Join the conversation
Subcribe to comment rss feed
Landscape Photography and Book Publishing
The purpose of this article is to consider some aspects of working with a book publisher as it pertains to landscape photography. The themes of the article will be based around a recent publication of my own called ‘Mull, Iona, and Staffa’, which is my third book of landscape photography. I will also comment on books produced by other well known photographers. Publishing a book of photographs, on a specific theme is a very satisfying enterprise and an essential part more
Wilderness and the Mind of the Photographer
But does wilderness really exist or is it just in the mind of the photographer, who goes all starry eyed at the mention of the word?This article is written in response to that by Julian Barkway on Beauty, which had a wilderness connection, and as a result of Joe Cornish’s report from the great wilderness trek in NW Scotland. His book Scotland’s Mountains could be regarded as a homage more
The Psychology of Saturation
There has been some interesting discussion on the history of saturation boosting in photography in recent days, notably David Hyde on the excellent Landscape Photography Blogger website talks about "Did Velvia Film Change Landscape Photography". His topic was about how the use of hyperreal film such as Fuji Velvia and whether it fundamentally changed the look of landscape photography. Well the first question I'd ask is 'could you get saturated colour before Velvia came out?' and I think the more
From Hobby to Career
When I bought my first digital camera seven years ago, I hadn’t remotely considered that it might one day provide a career for me to follow. more
Photography and Music
In terms of music structure, the classic progression of dissonance to resolution has it’s potential in photography too. more
Beyond Beauty
What is 'beauty' in landscape photography? On the face of it, it's almost a question that doesn't even need to be asked. more
In Defence of ‘Wow!’
There has been a fair bit of sunset/rise bashing goes on in LandscapeGB and there's been a good few debates about the virtues of flat light, contemplative compositions and all that goes with it. I myself am a fully signed up member of the wowless club, the more I journey into the my world of photography, the more demure my images get – so getting me to sing the praises of Wow(!) photos is a bit like getting Wayne Rooney more
The Skirrid Hill Project
For many landscape photographers it is the project, either based around a specific area, subject or theme. I’m a big advocate for working on projects they add not just breadth, but depth. more
Give some Praise where Praise is Due
I've read a couple of blog posts recently that asked photographers to give a bit of praise and I thought I'd pass this request on. Next time you see a website or a photograph that moves you, spend a few moments to send the photographer an email or use the contact form on their website. Most photographers don't make much money out of their work an the boost that the praise from another photographer can give is so much more
Which ‘Self’ do you Take Pictures for?
When asked ‘who do you make photographs for’, a very common answer is ‘myself’. However, given recent discussion, I started to think about what this means. When I started my photography, I didn’t know who I was doing it for. I did know that I wanted to show people what I was doing though; I wanted to share the buzz that I got from seeing these scenes with other people my wife and family seemed to bear the brunt of more
Sunsets?
Joe Cornish, Flow of Light I've just read an article in a popular outdoor photography magazine that was written in defense of shooting sunsets that I can't help but write a reaction to. He does say in the article that he knows many photographers who think that "capturing a sunset as a creative end in itself is a waste of time". Well I think I probably fit more
Spirit of Simplicity
Dark and threatening clouds hang over Great Gable's impressive southern flank. Representations of landscapes throughout western art history have taken a back seat to works depicting the dramas of human existence. In many cases landscapes were reduced to a stage set in a historical painting or a stylised backdrop for a portrait. This is unsurprising as for much of our history the more
The Photographer’s Place
A couple of weeks ago I went on a workshop, a workshop that continues a series that started in the early 1980s more
The Pursuit of the ‘Wow’ Factor…
We've all seen them on photo-sharing sites: images of grand vistas with strong colours, dramatic perspectives. more
Art Or Commerce?
After a recent 15-day trip where I only got half a dozen images worth mentioning, I’m feeling slightly jaded. more