Picture of the month | March 2011

March arrived with a distinct feeling of spring being just around the corner.  To many photographers this brings fresh opportunities after the long winter months.  For me it was a case of digging out my macro gear and heading out to the local woodlands, as well as revisiting locations that I have photographed during the previous seasons in a quest to capture some new images for the libraries representing my stock photography.

Durham is unquestionably one of my favourite cities to photograph and I rarely need much of an excuse to head south of the river to spend a day there.  During the middle of the month we were graced with a period of fine weather so I decided to revisit some of my favourite Durham viewpoints but also made a point of looking for some new ones.  This shot was captured from a viewpoint which I had found during a winter visit but had on that occasion failed to produce anything worth keeping.

Captured towards the end of the day, I could hardly believe my luck when the breeze began to disappear leaving me with a perfect reflection of Durham Castle and the Cathedral on the river Wear. I tried some shots omitting the footpath but I decided I would like something to anchor the complete scene so I opted for a scramble up a nearby waist level flowerbed (without any flowers in it I hasten to add) which allowed me the height to include the street lamp without any signs of converging verticals.  Then it was simply a case of fitting my 3-f stop ND graduated filter to balance the  footpath (which was in the shade) with the distant vista of Durham Castle and Cathedral.

Picture of the month | February 2011

February was actual quite a productive month for photography, and choosing my picture of the month was actually quite a hard decision. However I have opted for a shot from towards the end of the month mainly because of the symbolic meaning of the image - This image was captured on my last photography session before the impending birth of our second child and I think that this image captures the spirit of an arrival of a new life perfectly.

I shot this image using my Digital X-Pan. Oh, if only that was the case! I really do wish that Hasselblad would release a digital version of what was my all-time favourite film camera.  OK, medium format quality in a small, 35mm size camera is now easily achieved with cameras like the Canon 5D Mark 2 but I do miss the ease of creating a panoramic with the X-Pan.  Multiple frame stitching works but can be time consuming in the field. Or so I thought until my recent purchase of a 24mm Tilt & Shift Lens.

This shot was captured just before sunrise and was created using the shift function on my new Tilt & Shift lens. Basically I took 3 exposures. The first with the lens shifted to the left, then the center and finally the right. All 3 shots were then merged in PhotoShop and slightly cropped to an X-Pan style preset I have set up in Lightroom.  It takes a couple of seconds to adjust the shift on the lens to the new position - Far quicker and simpler than the traditional method of taking panoramic images and also results in far less problems with parallax error that can occur with using a normal tripod head as opposed to a specialist panoramic head designed to eliminate parallax errors.

Of course all that really matters is the final image, and I must say that my 'Digital X-Pan' set-up really does deliver the goods and this shot just looks great as a 28" x 10" print!

I was definitely be exploring the virtues of using my new X-Pan in the coming months, after the birth of my own little Angel of course!

Picture of the month | January 2011

I'm pleased to say that the recent changes to the website have not been purely cosmetic, and that in addition to the new online store; I also plan to start incorporating a number of new regular features. This post is the first of these. At the start of every month, I will be looking back at my favourite image captured in the previous month - As well as recalling the story behind the photo.

Whilst January was not the most productive month for new images, I did manage to get out and about a few times and produce a selection of images that I felt help to satisfy my creative cravings. This shot, which I have affectionately titled ‘Black Light’ was 1 of only 2 monochrome images captured this month and actually began life as a colour shot.

The day had begun with a trip to the Holy Island of Lindisfarne but unfortunately the BBC weather forecast had proved to be incorrect (yet again), and my 5.30 AM start had resulted in a couple of hours standing around by the castle hoping that there might be a minor weather miracle. There wasn’t. However in the distance I could see a small patch of blue so I decided to head inland to the Cheviot Hills near Wooler.

So began the ‘chasing of light’ game! As I reached Wooler the conditions were improving but that elusive patch of light was still a way away. A quick check of the map later, I decided to head over the border to Kirk Yetholm in the Borders. Here conditions were better but still I had not found the treasure!

So I continued through the village and headed towards my, as yet unknown, destination. Imagine my elevation when I finally found myself in a desolate Border Valley under a blanket of blue sky and white clouds!

A quick climb of a hill later, and I found myself standing on the ancient Dere Street Roman Road looking across the border ridge towards the English Border at Carter Bar. After passing a couple of hours taking a few shots looking back towards Northumberland and the Cheviot Hills, I noticed an interesting break of light above a misty patch of the uplands. By now the wind had picked up and I knew that using my 70-200mm lens to isolate details in the landscape would be a tricky proposition. I quickly composed my shot and fitted my 3-stop hard and 2-stop soft filter to the lens. Next it was just a case of firing the shot when there was a lull in the breeze. Out of about 30 shots there were only 2 that were sharp enough to keep.

Whilst the colour shot was pleasing, I felt that the colour distracted from the mood of the location. Ironically after a day spent trying to find a splash of colour, I found myself capturing one of my favourite black and white images to date!

Keeping the balance

We are entering an age where some landscape photographers consider software to be of equal importance as the camera system they use to capture their images. With the term HDR becoming more and more prominent throughout the photography universe, some may consider that the use of neutral density graduated filters to balance the exposure range when capturing images is no longer necessary and perhaps something of an antiquated technique in landscape photography.

On paper, the use of HDR (High dynamic range) photography techniques to capture your images should provide the most pleasing results. Essentially HDR photography is undertaken by widely bracketing a number of exposures (ie -2, -1, 0, +1 and +2 f-Stops) which are then combined using specialist software to create an HDR image. So far, so good. Then a technique called Tone Mapping is utilised to reintroduce some contrast into the image and to make it appear more realistic. And this is where the problems begin for a number of photographers using this technique… poor tone mapping can result in an image that simply looks unrealistic, and sometimes quite horrendous.

Another problem with combining multiple exposures to create an HDR shot is movement during the capture of the bracketed sequence. Whilst at first it may appear a calm enough scene, the processing of this shot of the Chalamain Gap in the Cairngorms National Park was made far more difficult by the movement of clouds between the -2 and +2 bracketed exposure. My only option was to blend the exposures using my HDR software (technically not a full HDR shot) and then using Photoshop I manually combined the bracketed shot with the best exposure for the sky and then using a layer mask I removed the underexposed foreground to reveal the 'exposure blended' foreground. It probably took me about an hour to produce this one shot and whilst I am really happy with it, I would have preferred to have captured it in camera using filters. But there was a major problem with using filters in that the horizon was haphazard and the difference in exposure required for the shot was around 5 f-Stops. Basically if I had used neutral density graduated filters to balance the exposure, the evidence of their use would be apparent on the final image.

So whilst it is apparent that there are some definite advantages to combining multiple exposures, I personally found the length of time involved to process the final image is enough for me to only use this technique when there are no other options available. And luckily for the majority of my images, neutral density graduated filters prove to be more than adequate to provide the end results I require.

Whilst it is commonly believed that the 'soft' graduated neutral density filters are easier to use than the 'hard' graduated filters, I personally find that the 'hard' filters are far more useful when they are used in landscape photography. I find that a harder transition can often be placed in such a way that the use of filters is often unapparent to the viewer of the final image, which is what I am always striving to achieve. For the shot above I used a 3-Stop 'Hard' ND graduated filter and a burst of fill-in flash to illuminate the foreground interest. You should never be a afraid to combine a number of techniques in your quest for the perfect landscape photography shot!

8 Tips for Landscape Photography

Readers of this months Photography Monthly magazine, may have noticed that I was asked to offer eight tips for successful landscape photography. Here they are again just in case you have not read the magazine!

• Reach your location at least one hour before sunrise or, in the case of sunsets, stay until about one hour after.
• Instead of using your zoom lens, use your feet instead.
• Religiously check the weather forecast and tide time tables if you are planning to visit the coast.
• Always work with the light and weather conditions and choose a location that will benefit from them.
• Always consider the rule of thirds but remember that rules are there to be broken.
• Whenever possible, always use a good sturdy tripod, remote release and hot shoe spirit level.
• Don't get to wrapped up in buying the latest camera gear, it is the person behind the camera that makes a great landscape image.
• Always try to perfect the shot in camera as opposed to 'fixing it' back home on the computer.

Of course this is not a comprehensive list but if you remember the above you should start to see a distinct improvement in your own landscape photography!

Two images shortlisted for 2010 'Take a View'

I am delighted to announce that two of my images have been shortlisted for this years 'Take a View - Landscape Photographer of the Year' awards. I feel honored to have reached these final stages, and I just hope that the judges enjoy the images as much as I did capturing them!



Click here to learn more about this prestigious competition.

Win a copy of Spirit of Northumberland

I am delighted to announce that my first book to be released this year, my seventh book so far, has just been released!  

Northumberland is not only the northernmost county to be found within England but also the least populated. The ‘land of the far horizons’ offers some of the most picturesque scenery to be found throughout the British Isles, although it is often overlooked by visitors heading north to the uplands and highlands of Scotland.

 Any visitor to the region has an array of locations to visit which all have something to offer. Be it the impressive remains of the World Heritage site of Hadrian’s Wall, the beautiful coastline of the Northumberland Heritage Coast or the rolling yet domineering features of the Northern Pennines as they sprawl towards the Southern Uplands of Scotland, the county can lay claim to a mix of quintessential English scenery.

Although Northumberland is now possibly one of the most tranquil and peaceful spots to be found in England, it has not always been that way. Marauding invaders from Scotland and Scandinavia dictated the construction of numerous fortifications to protect these northernmost English lands.The remnants of these buildings remain dotted across the landscape providing an enigmatic contrast to the natural features of the region.

With the relatively sparse population, and a large amount of suitable habitat, a wide variety of wildlife is found within the boundaries of the county. The Farne Islands are something of a Mecca for the bird watching community, whilst inland areas of woodland host the endangered Red Squirrel that any watchful visitor may have the privilege to see.

Through the medium of Jason Friend’s superbly evocative photographs the reader can experience at first hand all of the glories that help make up the Spirit of Northumberland.

I have a couple of signed copies of my latest book to give away to two lucky readers!  To be in the draw to win a copy of the book simply become a fan on my Facebook page or follow my twitters! I will give one copy to a random follower from both networks... so why not join both and double your chances of winning a copy? I will be making the draw on the 6th April so don't delay if you want to win a copy of the book!

Follow the link below to view some of the images:-

http://www.halsgrovemedia.co.uk/imagebase/data/albums/KB41/KB237/Spirit%20of%20Northumberland.pdf