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Mostly photography, but sometimes tea and other thoughts

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Hemmingway Bridge in Photography

November 25, 2022

I just got back from a trip to Coigach and Assynt and I have unfinished business. I didn’t feel this after my 2021 trip to Scotland when I visited Glencoe, Skye, Harris and Lewis. So what’s different? Well, I came home a few days early—that’s part of it. I was camping in my car, and though Scotland is well set up for vehicle campers when the rain came in earnest, cooking and keeping everything dry became a chore. But there is

LPOTY 2022

October 31, 2022

I am very pleased to announce that my image of Glastonbury Tor, Storm and Fire, has been highly commended in the UK Landscape Photographer of the Year awards. This was my first time entering the competition, and I am really pleased to be recognised by the judges. Some of the people who most inspire me have placed in this competition in the past or are otherwise involved in the judging or—indeed—founded LPOTY. Tuesday last week, I attended the awards evening, and

Using ‘Texture’ and ‘Dehaze’ to Edit in Lightroom

September 6, 2022

I have written before about my love of soft, indirect light. This preference has only grown in the past eighteen months. There are a few reasons I prefer soft light. They are all practical: (1) while direct sunlight largely determines a composition for us, flatter light allows one to bring mood and story to an image during the editing process; (2) cloudy, overcast days give more time to explore and shoot; and (3) you get to keep more sociable hours. Don’t

The Permissible and the Prohibited: Image Manipulation in Landscape Photography

August 30, 2022

Not long after first taking up a camera, you will discover the rules of photography—someone will feel duty-bound to tell you. We don’t need an exhaustive list here, but look for the verb in the imperative form: “always fill the frame,” “remember the rule of thirds,” and “look for odd numbers.” These are all common edicts. However, no matter how firmly stated, rarely are these directions essential to creating a pleasing photo. Once you’ve mastered your camera settings, put away the

Printing at Home

April 28, 2022

This weekend, I had a couple of things on my to-do list: eBay some old tech and frame some recent images. eBay was a necessary evil, but I was looking forward to printing my work. I had the romantic vision of a slow Sunday proofing and perfecting my images, cup of tea in hand. However, in the end, my expectations were reversed. Listing items on eBay wasn’t as clunky as I remember it, but printing and framing were slow and frustrating.

Photography in Cornwall

April 5, 2022

I just came back from staying with friends in Cornwall. It was exhausting—staying in Cornwall always is. Though I should be sensible, I’m an early riser, and I’m out on the beaches taking photos for several hours before anyone else wakes. With full days exploring and late evenings socialising, after a few nights away, I start to feel thinly drawn. I like to think that if I lived in Cornwall, I would develop a more mature relationship with landscape photography. But

Is Instagram Dead for Photographers?

March 22, 2022

4 things Instagram taught me A few months ago, l wrote about quitting social media. I was unsuccessful. An active Instagram group chat drew me back, and addiction kept me there. Nevertheless, despite still spending some time on Instagram, I have progressed with my goals for leaving. During a few days of annual leave, I redesigned my website, and I am working on my search engine presence. I will do more of that this year. Most importantly, perhaps, I have rekindled my love of

A Somerset Landscape Photography Guide

February 26, 2022

What is there for a landscape photographer in Somerset? With rare birds in the wetland marshes and red deer roaming the hills, wildlife is perhaps the most natural draw in our county. Yet, despite lacking charismatic mountains and rugged coastline, after watching light rays through the mist of the Levels, rambling over purple moorland and standing on the edge of a brutal gorge, you too will agree – there is plenty here to satisfy landscape photographers too. Wondering where to start

Stop Chasing Sunrises

February 12, 2022

I’m an early riser. I naturally wake between 4 and 6 and a lie in sees me up no later than 7.30. As a landscape photographer, this can be a strategic advantage. However it can also be exhausting. For a few weeks each year, the sun rises so that from a clearing on the Polden Hills you can use a telephoto lens and it forms a halo behind Glastonbury Tor. In 2020 I was after this image. When I say ‘after’ I

The Motorway to Pen y Fan

January 24, 2022

Last week I had the pleasure of walking up Pen y Fan with a couple of fellow Bristol photographers. Oddly, although over the last year I have explored the Brecons a fair amount, this was the first time I have summited Pen y Fan. I think a mountain looks better from lower down than from the top, but last week’s expedition changed my mind. As I say, this was the first time I’ve climbed this mountain. Last summer, I did a

Scared of Direct Light?

October 30, 2021

Early after first picking up a camera, photographers learn to recognise of good light. As landscape photographers we wake up early and stay out past sunset in search of the perfect golden hour light. I used to return to locations again and again to understand how the light interacts with my subject. This was good training. It taught me anticipation and adaptation. However, more and more. I like it when the light is subdued. I prefer now to shoot in indirect

Contrast is Relative

October 7, 2021

I used to think that for a image to have strong contrast, the histogram needs to looks like this: That is, good portions of pixels must inhabit both the black and the white zones. But images like this have changed my mind: Here the blacks are dark (solid black, in fact) but the brightest portions of this image – the white of his eye – is only at about 70% brightness. In short, I’ve started thinking about contrast in much more