A New Lens

I have recently pushed the boat out and bought a Sigma 10-20 mm super wide angle lens.  This last weekend I had the opportunity to play with it.  Although not the most stunning landscapes in the world I was impressed with the performance of the lens and look forward to using it.

I took all of the images at the 10 mm setting on the lens and although I only used f9 they are all sharp from front to back.  I took them on the edge of a local woodland when out for a walk with my wife on a beautiful but almost cloudless day.  It would have been good to have a more interesting sky.  They were also taken during the middle of the day; I would have preferred earlier or later.  To fill the frame with the ash tree in the second shot I had to keep moving closer and closer until I was nearly underneath it - amazing.  I was pleased with the circle of light at the end of the hedge in the final shot.

Project 13: throughout the day

I found this project frustrating to complete and it has had to wait until nearly the end of this module.  Not because It was difficult but because the weather over the last year has been so unreliable.  I had earmarked a couple of locations that would have been suitable but they both involved travelling and I decided not to to commit myself unless I could be sure of the weather.  In the end I plumped for the location shown which was within 15 mins walking distance of my house but even so it took me four days to complete.  I did choose a spot which is slightly elevated and framed the shots with the hedge and two trees which I knew would provide shadows.

I took this shot at 08.20 not long after sunrise.  The sun had risen just above the clouds and was coming from just over my right shoulder.  There are long but weak shadows trending slightly left.

This shot was taken at 09.50.  The sun was now directly behind me and I had to set my lens at 24mm to prevent my own shadow from being in the picture.  This was actually the first one I took so I set the lens at 24mm for all of the others.  No shadows can be seen from the hedge or trees as they were falling along the length of the hedgeline.

It is now 11.00am and the sun is higher in the sky and the sky a more intense blue.  The sun is now over my left shoulder and there are short shadows from left to right.

12.35 now and the sun  is even higher in the sky.  Definite shadows from left to right.

it is now 1.30 in the afternoon and the sun has now moved round well to my left.  The left to right shadows are now increasing in length.

It is now 3.00 in the afternoon and the sun is now sinking towards the horizon on this short winter day.  In fact when I returned an hour later it had dropped below the houses to left and so I didn't take another shot after this.  There are now much longer intense shadows coming from the left.

 What have I learned.
Apart from the fact that our weather is totally unreliable I have learned that as the sun moves around during the day (or appears to do so)  the shadows move with it.  Shadows are longer and more intense at the beginning and end of the day.  I also know (but these photographs do not show it, although I have done the bare minimum of post processing) that at the beginning and end of the day the light is warmer and cooler during the middle of the day.  Given a preference I would photograph during the golden light 2-3 hours before sunsit and after sunrise.  Having said that my favourite image in this sequence is the one taken at 1.30 in the afternoon.  Shadows are lengthening and the light becoming more interesting.

Portfolio: autumn

Autumn is always a joy to photograph.  Easy than summer I feel.  Even quiet misty days can be rewarding.

A late autumn scene in a local woodland taken on a walk in early November.

A misty early autumn morning in a nearby parkland.

Autumn oak leaves in a plantation behind our house on the edge of Grimsby.

A quiet autumn day with pleasing reflections at East Ravendale in the Lincolnshire Wolds.

Morning mist in Irby Dale, a favourite local walk.

Another view of Irby Dale.

Irby Dale autumn.

Irby Dale

Irby Dale is a constant source of images and close to home.

Moggs Hollow in the Lincolnshire Wolds.

Autumn colours form a backdrop to the red deer rut.

Autumn colours in Willingham Woods.

Autumn on 'The Old Road'.

Autumn in Weelsby Woods, a local parkland.

Another shot in Weelsby Woods.

Assignment 5: in the style of an influential photographer

Last week I was able to spend a few days in North Wales enjoying some hill walking.  I used the opportunity to look for some more images in the style of Ansel Adams for assignment 5.  I was particularly looking for waterfalls and rapids to capture some fast shutter speed shots in order to 'Freeze Motion in Time' as Adams liked to do.  I was also looking for wider landscapes that were sharp throughout.  I include them below:

I took this shot on the Watkin Path up Snowdon.  The waterfall was impressive as the river was full with flood and meltwater.  I framed the image so that the upper part of the fall led the eye up to the south ridge of Snowdon in the background and also down to the boiling water in the foreground.  As Adams did I exposed for the water to ensure that I retained as much detail as possible.  I used a shutter speed of 1/640 sec in order to freeze the water and an aperture of f8 to keep everything reasonably sharp.

This is another, smaller, fall taken from the Watkin Path.  I included the foreground boulder to add depth to the image.  A fast shutter speed of 1/400 sec was used to freeze the water and an aperture of f8 to keep everything sharp.

This is a shot of the lower falls of the Aber Falls on the northern edge of the Carneddau Mountains of Snowdonia.  I chose to pick out the lower part of the falls to include as much water as possible.  I measured the exposure form the water to retain detail in the highlights.  I had to use a shutter speed of 1/3200 sec in order to freeze the motion of the water.

In all of these above photographs I wanted to convey the 'joyous outpouring of emotion' that Ansel Adams felt when he photographed Waterwheel Falls, Yosemite C1948.

I photographed this tree whilst walking up Moel Siabod in Snowdonia.  I thought that it particularly suited Black and White.  I used an aperture of f11 to keep everything sharp.

Another picture, of old quarry buildings, taken on the way up Moel Siabod that I thought suited a Black and White approach.  I felt that it could be included here as Adam's enjoyed photographing old buildings. I used an aperture of f16 to keep everything sharp.

Reflections

In my Reflections 05 I mentioned that in order to achieve greater sharpness in images I needed to take greater care during capture.  I said that I had a tendency to use a low ISO to avoid noise and f16 and f22 to achieve sharpness but sometimes forgot that this entailed a longer exposure and often lack of sharpness, especially with hand held shots.  Recently, in a drive to ensure sharpness, I have been using my tripod more and have invested in an electronic release which I use in conjunction with mirror lock-up.  I have also stopped using f22 as I wonder if the performance of my lens falls off at this aperture.  I now restrict myself to f16.  I have also taken to using live view to aid composition.

Having not written an academic essay for almost 40 years, I awaited the return of assignment 4 with some trepidation.  I was delighted, therefore, when I read my tutors comments which were by and large good and very encouraging.  I finally plumped to research and write about Ansel Adams and, in tandem with the essay, I have been collecting suitable images to use for assignment 5 - photographs in the style of Ansel Adams.  I have written my thoughts in detail on the relevant section of my blog where I have also included my shortlisted images.

My portfolio is also coming together and I shall shortly be narrowing down my shortlist of pictures,

Progress on the Projects.

Project 29
I thoroughly enjoyed this project and elected to rephotograph a Joe Cornish image of the abbey steps at Whitby with the harbour and town beyond.  This presented me with a range of challenges that were totally unexpected which I have written about elsewhere.

Project 30
I enjoy photographing wide angle views and had a good selection of pictures to choose from.  Perhaps, also, this is why I was drawn to Ansel Adams for Assignments 4 and 5.  I have, in fact, just bought a sigma 10-20 lens and am awaiting its delivery.  I look forward to trying it out.

Project 31
Despite being a wildlife photographer and using long telephoto lenses up to 500 mm much of the time, a longer lens is not something I turn to naturally when taking landscapes.  I did, therefore, really enjoy getting my 100-400 lens out for some landscape work last Autumn.  I must remember to make the effort more often.

Project 32
Again an interesting exercise.  There are many scenes within a landscape.

Project 33
I am making much more of an effort to use a tripod for my landscape work as well as my wildlife stuff.  In fact, I have also begun to use mirror lock-up and an electronic release in conjunction with the tripod in order to achieve sharpness.  Using a tripod, mirror lock-up and live view also slows me up and makes me concentrate more on composition.

Projects 34 and 35
I do tend to use ND grads and the polariser a great deal so perhaps these projects were a bit of an academic exercise.  I do know, though, that I have a tendency to overuse the polariser and have recently not used it so much.  This project did bring home to me that at wide angles the effect can be uneven and is best kept to standard or telephoto focal lengths.

Project 36
I found it interesting researching other photographers and looking at individual styles.  There are many more out there.

Project 37
Really enjoyed looking through my library for the different ways that I have managed to dramatise landscapes.  I notice though that this year's overall winner of the Outdoor Photographer of the Year Award is of a 'quiet' non dramatic scene.

Projects 38, 39 and 41
Although working digitally I really enjoyed completing these projects.  It made me realise that old style darkroom techniques can do have their digital equivalent.

Project 42
Again I enjoyed looking through my images for examples of man-made landscapes.

Now that I am nearing the end of this module it is time to complete assignment 5 and my portfolio and tie up all the lose ends in the course.  I have registered for a July assessment but as I shall be away from 24th April and all of May on a road trip to Umbria and as Assingnment 5 is not due in until the 5th April I feel that time may be too short.  Reluctantly I may request to change to the November assessment.  Although it will mean that I shall need to start my next module before I receive the results of this assessment, it does give me more time to tidy things up.

I have and continue to thoroughly enjoy this project and I look forward to starting my next.  Unless I change my ,mind I am looking towards 'Progressing with Digital.

Assignment 4: a critical review; tutor feedback

Having not written an academic essay for nearly 40 years, I was absolutely delighted with my tutor's feed back on this assignment.  It was felt that 'Overall, this is a good essay that suitable reveals the life and work of Ansel Adams.'  It was also felt that the essay was 'well written and presented, with a good number of illustrations.'  My tutor also felt that my bibliography was suitable and contained a pleasing amount of reading and that quotations were relevant and correctly referenced.

One or two suggestions were made such as including some images of Adams' earlier work and some examples of his close-up studies. I will include these when I 'fine tune' the essay ready for final assessment.

Assignment 5: in the style of an influential photographer; first thoughts

The subject for my essay in Assignment 4 was Ansel Adams and so my photographs for Assignment 5 will be images in his style.

To this end, over the past 2 or 3 months, I have been gathering a set of images which might help me to fulfill this brief.  An important aspect of his style, certainly after he had rejected the Impressionistic style of photography and embraced the new Modernist style, was that images should be pin sharp from front to back.  They were free of grain and printed on smooth papers.  His images varied from close-up intimate landscapes full of detail to expansive wide- angle shots.  As he developed his style he gradually lowered his horizons and made the most of dramatic skies, even making them the subject of the photograph.  He liked to photograph water in all its forms, especially crashing waves and surf and mountain rapids and dramatic waterfall.  He also liked to take  really close-up images of nature with a great amount of detail.  There were rarely any people in his landscapes.  I have, therefore, looking for images that fitted the following criteria.

• wide-angle landscapes sharp from front to back, possibly with a high horizon
• images with a much lower horizon and a dramatic sky
• photographs of water such as breaking surf and rapids using  short exposures to freeze the motion
• more intimate landscapes
• close-up shots of nature full of intricate detail

All images will be converted to rich Black and White, taken at low ISOs to avoid noise/grain and printed on smooth gloss or satin paper.

Below are a selection of images that I might use.

Wide Angle Landscapes with a high horizon

A view from Back Tor on Derwent Edge looking to Kinder Scout in the background.   it was taken at ISO 200 1/60 @f16 to achieve maximum depth of field and 20mm.  The Black and White conversion was done in Lightroom 4.  I increased both exposure and contrast slightly, reduced the highlights and deepened the shadows slightly and increased the clarity. I used the blue slider in the Black and White mix to darken the sky slightly.

Looking towards Froggat Edge from Curbar Edge, Derbyshire.  This was taken at 17mm and 1/25 @ f16 again to provide maximum depth of field.  After conversion to monochrome in Lightroom 4 I used the ND grad to darken and increase the contrast in the sky and then increased the clarity slightly to give it some punch.

Earl Crag, Upper Airedale.  Taken with a Canon G10 . 6.1mm @ f8

Earl Crag, Upper Airedale.  Taken with a Canon G10.  6.1mm @ f8

Stanage Edge, Derbyshire.  Exposure increased in Lightroom 4 and  slight balancing of tones in the sky with an ND Grad and then converted to Black and White.  Next came a slight adjustment with the black slider and then a slight increase in clarity.

Stanage Edge, Derbyshire.   Exposure and contrast increased slightly and then converted to Black and White.  Dark tones adjusted and then clarity increased slightly.

Winter conditions on Derwent Edge, Derbyshire.  I converted the picture to Black and White in Lightroom and next used an ND grad to reduce the exposure in the sky by 1.5 and also reduced the highlights further. I also slightly increased the contrast and the clarity. I then used the adjustment brush to reduce the exposure on the ice on the path in the foreground. Finally I adjusted the sliders in the Black and White mix until I achieved a result that I was happy with.

Winter on Worlaby Carrs, Lincolnshire.  I used a wide-angle of 24 mm and f16 to achieve maximun depth of field.  A tripod, mirror lock-up and cable release were used to assure sharpness with the 1/40 second shutter speed.  Conversion and adjustmants made in Lightroom.  I used an ND grad to balance the exposure in the sky.

Images with a Lower Horizon and a Dramatic Sky

Lincolnshire Wolds from Bonby Carrs.  I was out photographing birds down Carr Lane, Bonby when I noticed that some wonderful clouds were building up over the Wolds.  I realised that this would make a suitable image for this project.  I took both horizontal and vertical formats placing the hozon low in both.  Although the vertical shot made more of the lane leading the eye into the shot I felt that this one made more of the sky.  Conversion was done to Black and White in Lightroom and adjustments made as described above.

Barn and Sky, Lincolnshire Wolds.  I found this barn whilst out looking for suitable images for this assignment.  As the sky was really dramatic, I framed the shot with a low horizon to make the most of it.  Again Black and White Conversion and adjustments made in Lightroom 4.

One late afternoon last autumn I visited Tetney Marshes to look for some landscape opportunities as the light was particularly good and the location is very close to home.  I watched these huge cumulo nimbus clouds build up and decided to make the sky a subject of the photograph and so placed the horizon very low in the shot.  Conversion and adjustments made in Lightroom 4.

Breaking Surf and Rapids using a Short Exposure to 'Freeze Motion in Time'.

Breaking Waves, Mallorca.  On this particular day the sea was particularly rough following an overnight storm.  Watching the waves crashing onto the rocks at Calla San Vincenti, I realised that it was a great opportunity for a short exposure shot and set the shutter speed to 1/4000 second to freeze the motion.  Ansel Adams had to wait for the 'Decisive Moment' to fire his shutter; I was fortunate to be able to use High Speed Continuous drive.

Standing Wave and Log, River Dove.  I used 1/640 second to freeze the water.

White Water, River Dove.  Again 1/640 of a second froze the motion of the water.  Black and White Conversion and adjustments in Lightroom.

More Intimate Landscapes.

Tree, and Cliff, Dovedale.  This shot was inspired by  Merced River, Cliffs, Autumn taken by Adams in Yosemite, 1939.  I was attracted to the tree by the wonderful coating of moss on it.  Conversion and adjustments in Lightroom 4.

Beech Trees, Winter.  Again conversion and adjustments in Lightroom 4.

Light shining through trees in a local Woodland.  Sky excluded.  Conversion and adjustments in Lightroom 4.

Flooded Woodland Path.  Conversion and Adjustments in Lightroom 4.

Light shines through beech trees in a local woodland.  Conversion and adjustments in Lightroom 4.

Woodland ditch.  As with above images taken at f16 for maximum depth of field and with tripod, mirror lock-up and cable release.

Detailed Close-ups of Nature

I was attracted to this dead Umbellifer head during the cold weather in early January this year.  I chose my specimen carefully and found one that had a dark background and was backlit.  I was pleased with the detail in the head and on the stem.

Whilst out walking in a local woodland recently I noticed some wonderful old silver birch trees with  lots of detail, shapes and textures in the gnarled bark.

Wall Detail, Derbyshire.  I liked the detail in this wall in Derbyshire at New Year and thought that it would make a pleasing Black and White in close-up.  My inspiration was the Surface and Texture images in From The Mountains to the Sea Exhibition.

Steps, Dovedale.  I loved the detail and texture in these old steps at Milldale in Dovedale, Derbyshire.  Again inspiration came form Mountains to the Sea.  Conversion and adjustments in Lightroom 4.

Other Possible Images.

Andel Adams had many images of buildings in his portfolio and these were the inspiration for these two shots of the Palm House in Edinburgh Botanical Gardens, take while visiting my son during the winter.

Palm House, Edinburgh Botanics.  I was attracted to the juxtaposition of the palm house against a dark blue sky and thought this would work in Black and White.  I like the clouds here and used a polariser to enhance them.

Not too sure if these two high key images of  a rare elm tree fit here but I put them here for consideration.

Lone Elm, High Key.