{"id":2077,"date":"2012-08-09T14:28:12","date_gmt":"2012-08-09T14:28:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mcfade.co.uk\/blog\/?p=2077"},"modified":"2024-07-08T10:11:21","modified_gmt":"2024-07-08T10:11:21","slug":"leeds-photographer-landscape-interview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mcfade.co.uk\/blog\/leeds-photographer-landscape-interview\/%20","title":{"rendered":"Landscape Interview…."},"content":{"rendered":"

Just been asked to do a piece for Ephotozine, on Landscape Photography<\/strong>. Thought it worth sharing on here with you all.<\/p>\n

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It’s just 3 questions, with my ramblings on each.<\/p>\n

How did you get into landscape photography?<\/h2>\n

I’m from the countryside originally, rural Lancashire by Pendle Hill, so was always at home there.<\/p>\n

When affordable digital came along around 10 years, and petrol was cheap, I used to spend most weekends in the car pottering around the dales and north<\/a> York moors, places I’d been through but never really seen. Spending time on my own meant I could stop where ever I wanted, for however long I needed.<\/p>\n

I started to work out what I enjoyed most, mainly waterfalls and rivers back then.<\/p>\n

Also, city shooting all seemed a bit daunting back then – I didn’t really know what I was doing and people would be annoying, so getting away from it all in a field or on a hill was far more relaxing.<\/p>\n

We’re lucky up here in yorks\/lancs, lots of variety in landscape and coast line within one hour – from rolling dales to barren limestone pavements\/<\/p>\n

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Talk us through how you set up and take a shot?<\/h2>\n

Around 2006 I found a formula which produced repeatable results – using a polariser, ND grad filters, cable release, tripod and anglefinder to get low down and create images with ultra-wide angled lenses (typically 17mm on full frame).<\/p>\n

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Most of the landscapes I’ve sold and have appeared in magazines follow the formula – and I’m sure many landscape photographers on Ephotozine do too.<\/p>\n

I tend to look for something in the near ground as foreground interest, preferably with some kind of lead into the shot – a line<\/a> in the sand, a rocky crevice, a road marking or just a rock and stick. Water does the trick too of course<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Then in the background<\/a>, I’m after something as the focal point. Too often it’s a tree…. though in the lakes, the mountains themselves are interesting enough.<\/p>\n

you’d shoot that at f16, focussing 1\/3 way into the shot, so you’d get everything sharp and a longish shutter to blur motion.<\/p>\n

Of course, only shooting at sunset to get the magic, warm toned light.<\/p>\n

Now, a few years on, I’m less formulaic really – I’ve shot many landscapes with a 500mm F4.5 L lens, even had an EC with one! It’s more about reading the conditons and choosing the right kind of shot. If it’s a poor sky, then I’d use a long lens to find something interesting without the sky. I like long shadows, so look for those in photos – sometimes driving up a hill and looking down below gets you some really cool long shadows of trees.<\/p>\n

What draws you to the photos you take?<\/h2>\n

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Landscape is fun rather than work – so it tends to be done when I get spare time, or feel the urge to get out there. It’s often stop-offs on the way to places these days, maybe taking a longer route and setting off earlier to call into old haunts.<\/p>\n

I still love water, wiers always look great, though when the light gets really low, you can end up with a silhouette and white water if you’re not careful… enter HDR!<\/p>\n

What looks good to the eye often doesn’t look great on camera – I’ve had mates take me to these really wide exposed areas, bigging them up, only to find that there’s no photo there. It’s got the “wow that’s a huge open vista” appeal, but there’s nothing really discernible to shoot… Joe Cornish has his Roseberry Topping in every shot so he has that point of interest.<\/p>\n

I’ve often used Drax\/Eggborough\/Ferrybridge power stations<\/a> on the M62 for this. They’re huge, the biggest in Europe, so can be seen for miles around.<\/p>\n

I think you need something to interest the eye, certainly intitally anyway, then they can have a wander around the shot.<\/p>\n

So something with presence draws me, though not always the obvious tree or boulder!<\/p>\n