone.Eachtotheirown,butIthinktheflexibilityofferedbyaDSLRsystemisapricelessassetthattranslatesintobetterpictures.
OutbackdrivingoffthebeatentrackintheFlindersRanges,SouthAustralia
MaintainingdisciplineConversely,shootingdigitallycanfosteralooserapproach,amorelaissez-faireattitude;blastawayandsortitoutlater,ifyoushootenoughoneisboundtowork.Infact,IthinktogetthebestfrommyDSLRIneedtobeevenmoremeticulousbehindthecamera,butundoubtedlytheflexibilityofdigitalcaptureallowsmetoexploremoreoptions,toextractmorefromanyphotographicopportunity.ToavoidthatcondemningmetoendlesscomputerhoursIhavetohoneinonthebest.I’dratherproduceonegreatpicturethan50averageones.So,andhere’stherub,thegreatchallengeoftheswitchtodigitalhasbeenfirstlyensuringatight,disciplinedapproachtoshootingwhilemakingthemostofthepossibilitiesopenedupbytheflexibilityofthekit,andsecondlylearningawholenewwayofeditingtoavoidspendingtherestofmylifeinPhotoshop.Andlargeformat?Wellyoucan’tbeatabigpieceoffilm,whichiswhyIstill
usemy617panoramicmonster.Thatwillchangeeventuallywhendigitalalternativesevolve,butfornowIthinkI’vegotthebestofbothworlds,andI’mrevellinginit.
Accessories
TripodsYoucanspotseriousphotographersbytheirtripods.Itisthemostimportantpiecekityou’llpurchase.Perhapsnews,sportsandfashionphotographerswouldn’tagreewithme,butforthekindofimagesinthisbook,steadylegsforyourcameraarecrucial.I’malwaysamazedtoseesomeonewhohasspentafortuneonacameraandlensesusingacheapplastictripodthatwouldn’tkeepamobilephonecamerasteadyinagentlebreeze.Atripodisnotastantalizingapossessionasacamera,butit’safalseeconomytoskimponone.Aswithallgear,compromiseshavetobemade–rigidityversusportability,
it’satoughchoice.Allkithastobeportabletobepractical,butatripodalsohastobeabletosupportlonglenses,extenduptoheadheightandenableyoutogetdownlow.Inowuseacarbon-fibretripod,whichissignificantlylighterthanalloylegswithoutsacrificingrigidity.Theactualweightofthetripoddoescontributetoitsstability,butthiscanbeaidedbyhangingyourcamerabagfromtheundercarriage.Theheadisimportanttoo;allphotographershavetheirowntastesonthese.BallheadsarepopularbutIcan’tstandthem–Ipreferagearedheadforpreciseframingadjustments.
CamerabagsWhenIfirststartedinthisgamedinosaursroamedtheplanet,legwarmerswerein,andtheoptionsforcarryingphotogearoverthehillsandfarawaywerelimited.Youcoulduseashoulderbagguaranteedtoinducenumerousvisitstotheosteopathandthatwasit.Iusedtowrapmylensesinsweatshirtsandstufftheminrucksacks.Nowthereisamultitudeofoptions,withphotographicrucksacksdevisedforeveryimaginablecombination.I’vegotaboutfive;infact,I’velostcount.OnebigsackthesizeofacoffinforwhenI’mcarryingvirtuallyeverything,thepanoandDSLRsystems.OneforwhenI’mjustworkingwiththeDSLR.OneforwhenIneedtoflywithalaptop.Onesmalloneforlightweightforaysintocrowdedmarkets,andoneforcarryingcamerakitandlunch,waterproofsetc.forday-longhikes.Ithinkthey’refantastic,withoneproviso,togettoyourcamerayouhavetoputthemdowninthemud,dustandgrot.ButIcan’timaginelifewithoutthem.
Tryingtokeepthefliesoff,theOutback,Australia
FiltersTheimportanceoffilterscan’tbeoverstated.Theneedforcolourfiltrationwhenshootingdigitallyisobviated,butIwouldneverbewithoutasetofLeeneutraldensitygraduatesforholdingbacktheexposureonthesky,apolarizerforsaturatingthecoloursinvegetationanddeepeningtheblueinskies,andaneutraldensityforslowingdownexposurestooptimizethemotioninanimage.
Mid-exposureintherainforest,CostaRica
WinterbackpackingintheCairngorms,Scotland
MiscellaneousitemsInthedepthsofmybagsallsortsofstufflingers.Theusualessentials:remoterelease,sparebatteries,filterholderandrings,aspotmeter,ahotshoemountedspiritlevel,anextensionringandmemorycards.Andotherstuff:toiletpaperandmatches,aSwissArmyknife,shadesforpeeringintothesun,andsometimesabookforthoseendlessvigils.OnmywristIhaveasolar-poweredwatchwithacompass.WheneverIcantakeit,themountainbikeissousefulforlocationsearchesandcollectingthebaguettes.AndontheroofofmyLandRoverIhaveaphotographicplatform,bigenoughtogetatripodupthereabovethelevelofthehedgerowsandlookdownontheworld.Boysandtheirtoys?Yeah,I’lladmitthatone.ButIcanvouchforthepracticalityofallofthem.
“Allkithastobeportabletobepractical”
DunstanburghCastleandEmbletonBeachatdusk,Northumbria,England
Itryandgetasperfectashotin-cameraaspossible.I’mnotoneforcomplexmanipulationsanyway–thebestshotsarethesimplestandyoucan’timproveonnature.HereIgaveaslightlywarmertonetothereedsintheforegroundinpost-production.I’lloftentweakthecontrastorbrightnessofselectedpartsoftheimagesuchasthesky.Uppingthecontrastcanhavetheappearanceofaccentuatingthecolours,butitissoeasytogooverthetop.Subtletyisthekey.
•CanonEOS-1DsMKII,17–40mmlens
Post-ProductionSometimesinourofficeIsitbackandreflect.Thethreeofusarehere,tappingandclickingawayinfrontofourmonitors,dustbusting,tweakingCurves,attachingmetadata,convertingRAWfiles,copying,scanning,updatingthedatabase,backingupetc.etc.etc.…it’sendless.WendyandSharyn,ourofficemanager,arebeaveringaway;Ihaven’tacluewhatthey’redoing,isitanythingtodowithme?Theofficeisstuffedfullofcomputers,monitors,printersandscanners:howdidthishappen?Just12yearsagoIhadatypewriter,alightbox,afilingcabinetandafaxmachine,andthatwasaboutit.Thetrannieswouldcomebackfromthelab,they’dbeedited,mounted,captionedandsubmitted–adeliciouslysimpleworkflow.Granted,sendingoffpreciousoriginalswasalwaysaleapoffaith;thankfullythat’snotanissueanymore.Butwhatisanissueisthesheeramountoftimethatneedstobespentinpost-production.Shootingdigitallyit’seasytoexposealotofpixels,allofwhichneedsorting.Istillthinktheeditingprocesswasmuchbetterwithjustasheetoftranniesonalightbox,butthat’stough,I’vejustgottodealwithit.Fromashootofsay200imagesI’llgothroughandweedouttheobvious
also-rans,bringingitdowntomaybe40images.Whereashotobviouslyhas
also-rans,bringingitdowntomaybe40images.Whereashotobviouslyhasworkedtherewillmostlikelybemultiplevariationsofit,andpickingthebestisn’talwaysstraightforward–oftenit’snecessarytoprocessseveraloftheoptionstochoosethebest.It’seasyheretogetsidetrackedintospendingalotoftimeonashotthatdoesn’twarrantit;therecomesatimewhenIhavetosayno,andhitthedeletebutton.TheflipsideofthecoinisthatsometimesanimagethatlookedlacklustrestraightoutofthecameracansparklewithjustafewbasicadjustmentsattheRAWconversionstage.Inanutshellafinebalancingactisneededtoavoidwastingtimeonthedrosswithoutmissingoutonthejewels.I’mstilllearningwiththis,buthopefullygettingbetterandquickerathominginonthewinners.Igroaninexasperationatonepopularmisconception–thenotionthat
shootingdigitallymeanslesswork.Ifonly.Infactthedigitalworkflowhasmeantthephotographer’sworkloadinpost-productionhasmushroomed.Forme,thisisthehugedownsideofthedigitalrevolution.Clients,publishers,agenciesandprintersallnowexpecttobesuppliedwithadigitalimagereadytogotoprint,websiteorrepro.Itwouldbeniceiftheimagethatcameoffthememorycardwasthefinishedarticlebutitisn’t.Evenifitwereitwouldstillneedtobecopied,backedup,storedinadatabase,submittedandtrackedinitsjourneys.Butbeforethatitneedstopassthroughthedigitaldarkroom.
BackingupimagesonacampsiteinLanguedoc,France
ExposingRAWfilesWhenIexposeadigitalimagethepictureisjustabunchofinformationstillinthecameraasaRAWfile.Ithinkofitasasortofdigitalnegative,ameansofrecordinganimagethatneedsprocessingbeforeit’sofusetoanyone.Ifyou’reseriousaboutyourphotographythenshootingRAWistheonlywaytogo–forgetaboutTIFFsandJPEGs.Ifyouaren’tshootingRAWyou’relettingyourcamera’ssoftwaremakeimportantdecisionsaboutyourimagesthatithasnobusinessdoing,andyou’rethrowingawayinformationintheprocess.WhenIexposeadigitalimageIamtryingtomaximizetheamountofinformationrecorded,inparticulartherangeoftonesandcolours.Idon’twanthighlightsburningoutbutIdowantasmuchdetailintheshadowsaspossible,andaRAWfilehashugeexposurelatitudecomparedwithtransparencyfilm.ThathastwobigimplicationsforthewayIexposeinthefield.Firstly,bracketingexposuresisathingofthepast,whichsavesmuchtimeandallowsmetogetonwithmakingthemostofthesituation.Secondly,I’mtryingtogivethemaximumexposurepossiblewithoutlosinghighlightdetail,knownasexposingtotheright,referringtotheresultanthistogramdisplay.IfyoulookatthemonitordisplayandJPEGpreviewitmayappearthatIhaveanoverexposedimage,butbyexposingtotherightI’mmaximizingshadowdetailandminimizingnoise.Butbewareofthosehighlights–performapreliminarytestexposureandcheckthehighlightsalertandhistogramdisplayin-camera.Basically,I’mexposingaRAWfilenottogivemethebestdisplayonthecameramonitorbuttoproducethebest‘digitalnegative’,withthegreatestscopein-computerlater.
HeatherliningthecoastalpathinlatesummerontheGreatHangman,NorthDevon,England(DavidNoton/NationalTrust)
TherangeoftonesfromtheskytotheforegrounddetailissohighherethatevenaRAWfilecouldn’tcope,soI’vemadethreedifferentexposuresandmergedthem.It’sahandytechnique,butdoesn’tworkifthere’sanythingmovingintheframewherethedifferentlayersmerge,whichiswhyIstillneedtocarryneutraldensitygraduatedfilters.
•CanonEOS-1DsMKII,17–40mmlens
RAWconversionSo,we’rebackatbaseandhavecopiedtheRAWfilestoacomputerreadyforprocessing.ThenextstepistheRAWconversion.Todothisweneedspecialistsoftware.AdobeRAWisthemostcommon,butIusePhaseOneC1Pro.Atthisstage,importantdecisionsaboutcolourbalance,density,tonalrange,saturation,sharpeningandoutputaremade–indeedthewholelookoftheimagecanbefinalizedhere.IfyouunderstandnothingelseaboutthedigitaldarkroomthetwokeydisplaystounderstandaretheLevelshistogram,whichrepresentsthetonalrangeofanimage,andthecharacteristicCurve,whichcontrolsthedistributionofthosetones.It’sbeyondtheremitofthisbooktogointotoomuchdetail,butworkingwithLevelsandCurvesyoucancontrolthebrightness,tonalrangeandcontrastofanimage.ThisiswherewetakethatRAWfilewe‘exposedtotheright’in-cameraandpullbacktheLevelstogivethedensitywedesire.Theneteffectisanimagewithmoreshadowdetailthanifwe’d‘exposedtotheleft’.Thenweoutputtheimageasa16-bitTIFF,toholdontoasmuchinformationaspossiblethroughallthestagesofpost-production.
TheBaptistry(1196),PiazzadelDuomo,Parma,Emilia-Romagna,Italy
Oftenapictureneedsminimalinput.Ifithasaperfectrangeoftonesanddensityitwillgostraightthroughthedigitaldarkroomwithnoalterations.IalwayschecktheLevelsandCurves,buttrytoavoidtweakingforthesakeofit.
•CanonEOS-1DsMKII,70–200mmlens
VineyardsonthehillsideaboveSaillon,leValais,Switzerland
Thisonetookhours.Whenyou’restandingbythetripodmakingtheexposure,it’simportanttothinkthroughwhatisgoingtobenecessarytooptimizeanimage.HereinSwitzerland,Ishotthreeexposuresofthiscompositionwitha400mmlens,flatteningtheperspectiveofthevineyardsandmountains.Thetroublewasthedistantmountainslookedwashed-outinthehaze.IknewIcouldreintroducecontrastintothedistanceusingLevelsandCurves,butgettingajointhatwasn’tobviousbetweenthelayerstookhourswiththeErasertool.I’dmuchratherbeoutinthefield,butthat’slife.ForeveryhourIspendbehindthelensIspendthesameinthedigitaldarkroom.ItfeelsallwrongbutifI’vegonetoSwitzerland,gotupatdawnandspenthourswaitingforthelighttomakethisoneshotIhavetomakethemostofit,andthatmeanstimehunchedinfrontofthecomputer.
•CanonEOS-1DsMKII,100–400mmlens
PhotoshopadjustmentsandarchivingThelaststageofpost-productionistoimporttheimageintoPhotoshopforitsfinaladjustments.There’snowayIcanevenstarttotalkaboutalltheoptionsforsorceryatthisstage.Quiteoften,Idonothing.Ifitworks,don’tfixit.SometimesIdocomplexcompositesmergingmultipleexposures.MostofteninPhotoshopwedust-busttheimage,checkingfortinyimperfectionsresultingfromgrotonthecamerasensorat100percentmagnification,andtakeoutcables,masts,peopleandaerialswherenecessary.WeroutinelydeprivewholetownsoftheirTVreceptionatthisstage.Isay‘we’becausenowthecreative
decisionsaboutanimagehavebeenmade,I’vehandeditovertothecrew.Captionandkeywordinformationisembeddedintheimage’smetadata,thefinishedimageisconvertedto8-bit,lowresJPEGcopiesaremadeforemailsandquicksearchesetc.,theimageisenteredintoourdatabase,copiedtoadedicatedharddriveandbackeduptwicetoDVDlibrariesbothon-andoff-site.Finally,theimageisdone;readyforsubmission,ordeletionif,ashappens,Isubsequentlydecideit’snogood.Ithinkwe’vegonefullcircle.Intheolddaysweshotandprocessedourown
blackandwhiteworkindarkstuffycornersofloftssmellingoffixer.Wemadedecisionsaboutexposurein-camerabasedonthecontrastinthesceneandhowweweregoingtodevelopthenegative,andthenweusedallsortsofruseswithourhandsandpaperundertheenlargertomaximizethetonalrangeandimpactofthefinalprint.Theanalogieswiththedigitaldarkroomareobvious.FordecadesIworkedpredominantlywithcolourtransparencyfilmwherewehadnosuchinput,itallhadtobedonein-camera.Now,again,we’recontrollingeveryaspectofanimage’sprocessingandfinalimpact.Iruethetimeitsoaksup,butrevelinhavingsuchcontrol.
MILFORDSOUND,NEWZEALAND
2am:Eightmetersofrainayear,andit’sallfallingonourtent.InowknowwhatitwouldbeliketocampatthebaseofVictoriaFalls.I’mnotsurewheretheOfficialWettestPlaceonEarthis,somewhereinIndia?ButMilfordSoundmustbeupthereintheTopThree–it’sseriouslysoggy.Ilieinthetentlisteningtothesheetsofwaterdelugingus,wondering
howtheyoungGermanbackpackerinhisNZ$30supermarketspecialisfaring;thisreallycouldbethewinterofhisdiscounttent.NewZealand’sfjordlandisaspectacularcorneroftheworldwithfamouslyatrociousweather.Thecombinationofdeepfjords,jaggedmountainsandlushtemperaterainforestisinspirational,whenyoucanseeit.OnlytworockypromontoriesinterrupttheRoaringFortiestourofthesouthernlatitudes,thetipofSouthAmericaandhere,withpredictableresults.FromBritain,it’salongwaytocomeforafewsoddencampnights;IcandothatinNorthWales.
4am:Incredibly,we’vesleptwell.Iawaketoastrangesensation:silence.It
hasstoppedraining,andIcanseestarsthroughgapsinthecloud–gameon.Istillgetarealbuzzinthesesituations,there’sadistinctpossibilityofashothere,achanceIhadn’tdaredentertaininthepastfewdays.Wescrambledowntothefloodplainattheheadofthefjord,ourchosenlocation.ForthefirsttimeweseethefullsplendourofMilfordSound,uncloakedbyrainclouds.Thewallsofthefjordarealmostvertical,andthenight’sprecipitationiscascadingdownthecliffsinmultitudinouswaterfalls,asifthelandscapeisweeping–totallyepic.Theskyisstillheavywithrain,buttherearebreaksandthefirstindirectdusklightisjuststartingtofilterthrough.What’smorethere’snotasoularound,wehaveoneoftheworld’smostbeautifulviewsalltoourselves.
4.40am:I’mrunningnow,tryingtogettoapieceofdriftwoodlyingonthe
flatsforforegroundinterest.Tripodupwhilewewe’reonthemove,bagonarock,thedriestoption.Cameraonthequickreleasehead,compose,
levelhorizon,cockshutter,focus,setaperture,cablereleasein,positiongrad.Doublecheckeverything,thenopentheshutter.ThenItakeanexposurereading,whileexposing.Iknowfromexperienceatthistimeofdaytheexposureisgoingtobemeasuredinminutes,soImightaswellstartonthefirstexposureimmediatelywhileI’mcalculatinghowlongit’sgoingtobe.Idon’twanttomissathing,allsortsofwonderfulthingscanhappentothelightatthistimeoftheday.
5am:Thefirstexposureisabout15minutes.Wendyservescoffeefroma
flaskaswecontemplatetheadvancingtide.Bytheendofthefirstexposurethetripodlegsareunderwaterandwe’reperchingonrocks,forcingaretreattodryground.Thisisgoingtobeaproblem.Iwanttheshorelineintheshot,thesemi-submergedrocksbreakingthereflectionsofthefjord,butthetideiscominginatsucharateIcanonlymakeoneframebeforehavingtomoveandre-compose.Also,withlongexposureslikethisthelightlevelsarechangingasI’mmakingtheexposure.Iopentheshutteraftertakingareadingthatgivesfourminutes:twominuteslaterthat’sdowntothreeminutes.Iendupexposingforaboutthreeminutes20seconds.HowdoIcometothatfigure?Acombinationofmentalarithmeticwithwetfeetandexperience.It’snotrocketsciencebutitworks.
5.30am:Thetwilightisspreadingapaletteofmauvesandhuesacrossthe
landscape,incrediblysubtleandfarmoreatmosphericthanaclearskyanddirectsunlight.Thesuniscominguptoourrear,givingdiffusefrontlightingtothescene.Ihardlyeverworkwithfrontlighting;generallyIprefersideorbacklighting.Inthiscasethoughit’sindirect,thefirsttonesofdawnstrikingthepregnantcloudsandreflectingdownintotheimage.Keepingaheadoftheadvancingtidewemoveupthefjord,exposingallthewaylikeretreatingskirmishers.Thedampatmospherekeepsfoggingthefilter,justanotherofnature’slittlereminders,andthesandfliesareontheirdawnmissions.Butthisisveryspecial.Ithasmadewaitingforthelightworthwhile.
AbouttheAuthorDavidNotonwasbornin1957andsplithischildhoodbetweenEngland,CaliforniaandCanada.Afterleavingschoolin1976hespentfouryearsasadeckofficerintheMerchantNavy,beforetryinghishandanumberofdifferentprofessions,includingworkinginagluefactory,asamotorcyclecourier,awindowcleanerandagardener,beforefinallyreturningtocollegeinGloucesterin1982tostudyphotography.Graduatingin1985,Davidturnedfreelanceandhasconcentratedprimarilyon
landscape,natureandtravelphotographyeversince,winningthelandscapecategoryoftheBBCWildlifePhotographeroftheYearAwardin1985,1989and1990.HemarriedWendyin1987,andtogethertheyruntheirsuccessfulphotographybusinessfromMilbornePortnearSherborneontheSomerset-Dorsetborder,andtraveltheworldinsearchofpictureopportunities.TodayDavid’sworkispublishedaroundtheglobe.Everymonthhelicenses
inexcessof100imagestopublishing,advertisingandthenewsmedia.Duringthelast20yearshehasphotographedmuchoftheNationalTrust’slandscapeandcoastline,whichhasfeaturedinmanyhigh-profilepublicationsandseveralhighlyacclaimedphotographicexhibitions.Additionallyhesellsartprintsandwritesontravelandphotographythemesformagazinesworldwide,includingamonthlycolumninPracticalPhotography.Thisishisfirstbook.
AcknowledgmentsManythankstothefollowingwhohave,inonewayoranother,influencedthisbook:Myfather,forhisforbearancewithaheadstrong20-something-year-oldsonwhoseemedintentonwastinghiseducationinsearchofadventure.SharynMeeks,ourstalwartofficemanager,whoholdsthefortwithsuch
reliableefficiencywhilewe’retreadingboldly.CharlieWaite,fellowphotographerandfriend,whoprovidedtheinitialadvice
andimpetustogettingthisprojectofftheground.Allmyphoto-mates,whodrinkmywhiskyeveryyear,butespeciallyPeter
Adams,JeremyWalkerandJonGooding;wekeepeachothervaguelyrationalwhilenavigatingourwaythroughthisstrangeprofession.FreyaDangerfield,EmilyPitcherandMartinSmithatDavid&Charles,and
editorAmeVerso,allwhohavebeensuchapleasuretoworkwithonthisbook.Mywife,Wendy.Wemakequiteateam.Icouldn’tdohalfofwhatIdo
withouther.
INDEXNote:pagenumbersinboldrefertophotographsandcaptions
accessories150–1AdobeRAW154AiguilledeMidi56Alajuela86–7AlexandraFjord44–5,71–3AliceSprings135Andes49,54–5,58,138AngkorWat128–9Annapurna60–1,61AnseSevere81ArcdeTriomphe,Paris100Arctic38,44–5,71–3,71–3Argentina137Arizona25,41AsianTsunami132–3AtacamaDesert138,149Australia22,41,64,82,88–9,95,134–5Austria96autumn17,21,38,40,120–1AyersRock(Uluru)135
Badia78Baiwomen52,53BamburghCastle80–1,119BanffNationalPark68–9Bangkok92,99Baptistry,PiazzadelDuomo154Barcelona95barley122batteries56,61,68BavarianAlps68–9Beijing50–1Berctesgarden68–9birds31,127BlackMount58–9blackandwhiteimages30,33BlackmoreVale32–3bluebells20blur42–3,42–3BodiamCastle32
Bologna41Buddhism26,130builtenvironment92–100,92–101castles23–4,32,40,70,80–1,119,142–3,152streetscenes33,43,50,52,92,94,97
busylizzies86–7Buttermere116–17,147
Caledonians59Cambodia128–9camerabags150Canada38,39,68,68–9,74,88,140–1CanadianArctic44–5,71–3,71–3CanonEOS-1DsMKIIcamera20–1,24,32–3,35,40–1,74–5,77,82,93,94–5,97,102–3,114–15,118–19,122–4,139,147–9,147,152–5CapeBreton39Capitolio,Havana98Carcassonne35,122castles23–4,32,40,70,80–1,119,142–3,152Cazorla74–5Cefalu85CerroMiniques54–5ChampsdeMar101CharlesBridge,Prague96–7ChateauChennonceau14–15ChateauStUlrich8–9ChiangMai11,104Chile12–13,28,40,54–5,138,149chillies99China11,50,50–3,80,105Chincerro47–9ChowKitmarket99coastlines18–19,18–19,31,39,41–2,80,80–5,112–14,117,132–4,136,147,148,152colour30–3,30–3colourtemperature23,25,31,39composition26–9,26–9,87,94ComptonPauncefoot76–7computers147contrast124,152Cook,CaptainJames82Cordes-sur-Ciel123CorfeCastle142–3CornwallisIsland71CortonDenham74–5CostaRica86–7,90–1,90–1CroomePark115Cuba43,98,106Cullin18,18–19Curves154
CzechRepublic96–7
Daintree88–9DamneonSaduak11Deadvlei144Derwentwater29deserts62–4,62–5,66–7Atacama138,149Namib62,62,65,66–7,126,144,145
digitaldarkrooms147digitalnegatives153digitalphotography147–9,152–5distance34–6,34–7Dolomites4,56–7,78DunguaireCastle40DunstanburghCastle152DurdleDoor112dust-busting155
earth74–9,74–9EiffelTower,Paris100,100–1EileanDonanCastle23,70EllesmereIsland38,71EmbletonBeach152Endeavour(ship)82England16–17,20,24,29,32–3,39–40,42,74,74–7,80–1,83–4,93–4,112–21,142–3,146–8,152–3Epson147equipment145,146–7accessories150–1andflying122overload54–6,60–1usingincities97–8usingindeserts138usingnearwater83,84usinginrainforests90–1
Eus77exposure153forwaterscenes84forwinterscenes69,70
Eypepoint39
fill-inflashes89filters151neutraldensitygraduated19,31,84,113,151,153.polarizers151
fjords44–5,71–3,156–7,156–7flowers20,74–5,84,86–7,114,122,153flying122,145formats146–7
fountains94framing26–9,26–9France14–15,27,33,35,55–6,75,77,122–3FrenchAlps55–6FrenchPolynesia136FujiGX617camera4,6–9,12–19,19,22–3,25,27,29,31–2,34,38–42,44–5,54–6,58–9,63,68–9,74–6,79,80–1,83–4,86–9,93,96,110–13,116–17,120–1,125,128–30,132,134–8,140–4,146,148
gannets31Germany68–9Ghorepani61giantcedartrees88glaciers137GoldenRuleofThirds26–8,26–7,29,94gondolas93,125GranTeatro,Havana98GrandCanyon25,41grapevines78–9,79GreatHangman153GreatWallofChina50Greece37Gurkhas61
Hadrian’sWall146Hanoi10,43,98,103Hassleblad146Havana43,98,106heather114,153HighveerPoint114Himalayas58,60–1,60–1HotellesInvalides,Paris27huasos(Chileancowboys)28HydePark,London94
ice,focuson68–73ImperialPalace,Beijing51Incapeople46,47–9,58India108Indianculture30IndianOcean81,133Ireland40Iserables21IsleofHarris4IsleofSkye18–19,18–19,110–11Italy24,41,56–7,78–9,78–9,93,97,124–5,154
JietangSonglinMonastery52JPEGs155
Kathmandu109,109,127Kerala108KhoPhiPhi132KootenayRiverandRockies140–1KualaLumpur99
laCitéMédiévale122LaDefense,Paris101LaDigue38,81LagunaMiscanti54–5LakeGarda4,78LakeMathesson58–9LakePehoe12–13lakes/lochs4,6–7,12–13,23,29,40,54–5,58–9,70,78,115–17,128–9,147leBrevent55leeches89lenses24mmshift97fisheye36,36,62,147long67super-telephoto64wide-angle64
Levels154LiRiver53light22–5,38,156–7,157colourtemperature23,25direction23inrainforests87–9,91inwinter70
Lijiang52,105Littondale76LizardPeninsula42,84location(BeingThere)14–21,144–5LochAlsh23,70Lochannah-Achlaise58–9London93,94
MachuPicchu46Malaga106–7Malaysia99MamiyaRZ67148markets10,10–11,43,47–9,51–3,98–9,103Matera24MearesIsland88MekongDelta11,131MilbornePort16–17MilfordSound156–7,156–7MillenniumBridge,London93MilsonsPoint,Sydney95
mistyconditions16,22,24,32–3,42,118,123–4,142–3monitors147monochromaticimagesblackandwhite30,33colour30,31,119
Montemartre,Paris33MonteverdeCloudForestReserve86–7MontiSibillini124MonumentValley63motionphotography42–3,42–3,84,84–5,94–5,103,108,127,151MountBlanc55–6MountCook34MountRundle6–7,7Murawai31
NamibDesert,Namibia62,62,65,66–7,126,144,145Naxiwomen52Nepal26,58,60–1,60–1,109,109,127neutraldensitygraduatedfilters19,31,84,113,151,153NewYork36,92NewZealand31,34,58–9,82,89,144,156–7,156–7Nikon147,148NikonF5camera4,26,28,31,33,36–7,39–40,43,55–7,62,70,82,85,89–90,92,94–6,103–5,108,126–7,131,133,146NorthSea80–1NotreDameCathedral101
OldManofStorr18–19,18–19OldSherborneCastle24Olgas,The64olivegroves74–5Olympus146OponohuBay136oryxvertebra65
PadThai99paddyfields131palmtrees81Pampasmojo49,139panoramiccameras70,75,79,91seealsoFujiGX617camera
panoramicformat64,75,119,146,146,148,149Paris27,33,100,100–1Parma97,154PeritoMorenoGlacier137perspective34–6,34–7long-lens34,35,37wide-angle36,36
Peru46,46–9,102–3,139,149
PhaseOneC1Pro154Photoshop155,155PiazzadelDuomo,Parma154PiazzadellaSignoria,Bologna41PiazzaSanMarco,Venice93PicdeCanigou77Plazad’Armas,Havana106Pokhara60–1,60–1polarizers151PolblueMarshes22PontAlexandraIII27,100poppies74–5,122PortCampbellNationalPark134PortlandBill83portraits10–11,30,47–53,102–9,102–9,131,133,145,149,151,153post-production124,152–5Prague96–7prayerwheels26Preci124Pyrenees77
Quechapeople46,47–9,58,103,149
rain63rainbows148rainforests86–91,86–91RAWfiles124,147,152–4conversion154exposure153
Resolute71,73rivers13,27,38,53,100–1,140–1rock,focuson54–61,54–61RockefellerCentre36Rome92RoussanouMonastery37
SacoValley38saddlery28StMichael’sMount113,148StPaul’sCathedral93StRemydeProvence75SalisburyCathedral118Salzburg96SanGiorgioMaggiore125SanMarco,Venice125sand62–4,62–5,66–7,138sanddunes62–3,62,66,66,126SantaHelenaCloudForestReserve90–1,90–1scanners147
Scotland18–19,18–19,23,38,58–9,70,83,110–11seasons16–17,120–1autumn17,21,38,40,120–1spring16–17,120summer16–17,120–1winter17,50–1,55–6,68–73,68–73,120–1,151
SeineRiver27,100–1SemanaSantafiesta106–7Seychelles38,81shapes26–9shutterspeed42Sicily85silhouettes34Singapore30SleepyBay147snowscenes17,50–1,55–6,68–73,120–1,151SouthEastAsia10,10–11SouthernAlps34,58–9Spain74–5,95,106–7SriLanka130,133stiltfishermen133stormclouds25Stourhead120–1streetscenes33,43,50,52,92,94,97sunlight25,38SwayambhunathTemple26,127Switzerland21,155Sydney92,95
Tahiti80TarnHows40TasmanSea31Tasmania147TeParePoint82teaplantations130Thailand11,99,104,132Tian’anmenSquare,Beijing51TIFFimages154time38–9,38–41TorresdelPaine12–13,40TrafalgarSquare,London94tripods61,98,150TrotternishPeninsula110–11Tuscany77,78–9,78–9TwelveApostles,The,Victoria41
Uluru(AyersRock)135UNESCOWorldHeritageSites112UnitedStates25,36,38,41,63,92
Utah63
ValdelaLuna138ValdiFassa56–7Venice93,125VermillionLake6–7,7Verona78verticals,correction97ViaCardinalFerrari,Parma97Vietnam10,11,43,98,103,131vineyards155VosgesMountains8–9
WallSt,NewYork92Wasemarket11,51,52,53WatPhraSingh11,104waterfocuson80–4,80–5fountains94movement84,84–5rivers13,27,38,53,100–1,140–1waterfalls86–7seealsocoastlines;lakes/lochs
WearyBay82WestlandNationalPark89WhiteMountains38winter17,50–1,55–6,68–73,68–73,120–1,151wood86–91,86–91
Zhongdian80roadto50,50–3