Assignment Three: a linking theme - Tutor Feedback

I have now received feedback from my tutor on my third assignment. Generally my work was well received, but there were three images of which my tutor was more critical and so I thought it would be useful to look at these again and consider the comments my tutor made.

Buttermere

My tutor commented on the strong colours in this image but felt that whilst the pine trees are a focal point they are not sufficiently distinctive. I have to agree with this point. Sadly the light on this occasion was not that great....the sun breaking through backlighting the trees would have been far better.

Overhanging Branches

My tutor felt that this image lacked a clear focal point for the eye to fix on. In my original idea I was homing in on the repetitive curved shapes of the branches to create interest through the rhythm they have. I was in two minds about this and it seems that the idea may not have been a great one. It is worth me noting that as for the first image the issue my tutor has raised is one of defining a clear point of interest in my frame.

Red Tarn Beck at Glenridding

In this shot my tutor felt that she would have liked to see something static in the foreground to contrast with the water and to add another dimension. This would in fact have made the image less abstract and looking again at it I have to agree that this would have worked better. In practice this would not have been so easy as it was pouring with rain and I would have had to move further downstream to find some interesting foreground interest...perhaps I was not persistent with this one as my original idea was indeed to include some foliage in the foreground!...try harder next time.

I was pleased that my tutor really liked the photograph which I also felt was the best. This is one of a lone tree reaching out into Ullswater. I personally like the simple strong composition focussing on the tree, which is enhanced by the constrast with the silky smooth water. The blue tones of the water and the red/yellow tones of the foliage also work well together.....here is the photograph...

Ullswater Tree

Assignment Three - a linking theme LAKELAND WATER

I have now submitted my third assignment to my tutor. The idea of this assignment was to produce a set of photographs all of which are based on a common theme. For some time I had been planning to base this work on the them of 'Water'. I had made some images in my trips to Languedoc and Hawaii which I had thought would be included in my submission. However, my recent trip to the Lake District gave me a new idea, which I believe has enabled me to produce a much more cohesive set of images based on the theme - Lakeland Water.

During my trip to the Lakes the weather was consistently poor with overcast skies and lots of rain. The prevailing light conditions gave a cool tint blue to the images when shot on a daylight white balance. This coupled with the reds, golds and yellows of the autumn leaves resulted in some interesting warm cool colour contrasts which seemed to work surprisingly well.

I developed the theme a little further by presenting three groups of images covering the interaction of the lakes, becks and rivers with the broader landscape, lakeland trees and man made structures.

I will report back when I receive feedback from my tutor. Here are the images:

Light and Land Workshop

I have just got back from the Light and Land Photo workshop in the Lake District with Charlie Waite and Phil Malpas....both acclaimed British landscape photographers.

I have a great time, even though the weather was appalling - it rained every day. I went a day ahead of the workshop and returned one day after it finished giving a total of five days for photography. There was also plenty of classroom work and photo critiques, so it was a busy time.

I had hoped that I would manage to capture a few photographs for my next assignment - a linking theme. My chosen subject is water. In the end I feel that I have captured enough images to base the entire assignment on my lakeland visit, with the revised title Lakeland Water. The fact that the shots were all taken within a week during rainy weather in Autumn adds to the consistency of the photographs - plenty of gold and yellow foliage and blue/grey skies to accompany the water. I will post a separate description of these images within the next week or so when  I have finalised my submission for my tutor.

So what did I learn....well plenty. Most importantly it reaffirmed a number of learning points from the course so far....

• I need to take greater care in previsualising an image - they handed out a black card with a 3x2 aperture to us and suggested that we spend some time working on our compositions before shooting...this worked really well.
• I need to anticipate the light and be prepared to wait for things to develop - this is the way to capture the best out of a given situation
• I need to work on capturing images within camera and not to rely on post processing so much - in this regard I have been trying to rein back on my tendency to over filter skies....the result of this practice is to constrain the contrast in my images too much
• I gained useful insight into digital colour management and the impact of the linear gamma of digital sensors and will review my digital workflow to accomodate some improvements
• I gained inspiration and critical feedback from two highly accomplished photographers whom I admire

Apart from the photographs of Lakes, becks and rivers, I also made some interesting images of trees clad in their autumn colours. Here are a couple of examples...

Great Wood, Derwentwater English Lake District

Near Surprise Corner, English Lake District

As I indicated in my previous post I am a great admirer of Charlie Waite's work. I have also come to regard Phil Malpas's images very highly. Here is an example of his work...

Val D"Orcia, Tuscany by Phil Malpas

Speaking to Phil about composition was very instructive. He uses the technique of composing the image, then reconsidering it to decide what could be taken out to emphasise the main subject even more, he recomposes the shot accordingly and then reconsiders again from the simplification standpoint....a great way to reduce an image to its most powerful statement.

Charlie Waite Lake District Workshop

For some time now Charlie Waite has been one of my favourite landscape photographers. His work has a graphic quality that I really like. So much so that I have two original prints of Charlie's on my walls at home.

Charlie works with medium format film, using a Hasselblad, which gives a square format - a format which complements very well his graphic style. What I admire most about his work is the care and precision he takes to compose the shots and the time he gives to waiting for just the right moment to capture an image. He will identify an element in the image which makes the shot - for example a small patch of green in a broader darker landscape. He will then wait for just the right moment when the light catches this spot to accentuate it in the composition. His compositions are very precise and generally simple and powerful - something I would like to develop in my photography.

Next week I am attending a Workshop run by Charlie in the Lake District. I am really looking forward to this and hope to learn a lot and to gain inspiration towards my goal of developing my own style.

I have collected several of Charlie's books and these are listed in my bibliography. Here are a few of his images.

Cows on a beach by Charlie Waite

Rovero Veneto by Chalie Waite

I will report back on the trip in due course.