CAPTURE NEW HORIZONS

Fujifilm X-T4 + XF10-24mm f4 - Haida M10 1.8 ND + Red Diamond 0.9 ND Grad 1 second @ f11 ISO80 Last week I ran my first Black and White Landscape workshop of the year.  Like many businesses the Covid19 pandemic caused me a bit of a headache and I had to put my photo workshops on hold for three months.  The clients who had already booked workshops were offered a refund but I was happy when they said they would be OK to postpone and wait until I could rearrange the bookings with them.  The first workshop was a 1-2-1 with a client who was returning for her second one day MacLean Photographic workshop.  Fujifilm X-T4 + XF50-140mm f2.8 - Haida M10 1.8 ND 1/6s @ f8 ISO250 The workshop was held at Barns Ness and Tyningham, demonstrating the techniques on how to 'see' a landscape in black and white and expose the image accordingly.  This something I have learnt from experience and I now endeavour to teach my clients during the one day workshop. The...

Three years ago I bought a Fujifilm Finepix X100 black limited edition and this proved to be a turning point for my photography as this small but finely tuned fixed lens camera put the joy back into image making for me.  Here was a camera that would fit into my pocket but take images that could rival my Nikon DSLRs and pro lenses. In 2014 I sold all my Nikon gear to move completely to the X-Series and despite testing the X100S and X100T the original X-Series camera remains in my camera bag alongside the two X-T1s and myriad of Fujinon glass. Yesterday evening we went for a stroll down to Winterfield beach and back along the cliff top walk towards Dunbar Castle.  It was a beautiful evening and the X100 was the perfect photographic companion to capture the scene in the warm September sunshine. The X100 might be the oldest X-Series camera but it still produces the goods and its 12mp Bayer (non X-Trans) sensor produce images with a slight different look to t...

Photography is nothing without light.  In fact photography is derived from the Greek  phōs  "light"  and  graphé  "representation by means of lines" or "drawing".  These two words  together meaning "drawing with light". For landscape photography light is everything and while an image can be planned in advance to some extent, the light is down to the weather on the day you choose to go out to get the planned image.   Landscape photographers have to a patient lot and I will sometimes wait for hours for the right light or pack up without shooting a single frame if the light doesn't come right. So what is the right light?  I hear you ask.  Well it depends on what you are shooting and the type of image you wish to create.  Light is the key ingredient, it shapes the subject, adds texture and creates the mood. For me bright blue skies unbroken by cloud are a complete turn off but for some photographers this is their ideal...

When you are presented with a fantastic scene lit with superb light, most photographers grab the camera and start shooting without much thought to the composition of the image.  They then get home and are disappointed by the results because the images don't convey the feelings they had when they were at the location.  The two biggest compositional challenges are how to balance the elements of the picture and how to represent a 3D scene in a 2D image. However with a bit of thought and consideration the final image can be vastly improved by following a few guidelines to composition. Take the image at the top of the page taken on Saturday while out at Fast Castle in the Scottish Borders.  The sweep of the cliffs provide a natural 'Leading Line' which pulls the viewer into the image.  The rock formations in the foreground provide interest while the headland finishes at a point, almost pointing the viewer out to sea and making them wonder what is beyond that horiz...

In Part One of this series of features on how to improve your landscape photography I spoke about the different methods of supporting your camera to avoid the dreaded camera shake, to allow you to shoot longer exposures and to aid in composition. This week I am going to talk about the filters I use on the camera and to show you what a difference they can make to the final image. Why do we need to put filters on the camera?   In this era of Snapseed, Instagram, Photoshop Elements and other editing programs, I can hear some of you asking why we need to use filters when everything can be done afterwards in post production.   Yes I agree some filters can be applied in post production but the goal of every photographer should be to get as much right at the time you press the shutter release.  'Sorting it out later in Photoshop' is not a good way to becoming a better photographer and can't bring back detail in a landscape that has been grossly overexposed. So what f...

Over the next few weeks I am going to be producing a series of articles on how I give myself the best opportunities for bringing back some great images when out shooting landscapes.  These are also the tips I give my guests who attend one of the MacLean Photographic Tours or Workshops. This series of articles is not going to be about what your camera and lens you should be using. This is about giving you the best opportunities whatever camera you use, whether it is a pro spec DSLR, a enthusiasts DSLR, Compact System Camera, compact / bridge camera or a mobile phone.  All are capable of producing good images with the right knowledge and I don't see any difference when I conduct my workshops or tours. Right, now that is out of the way, the first part of this series is about support.  No, this isn't about having your friends standing behind you clapping and cheering as you take your pictures - that would probably be very annoying anyway.  No I am talking ab...