Outdoor - Photography June.2017 P2P

HOW TO TAKE STUNNING FLOWER PHOTOS
landscape | wildlife | nature | adventure
OFC_218_Tammy Marlar 01.indd 1 02/05/2017 17:11

IFC_OPHO_218.indd 1 4/10/17 10:43 AM
What do we do for you?
THE ISSUE
at a glance
Surveys are something we pretty much One of the most rewarding parts of
all love to ignore, and even if we do get my role here at OP over the past eight
sucked in by a chance to win a prize years has been the privilege of seeing
for ‘taking 10-15 minutes of your day’ extraordinary talent come to the fore
to respond, it’s hard not to feel that within our community. Several names
ultimately it’s a one-way deal in favour immediately spring to mind: David
of the organisation behind the survey. Baker, Valda Bailey, Bruce Percy, Doug
So, because we know you, our readers, Chinnery, Rachael Talibart, Bertie
are intelligent and averse to gimmicks, Gregory, Mark Littlejohn and Paul
I am going to ask a solitary question: Sanders, among others... I could go on
what does OP do for you? for quite some time. These people have
Meet adventure photographer and
I don’t mind if you say a few words taken the genres we thought we knew ski racer Konrad Bartelski – page 16
or whole paragraphs, or indeed well and taken them to other places,
nothing at all, but it would be really different levels.
helpful for us going forward if you will A common thread with these
give us a steer on what does or could photographers is their commitment
get you excited about the magazine, to finding their own path, their own
and what you aren’t fussed about. No voice, and then having the courage to
need to tackle endless forms, just drop experiment and explore that course no
me an email at stevew@thegmcgroup. matter what their peers or the wider
com, or you can do it online at photography community has to say
outdoorphotographymagazine.co.uk/ about it. Tammy Marlar has plotted Tammy Marlar’s guide to adding
submissions (use the Letters link, her own course too, and I’m sure you impact to flower photos – page 26
although we won’t publish any of will enjoy seeing her exquisite,
them). I will carefully read your emotion-packed plant
responses and use them to guide and flower images in
what we do with the magazine going our main technique
forward. Thanks in advance for your feature this month.
thoughts; they’re much appreciated. Be yourself and thrive!
Steve Watkins Our selection from the Sony World

Photography Awards – page 59
GET IN TOUCH
Email Contact the Editor, Steve Watkins, at stevew@thegmcgroup.com
or Deputy Editor, Claire Blow, at claire.blow@thegmcgroup.com
Write to us Outdoor Photography, 86 High Street, Lewes,
East Sussex BN7 1XN
Keep right up to date with news by ‘liking’ OP at

facebook.com/outdoorphotographymag
Fergus Kennedy tests the exciting
Follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/opoty ON THE COVER new Fujifilm GFX 50S – page 90
Tammy Marlar took this wonderful
Find us on Instagram at instagram.com/outdoorphotographymag/ image. See her guide on page 26.
June 2017 Outdoor Photography 1
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JUNE 2017
36
FEATURES & OPINION LEARNING LOCATIONS

16 In conversation with…
Konrad Bartelski
controversial practice
of live-baiting wildlife for
ZONE GUIDE
British downhill skier turned the sake of a photograph 26 How to take stunning 48 Sgorr nam Fiannaidh,
photographer Konrad Bartelski photographs of plants Highland
talks to Nick Smith about his 59 Sony World and flowers Paul Holloway ventures into
passion for shooting mountains Photography Awards Make the most of spring’s floral the mountains of Glencoe and
and sports action Our pick of images from delights, as Tammy Marlar captures a stunning sunset vista
the world’s biggest shares her top tips for capturing
41 One month, one picture photography competition the beauty of botanical subjects 51 Ringing Roger,
Pete Bridgwood considers Derbyshire
horizon placement while 70 In the spotlight 34 Quick guide to… James Grant heads to a superb
shooting a coastal scene Canadian photographer Maximising depth of field viewpoint above the Edale Valley
Dave Brosha shares some for landscapes
43 Lie of the land of his career highlights Richard Garvey-Williams has 52 Viewpoints
Rob and Harriet Fraser advice to help you achieve Eight top UK locations to
explain why seven lone 83 Inside track front-to-back sharpness shoot this month, including
trees in Cumbria are at the Nick Smith contemplates photogenic spots in Devon,
heart of their new project the parallels between 36 Scotland: The Big Picture Cornwall, Suffolk, North
photography and music Mark Hamblin is on a mission Yorkshire and the Isle of Man
44 Opinion to photograph mountain hares
Andrew Parkinson tackles in their upland environment
the issues surrounding the
2 Outdoor Photography June 2017
2_3 Contents CB.indd 2 13/04/2017 09:56

52
59
70
26
NATURE GEAR ZONE REGULARS YOUR OP
ZONE 88 Gearing up 8 Newsroom 14 Social hub
Our round-up of the latest Keeping you up to date with Your feedback, opinions
74 Life in the wild outdoor kit to hit the shelves the latest photography, outdoor and musings on all things
Laurie Campbell looks at some and conservation stories photography-related
of the benefits of learning to 90 Camera test:
use film to photograph wildlife Fujifilm GFX 50S 10 Out there 56 Your chance
Fergus Kennedy tries out Our pick of the latest photo How to get published in OP
76 Photography guide Fujifilm’s exciting new medium books, and inspiring ways
Laurie’s seasonal highlights, format mirrorless camera to help you think creatively 67 Reader gallery
world wildlife spectacles Our pick of this month’s
and 10 of the best British 12 The big view best reader images
wildflower meadows The best photography and art
exhibitions, plus top courses to 85 Next month
79 A moment with nature improve your navigational skills A sneak peek at the July 2017
John Launstein on the value issue of Outdoor Photography
of making connections with
our wildlife subjects 104 If you only do one thing
this month…
80 On the wing The winners of our ‘beauty
Steve Young turns his attention of winter’ photo competition
away from birds to focus on the NEXT ISSUE ON SALE 1 JUNE 2017
dragonflies at a local pond How to take compelling travel photographs 112 Where in the world?
Interview with conservation photographer Pete Oxford Correctly identify the location
On test: Panasonic FZ2000 featured and you could win a
BioLite BaseLantern worth £110!
2_3 Contents CB.indd 3 13/04/2017 09:56

IN THE MAGAZINE THIS MONTH...
16 + 83
EDITORIAL
Editor Steve Watkins
stevew@thegmcgroup.com
Deputy editor Claire Blow
claire.blow@thegmcgroup.com
Assistant editor Anna Bonita Evans
anna.evans@thegmcgroup.com
COVER + 26 6 16 Designers Jo Chapman, Toby Haigh
Tammy Marlar is a George Turner is a former Konrad Bartelski bought Nick Smith is a writer ADVERTISING
professional nature ad-man turned wildlife his first SLR when he was and photographer Advertising executive
photographer specialising photographer, who is driven 16. During his ski-racing specialising in travel Guy Stockton
in landscape, macro, flower by a desire to highlight career his camera was and environmental issues. guy.stockton@thegmcgroup.com,
01273 402825
and animal photography the world’s most pressing always with him, chasing the He is a contributing editor
(although she also loves conservation issues. He snowflakes around the world. on the Explorers Journal MARKETING
shooting portraits). Her works with tourism boards Konrad has rekindled his and is a fellow of the Royal Marketing executive
pictures reveal her love for and brands across Europe, enthusiasm for combining his Geographical Society. Anne Guillot
the exquisite form, texture, and his work has been ski adventures with capturing nicksmithphoto.com anneg@thegmcgroup.com,
01273 402871
colour, mood and movement widely published. the special moments that his
found in the natural world. georgetheexplorer.com rugged explorations present. PRODUCTION
tammymarlar.com konradbartelski.photography Production manager Jim Bulley
Production controller Scott Teagle
Origination and Ad design
GMC Repro. repro@thegmcgroup.com,
01273 402807
36 44 Publisher Jonathan Grogan
Printer Precision Colour Printing, Telford,
01952 585585
Distribution Seymour Distribution Ltd
Outdoor Photography (ISSN 1470-5400)

is published 13 times a year by GMC Publications Ltd.
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34 43 © Guild of Master Craftsman Publications Ltd. 2017
Richard Garvey-Williams Mark Hamblin works Rob Fraser has been a Andrew Parkinson is a
is an award-winning wildlife as a freelance nature professional photographer multi award-winning wildlife
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gateway to the Scottish photographer. Having only with his children, award- around in the sea and playing Visit thegmcgroup.com
Highlands, and works part- bought his first camera in winning photographers with gadgets. Forty years on,
time as a teacher. He sp ends late 2008, he is proud to Jenaya and Josiah, and very little has changed. He is
as much time as he can out have picked up numerous artist-daughters Marlise a marine biologist and works Buy OP as an app
photographing, and being awards. He writes articles and Charis. In 2016, John as a freelance photographer, Get Outdoor
a keen hillwalker he enjoys for various magazines and his wife Melanie opened drone pilot and camera Photography magazine
combining both pursuits. and websites. their own gallery in the Rocky operator for clients such as for your iPhone, iPad or
paulhollowayphotography.co.uk jamesgphotography.co.uk Mountains of Alberta. the BBC and Canon Europe. Android device!
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4 Contribs CB.indd 4 13/04/2017 09:57

FOEADL
D
CAEN JUN
R INE
LL TRI E 20
7
ES 17
WEATHER PHOTOGRAPHER
OF THE YEAR 2017
CALL FOR ENTRIES
Cash prizes
Touring exhibition
Deadline: 7 June 2017
Online entry weather-photo.org #weathercomp

Main image: © Tim Moxon, Tornado On Show | Above left: © Paul Kingston, Storms Cumbria | Above right: © Ben Cherry, Sprite Lightning
005_OPHO_218.indd 5 4/11/17 12:49 PM

6_7 Opening shot_SW.indd 6 10/04/2017 14:14

Cheetah in the rain
by George Turner
Habitat loss, illegal trade and human
conflict have led to cheetah numbers
plummeting to below 8,000 globally
and less than 100 in Asia. I wanted to
capture the vulnerability of the species
in a single image during a recent trip to
the Serengeti. I’d dreamed of chunky
raindrops being illuminated by a
distant light, with a storm overhead.
With the forecast right, I waited in
hope that a cheetah would pass. She
did. The image doesn’t shout ‘doom’
for a reason; the ethereal effect of
the light and raindrops highlights
an element of hope. With the right
support and awareness of their plight,
the cheetahs stand a chance.
Nikon D5 with 500mm f/4 lens,

ISO 1000, 1/1600sec at f/4, handheld
6_7 Opening shot_SW.indd 7 13/04/2017 14:24

THE LATEST BULLETINS
NEWSROOMCONSERVATION NEW LAUNCHES COMPETITIONS OUTDOORS TECHNOLOGY OTHER NEWS
Land donation helps Chile expand its national parkland

Kristine Tompkins, the widow of US billionaire
Doug Tompkins, one of the founders of outdoor
brand The North Face, is donating over one
million acres of land to Chile so that national
parks can be established.
In a ceremony in Pumalín Park in March, the
Chilean government also pledged to contribute
nearly nine million acres of state-owned land to
the cause. As a result, a network of 17 national
parks will be created in Patagonia, covering an
area the size of Switzerland. They will span 1,250
miles from the Chilean city of Puerto Montt
down to Cape Horn, the southernmost tip of
South America, and will include some of the
country’s most stunning scenery – from coastal
volcanoes and glaciated fjords, to snow-capped
© T photography / Shutterstock.com
peaks and whitewater rivers.
Californian native Kristine Tompkins,
former CEO of clothing company Patagonia,
and her late husband Doug Tompkins were
keen conservationists who spent more than
20 years buying up and rewilding land in
southern Chile. When the Tompkins fi rst
arrived in the country, many locals were
suspicious of the pair’s land acquisitions.
They were castigated for taking land out country in two. As people began to realise accident in Chile in 2015. In a statement about
of production in favour of restoring it for the benefits of conservation as the ecology the land donation, posted on the Tompkins
wildlife, and for opposing a major hydropower movement took hold in the country, relations Conservation website, Kristine Tompkins
scheme. The pair’s creation of the famed improved. Many sceptics were won over by the said: ‘I know that if Doug were here today,
Pumalín Park in the narrowest part of Chile benefits of the Tompkins’ foundation, which he would speak of national parks being one
prompted fears that the Tompkins would involved the community and generated more of the greatest expressions of democracy
ultimately own land from the coast to the jobs. that a country can realise, preserving the
Argentine border, effectively dividing the Sadly, Doug Tompkins died in a kayaking masterpieces of a nation for all of its citizenry.’
Undercover osprey
An image of a juvenile osprey that appears
to be in stealth mode has been revealed
as the overall winner of the Scottish Nature
Photography Awards 2016. Photographer
Gordon Rae, from Lockerbie in Dumfries and
Galloway, took the shot at Rothiemurchus near
Aviemore. He said: ‘My winning image came
by chance one morning when the light was in
my favour really early on. This juvenile bird was
having a real problem lifting clear of the water
with the huge fish it had caught.’
With categories covering wildlife, landscape,
environmental, botanical and abstract
subjects, the seventh edition of the annual
awards attracted entries from around the
world. All the winning images will tour Scotland
© Gordon Rae
from July 2017, and a Portfolio Yearbook will

be published soon after. For more details,
go to scottishnaturephotographyawards.com
8_9 Newsroom CB.indd 8 13/04/2017 10:02

EDITED BY CLAIRE BLOW
Twelve ‘new’ cloud types NUMBER

gain official recognition
For the first time in its 131-year history, the International
CRUNCH
Cloud Atlas has been updated to include a number of
previously unclassified weather phenomena. The new 497,961 people took
part in this
© Bodleian Libraries, Oxford University
edition recognises 12 ‘new’ clouds and cloud features. year’s RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch,
These include the wave-like asperitas (pictured), the counting over eight million birds.
tube-shaped volutus, and the linear clouds created The event, held over the last
by aeroplanes. The atlas also features several weather weekend in January, revealed
phenomena closely related to clouds, such as snow that the number of robins visiting
devils, rainbows, hailstones and halos. gardens is at its highest level in
Published by the World Meteorological Organization, 20 years. There was also a boom in
the International Cloud Atlas is a globally recognised the recorded sightings of waxwings
resource for the identification of clouds. The last from Scandinavia. See all the
results at rspb.co.uk/birdwatch
edition, published in 1975 and revised in 1987, quickly
Fox Talbot’s works became a collector’s item. The new version brings the
atlas firmly into the 21st century: it is available as a web
brought together online
© Andy Hay (rspb-images.com)

portal and accessible to the public for the first time.
Anyone passionate about photography can now search A hardbound version will follow later this year. See the
the complete works of William Henry Fox Talbot online. new International Cloud Atlas at wmocloudatlas.org
The Bodleian Libraries’ Talbot Catalogue Raisonné
launches with over 1,000 digitised negatives and prints,
and will grow to 25,000 images by 2018. Gathered from
© maciel photo MF / Shutterstock.com

collections around the world, the catalogue shows the
emergence and development of photography while
capturing moments of early Victorian life. Catalogues
raisonné encompass an artist’s entire body of work and
are common in art history, but it’s the first time one has
57.7 gigapixels – the size
of an interactive
advert created by Bentley to
been dedicated to a photographer. publicise its new car, the Flying
Born in 1800, William Henry Fox Talbot is regarded Spur W12 S. Described by the
as the British ‘father of photography’. His 1839 firm as ‘the world’s most detailed
announcement of the negative, which could produce landscape photo’, the image was
multiple prints on paper, defined the central path for Above The asperitas cloud, which resembles rippling stitched together from 1,825
photography right up to the digital age. ocean waves, takes its name from the Latin term aspero, individual frames shot from the top
Explore the collection at foxtalbot.bodleian.ox.ac.uk meaning ‘to make rough or uneven’. of one of the tallest towers in Dubai.
See the advert for yourself at
bentleymotors.com/en/apps/
explore.html
Weather Photographer of the Year 2017 – call for entries
The search is on for the next Weather Photographer
of the Year. Jointly run by the Royal Meteorological
The judges will be looking for work that combines
photographic skill with meteorological observation. 186 miles – the length of the
Pembrokeshire coast
path, which can now be virtually
Society (RMetS) and the Royal Photographic Society The overall winner will receive a £500 cash prize
(RPS), the competition invites images depicting plus a one-year membership to the RMetS and RPS, explored on Google Street View.
weather in its widest sense – from phenomena such as while the Young Weather Photographer of the Year Stretching from Amroth to St
clouds, lightning, rain, fog and snow, to the impact of 2017 will take home a GoPro Hero 5 action camera. Dogmaels, the route takes in
weather on humans, cities and the natural landscape. Enter by midday on 7 June 2017 at weather-photo.org beaches, estuaries and cliff tops.
It took Pembrokeshire National
© Camelia Czuchnicki
Park Authority wardens Alex Payne

and Ainsley Corp 28 days between
April and June 2016 to film the trail,
and rights of way manager Anthony
Richards says it ‘shows the national
park at its absolute best.’
£2,460,000
– the value of a Heritage Lottery
Fund grant that’s been awarded
to a conservation project that aims
to boost red squirrel populations
in Scotland. Over the next five
years, Saving Scotland’s Red
Squirrels will enlist hundreds
of volunteers in key regions to
ensure the long-term survival
of the species. Find out more
at scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk
8_9 Newsroom CB.indd 9 10/04/2017 14:17

THE LATEST
OUT
THERE
BOOK OF THE MONTH
Gauchillos
Toni Meneguzzo
Damiani
978-8-8620-8513-7
Hardback, £25
In this revealing book Toni Meneguzzo opens
our eyes to Gauchito Gil, an Argentinian cult that
blends Catholicism, paganism and the romantic
image of the cowboy. The faith is based on
gaucho (cowboy) Antonio Gil and his companion
San La Muerte, both outlaws that helped the
poor with their apparently miraculous healing
powers. They were executed by the state in 1878
and have since been immortalised as symbols
of freedom and honour.
With its dramatic colour palette of red and
black, strong iconography and emphasis on
autonomy, the subject lends itself well for a
photographic project. Meneguzzo recognised
this potential and travelled to Corrientes, the
cult’s epicentre. Despite the short timeframe
he dedicated to the project (just two months)
© Toni Meneguzzo
the resulting photographs are insightful and

considered, offering us a visual journey into
a group that challenged poverty, social injustice
and encouraged independence from the state.
©Crown Copyright (2016) Visit Wales Harry Williams
Landscape Wales: A celebration locations include Sugarloaf Mountain,

of the natural treasures of Wales Wye Valley, Snowdonia and the Gower
Terry Stevens Peninsula. All featured sites are
Graffeg presented through stunning colour
978-1-9108-6288-9 imagery by a group of accomplished
Hardback, £9.99 UK landscape photographers – such as
Now available in compact format, this Drew Buckley and Nigel Forster. Largely
wonderful book is an engaging and an image-led book, readers will find 12
informative look at the natural wonders short essays on specific locations in
of Wales. Divided into four sections Wales, normally those that are rich in
according to regions, highlighted history, by professor Terry Stevens.
10_11 Out there_SW.indd 10 13/04/2017 10:04

EDITED BY ANNA BONITA EVANS
THE ENDURANCE OF THE

PASTORAL: ART BOOKS INSPIRED TO THINK CREATIVELY
ON THE COUNTRYSIDE The humdrum of everyday life can make it hard to find the time to nurture
our creativity. Here at OP, we feel that allocating 60 minutes a week is an
Creating the
achievable goal and have collated these various suggestions to help you engage
Countryside: The rural
idyll past and present and exercise your mind to move towards fulfilling your creative potential.
Rosemary Shirley
and Verity Elson OBSERVE LISTEN
Paul Holberton Publishing
978-1-9113-0010-6 Three Worlds: Music from Woolf Works
Paperback, £20 Max Richter
A modern take on a classic subject, Creating the Decca (UMO)
Countryside not only looks at the work of John CD, £9.99
Constable, Thomas Gainsborough and George A fine example of how different art forms
Stubbs but examines contemporary responses can combine powerfully, this stunning piece
to the UK rural idyll by the likes of Grayson Perry, of music by German composer Max Richter
Anna Fox and Alison Goldfrapp. The text is is the result of a collaboration with British
structured with key moments in British history choreographer Wayne McGregor, who
that have altered our understanding of our created a narrative dance piece based on
countryside and how that has affected artists. three Virginia Woolf novels: Mrs Dalloway,
Observer’s Notebook: Trees Orlando and The Waves. Praised for Richter’s
Impressionism: The art Princeton Architectural Press ability to tell a story through music, and
of the landscape 978-1-6168-9537-2 with his subtle insertion of Woolf’s only
Ortrud Westheider and Hardcover, £13.99 known recorded reading of her work, this
Michael Philipp Observer’s Notebook: Weather two-hour masterpiece not only pays tribute
Prestel Princeton Architectural Press to a luminary of the Modernist period but
978-3-7913-5629-7 978-1-6118-9583-9 highlights the importance of artistic practice
Hardback, £35 Hardcover, £13.99 and collaboration across different mediums.
Published to coincide with
the inaugural exhibition at Germany’s Museum These two notebooks are a great way to WATCH
Barberini, this intriguing book looks at one of closely examine what you’re photographing.
the most celebrated art movements of recent Each book focuses on a popular subject for Planet Earth II
history: Impressionism. Here we see how the outdoor photographers: one looks at trees Sir David Attenborough
group of painters injected sensation and emotion while the other concentrates on weather. BBC
into their work, as well as highlighting the effects Filled with beautiful and useful charts, DVD, £12.99
of industrialisation on the French landscape. diagrams and observation tips – such as how Take in the beauty of Earth
to find your way in the woods, and a global with its jungles, mountains,
British Art: air circulation chart – the books also include deserts, islands, grasslands
Ancient landscapes 160 blank pages for you to write down your – as well as our cities – and the nature within
Sam Smiles own perceptions and draw sketches of your in this stunning, highly acclaimed BBC series.
Paul Holberton Publishing chosen subject; these are then ideal for With Hans Zimmer’s atmospheric musical
978-1-9113-0014-4 looking at for inspiration during a lunch break score set against stunning footage and Sir
Paperback, £25 or on a weekend morning. David Attenborough’s compelling narration,
Sam Smiles puts into sharp watching Planet Earth II is an almost cinematic
focus how artists over the EXPLORE experience that is sure to educate and inspire
last 250 years have responded to the UK’s you to respond to our natural world. With each
mysterious prehistoric landscape. Examples COOPH YouTube channel episode at just over an hour, watching Planet
include how JMW Turner, Eric Ravilious and Earth II could be your Friday evening treat.
Paul Nash interpreted ancient landmarks such COOPH YouTube
as Stonehenge, the Uffington White Horse, channel is all about LEARN
Avebury and the Long Man of Wilmington. placing emphasis on
individualism and creativity TED talks
in photography to help you acknowledge your TED aims to disseminate knowledge and
unique vision and achieve your full potential gather together great speakers purely for the
THE TOGCAST as a photographer. The films are short but enhancement of our minds. TED talks are free
Enjoy this bi-monthly podcast series brimming with inspiring and stimulating to watch and last just less than 20 minutes.
hosted by Sam Gregory and Paul Sanders, content, so you could watch a few in the It’s grown hugely in popularity, but we just
which focuses on leading photographers space of 30 minutes – perhaps on your want to highlight a couple of talks: Frans
primarily working in the outdoor and commute. Our top three videos watched so Lanting’s The Story of Life in Photographs, a
landscape genre. Our favourites so far are far are: The power of the photograph; A love stunning slideshow based on his LIFE Project;
the interviews with Rachael Talibart and letter to action sports photography; and You and Julie Burstein’s Four Lessons in Creativity,
Bruce Percy. Also make sure you catch may be a photographer but are you an artist. where she chats to creative leaders (including
the Togcast team’s round-up of the action Find out more at youtube.com/user/ Joel Meyerowitz) about overcoming hurdles
at The Photography Show in March. TheCooph and blocks that hinder our artistic side.
Go to thetogcast.com To find out more go to ted.com
10_11 Out there_SW.indd 11 13/04/2017 14:26

THE LATEST WHAT'S ON
THE BIG VIEW

EXHIBITIONS
NOT TO MISS
Prix Pictet: SPACE exhibition
6 to 28 May
Victoria and Albert Museum, London
The Prix Pictet is celebrated for promoting
debate on issues surrounding the
environment and sustainability. With
the theme for this year’s awards being
space, the 12 shortlisted photographers
explore subjects such as migration,
overpopulation and marine pollution in
their own unique ways.
The competition is an international
platform for the best emerging and
established photographers. Among
the shortlist are pictures by Richard
Mosse and Sergey Ponomarev – who
© Munem Wasif
documented the ongoing refugee crises
in Europe, Africa and the Middle East –
and the work of Munem Wasif (featured
here), who photographs an area of
unidentified land between Bangladesh
and India. Seemingly mundane and at Everest Base Camp, Cumbrian The first solo show of Elger Esser’s work
devoid of human presence, Wasif’s multimedia artist Derek Eland lived focuses on his Morgenland series –
series alludes to illustrative pictures for six weeks in a small community of a collection of images taken during his
normally used in topographic study. 1,000 people as they prepared to reach travels to Lebanon, Egypt and Israel
Other photographers shortlisted for the summit. The exhibition is filled with from 2004 to 2015. In stark contrast
the 100,000 Swiss francs prize include Eland’s stunning photography, personal to the violent conflicts currently taking
British photographer Mandy Barker, handwritten accounts and a selection of place in the region, Esser’s serene
whose beautiful images hope to raise social media posts and video clips, so pictures show us there is so much more
awareness of plastic pollution in oceans. visitors to the exhibition will get a true to take from the area other than what is
vam.ac.uk sense of what it’s like to live in such portrayed in mainstream media. Using
a hostile, yet stunning, environment. a large-format camera and employing
Derek Eland: Being Human rheged.com a muted, sepia or monochromatic colour
at Basecamp palette, Esser is inspired by paintings
To 2 July Elger Esser: Morgenland of the Romantic period and early 19th-
Rheged Centre, Penrith To 21 May century photography.
As the first ever artist in residence Parasol unit, London parasol-unit.org
Derek Eland outside his tent, Salwa Bahry I, Egypt,

Everest Base Camp, May 2016.
© Derek Eland
© Elger Esser
12_13 The Big View_SW.indd 12 13/04/2017 14:27

EDITED BY ANNA BONITA EVANS
Okawa Village, Tosa County,

Kochi Prefecture, 2007. LEARN TO NAVIGATE
THE LANDSCAPE
There’s nothing more rewarding than exploring
the great outdoors, and a good understanding of
navigation skills can enhance your experience. Here
are four map reading courses to provide you with
confidence and knowledge to go out in the wild.
Courtesy of Silva Navigation School

© Toshio Shibata
Silva Navigation School one-day

Photo London British Wildlife map and compass course
18 to 21 May Photography Awards 17 June
Somerset House, London To 9 July Silva Navigation School, Derbyshire
Now in its third year, Photo London Nunnington Hall, North Yorkshire Giving you the fundamentals for better navigation, this
returns to Somerset House and As part of their UK tour, winning and hands-on course will follow the elements of the National
showcases the very best contemporary highly commended images from the Navigation Award Scheme’s Bronze programme but is
fine art photography from 87 galleries 2016 British Wildlife Photography not certificated. Ideal for beginners, during this day-long
in 17 countries. With an emphasis Awards go on show at National Trust’s session you’ll learn the key skills of map reading and be
on displaying new work for 2017, Nunnington Hall. Established in 2009, introduced to the functions of a compass.
the event will present some of the the competition aims to highlight the silvanavigationschool.com
most exciting photographers to have great wealth and diversity of wildlife
recently emerged. This year’s schedule found on the British Isles. With carefully Plas y Brenin Hill Skills
includes a strong selection of Japanese selected pictures from 15 categories 3 to 4 June and 1 to 2 July
photography such as that by Toshio – including animal behaviour, habitat, Plas y Brenin, Conwy
Shibata, who is known for his large- marine life and wildlife in HD video – This two-day accredited mountain training course covers
format images of massive engineering the competition hopes to encourage planning a walk and how to use GPS, suitable clothing
structures in unpopulated landscapes. discovery of our natural world. and equipment and how to read the environment and
photolondon.org nationaltrust.org.uk/nunnington-hall weather. You’ll also learn how to deal with emergencies
that might occur when out in the hills. See additional
course dates on the Plas y Brenin website.
pyb.co.uk
NATURE WITH A DIFFERENCE AT KEW
The Hive and The Insect Hotel New Forest Navigation one-day
17 June to 29 October map reading course
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew 6 July
Two impressive installations inspired by nature New Forest National Park, Hampshire
are open to the public at Kew Gardens this Suitable for complete beginners, learn how to easily
summer. Combining science, beauty and identify features in the landscape and about map
design, The Hive is a 17-metre metal structure measurements and compass reading. Each course is
that encapsulates the story of the honey- around five to six hours long and covers a distance of
bee through immersive sound and visual 10-12km. Courses take place mostly on surfaced tracks,
experience. Weighing 40 tons, The Hive, which paths and well-drained areas of the forest.
was designed by UK-based artist Wolfgang newforestnavigation.co.uk
Buttress, is a spectacular sight and a beacon
for the importance of bee health. With 1,000 Map Reading Courses with Mark Reid
LED lights dotted around its core, the structure 5 August
has a unique soundtrack that hums in response Aysgarth Falls, North Yorkshire
to activity of bees in a hive located at Kew. Brush up on or be introduced to essential map reading
New for this summer is the unveiling of the skills during this one-day course in the Yorkshire Dales.
world’s largest Insect Hotel. Visitors will learn The session will cover how to use a compass, how to plan
about the importance of wild pollinators and the your walk and understanding weather forecasts. Gear,
© Jeff Eden
challenges they face. OS map and compass are available for use, if required.
kew.org teamwalking.co.uk
12_13 The Big View_SW.indd 13 13/04/2017 14:27

THE LATEST FEEDBACK
Social hub
We love hearing your views and opinions. Write to us, tweet us or join the conversation on Facebook and Instagram!
Email your letters and comments Tweet us at Connect with us at facebook.com/ Follow us at instagram.com/
to claire.blow@thegmcgroup.com twitter.com/opoty outdoorphotographymag outdoorphotographymag
Feeling the freedom exposure, focus, highlights and shadows.

LETTER OF I always enjoy reading the When my laptop gave up the ghost recently,
THE MONTH Locations Guide in Outdoor it presented an opportunity to upgrade my
Photography and am often hardware to a desktop computer with greater
impressed at the number of, what are to me processing power. I also had the chance to
at least, obscure viewpoints that get a feature. upgrade my software, which had previously
Of the perhaps less obscure viewpoints, I loved been Photoshop Elements 7 running on Vista.
© Derek Mepham
Stephen Spraggon’s beautiful, light-fi lled photo When I started researching editing software,
of Pen y Fan in the Brecon Beacons in the March it became apparent that photographers are
issue (OP215). Pen y Fan is an iconic mountain, increasingly being forced down the route of
and deservedly so – not least because it is the online subscriptions, which, if stopped, leave us
tallest point in southern Britain. I count myself The curse of the smartphone with images but no software. While supplying
lucky that I can open my back door and gaze Oh, how I can relate to Nick Smith’s woes software on disc can lead to illegal copying,
upon its slopes. concerning smartphone cameras (Inside monthly subscriptions make editing expensive,
Being local to the Brecon Beacons, however, track, OP216). and lock subscribers into one company.
I have come to realise that Pen y Fan is just one I recently returned from south-west Yunnan, Would it be possible for Outdoor Photography
of many fabulous locations in the area – and China, where I visited the wonderful Laohuzui to publish an article on software, to make it clear
I have also started to understand why the path rice terraces at sunset. I was greeted by what what operating systems are supported, and the
to the summit is known locally as ‘the motorway’. seemed like a thousand Chinese tourists, with main features of each package?
The mountain’s iconic status means it suffers a plethora of smartphones and selfie sticks. Ron McGill, New Alyth, Perthshire
from particularly heavy footfall (as well as Not one person was admiring the amazing
featuring in a veritable wealth of photos, many flooded rice terraces; instead they were using ED’S RESPONSE Subscription is the way most
of which reach almost viral proportions on their smartphones to capture themselves in software providers are taking their business
social media, particularly when the snow arrives pouting-lip, model-like poses, making the ‘V’ strategies, and there are benefits, such as always
in winter). I don’t want to put people off the sign with their fingers, with the rice terraces having the latest updates, as well as the potential
Pen y Fan experience, because it is magnificent, possibly visible in the background, just to get downsides you mention, Ron. We tend to avoid
but I also want to spread the word that it is just themselves on a social media website. Among the doing features about software, as there are so many
one of many mountains in the 800sq mile area smartphone brigade, there was just a handful excellent online resources for finding out all about
that the Brecon Beacons cover. of actual ‘real’ cameras capturing the changing the various packages and how to use them.
Photography is, for me, about finding light on the spectacular rice terraces. It seems
freedom. I find this when I’m ‘in the zone’, that the smartphone camera has taken over the Blowing in the wind
concentrating on my pictures almost to the entire planet. The latest news, though, is that I’m not sure where the Coleman FyreStorm
exclusion of everything else, but also in getting there is now a camera that works as a phone… Personal Cooking Stove (Gearing Up, OP217)
out, hitting the hills and simply exploring. I want what will the world come to next?! has been tested in a ‘three-miles-per-second
to offer up what I hope is just a gentle reminder Derek Mepham, Heathfield wind’, but I suspect it wasn’t on this planet since
that the Brecon Beacons are more than one that would be 10,800mph. I suspect it is more
mountain, and to encourage people to explore Software solutions likely that someone has misinterpreted 3m/s
the world at our feet more than just featured I am a strong advocate for getting my image as (three metres per second, or 10.8km/h), which
spots. Part of the beauty of outdoor photography good as I can in-camera. Having deleted shots is a much more credible 6.7mph.
is going beyond the obvious (geographically as that are clearly below par, I select the best of Simon Meeds, Bristol
well as photographically), feeling the freedom the remaining images for further editing on my
and wandering far. computer. The in-camera fi ltering means that ED’S RESPONSE Your suspicions are correct: it
Sean Crawford, via email I am carrying out minor adjustments to should indeed have read three metres per second!
June’s letter of the month winner, Sean Crawford, receives a Black Diamond Iota headlamp, worth £35.
This month we’ve teamed up with American extreme outdoor sports company Black Diamond to give away one of their ultra handy
headlamps. Designed for climbers and skiers, the headlamp is also a useful piece of kit for photographers to have in their pack.
The Iota fits into the palm of your hand, emits 150 lumens of light and has an average burn time of three hours. It comes with a
rechargeable lithium battery and features Powertap technology for quick brightness adjustments. blackdiamondequipment.com
14_Social_hub CB.indd 14 10/04/2017 14:24

033_OPHO_218.indd 33 4/4/17 4:18 PM
The Birds, Val Gardena, Italy.
In conversation with Konrad Bartelski

One of Britain’s most successful downhill alpine ski racers of all time,
Konrad Bartelski is also a formidable mountain and sports action photographer.
But photography isn’t a second career. ‘I’ve always been a photographer’, he says…
Interview by Nick Smith
16_22 Interview_SW.indd 16 13/04/2017 14:29

The Slalom, Joe Horne in Hakuba, Japan.
For any British sports fan with even a passing Sitting in a café in London’s Parsons Green, ‘totally infected’ by the sport. ‘Everybody said
interest in downhill ski racing, the name Konrad where he now lives, Konrad tells me how the that it was impossible for a Brit to succeed and
Bartelski will be, if not exactly a household name, camera has never been far from his side. ‘My that I couldn’t do it’, which was a red rag to
then one that rings a very loud bell. Arguably the father was a pilot who used to take photographs a bull. ‘There are lots of circular connections
greatest British downhill ski racer of all time, in on a Mamiya twin lens reflex fi lm camera, that go back to my father’s fi lming days’. These
the run up to the 1980s he was our greatest hope and during the war he also shot 8mm colour connections were to forever link skiing and
of Olympic success in the sport. In 1981, during moving pictures. In fact, there are colour fi lms photography in the mind of the proud, despite
the World Cup at Val Gardena, he returned the that he shot over Lake Louise in Canada, his Polish name, Englishman.
best competitive performance by a Briton to which I’m getting digitised at the moment. ‘My grandfather liked taking pictures, too.
date, coming a close second to Austria’s Erwin It was these fi lms that inspired him to take my I remember well his old Kodak box cameras
Resch, causing one French TV commentator family skiing. Through fi lm and stills I came to which I started off on’. But after the war, when
to exclaim on air: ‘Ce n’est pas possible! C’est skiing. We’d look at his fi lms of us to see how we Bartelski senior became a commercial airliner
un anglais’. While the 20-something Konrad were doing, and every year we’d try to do better.’ pilot, there were trips to Japan, from which there
became famous as a British sporting celebrity, Konrad recalls how as a kid he’d learned to ski would be camera catalogues that inspired the
few knew he was also a photographer. at Kitzbühel during the off-season, becoming budding photographer in Konrad. ‘The prices

18 Outdoor Photography May 2017

Opposite The Boarder, Gulmarg Kashmir. Above The Remains of the Day. Below The Skis and Trees, Hakuba, Japan.
in Japan were a quarter of the price that they

were in Europe. I think I must have mown the
lawn 40 times to raise the pocket money for my
first real camera, a Minolta SR-T 101 manual
35mm fi lm camera’. From only his second roll
of fi lm Konrad managed to get his fi rst image
published on the front cover of the in-house
magazine of the International Federation of
Airline Pilots Associations. Konrad admits
there might have been a touch of nepotism
here, ‘but it worked and I was successful’. When
his father was employed by KLM, the family
lived in the Netherlands, where Konrad had
his first darkroom, in which, he vividly recalls,
developing images of Bruce McLaren racing
at Zandvoort. ‘I’ve got lots of black & white
prints that survive from those days.’ As colour
processing became easier, he enjoyed working
on that too, pushing films, gaining a background
in the art and learning from gazing for hours at
Time Life books, which he wishes he still had.

Above The Crevasse, Chamonix. Below The Veracity, Tom Horne in Hakuba, Japan. Opposite The Sortie, Mount Tronador, Patagonia.
The young skier then progressed to an

Olympus OM2, mostly ‘because it was smaller
and lighter, with a motor drive. Weight is always
an issue for me, because if I am travelling to
Argentina with ten pairs of skis, the last thing
I can do is take a big camera bag with me’.
Throughout his racing career, there was a
noticeable absence of fellow British competitors
and photojournalists, meaning that there was
always the opportunity for Konrad to pursue his
second string in photojournalism. ‘I’ve got about
a thousand decent images from those days that
still need digitising. Looking through them the
other day, I realised that I might be sitting on
something special’. He thinks that this portfolio
could eventually end up as a book, but would
infinitely prefer at this stage in his career to
curate collections and exhibitions of his current
mountain and sports photography.
But for the young Olympian, being the great
British skiing hope, and subsequently one of


The Breakthrough, Sainte Foy, France.
the most successful skiers to ever slide down starting to get a nice array of photographs. At the age of 61 many might be tempted to
a snow-covered mountain in British colours, I knew I had to get serious about upgrading. turn their thoughts to retirement. And yet
the sport-art balance was, in the early days, From that point, my ski trips focused on whether for Konrad there is a feeling of being at the
100 per cent in favour of the former. And while there would be opportunities to take photos’. beginning of something new. ‘I’ve had a lot of
photography may have taken a back seat, it still Today, Konrad’s aspirations and ambitions are things happen to me in my life and a lot of them
played a crucial role in his life, in providing vital centred on delivering high quality photography mean a lot to me. But these days, when people
funding for his training programme. Without of the mountains and the winter sports that ask me what I do, I don’t really say I’m a skier.
the sponsorship investment that is central to he loves so well, but in a naturalistic way. He I want to say I’m a fine art photographer, but
the sport today, ‘photography was part of my doesn’t get involved in much post-production, I don’t feel I can until I can demonstrate that
survival plan, and every bit of finance helped’. his background in fi lm leading him to prefer I truly am. People used to say to me when I was
Upon retirement from competitive sport in to get everything right in the camera before he a kid that I’ve got a good eye. What does that
1983, newly married with a mortgage, Konrad takes his shot. ‘I get a bit disappointed when I mean? Well I think it has something to do with
needed to find a way of making a living, and see photos where you are saying to yourself that composition. But it is also about not doing what
so moved into broadcasting and subsequently those colours don’t even exist in the real world’. other people would do. Composition was never
TV production. At this point, ‘photography But beyond the naturalism of his work, his something that I learned. It was something that
sort of evaporated for a while’, with the main purpose with the camera is to fi nd places always came naturally to me. And when I look
digital revolution largely passing him by. where few people ever go, exploiting his special through the viewfi nder, the composition doesn’t
He experimented with a rudimentary Minolta relationship with mountains and snow. ‘Where come from a theory. It comes from inside
DiMAGE X1 pocket digital compact ‘to see I go is large places. And I want my photographs rather than outside the brain. It is instinctive.
what it was like’, and as the years passed to be three dimensional, the sort of work that I don’t like setting up subjects to shoot – I like
he found that his ski trips were helping him you could look at every day for a year and to react to what is in front of me. That’s one of
‘to get back into it’. But there was no serious still fi nd something new in it. That’s what the reasons why, for me at least, photography is
intent and, lacking the finances to acquire mountains bring to you. I’ve been skiing for 50 much more than a craft. It’s an art’.
a decent DSLR, he merely graduated to a slightly years now, but my excitement is still that of a
better compact, surprised to fi nd that, ‘I was little kid on Christmas Eve’. See Konrad’s work at konradbartelski.photography

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LEARNING ZONE
IMPROVE
26 How to photograph 34 Quick guide to... maximising 36 Scotland: The Big Picture
plants and flowers depth of field for landscapes – Mountain hares
FLORAL BEAUTY IN THE GARDEN

Tammy Marlar’s guide to creating exquisite flower images this spring
25 Learning zone opener_SW.indd 25 10/04/2017 14:44

LEARNING ZONE
How to take stunning photographs of plants and flowers

Flowers are blooming in our gardens and across the countryside, making this the perfect time to put your
botanical photography skills into practice; Tammy Marlar shows you how to capture standout images
Flowers have it all: colour, shape, texture and even personality – the sheer volume of flower photos Above Make the flower, such as this pink dahlia,
posted on social media and photo sharing sites every day bears testament to their appeal. Not all the dominant subject. Flowers are beautiful and
flower photographs are created equal, however. So how do you make your images stand out from the intricate, and our images should accentuate their
allure and infinite detail as much as possible.
rest and give them that ‘wow’ factor?
Canon EOS 5D MkIII with Canon EF 100mm
As with any genre of photography, there are general rules and guidelines, tips and tricks to make f/2.8 L Macro IS USM lens, ISO 640, 1/200sec
the best flower images possible. Conversely, though, there is a saying, attributed to the late, great at f/5.6, handheld
World War II hero Douglas Bader: ‘Rules are there for the obedience of fools and the guidance of
wise men’. My personal approach would seem to have this sentiment at its core; there have been a
couple of key influences at play for me. Firstly, as a self-taught photographer, falling over and getting
up has been the only available method of learning open to me. Consequently, I’ve developed my own
particular set of rules. Secondly, as a mother of young children, I often have to work to break-neck
schedules at times of day or in weather conditions that aren’t always ideal. This has proved to me
that, whatever your particular circumstances, you can always make the best of your available time.
26_32 Technique_SW.indd 26 10/04/2017 15:09

PREPARING FOR
A SHOOT
Planning for a flower photography shoot starts
with the weather. Watch the forecast for a few
days before you plan to head out, and consult
a couple of different sources. Wind is very
rarely your friend, although you can make
a feature of it if you wish, by emphasising
movement. Harsh, overhead sunlight is not
conducive to successful photographs either,
as it can create deep shadows that interfere
with shape and colour.
My favourite time to be photographing
a garden is undoubtedly at sunrise on a
clear, sunny day. There is nothing as magical
as being alone in a beautiful garden when
the day is dawning. On such mornings, a
garden and its wildlife seem to sing with the
unspoken joy of a new day. The golden light
of late afternoons can also be stunning; shoot
towards the sun for beautiful backlit subjects.
Overcast skies can provide you with naturally
diffused lighting, which is especially good for
macro work.
As photographers, we work almost
exclusively with natural light, so developing
an awareness of its impact on the garden
and your images is a vital skill. Lighting can
create drama, depth and atmosphere; it can
emphasise shape, texture and form, and bring
colour to life. Whether you are shooting in your
garden or in a wild landscape, get to know your flashgun – although I won’t always use them. Above Blossom is often accompanied by stiff
location well. Notice where the sun rises and Other crucial kit includes plain black and white spring winds, so be prepared to shoot at high
shutter speeds, using a high ISO.
where it sets. Further absorb yourself in the card backdrops, a kneeling pad, nail scissors,
location and discover how it breathes. This freezer ties and clothes pegs for managing f/2.8 L Macro IS USM lens, ISO 2000, 1/800sec
may take a few visits, at different times of day stray stems. I also sometimes use a plant at f/5, handheld
and in different seasons. clamp (essentially two clamps at either end
Don’t be fooled into thinking winter is a of an articulating arm): one end is clamped to
downtime for garden photographers. Shooting a tripod leg or to a small tree nearby and the
during late autumn and in winter can yield other end to the stem of the flower to hold it
incredible results because of the quality of steady. It can also hold a small reflector.
the light. Winter light brings out the visual play
between highlights and shadows, as well as
cool and warm tonalities.
Handheld versus tripod
Essential kit It was a particular lens that made me fall in I find operating a tripod fairly cumbersome –
Next, you need to decide which lenses and love with flower photography: the great Canon although this improved considerably when I
EF 100mm f/2.8 L IS USM. While image was introduced to a joystick head. But, aside
accessories to pack. Three words: prepare for
stabilisation is a common feature to regulate from the mechanics, I find that a tripod can
weight. I use a Canon EOS 5D MkIII, and try, if shake, this lens features a groundbreaking put a barrier between me and the subject I am
possible, to take my four main Canon lenses Hybrid Image Stabiliser system, which photographing, and can interfere with dynamic,
along. As well as my two macros – the EF counteracts regular angular shake and lateral fluid movement. I want the freedom to respond
180mm f/3.5 L USM and the EF 100mm f/2.8 shift-shake – both are exaggerated when to the moment a hoverfly lands; much of my
L IS USM – I pack my 70-200mm f/2.8L II IS shooting extreme close-ups. It’s a really flower photography is a good example of what
beautiful lens that responds brilliantly, even can be achieved without a tripod.
and 24-70mm for landscape shots and more
to subjects changing position. In its favour, using a tripod forces you to slow
wideangled work. Most probably because of this lens, I don’t down when composing an image, which can
On cold days, the most important items subscribe wholly to the view that a tripod is a lead you to become more meticulous and think
after my camera, batteries and lenses are my must-have accessory. I always try to have one carefully about how the subject is portrayed.
gloves and hand-warmers. I‘ll always take a with me, mostly for early morning low light, but A tripod is also essential if you want to blend
tripod, and sometimes a Gorillapod too, as I prefer not to use it. Having lost most of my multiple exposures or to use focus-stacking
well as a wireless trigger. Added extras might right hand in a terrible car accident at university, techniques (see page 31).
include a light stand, triggers, ring flash and

COMPOSITION
One of the coolest things about nature
photography is that it puts you in a frame
of mind where you are searching for beauty.
Additionally, I strive to spark emotions and
tell a story in my flower photography. Plants,
especially when lit for added drama, seem
to reveal a kind of personality all of their
own. Insects add another element and show
symbiotic relationships at work.
Try shooting from different angles: bend
down, look up or get down on your knees. Be
patient – it takes time. You cannot just take
a quick shot and go home. Sit down at the
level of the flowers and really look at them.
It’s when you spend time watching that you
discover more than the casual photographer
does. I rarely shoot a single photo of a flower
or a series from just one angle. The more you
stay with a subject, the more you can discover
about it. I met the famous portrait and fashion
photographer Clive Arrowsmith recently (look
him up, his pictures are sublime). ‘Devotion to
the moment!’ he said excitedly, and it shows
in his work. It’s not the devil that’s in the detail;
it’s the angel.
With flower portraits, remember the rule of
thirds and always try to isolate the subject.
We’ve all seen images of flowers, birds or
insects with cluttered or ugly backgrounds.
The main subject gets lost in the mêlée and
the picture just doesn’t work. Flowers are
beautiful and intricate, and our images should
accentuate their allure and infinite detail as
much as possible. Compose the image in a
way that keeps the flower the predominant
focus, by avoiding things that will interfere with
the subject. Distractions come in many forms,
such as having too much of the image in
focus, uncomplementary patterns or colours,
or areas of the image with hotspots. All these
things will cause the viewer to lose interest
in the star of the photo. Also remember
that it’s not always necessary to include
the whole flower in the shot. Try something
different, by focusing on only a small part of
the flower – perhaps a petal or part of a petal,
the stamen, or some other part of the flower. and some serious arm strength to keep the Above (top) Capturing insects, such as this hoverfly
Abstract images evoke a sense of mystery camera steady. But I love the way it renders on a geranium, doesn’t always require lightning-
fast shutter speeds; take time to observe their
and curiosity. flowers and backgrounds, easily separating
behaviour and favourite plants so that you can
the subject from the rest. As long as my be in the right place at the right time.
Getting close with zoom lenses subject is against a background that can be Canon EOS 5D MkIII with Canon EF 100mm
People generally associate flower thrown out of focus, powerful results can f/2.8 L Macro IS USM lens, ISO 200, 1/200sec
photography with macro lenses, but this readily be achieved. at f/4, handheld
doesn’t always have to be the case. I love
Above Tell stories and elicit emotions where you
using my 70-200mm f/2.8 lens for flower Beautiful backlighting can. I changed the orientation of this picture, as the
photography at the longer end of the zoom. Use the sun creatively, and shoot towards seed head with the mass of flowing white seeds
This lens has a minimum focusing distance it for beautiful backlit images. It may be made me think of an American Indian chief, with his
of 3.9 feet (1.2m) at all focal lengths, so I can that changing the camera’s orientation may feathered headdress, on horseback.
use it to shoot close to my subject. To get eliminate a distracting highlight, or enable
f/2.8 L Macro IS USM lens, ISO 400, 1/300sec
closer still, I often flip into manual focus. This you to add a new backlit element you hadn’t at f/7.1, handheld
in turn necessitates more mindful composing noticed before.

The wider view
Sometimes it’s worth stepping back and
looking at the bigger picture. Rather than
honing in on a single flower, consider
including several flowers, or an entire vista.
Not seeing the wood for the trees can apply
in flower photography. Details are great, but
it may be a good idea to include some images
that will tell more of the story. So take a few
steps back or use a wideangle lens to take in
more of the scene. Look for symmetry, visual
stepping-stones and lead-in lines as you
would if you were composing a landscape.
Background considerations
The canvas is every bit as important as the
subject itself. By throwing your aperture wide very small aperture (f/18) for her original shot Above Don’t forget to step back sometimes and
open at close range, the background becomes meant the flowers were perfectly focused at look at the wider picture, or you may miss beautiful
a smoothly varying, out-of-focus patch of very close range. The blend was stunning and wider vistas such as this winter scene layered with
a vibrant palette of colours. Well-planted gardens
colour. It’s important to choose a background elevated her technically perfect flowers into a
can be equally exquisite in winter.
that complements the colour and tone of your stunning fine-art masterpiece. Canon EOS 5D MkIII with Canon EF 100mm f/2.8
foreground subject. Fractional adjustments You don’t have to use the background in your L Macro IS USM lens, ISO 100, 1/40sec at f/3.5,
in position at close range can completely flower image at all; using flash and a relatively Manfrotto tripod with joystick head
change the background. Take care to exclude high shutter speed, you can illuminate the
Below (left) Choose a dark background to give
distracting out-of-focus highlights or other flower and drop the background completely
low-key, studio-st yle portraits. You can darken the
objects, and don’t be afraid to reposition out of the image. Set the shutter speed to background in post-processing, or use a black card
objects to improve the background (this is about 1/400th of a second and the aperture behind your subject. Water droplets have added
where a clothes peg can come in handy). to f/5.6 or f/8. Use a manual flash set to about extra poignancy.
A great way of bringing a studio feel to the 1/8th or 1/16th power to provide just a small Canon EOS 5D MkIII with Canon EF 100mm
outdoors is to look for dramatic light on the pop of light to the flowers, rather than the
at f/4, handheld
flower and then use coloured cards as a background. Adjust the settings depending
backdrop. Place the card behind the flower, on how much ambient light there is. A piece Below (right) Choose a background that
choosing colour tones that blend well to of dark card positioned behind the subject complements the colour and tone of your
bring out the details. Dianne English, winner might work just as well if you don’t want to add foreground subject, such as this dahlia.
of the Beauty of Plants category in this supplementary flash. If you’re not able to drop
year’s International Garden Photographer out the background completely in-camera, at f/5.6, handheld
of the Year, hand-painted a delicate pastel it can be worked on easily in Lightroom. Adjust
background to set behind a curved stem of the shadows slider a little to the left, and use
a bergenia, which was then blended with the the adjustment brush or radial filters to lower
original image in post-processing. Using a the exposure behind the subject.

Above Look for harmonious
colours and storytelling details.
With markings resembling
eyes, a nose and a mouth, this
seed head appears to be in
conversation with the one next
to it.
Canon EOS 5D MkIII with Canon
EF 100mm f/2.8 L Macro IS USM
lens, ISO 200, 1/200sec at f/3.2,
handheld
Far left The high contrast of

complementary colours creates
a vibrant look, especially when
used at full saturation. Manage
this colour scheme carefully, as
it can be jarring.
UNDERSTANDING COLOUR The more instinctively you understand colour
Canon EOS 5D MkIII with Canon
EF 100mm f/2.8 L Macro IS USM
relationships, the better your images will be.
lens, ISO 100, 1/400sec at f/2.8,
A colour wheel gives a visual reference guide for using colour. handheld
Segments of colour that lie opposite one another are said to be
complementary, while segments that lie next to each other are Left Purple and yellow sit directly
opposite each other on the
said to be harmonious. Colour is perhaps the most important colour wheel and are a classic
aspect to my photography; it’s what catches my attention and colour combination for flowers.
draws me in. Take time to notice it, because an awareness Canon EOS 5D MkIII with Canon
of colour relationships will enhance your images. A skilful EF 180mm f/3.5 L Macro USM
gardener has a heightened awareness of how colour works in lens, ISO 200, 1/1600sec at
f/3.5, handheld
a garden, and it’s one of the main responsibilities of a flower
© Albachiaraa/Shutterstock.com
photographer to respond to this heightened sensitivity. It’s

vital to be selective and for your images not to get lost in a riot
of colour. Look for clean lines and strong colours. Make your
photographs more graphic by filling the frame with a single
colour or texture. The high contrast of complementary colours
creates a vibrant look, especially with increased saturation, but
this colour scheme must be well managed.

DEPTH OF FIELD VERSUS FOCAL LENGTH
The central tension at the heart of close- Focus stacking
up macro photography is the play between One way to create an image with a greater
depth of field and focal length. Find how close depth of field is to focus stack your images.
you can get to the flower, as every lens has As the name implies, focus stacking is the
a different minimum focusing distance. At process of taking several shots of a subject,
close range, this is a testing relationship, as which are later merged in post-processing
the margin for error is razor-thin. While a large soft ware. The result is a single image in which
aperture (f/2.8-f/8) gives your background the subject is mostly or completely in focus.
a blurred, ethereal effect, isolating the subject Each image is focused on a slightly different
and putting it centre stage, it often means that part of the flower, so the technique requires a
not enough of your subject is in focus, and tripod to keep the camera and lens totally still.
the resulting lack of sharpness can spoil the Images can be stacked in Photoshop or
shot. I would always recommend using a fully specific focus-stacking soft ware such as
manual setting to give you complete control, Helicon Focus or Zerene Stacker. The images
plus selective focusing to make sure the focus are aligned and the in-focus areas of each of
point is exactly where you want it. I rarely try the images are blended together into a single
to shoot the whole flower in focus, instead image with amazing depth of field. This is a
composing to get a fairly good plane of focus great way to show incredible detail in a flower
on the best angle of the flower. I’ll often try and create a dynamic and interesting image.
a couple of different settings for the same
shot, and decide which has worked better Top Rather than trying to get the whole subject, Above Good composition can trigger emotional
when viewing the images on my computer. such as this eryngium seed head, in focus, choose responses from your photography. Isolating
I prefer to shoot with a wide-open aperture, so a good plane of focus on the best angle of the this echinacea purpurea seed head in front
sometimes I’ll step back, allowing a bit more flower, while paying equal attention to what is in of a beautifully coloured, layered background
your background. symbolises isolation.
distance between myself and the subject Canon EOS 5D MkIII with Canon EF 100mm Canon EOS 5D MkIII with Canon EF 100mm f/2.8
to deepen the depth of field. With modern f/2.8 L Macro IS USM lens, ISO 400, 1/200sec L Macro IS USM lens, ISO 100, 1/50sec at f/3.2,
sensors, you can allow for some cropping. at f/4, handheld Manfrotto tripod with joystick head

LOVE YOUR SUBJECT AND BE AN ARTIST
10 steps to success
The received wisdom is that we should of art. So make those flower images and then Less is more – simplicity of message.
get the shot right in-camera. While I would have fun with them. Look for the best light.
generally agree in principle, and no one wants Finally, back to breaking rules. As I said at
Background is as important as the subject .
to spend more time editing, I do always shoot the beginning of the feature, I have fallen over
Invest in a good macro lens.
knowing there is another very important part and got up a lot, as it was the only method
of the story to come. I’ll shoot with the post- of learning open to me. I have learnt that it’s Weather conditions are key – wind and harsh
processing potential in mind. One wonderful light are not your friends.
best to experiment, challenge conventions,
aspect of photography is that you have the take risks and be playful – over time you will Love your subject – your passion and joy will
freedom to create not just what you see, but develop your own creative juice. Do also get come across in the images you produce.
also what you feel. You don’t have to follow used to spending quite a lot of time in front Get to grips with your camera’s autofocus
conventions. A flower you are photographing of the computer, and learn how to edit your and use selective focusing.
may be colourful, but it may speak more work. You can always throw away pictures that Experiment with depth of field when you’re
powerfully in black & white – or you might want just don’t work. I would also strongly advise working at very close range.
to adjust the colours. I do most of my editing learning how to quickly identify mediocre Do it your way. The best way to identify the
in Lightroom, and rarely visit Photoshop. But shots, and to avoid trying to salvage them in best approach is to experiment.
even in Lightroom, the Raw image is just a post-processing – you’ll never escape the Pack a comprehensive kitbag!
starting point, a kind of canvas for your work digital darkroom if you don’t!
Above Pick as perfect a flower specimen as possible. Noticing blemishes and Above Apply landscape photography principles, such as leading lines and the
removing cobwebs before you shoot an image can save you hours of retouching. rule of thirds, to guide the viewer through an image.
Canon EOS 5D MkIII with Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 L II USM lens, ISO 400, Canon EOS 5D MkIII with Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 L II USM lens, ISO 800,
1/125sec at f/2.8, handheld 1/100sec at f/10, handheld
TAKE PART! Enter our ‘plants and flowers’ photography competition – turn to page 111 for details

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015_OPHO_218.indd 15 4/4/17 4:15 PM

QUICK GUIDE TO…
Maximising depth of field for landscapes
In this month’s guide, Richard Garvey-Williams offers advice on how to ensure that both
nearby and distant elements in your landscape compositions are rendered pleasingly sharp
There are times when we may employ selective and of experiencing some of what so enthralled particularly influence the depth of field –
focus for creative effect or to draw attention to you. Therefore, detail and sharpness – certainly defi ned as the distance between the nearest
one critical feature in a scene. Most landscape in all the critical elements – are essential. and farthest objects in a scene that appear
imagery, however, succeeds through taking the Once you have positioned yourself and acceptably sharp. The fi rst is the aperture you
eye on a journey of exploration through the chosen a focal length to suit your composition, select. With smaller apertures providing a
scene to give the viewer a sense of being there, there are two choices to make that will greater depth of field, many landscape images
are taken in the f/11 to f/16 range. The second is
where in the scene you focus. Particularly when
we opt to include a very nearby feature, these
decisions can become critical, and at times
some compromises may need to be made.
Top I used f/16 and focused about 4-5m into

the scene to ensure that both the distant island
and nearest foreground rocks remained sharp
in this coastal sunset scene.
Canon EOS 5D with EF 24-105mm lens at
24mm, ISO 100, 0.5sec at f/16, tripod
Left The sense of depth that the convergence

of the river borders provides is an important part
of this image. An aperture of f/16 proved adequate
to give the necessary depth of field, keeping the
closest rocks and distant features sharp.
Canon EOS 5D MkIII with EF 17-40mm lens at
22mm, ISO 100, 5sec at f/16, polariser, tripod
34-35 Quick guide_SW.indd 34 10/04/2017 15:16

Essential tips
When choosing your aperture, remember that
each lens has a ‘sweet spot’ – an aperture
that offers the best detail at the point of focus.
Also remember that very small apertures
result in a loss of sharpness due to diffraction;
this usually starts to become apparent at f/18
and above.
A greater distance beyond where you focus

is rendered sharp relative to that in front.
A simple rule of thumb is therefore to focus
a third of the way into the scene.
For more precision, determine the hyperfocal

distance when you’re setting up your shot.
When a lens is focused at this distance,
everything from half this distance to infinity
should be acceptably sharp. This varies
depending on the effective focal length you’re
shooting at and the aperture, so you’ll need to
refer to a printed chart or app to calculate it:
try Digital DoF, HyperFocal Pro or DOFMaster.
The depth of field you’ll be able to attain with

a given aperture will depend on the focal
length of the lens used. Therefore, if it’s really
important to get everything pin sharp over
a great distance it may be better to opt for
a wider-angled lens. Smaller camera sensors
also offer a greater depth of field for a given
aperture and magnification.
To check the focus in critical areas, switch to Above Absolute sharpness of the two moss-covered trunks framing this autumn woodland scene was required.
Live View, magnify an area of the image and So, I focus-stacked in this case to produce the desired level of detail.
then press your depth-of-field preview button. Canon EOS 5DS with EF 24-105mm lens at 67mm, ISO 250, 5sec at f/13, tripod
In extreme cases…
If you’re working handheld, or if there
are moving elements in the scene,
you may need to raise the ISO and risk
some degradation in terms of image
quality in order to achieve a sharp
image with your desired depth of field.
If you can’t create adequate depth of

field to ensure that the nearest and
farthest features are sharp, it’s often
better to allow the distant ones to
soften a little, rather than those that
are nearest .
Another option, if your camera is set

up on a tripod, is to take two or more
images with differing planes of focus
and then merge them later using
focus-stacking soft ware.
Right An effective focal length of 560mm was

used to capture this study of lines in the
Devonshire countryside on a mist y morning;
I opted for f/16 and focused on the second
brow to ensure front-to-back sharpness.
Canon EOS 5DS with EF 100-400mm lens
at 400mm with 1.4x converter, ISO 100,
1/125sec at f/16, tripod
34-35 Quick guide_SW.indd 35 10/04/2017 15:16

INSIGHT
SCOTLAND: THE BIG PICTURE

Scotland: The Big Picture produces inspiring visual media to amplify the case for a wilder Scotland.
This month Mark Hamblin documents another of the principle characters in the country’s rewilding story…
The mountain hare: at home in the uplands

Mountain hares are the only species of lagomorph (rabbits and hares) to control their numbers on grouse moors – mountain hares are hosts
that are native to the British Isles. The brown hare is thought to have for sheep ticks and play a role in the transmission of the louping-ill virus,
been introduced in Roman times and the rabbit before that, as a source both of which adversely affect red grouse. With no reliable estimate of
of meat. Since the introduction of the larger brown hare, the range of their numbers, questions have been raised in the Scottish Parliament as
mountain hares has been mainly confi ned to upland areas throughout to the sustainability of mountain hare populations in the face of current
Scotland, with a smaller introduced population present in the Peak land management practices. EU member states are required to ensure
District. Mountain hares are widespread throughout Scotland but their the ‘favourable conservation status’ of mountain hares and that their
total population is hard to estimate, with a figure of 350,000 often populations are managed sustainably.
quoted (+/-50%). They are most numerous on heather moorland that is Mountain hares, along with red grouse, have found themselves at
managed for red grouse, where they benefit from habitat conservation the epicentre of a cultural divide between traditional land use and those
and predator control aimed at maximising grouse densities. advocating a less managed environment where natural processes can
There is evidence that the number of mountain hares in Scotland has prevail. It is clear that mountain hares do well on managed moorland in
declined in recent years, but to what extent and the reasons why are Scotland, but equally, the species is able to prosper in entirely natural
unclear, and may be due to their natural population cycle. Whatever environments in other parts of its range. On managed moorland,
the case, mountain hares are under threat from habitat loss and mountain hares have few natural predators. They are, however, an
fragmentation as well as climate change, which is likely to adversely important source of prey for golden eagle, a keystone species in
affect their favoured upland habitat. Mountain hares are a quarry species Scotland whose range extends widely over upland moorland habitat
and provide a source of revenue for sporting estates. They are also killed across the north of the country.
36_39 Scotland Big Picture_SW.indd 36 10/04/2017 15:25

In the field with mountain hares breakthrough, as it provided two potential photographic opportunities:
Fieldcraft has always played a significant role in what I do as a wildlife firstly, if a hare bolted, it was worth sticking around in the hope that it
photographer, and it is something that I continue to relish as well might return, and secondly, if I could spot a hare in its form before it fled,
as advocate to others. And so when I began my quest to photograph I stood a greater chance of getting close. Over time I built up a picture
mountain hares, I adopted a similar strategy to what had worked with of favoured resting spots and which hares would allow a close approach.
other species. First and foremost was to locate a population of hares that At first, only one or two hares allowed me to get close, but over a period
I could work with on a reliable basis, ideally close to home. With robust of several years of working with one population of animals, the number
populations on many of the upland heather moors in the Cairngorms, of approachable individuals has increased significantly. Whether this is
it was a relatively straightforward task of scouting possible locations. due to the absence of culling on the particular estate I work on, or because
A combination of legwork and some valuable tip-offs helped me identify the hares have become more accustomed to people, is hard to say, but
four key areas with good numbers of hares. I am now able to routinely find confiding hares that I can photograph for
The main challenge was how to get close enough to secure useable extended periods of time.
images. This proved much harder than I had imagined. The hares were
spotting me easily in the open landscape, which provided little in the way
of cover, and they were running off before I could get anywhere near close
enough. After several days of trudging through deep snow I had little to
show for my efforts. I decided it was time for a change of plan. Rather
than stomping around I decided to sit and wait in suitable areas to see
what happened. In my ignorance I had assumed the hares would be active
during daylight hours, whereas in fact they hunker down, relying on their
white coats for camouflage in the snowy landscape and doing most of
their feeding at night. That’s not to say they don’t move around during the
daytime, but the chances of one ambling by as I waited was pretty small,
so I soon abandoned this technique. I still had a lot to learn.
My luck changed one bitterly cold December day. A hare had bolted, but
having run away, it stopped, and after a moment of contemplation it ran
back to rest up in its original spot. Not only did this allow me to capture
the hare running across a windswept snowy hillside; it also cemented
the notion that hares like to return to a favoured ‘form’ (a shallow
depression in the ground or hole in the snow) to rest. This was a crucial

Technical shooting guide
As with any species, the only real way to build up a meaningful portfolio an individual. All hares do pretty much the same thing during the day
of images is to dedicate a lot of time and to make repeated visits in – hunker down and rest – but if you have found one that is relaxed in
different seasons and different weather conditions. Over the period I have your presence, then chances are that sooner or later it’ll do something
been photographing mountain hares I have made over 100 visits to the interesting, such as a spot of grooming, a yawn or a stretch. There is also
same location in every month of the year. This may seem excessive, and the chance that another hare may come by, especially during the breeding
certainly it’s not essential to spend so much time on a project to secure the season when there tends to be more activity with males chasing each other
desired results, but there is little doubt that your images will benefit from and looking for females in season. I usually go equipped with two camera/
the time invested. This could be over several years, since some aspects lens combinations, which gives me the flexibility to take different shots
of an animal’s behaviour are very seasonal and you may not be able to from the same position. This is typically a 600mm and a 100-400mm, so
photograph it at your first attempt. Making repeated visits increases your I can shoot everything from super-tight close-ups to much wider shots
chances of capturing special moments of behaviour or interesting light and that put the hare in context of its habitat.
weather. Two visits are rarely the same, and while it becomes progressively
more difficult to capture new or better images, there is always the chance
that something exceptional may happen next time you visit. Mountain hare photography tips
What is often crucial for success is to spend an hour or more with Shoot from a low perspective so that your camera is at eye level with
the subject; this gives a more intimate feel to the picture and also
makes the hare stand out more dramatically from the background.
Don’t get too close with a fixed telephoto. With confiding hares it’s
tempting to fill the frame, which can look great, but if the hare sits
up and stretches it’ll be three to four times bigger!
Bright, overcast light is best for retaining detail in the bright white
fur of a hare’s winter coat.
Approach hares slowly and try to keep your body shape as small
as possible, ideally lying prone on the ground.
Start taking pictures from about 50 metres away and gradually move
forward five to six metres at a time. At each stage, wait a few minutes
before moving closer. If the hare looks nervous, stay put or back away.
Wear a waterproof jacket and trousers, or take them with you.
You’ll inevitably end up kneeling or lying down, often on boggy
or snow-covered ground.

Scottish wildlife and tourism
Over the last few years, mountain hares have become a ‘celebrity’ species
for wildlife photographers visiting the Scottish Highlands. It may not
be palatable to some, but wildlife has a very tangible economic value to
local communities. The interest in photographing mountain hares is no
different to people travelling to India to photograph tigers, or to Africa in
search of lions and elephants. The benefits of this type of tourism are well
documented – not only in playing a role in safeguarding the species itself,
but also in sustaining local people. While 10 years ago there were just a
handful of people who had photographed these unassuming lagomorphs,
there are now literally hundreds of photographers visiting the Cairngorms
National Park each winter with the desire of securing close-up images of
mountain hares in their snowy upland habitat.
Locally, there are around six professional guides offering the chance
to photograph hares throughout the winter, together with a host of
other photo tour companies that visit the area with groups of up to 10
photographers, each with mountain hare very much a key target. With so
many photographers keen to obtain images of this charismatic mammal,
the benefits of a healthy hare population are clear to see. The true economic
value of an individual species is hard to ascertain, since photographers
visit the Scottish Highlands to photograph a range of species. Such is their
popularity, however, that I would hazard a guess that hares are at the top
of most people’s wish list, and perhaps those people wouldn’t have made
the journey north if mountain hares weren’t on the photographic menu.
The economic ramifications of wildlife tourism to an area such as the
Cairngorms is easy to understand. Each visitor who enters the national
park will almost certainly spend money locally – on accommodation, food,
fuel and transport – all of which feeds into the local economy. With many
communities in rural areas facing an uncertain future, money derived from
wildlife tourism becomes ever more important. One of the key visions for Scotland: The Big Picture is a
Scotland: The Big Picture is that communities can thrive on the back of small team of media professionals –
a nature-based economy in the same way they do in other parts of the photographers, filmmakers, writers and
world. Tourism in general is already the most valuable industry in much designers – producing high-impact
visual communications, which fuse ecological science with inspiring
of the Scottish Highlands and, increasingly, wildlife photography of species
storytelling. We want to tell a passionate, contagious story that informs
such as mountain hare is adding significantly to the coffers.
fresh thinking and compels people to champion the case for a wilder
Next time… In the August issue of OP, Peter Cairns shines the spotlight Scotland full of life. Follow the journey at scotlandbigpicture.com
on another star of Scotland’s rewilding story: the red squirrel.

040_OPHO_218.indd 40 4/4/17 4:19 PM
ONE MONTH, ONE PICTURE
There’s no one-size-fits-all when it comes to the positioning of horizons, says Pete Bridgwood, who
considers the various options while shooting a minimalist seascape on the Northumberland coast
I made this pre-dawn image on the beach images can also benefit from the symmetry of Moving closer to the periphery of our frame
at Bamburgh on a dull and dreary morning. a halfway horizon. Decisions relating to the and placing horizons at 20% from the top or
Relatively overcast conditions lend themselves positioning of the horizon are also affected by bottom can emphasise compelling foreground
beautifully to more minimalist imagery. The other elements in the frame. In this image, for detail or a dramatic cloudscape. A more extreme
absence of direct sunlight reduces contrast and example, placement at 50% would actually work 5-10% placement can also work well, creating
subdues saturation, allowing otherwise subtle quite well because the visual weight provided a degree of visual tension or emphasis. Lower
elements, like the textural detail in the sand, by the anchoring beach and the strong line placements usually appear more stable because
to take centre stage. One lovely consequence created by the tide would mitigate an otherwise they visually anchor images and avoid the
of emphasising simplicity is that the stark lines uncomfortable composition. imbalance suggested by a more top-heavy design.
created by the tide and the horizon assume The rule of thirds is perhaps the best-known We can be forgiven for feeling a little
major compositional roles. The placement of guideline for the positioning of horizons, indecisive when framing an image when there
the horizon therefore becomes more critical in suggesting that we place the horizon one third are so many options available. In the fi nal
images like this. of the way up or down an image, as I have done analysis, perhaps the best approach is actually
Landscape photographers have long debated here. The current fashion is to deride the rule of the intuitive one: to simply place our horizon
where we should best place our horizons. thirds as being overly formulaic and simplistic, where it feels right.
Received wisdom is that we should always but it works very well for some photographs,
avoid positioning the horizon halfway up the especially those with a 3:2 aspect ratio. Some
image, but there are no rules, and bisection photographers suggest the most natural Bamburgh, Northumberland.
Canon EOS 1Ds MkIII with EF 17-40mm f/4 L USM
can often work well depending on the aspect placement is achieved by using the ‘golden lens at 40mm, ISO 50, 25sec at f/22, Lee 3-stop
ratio of an image. The visual geometry of a ratio’, with the horizon dividing an image in Pro-Glass ND, Lee 2-stop ND grad, Manfrotto
square image can be strengthened, and 2:1 a 1:1.618 ratio. tripod and head
41 One month one picture_SW.indd 41 10/04/2017 15:28

042_OPHO_218.indd 42 4/18/17 2:10 PM
LIE OF THE LAND
Arboreal tales with a long view

Over two years, Rob and Harriet Fraser have repeatedly visited seven spectacularly
located trees in Cumbria to produce a multilayered body of work, which puts an often
overlooked subject in the spotlight and tells the story of the surrounding landscape…
Let me introduce you to the Langstrath Birch, all seasons, all weathers, night and day. We’ve were ISO 1000, 25 seconds at f/5.6 – taken
a tree that rises above the white waters of camped with each of them during midsummer when there was still an ember of light in
the Langstrath Beck at the southern end and in midwinter, been buffeted by wind as it the sky. Harriet was hunkered down behind
of Borrowdale in the Lake District. roars in their branches, seen their leaves emerge, a rock, playing light from a Petzl headtorch
I work with my partner, Harriet, a writer blaze and disperse, and watched birds settle on across the tree. I like the fact that the stars
and poet, on creative projects that give a their limbs. Each has become very familiar and are framed against blue rather than black.
sense of place, and let stories gradually reveal now seems quite extraordinary. That said, the purity of the Milky Way behind
themselves. Sometimes these are stories of This image was taken last autumn. Armed the tree on images shot half an hour later is
celebration, sometimes they shed light on with warm gear we parked up in our usual spot also pretty amazing.
heritage or touch on issues of struggle or loss near Borrowdale School and walked to the tree We walked out of the valley feeling cold,
in a local-global system where everything is as the sun was sinking. I set up the Nikon on but happy that we had managed to capture
connected. The isolated birch shown here is a huge boulder beside the beck – it’s the perfect something quite beautiful. We also reached
one of seven trees that we have chosen to be spot to frame the tree against the skyline – and the nearby hotel just before last orders, so the
the stars of a project called The Long View. waited. Our idea of doing night portraits is to day ended perfectly.
They are remarkably ordinary trees standing literally shine a light on them. Harriet once
in extraordinary locations across Cumbria, wrote ‘at any time this tree could be the centre The Long View exhibition launches in the galleries
stretching from Orton in the far east to of the Universe’. That appeals to me: at night, at Grizedale Forest, Cumbria on 21 June (artrabbit.
Wasdale in the far west. We think of them as it’s as if the stars are turning around the very com/events/rob-and-harriet-fraser-the-long-view).
being hidden in plain sight – seldom noticed, point where the tree stands. To read a blog about Rob and Harriet’s shoot, go to
like a lot of trees. We have visited the trees in Technical settings used, if you’re interested, thelongview.today/2016/10/04/waiting-for-the-stars
43 Lie of the land_SW.indd 43 10/04/2017 15:33

OPINION
A life worth saving

There are few subjects in wildlife
photography that are likely to spark
a fierce debate quite like the issue of live
baiting. Andrew Parkinson is a passionate
champion of every living creature, and he
feels that inflicting suffering for the sake
of a photograph is simply inexcusable
Live baiting, the act of using live animals as bait in order

to attract a predator to photograph, must surely be one
of the most contentious and divisive subjects in modern
wildlife photography. Its use might be considered especially
incongruous given the genre’s familiar refrain that ‘the welfare
of the subject must always come first’. How then can any self-
confessed animal lover, nature enthusiast or environmental
champion justify the killing of often terrified creatures in
pursuit of what is effectively just another image?
I’d love to say that I have an answer to this question but
I simply don’t; so cloaked in secrecy is the practice that those
proponents of it do not take kindly to being asked, however
politely, about its moral implications. I’m also still yet to see
a single image posted using this technique that honestly
declares the circumstances under which it was taken, which
is a little perplexing given the number of diving kingfisher and
hunting owl images that I’ve seen. I can only guess that perhaps
their employment of this technique is not something about
which they are entirely comfortable, or proud, and that perhaps
they’d prefer that the viewers’ attention, and their potential to
hit the ‘like’ button, is not distracted in any way by something
as trifling as the ending of an animal’s life.
There is of course every likelihood that the increasing
use of such incontrovertibly dubious practices originate in
what is becoming a relentless pursuit for ever more dramatic
images, so desperate is the need to impress a public that is both
ignorant to the back story yet increasingly difficult to engage.
Why else the unwillingness to disclose?
From my personal point of view, the resulting image,
however spectacular, becomes irrevocably tainted if in order
to capture it a living creature has to be subjected first to
significant suffering and then the finality of death. Probably
the most spectacular contrast between the beauty of the
resulting image and the abhorrence lurking in the background thrash helplessly in front of a fi xed camera. The habituated
of its creation is the dramatic wideangle close ups of hunting owl, already locked on with anticipatory zeal, arrives on cue
snowy owls caught mid-strike. An uninformed viewer might to despatch its easy meal, the mouse’s brief but demonstrably
see only the astonishing beauty of the owl, marvel at the skill horrific ordeal ended. How then would this image of beauty be
and endeavour of the photographer, assuming all the while viewed? One would hope with the contempt and revulsion that
that they must possess tremendous fortitude in order to have such contemptible perversion would warrant. That any human
endured, to have learnt so much about the behaviour of their contains such grotesque capacity sickens me to the core… that
subject. To be able to anticipate so spectacularly and with such so-called animal lovers could be complicit in such unspeakable
accuracy must surely be the work of genius. horror. I’ll leave you to formulate your own conclusion.
How then might their opinion change once educated and The most common live baiting practised here in the UK is
with facts fully disclosed? That in the moments prior to the the widespread use of wild caught minnows, confined in a fish
photograph being taken a shop-bought mouse had infl icted tank and then used to attract the attention of a kingfisher.
upon it appalling injuries, its front legs snapped before its This shortcut allows unscrupulous and lazy photographers
broken body is tossed casually onto the icy tundra, only to the opportunity to secure technically straightforward, but
44_45 Opinion_SW.indd 44 13/04/2017 10:05

A completely natural, unplanned
and un-manipulated image of
a grebe with a fish it has caught.
It is of no consequence to the
fish that the end of its natural life
is not a contrived artifice, but the
image is at least an honest and
ethical recording of a natural event.
Nikon D3s with Nikon 600mm f/4
lens, ISO 400, 1/200sec at f/4,
Gitzo tripod, Wimberley head
undeniably dramatic images of kingfishers exploding out of absolute certainty is that sentience exists in every bird, every
the water, beaks fi lled with their hapless prey. Even if we leave mammal and most likely every fish. If then, we know what it
aside the potentially fatal danger to the kingfisher, a mistimed is like to suffer, to feel pain or to feel genuine terror then what
dive, colliding with the edge of the tank… what then of the does it say of us that we can knowingly and willingly inflict
fish? After all, they’re only fi sh and ‘fish don’t feel pain’. that torment on another living creature. As South African
To argue for this absurdity would be to argue against an novelist JM Coetzee so poignantly stated, ‘anyone who says
overwhelming body of scientific data that proves categorically that life matters less to animals than it does to us has not held
that these valuable and sentient creatures not only feel pain in their hands an animal fighting for its life. The whole of the
in the same way that we do but they also share many of the being of the animal is thrown into that fight, without reserve’.
same complex emotions that we do. In what is termed Darwin’s I’m under no illusions. I know that as a species we remain
evolutionary continuity it would be an extraordinary anomaly depressingly far from where we should be in relation to the
indeed if, of the 8.7 million species on Earth, the only species rights that we afford our animal cousins. But for me the
gifted the beauty of sensory perception and complex emotion decision is blindingly obvious. If I can live without causing
was our own bipedal, naked ape. What we now know with harm to another then why would I do anything else?
44_45 Opinion_SW.indd 45 13/04/2017 14:32

046_OPHO_218.indd 46 4/11/17 4:20 PM
TOP STRAP
ACCESS RATING
These
Th s aree ba
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the autho
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by OP.P Walk distancencess are
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1/5
1/5 Ea
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can pr
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get stra
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andd quic
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lyy
Aldeburgh beach, Suffolk by Trevor Pitcher
be at the viewpoint via good
quality paths.
2/5 Some gentle

walking – generally less
than a half mile – is involved,
which may be on mixed
LOCATIONS
GUIDE
quality paths.
3
3/5 A walk of up to
about two miles, over
quite easy terrain. 1
48 Viewpoints of the month
8
1 Sgorr nam Fiannaidh Highland
2 Ringing Roger Derbyshire
4/5 Medium length
hike – up to about four
miles over mixed terrain, 52 Viewpoints
possibly with some quite 3 Croich Wood Highland
steep gradients. 5 6
4 Aldeburgh beach Suffolk
5 Niarbyl Isle of Man 7 2
6 Harkerside North Yorkshire
5/5 The most difficult
7 Fairbrook Naze Derbyshire
access. Long hike over
challenging terrain (e.g. 8 Conic Hill Stirling 4
mountains/summits/steep
9 Bedruthan Steps Cornwall
coastal terrain); or involves
travelling over particularly 10 Daymark Tower Devon
extreme ground (e.g.
scrambling on rocks/
exposed coastal paths 9
or mountain ridges) over 10
any distance. Map plottings are approximate
47 Viewpoints opener CB.indd 47 13/04/2017 10:07

Sgorr nam Fiannaidh Highland
One of Glencoe’s classic ridges draws Paul Holloway to its rocky crags,
and after an arduous ascent to the summit of one of its peaks he is
rewarded with breathtaking panoramic views
Sgorr nam Fiannaidh is the mountain and south, and the Mamores and Ben
that lies at the western end of the mighty Nevis to the north, Sgorr nam Fiannaidh
Aonach Eagach ridge, which forms the is a superb viewpoint.
imposing northern wall of Glencoe. After finding a flattish grassy area for
Sgorr nam Fiannaidh translates as the my bivvy spot and eating my modest
‘peak of the Fingalian warriors’, and dinner of oatcakes and cheese, I looked
as you look up at the mountain and around with more intent, searching for
the notched airy ridge from Glencoe, possible compositions. As ever in the
it seems a fitting landscape for those mountains, it pays to keep an eye on
legendary Celtic heroes. the weather. Though no rain had been
After parking in Glencoe village, forecast, heavier cloud was building
I took the minor road that heads out in the east, forming a more dramatic
towards the Clachaig Inn. About half backdrop to the Aonach Eagach ridge.
a mile from the village I followed the The sky in the west, where the sun was
path on the left, signposted for the Pap beginning to drop towards the horizon,
of Glencoe, which begins the long ascent was relatively clear, promising some
of the hill. It was a tough slog in the heat late evening light. The visible rocks
of a windless June afternoon. A drink at on the summit were light quartzite
the Allt na Mhuilinn stream provided outcrops with subtle shades of pink and
some welcome respite, and already the white; they would form a strong and
view over Loch Leven to the mountains colourful foreground element to the
of Morven was opening out beautifully. image I was looking to take of the ridge.
Higher up, the path splits: the left Heading down from the summit cairn
route leads up to the Pap of Glencoe I noticed an appealing group of rock
(a viewpoint for another day), while the outcrops. I liked the rough crescent
path on the right continues relentlessly shape they produced between them,
up Sgorr nam Fiannaidh. After a couple seeming to shepherd the eye down the
of hours, I reached the top. While hill towards the ridge.
recovering from the walk I wandered I decided to go for a relatively low
round the broad top of the mountain, viewpoint, thereby accentuating the
revelling in the spacious vistas all foreground rocks. Positioning my tripod
around. With views stretching out to sea close to the nearest rock, I set a small
in the west, the Glencoe mountains east aperture of f/18 to keep everything
2 miles from Glencoe village • 90 miles from Glasgow

ACCESS RATING
How to get there Park in Glencoe is good here.
village and walk along the minor road Ordnance Survey map LR 41
towards the Clachaig Inn for about half Nearby locations Pap of Glencoe
a mile; a gate on the left marks the start (1 mile); Loch Leven (1-2 miles).
of the track up Sgorr nam Fiannaidh.
What to shoot Views east along the
ridge, down into Glencoe and across
to the Three Sisters of Glencoe, north
to the Mamores and west down to
Morven and Loch Leven. sharp. By this time the sun was well
Best time of day First and last light. down and the light of the golden hour
Nearest food/drink Glencoe Café, was beginning to work its magic on the
Glencoe village, PH49 4HP, landscape, particularly the foreground
01855 811168, glencoecafe.co.uk. rocks, which were taking on an orange
Nearest accommodation Clachaig Inn,
glow. The cloud had thickened in the
Glencoe, Argyll, PH49 4HX,
east and it looked like a shower was
01855 811252, clachaig.com.
Other times of year All year round falling beyond the hills. The light was
coming from my left side at a 45-degree
48_49 VP Sgorr nam Fiannaidh_SW.indd 48 10/04/2017 15:43

angle and looked great on the notched fade I went back to the other side of the Sony A7r with
ridge of the Aonach Eagach. I fitted summit to photograph the red disk of 16-35mm f/4 lens
at 16mm, ISO 100,
a two-stop ND grad to add a bit more the sun as it set behind the mountains
1/4sec at f/18,
drama to the sky and, using a cable to the north-west. 2-stop ND grad
release, took an image. A quick check of After the sunset colour had faded from
the histogram showed the exposure was the sky I made my way back to my camp,
spot on. Moving on I tried a few different brewed some tea and watched the stars
compositions of the scene while the light wink into life overhead. In my bivvy bag,
was still strong. When the light began to I lay awake in the gathering dark.
48_49 VP Sgorr nam Fiannaidh_SW.indd 49 10/04/2017 15:43

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050_OPHO_218.indd 50 4/4/17 4:20 PM

Ringing Roger | Derbyshire
Having pre-visualised an image of his chosen location in winter, James Grant has doubts
about a summertime visit, but a beautiful sunset delivers some stunning, photogenic light
Kinder Scout is the Peak District’s

highest mountain, but I use the term
‘mountain’ loosely, as it’s more of a large
upland plateau of moors and bog. Being
so large, there are many opportunities
for photos up on the edges, and one of
the best locations, in my opinion, is
Ringing Roger just above Edale. This
little rocky outcrop isn’t quite on the
plateau, but it does require a short and
steep ascent that rewards you with
stunning and elevated views – and the
climb to it certainly makes you feel like
you have worked pretty hard for your
photographic rewards.
I had been up Ringing Roger before,
and really wanted to photograph it in
the winter months. Unfortunately,
however, the conditions I was hoping
for didn’t materialise last season. When
an opportunity presented itself to go in
June I decided to take it. I usually try
to plan my shoots for the best time of
year, as we all do, but I was on a deadline
to get certain shots for a book I was
working on.
The problem with June is that the
sun is quite far north when it rises you. It’s just one of those viewpoints that unique foreground, I couldn’t have asked Sony A7R with Sony
and sets, and doesn’t set in the most will resonate with any hillwalker, yet for much more. The next morning was 24-70mm lens at
24mm, ISO 100,
favourable of places for this spot, but photographically is still fairly quiet. actually a wasted effort; there was thick
1/6sec at f/11, 0.9
I went up anyway, armed with my tent Despite my doubts, the sunset was fog and the still conditions meant the ND grad, tripod
to give me the best possible opportunity stunning. A thick cloud had built air was fi lled with thousands of midges.
to photograph sunset and sunrise. The up, just allowing the tiniest amount This made the day (and the rest of the
pitching space up there is limited at best. of sun to squeeze through before it week) more painful than it needed to be.
However, no matter the time of year, sank towards the horizon and hit If this shoot taught me anything, it’s that
you get to look across to the impressive Mam Tor and Rushup Edge across the things don’t always have to look perfect
and imposing Grindslow Knoll with valley, drenching it in really rich light. on paper to produce a great image – and
Grindsbrook and the Edale Valley below Combined with the interesting and this shot has proved popular for me.
9 miles from Hathersage • 20 miles from Sheffield ACCESS RATING
How to get there From Hathersage, take the A6187 and over towards Grindslow Knoll on Kinder
to Hope. When in Hope, take the right turn on to Scout plateau.
Edale Road immediately after the Old Hall Hotel. Best time of day Sunrise and sunset.
Drive until you reach Edale. Park at the car park, Nearest food/drink The Old Nags Head, Edale,
railway station or, if there’s a space, in the village Hope Valley, S33 7ZD, 01433 670291,
next to the school. From the school, head north, the-old-nags-head.co.uk.
following the signpost at Coopers Farm towards Nearest accommodation The Old Nags Head
Grindslow Knoll. After around 200 yards, follow – as above.
the footpath right and over the stream/bridge. Other times of year Slightly better in the winter
When in the clearing, follow the flagged path for a months, when the sun is more southerly, but works
short while, but veer off along the grass to the right year round.
and head up the Nab. Follow the path up on to the Ordnance Survey map Explorer OL 1
rocky summit of Ringing Roger. Nearby locations Mam Tor (3 miles);
What to shoot Dramatic views into Edale Valley Derwent Edge (12 miles)
51 VP Ringing Roger_SW.indd 51 10/04/2017 15:47

LOCATIONS GUIDE 8 great places to photograph this month
VIEWPOINTS
Croiche Wood,
Highland
he magnificent oak trees of
T Croiche Wood are worth a visit

at any time of the year, but in late
May and early June, a fantastic display
of bluebells makes this a very special
place. The contrast of the ancient oak
© Colin Leslie
and birch trees, fresh green spring leaves

and the carpet of bluebells will keep you
busy for hours.
How to get there From Beauly, take the river to reach Croiche Wood. Nearest accommodation Priory Hotel
A862 south for three miles until you What to shoot Bluebells, trees and river. High Street, Beauly, IV4 7BX,
reach the junction for Kilmorack. There Best time of day Any time is suitable. 01463 782309, priory-hotel.com.
is a track to your right, with room to park Nearest food/drink Corner on the Other times of year Autumn is good.
carefully, just before you cross the Black Square, 1 High Street, Beauly, Ordnance Survey map LR 26
Bridge across the river Beauly. From IV4 7BY, 01463 783000, Nearby locations Loch Ness (14 miles);
here, walk along the track beside the corneronthesquare.co.uk. Glen Affric (20 miles).
3 miles from Beauly • 10 miles from Inverness ACCESS RATING
29 miles from Lowestoft • 46 miles from Norwich ACCESS RATING
Aldeburgh beach, Suffolk How to get there From Lowestoft, take

the A12 for approximately 22 miles
ituated on the river Alde, Aldeburgh enjoys breathtaking
S
south. Turn left on to the A1094 and
views both seaward, with fishing boats on the beach, and head east for Aldeburgh town centre for
inland, following the river. The quality of the dawn light around seven miles, and then follow the
and sunrises along this part of the east coast can be wonderfully signs to the seafront.
colourful. On occasions, the beach is draped in sea mist, which What to shoot Dramatic early morning
creates beautiful subdued light. light, and sunsets over the river and
marshland. Colourful fishing boats,
historic buildings and the scallop sculpture created by Suffolk-based artist
Maggi Hambling.
© Trevor Pitcher
Best time of day Early morning and

evening light.
Nearest food/drink The Mill Inn, Market
Cross Place, Aldeburgh, IP15 5BJ, 01728
452563, adnams.co.uk/pubs/our-pubs.
Nearest accommodation The White
Lion, Market Cross Place, Aldeburgh,
IP15 5BJ, 01728 452720, whitelion.co.uk.
Other times of year Winter light can
be very sp ecial at Aldeburgh, with
opportunities to stay out and photograph
the beginning and end of the short days.
Ordnance Survey map LR 156
Nearby locations RSPB Minsmere
(8 miles); Shingle Street (18 miles).
52_55 VP at a glance_SW.indd 52 10/04/2017 15:59

Niarbyl, Isle of Man
ut of the Irish Sea rises a ridge
O of impressively steep hills along

the west coast of the Isle of Man.
Westerly winds bring moisture off the
sea, and cloud that often clings to this
most dramatic of coastlines. Niarbyl
means ‘the tail’ in Manx, to reflect the
shape of the rocky promontory, which
gives fabulous views for photographers
to capture.
How to get there Once on the Isle of

Man, take the coast road (A27) south
from Peel. From Dalby, turn right and
park near the Niarbyl visitor centre.
Continue on foot to the end of the road
© David Chapman
and find viewpoints nearby.

What to shoot The wonderful coastline,
rocks and beach, and the thatched
cottages that are in the film Waking Ned.
Best time of day Morning is often best 01624 843813, kinsale-iom.com.

for cloud, sunset is great for the angle Other times of year Any time of year
of light. is good.
Nearest food/drink Niarbyl Café, Ordnance Survey map LR 95
Dalby, IM5 3BR, 01624 843300, Nearby locations Peel harbour and
niarbylcafe.com. castle (5 miles); Port Erin (9 miles).
Nearest accommodation Kinsale
B&B, Main Road, Dalby, IM5 3BR,
5 miles from Peel • 14 miles from Douglas ACCESS RATING
11 miles from Richmond • 55 miles from York ACCESS RATING
Harkerside, North Yorkshire How to get there From Richmond, head What to shoot The wide views up
west along the A6108 and then follow the Swaledale and telephoto shots of the
his high-level country lane on the southern side of patterns of the walls across the valley.
T
B6270 towards Reeth. After reaching
Swaledale in the Yorkshire Dales offers beautiful views Grinton, before crossing the river Swale, Best time of day Sunset is the best as
further up the valley and north towards the shapely turn left up the hill, then 50m later turn the sun sets right up the valley, although
Calver Hill. During the golden hour, the dry stone walls that right on to Swale Hall Lane. A short sunrise can give some lovely sidelight in
cover the valley become even more prominent as the low sun distance later, the road emerges on to the summer.
creates long shadows. the open hillside with ample space to Nearest food/drink Dales Bike Centre,
pull up on the side. Fremington, Richmond, DL11 6AW,
01748 884908, dalesbikecentre.co.uk.
© Mat Robinson
Nearest accommodation The Bridge

Inn, Grinton, Richmond, DL11 6HH,
01748 884224, bridgeinn-grinton.co.uk.
Other times of year Late summer is
beautiful, as the heather blooms atop
Calver Hill.
Ordnance Survey map OL 30
Nearby locations Old Gang lead mine
(5 miles); Crackpot Falls (6 miles).

© James Grant
Fairbrook Naze,
Derbyshire
n the summer months, the northern
I edges of Kinder Scout offer dramatic

views, with the sun being in a great
position at sunrise and sunset. Fairbrook leading to Fair Brook. Follow the brook to Snake Road, Hope Valley, Bamford,
Naze is one of the highlights of the the top (about one hour) and turn right at Hope Valley, S33 0BJ, 01433 651480,
edges; the weathered gritstone rock the top, swinging back on yourself to find thesnakepassinn.co.uk.
formation stands proud at the top of Fair the formation at the ‘nose’ of the land. Nearest accommodation Snake Pass
Brook and offers great views down the What to shoot Weathered gritstone Inn – as above.
Woodlands Valley. formations and dramatic views down the Other times of year From April until
Snake Pass and Woodlands Valley. September is good here, but the winter
How to get there From Glossop or There are also waterfalls on the way up. months with snow in the middle of the
Ladybower, take the Snake Pass (A57) to Best time of day Sunset is best for day can also work.
the Snake Pass Inn and park in a lay-by side-lighting, although sunrise can also Ordnance Survey map OL 1
next to the pub. From here, cross the work when weather conditions are good. Nearby locations Kinder Downfall
road and walk through the woodlands Nearest food/drink Snake Pass Inn, (2 miles); Alport Castles (4 miles).
7 miles from Glossop • 21 miles from Manchester ACCESS RATING
22 miles from Glasgow • 64 miles from Edinburgh ACCESS RATING
Conic Hill, Stirling How to get there From Balloch, follow lowland Scotland, the rugged mountains
the A811 then the B837 to Balmaha’s of the highlands and the great watery
onic Hill rises to 361m above Loch Lomond and expanse of Loch Lomond.
C
large car park. From here, take the West
straddles the Highland Boundary Fault Line, a major Highland Way as it rises steeply north Best time of day Early morning or late
fault zone that separates the highlands and lowlands of and then north-east towards the summit evening is best during June.
Scotland. To the south, flatter plains, broken only by the rolling ridge of Conic Hill. Just beneath the top, Nearest food/drink The Oak Tree Inn,
line of the Campsie Fells, extend towards Glasgow; to the bear right from the West Highland Way Balmaha, G63 0JQ, 01360 870357,
north, the big, brawny mountains of the southern highlands and take a narrow path on to the summit. theoaktreeinn.co.uk.
vie for your attention. What to shoot The flatter landscapes of Nearest accommodation The Oak
Tree Inn – as above.
© Keith Fergus
Other times of year The woodland

surrounding Loch Lomond and the
mountain slopes are stunning in autumn.
Ordnance Survey map LR 56 and 57
Nearby locations Ben Lomond
(8 miles); Duncryne Hill (8 miles).

Bedruthan Steps,
Cornwall
edruthan Steps is a stretch of coast-
B line that provides relatively easy

access to some of north Cornwall’s
most dramatic scenery. From the car
park, the coast stretches for miles in both
directions, offering some stunning views
of the rugged cliffs and golden beaches.
During late spring, the cliff edges turn
pink from the flowering thrift.
How to get there Follow the B3276

either north from Newquay or south from
Padstow. In either direction, it’s about
a 15-minute drive. Bedruthan is at the
Carnewas National Trust site and is
© Julian Baird
clearly signposted from the road.

What to shoot Dramatic coastal scenes,
cliffs and beaches. Also, try including
some of the offshore rock stacks.
Best time of day Late afternoon and 01637 860276, seavista.co.uk.
evening, as the coast faces west at Other times of year As with most of
this location. the Cornish coast, good photographs
Nearest food/drink There is a café can be taken all year round.
on site at the Bedruthan car park – Ordnance Survey map Explorer 106
see nationaltrust.org.uk/carnewas- Nearby locations Trevose Head
at-bedruthan. (7 miles); Holywell Bay (12 miles).
Nearest accommodation Sea Vista
B&B, Mawgan Porth, Newquay, TR8 4AL,
7 miles from Newquay • 50 miles from Plymouth ACCESS RATING
10 miles from Torquay • 32 miles from Exeter ACCESS RATING
Daymark Tower, Devon How to get there From the south side
of Paignton, follow the A379 towards
he location of this 24m-high hollow tower offers some
T
Kingswear, turning left on to Slappers
spectacular views out to sea and all along the Devon Hill after two and a half miles. After three
coast. Just before the summer harvest, crops surround- quarters of a mile, turn left (signposted
ing the tower provide additional foreground interest, especially Coleton Fishacre), and then just before
if there is a breeze. At sunset, the golden light from the sun the entrance of Coleton Fishacre, follow
adds contrast to the east-facing sides of the octagonal tower. the road right to the Brownstone cark
park. A gate at the top of the car park
leads to the half-mile walk to the tower. What to shoot Shoot the tower from
a variety of angles, using the tracks in
the field as lead-in lines.
© Julian Baird
Best time of day Around sunset, when

the structure of the tower and any crops
ALL MAPS © Crown copyright 2017 Ordnance Survey. Media 037/17
are illuminated in golden light.
Nearest food/drink Sea-Jay’z Café
& Restaurant, 13 Fore Street, Kingswear,
Dartmouth TQ6 0AD, 07885 778205,
facebook.com/seajayz.
Nearest accommodation Raddicombe
Lodge, Kingswear Road, Hillhead,
Brixham, TQ5 0EX, 01803 882125,
raddicombelodge.co.uk.
Other times of year Any time from late
January, when the field starts to go green
again, up until when the crops are
harvested in summer.
Ordnance Survey map OL 20
Nearby locations Froward Point
(0.5 miles); Start Point (17 miles).

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58-59 Your chance CB.indd 56 10/04/2017 16:21

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58-59 Your chance CB.indd 57 10/04/2017 16:21

058_OPHO_218.indd 58 13/04/2017 10:20
PHOTO SHOWCASE
SONY WORLD PHOTOGRAPHY

AWARDS 2017
With more than 227,000 images entered from 183 countries, the world’s largest photography competition
always provides a fresh look at our planet. This is our selection from the shortlisted and winning images
59_64 Showcase - Sony_SW.indd 59 10/04/2017 16:29

Mariusz Prusaczyk Gül Yıldız Masayasu Sakuma Maximilian Conrad
Previous page This surreal aerial Above I took this photograph Opposite (top) This picture was Opposite (bottom) May 16 2016:
image shows an industrially at the Süleymaniye Mosque taken in February in Nagano- a high precipitation supercell
degraded lake and landscape in Istanbul, Turkey; the person ken, Japan, at an altitude of storm is rolling over the town
in Poland. was escaping from the rain. about 1,700m. February is of Stratford, Texas, USA.
the coldest season here, and Its structures and colour
diamond dust can be seen only seem unreal and are the most
a few times during this time. dramatic I have ever witnessed.
So, it took four years to make I only had a few moments to
this particular image work. find a decent spot to capture
Diamond dust usually looks this amazing view. There were
white, but it turns orange just long intervals between cars
around sunrise. I wanted the travelling along the highway,
dust to appear as if it was so I had enough time to take
a silent forest fairy. a few photos.


Olga Sinenko Fan Chen
Above This image was taken Opposite These charming
in Bali, Indonesia. I swam swallows are waiting for their
out, with my camera inside mother to come back with food.
a waterproof case, to take
shots of the surfers. This guy
is a local surfer, and was very
inspiring with his graceful
moves and beautiful style. I was
lucky to capture this precise
moment, when he was almost
dancing on a wave.


Hiroshi Tanita
The boundary line between
blue and white, ice and snow,
which appeared in a pond in
Hokkaido, Japan, when thin
ice formed during winter.
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066_OPHO_218.indd 66 4/13/17 11:13 AM

READER GALLERY
Each month we publish the best images from all those submitted for our Reader Gallery. Turn to
page 56 to find out how to enter your work using our online system. Here is this month’s winner…
Winner Katy Laveck Foster

I first began taking photos sea kayak guiding, and leading ski and A leaf scorpion fish resting on a
as a teenager living in mountaineering expeditions. I have worked as sponge off the coast of Amed, Bali,
Indonesia. Leaf scorpion fish reach
Colorado. I struggled to both an avalanche professional and a marine
about 10cm long when fully grown,
focus in school and was mammal field researcher. These jobs have taken and they can be found in a wide
given the opportunity to spend my last two me to remote places and often exposed me to variety of colours. This beautifully
years of high school training in commercial stories, ideas, people and environments that cryptic species blends into its
photography. My first camera was an old Nikon I would have otherwise never known existed. surroundings with gentle drifting
movements resembling a dead leaf.
FG SLR, given to me by my parents, and although On my travels, I always have my camera in tow.
Canon G16 with lens at 16mm,
I didn’t know it at the time, that camera was My photographic assignments have included ISO 200, 1/250sec at f/8, Fantasea
the best gift I have ever received. Photography working with a small town newspaper, taking housing, Inon S-2000 strobes,
opened up the world for me as a teenager and, micro-photographs of snow grains in the +5 SubSee wet diopter
as an adult, photography has become a language field for snow morphology research, and
with which to document the world around me. photographing marine mammals for photo
I have been fortunate to live, wander and ID research. Over the years, I have worked on
work all over the world, crewing on boats, a number of projects to document the research
67_69 Reader gallery_SW.indd 67 13/04/2017 14:33

68 Outdoor Photograph June 2017

of others, which has involved photographing
Andean spectacle bear research in the cloud
forests of Ecuador, black caiman research in the
Amazon and alpine frog research in the Pacific
Northwest of America.
Recently, I have turned the focus of my
camera beneath the waves. As a marine
biologist, diver, surfer and all-round ocean
lover, I have seen the marine ecosystems I care
so much about changing at an alarming rate.
In my underwater photographs, I attempt to
use a combination of macro and close-focus
wideangle lenses to produce portraits of marine
life that show the unique personalities of each
animal. I try to highlight the way in which each
animal contrasts or blends into the shapes and
colours of its ecosystem.
My husband Jeff (a marine biologist and
videographer) and I have spent the better
part of the last two years in Indonesia fi lming
and photographing the changing marine
environment, as well as documenting what
remains of traditional cultures in remote places
such as in the forests of Papua. We started
Nomads Expeditions as a way to share the images
and stories we find, as well as those that find us.
Hometown Seattle, USA

Occupation Marine biologist
Photography experience 18 years
nomads-expeditions.com
Left A green sea turtle resting on lettuce corals

in Komodo National Park, Indonesia. The park
protects over 1,700sq km of habitat for creatures
ranging from komodo dragons to manta rays.
Strong currents in the area bring nutrients to
healthy coral reefs, where it is possible to find
a wide variety of marine life, such as the green
sea turtle.
Canon G16 with lens at 6mm, ISO 200, 1/250sec
at f/4, Fantasea housing, Inon S-2000 strobes,
Big Eye wideangle wet mount lens
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IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Dave Brosha
Based on Prince Edward Island, Canada, Dave Brosha is fast becoming
one of the leading lights in the highly competitive world of North American
outdoor photography. Nick Smith puts him in the spotlight…
Above Nick Smith How would you describe of 230 people, I worked as a telephone that night we looked at my portfolio,
A river in spate yourself as a photographer? technician and at a power plant. That and he was brutally honest and told
in Iceland.
DAVE BROSHA I do a mix of nature, was my world. But, on the side, I was me a lot of it was rubbish. But he also
wildlife and adventure photography. picking up my camera and exploring this thought that I should go for it. We
Being up in the Canadian north and in the incredible place, and that is what gave me crossed paths two years later and this
Arctic, there are so many opportunities my start in photography and has made time he was more forceful and told me
to photograph everything from polar me want to explore it more ever since. to ‘give up the stupid telephone job and
explorers coming through, to polar bears. become a photographer’. Two years later
I do a lot of night photography too. I lived NS And then there was a meeting I took the plunge.
in Yellowknife for nearly a decade, which with Martin Hartley?
is home to some of the most spectacular DB Yes. He was passing through Resolute NS And the rest is history. But what
displays of the aurora borealis. Bay, photographing explorer Pen Hadow made you start in the first place?
who was attempting to become the first DB It wasn’t until I moved up to the
NS You’ve been a pro for nearly a decade person to get to the North Pole solo Arctic after university. Until then I’d
now. What were you doing before that? and unsupported. Martin knew I was just taken snapshots of friends and stuff
DB I graduated from university with interested in photography and so we like that. But I was in such a unique
an English literature degree, but when went out on the ice together for a day landscape, in a place where there were
I lived in the Arctic in a tiny community and he showed me a few things. Later icebergs and beautiful tundra, polar bears
70-71 In the Spotlight_SW.indd 70 10/04/2017 16:40

and the Inuit culture. I got hooked by the NS What makes you tick it’s more about learning about the world, Above
idea that I could just take a small camera as a photographer? keeping your ears and eyes open, talking Hopewell Rocks
in New Brunswick,
and document all this, create and tell DB I love what I do and I’m absolutely to people and trying to photograph all
Canada.
a story to my family back home in Nova passionate about it. My joy is in capturing this in a different way. I believe the best
Scotia. At that time people weren’t so the beauty of the world. I’ve been doing way to get better is just to get out there
exposed to this type of imagery. this now for half my life, and people ask and do it. I never feel that I’ve taken my
me if I ever get tired of it. If anything, best image. Whenever I feel that I might
NS What do you think is the most I think I get more passionate about it every have taken a strong photograph, I ride
important aspect to your work? year. As you learn more, you become more a high for about 10 minutes and then
DB When I first started out I focused interested. Photography is one of those say: ‘Okay. So what’s the next image I’m
quite heavily on the technical side of things where you can literally spend your going to get?’
things, such as long exposures for night entire life learning and yet never know
photography. But about halfway into my it all. I’m a much stronger photographer
journey, when I looked at photographers today than I was 15 years ago, but I hope Dave’s top tips
that I admire, it always came down to that in 15 years time I’ll be stronger still. One thing I never go on a shoot without is… curiosity.
me feeling something about the work. I never run out of inspiration. While many photographers pre-visualise, I keep asking
So I stopped concentrating on trying to the question ‘what if I try this?’
get a perfect photo and moved towards NS So how do you become My one piece of advice would be to… love what you’re
doing something that evoked an emotion. a better photographer? doing so much that it doesn’t feel like work.
That’s my goal now. When I go out to DB Well, it’s not so much about the Something I try to avoid is… criticising others and judging
shoot I constantly ask myself: ‘what’s the technical aspect of photography where their work. We’re all in this – photography – together.
emotion here?’ you can make the gains today. I think
Dave’s critical moments To see more of Dave’s work, visit davebrosha.com
2002 Moved to 2003 Met 2006 Opened 2008 Became 2010 Awarded 2011 Official 2015 Started 2017
Cornwallis Island in photographer my first part- a full-time in Astronomy photographer leading Photographer-
the Canadian High Martin Hartley time photo photographer. Photographer for the northern international in-residence
Arctic. Discovered who told me studio in of the Year Canada visit of the photography aboard a series
my passion for to ‘go for it’. Yellowknife. contest. Duke and Duchess workshops. of Antarctica
photography. of Cambridge. expeditions.
70-71 In the Spotlight_SW.indd 71 10/04/2017 16:40

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072_OPHO_218.indd 72 4/12/17 11:04 AM

NATURE ZONE
DISCOVER
74 Laurie Campbell: 76 Nature 79 A moment 80 Steve Young:
Life in the wild photo guide with nature On the wing
SEABIRD SPECTACULAR
Laurie Campbell looks at some wildlife highlights to enjoy this June
73 Nature zone opener CB.indd 73 10/04/2017 16:47

Life in
the Wild
As film photography enjoys
a resurgence, Laurie Campbell
considers how learning to
capture wildlife images in
the pre-digital days taught
us valuable lessons about
optimising our camera
settings for perfect exposures
The announcement by Kodak a few

months ago that they were about to re-
release the much-loved Ektachrome 100
transparency fi lm came as a surprise to
many of us who were beginning to think
that the age-old process of recording
images via silver halide crystals had
largely passed. Mention that an image
was shot on fi lm nowadays, and it’s
not unusual to have to explain that
it didn’t originate from a ‘fi lm’ of the
motion picture kind, but as a single
frame from a stills camera. Of course
nobody expects that fi lm use will reach
anywhere near the levels it once did, just
as the renewed interest in vinyl audio
will never fully change the way we listen
to music today, but there are distinct
advantages to learning to use fi lm that
are transferable to the way we now use
digital capture.
Using fi lm to photograph wildlife
was fraught with difficulties, starting
with the fact that transparency fi lm
(slides) required fairly precise exposure.
Its unforgiving nature allowed little
latitude for error, and if it was half a stop
or so out, the image was discarded. Its
ability to record contrast came nowhere
near the dynamic range of most of
today’s DSLRs, and ISO sensitivity
was commonly limited to 400 and
below. Most stock photography was was discontinued in 2009, had to be Above This red deer stag was photographed on a very
shot on either Kodachrome 25 or 64 returned to Kodak, and in its final days dull, rainy day in midwinter. Almost half the length of
ISO fi lm because of its fi ne grain and it could take anything up to a fortnight the camera and lens was supported on a substantial
resistance to fading when compared before we could see the end results. To beanbag placed on a boulder. Experience had taught
me that it would be possible to obtain a sharp image
to E6 process fi lms such as Kodak appreciate the difficulties of using fi lm,
when using such a long exposure with a slow ISO film
Ektachrome, Agfa and, later, Fuji fi lm. try blanking off the LCD screen of a
to the extent that I was also able to use the camera’s
The latter were more convenient when DSLR, and walk away from a subject motordrive and manage without a cable release. None
shooting commissioned work because without seeing the images and not of this would have been possible if I’d used my heavy-
many professional laboratories offered knowing whether they are correctly duty tripod and head.
virtually ‘while-you-wait’ processing. exposed. We managed without seeing Nikon F3 with Nikon 600mm f/5.6 manual focus lens,
By comparison, Kodachrome, which the results straight away. Kodachrome ISO 64, 1/15sec at f/5.6, beanbag
74_75 Life in the wild_SW.indd 74 10/04/2017 16:50

I don’t wish to give the impression of adequately, then take care to time our Above This pine marten was baited to a permanent hide at
telling some ‘hard luck’ story, harking exposures for when the subject was the Aigas Field Centre, where we have installed a wide shelf
back to the ‘good old days’, but more to absolutely still. Using transparency fi lm below the opening windows on which to place beanbags.
With the camera and lens supported adequately, it was
explain how the limiting factors of using taught us to achieve perfect exposure
essential to wait until the animal paused and was absolutely
fi lm made it necessary to concentrate on and gain experience in optimising
still before shooting such a tight crop; this was especially
optimising settings. When photographing shutter speed selection, and that has important with a long lens fitted with an extension tube and
birds and mammals, for example, it is to be an advantage when shooting while using a long exposure.
essential to recognise what the limits digitally too. Nikon D4 with Nikon 500mm f/4 VR lens and Kenko
are when you wish to freeze action. extension tube, ISO 1250, 1/60sec at f/4, beanbag, hide
Exposure times longer than 1/2000th
of a second are unlikely to stop the
motion of a leaping squirrel, whereas an Film versus digital
exposure as long as 1/250th of a second Together with the return of Ektachrome ISO 100, medium will surely find a market, for much the same
could work for a grey heron in fl ight. formerly known as ASA 100, Kodak also announced reason that many stills photographers still enjoy
The difference with using fi lm plans to re-release Super 8 movie film. This format looking at a transparency on a lightbox.
was that the limited ISO sensitivities predated videotape in camcorders and, later, in Another aspect of film was the practicality of using
meant that we couldn’t afford to use digital video cameras. As with transparency film, single rolls of 35mm film in the knowledge that there
exposed Super 8 movie film needed to be returned were only 36 exposures at our disposal. It affected
shorter exposure times than necessary. for processing but it could be edited later by simply our shooting st yle to the extent that we thought
Increasingly, we are seeing the use of cutting it up into sections and splicing them together carefully before wasting frames when we were
unnecessarily short exposure times, using a special type of glue that was commonly uncertain of obtaining a good result. Digital capture
usually made possible by the use of very known as cement; I still have a few 400ft films I obviously offers the freedom to shoot without
high ISO settings, which, depending made. I soon realised, however, that there was no hesitation and to experiment more. Then again, it
future in using this format professionally and that it has also encouraged the unnecessary ‘scattergun’
on the camera, can impact on image
would require a quantum leap to invest in 16mm film approach, rather than shooting wildlife action with
quality. At the other end of the scale, we with the costs of stock, processing and equipment. targeted bursts in tune with key moments of the
are also seeing a reluctance to attempt Nowadays, broadcast quality footage is within subject’s behaviour. Similarly, overuse of high firing
the photography of static subjects in low the capabilities of many DSLRs. For those seeking rates with static subjects usually results in multiple,
light that require seemingly impossibly an alternative in the modern age, however, film near-identical images. With human nature being
long exposure times. The way we coped provides a material that can be physically handled, what it is, this simply encourages us to waste time
and has a distinctive appearance on screen. This comparing our shots to decide which is better.
with fi lm was to simply fi nd ways of
supporting our cameras and long lenses
74_75 Life in the wild_SW.indd 75 10/04/2017 16:50

WHAT TO SHOOT THIS MONTH…
Laurie’s June highlights
The seabird colonies on the cliffs, rocky stacks and islands dotted around
our coasts are one of our greatest natural treasures, but seldom do we see
photographs that include the whole scene. One possible reason is that, unlike many
terrestrial species, most seabirds are naturally more approachable and can offer
opportunities for close-ups; species such as puffins and gannets don’t have the
same history of persecution by people. If you do wish to include more of the habitat,
start by selecting a high viewpoint where the dark-coloured birds are in contrast
with guano-covered rocks to make them stand out and give an indication of scale.
Nikon D3X with Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 lens at 92mm, ISO 100, 6sec at f/14,
B+W polariser, 6-stop ND, mirror-lock, cable release, tripod
We all know that the sight of an osprey (Pandion haliaetus)

fishing provides one of Scotland’s most dramatic spectacles,
and they can be photographed at a number of sites in the
Highland region. While there are lots of photographs of
this behaviour, what we are not seeing are many images
of ospreys on the perches to which they return to feed, rest,
preen and dry their plumage. With a little fieldwork, and when
care is taken not to approach within several hundred metres
of a nest, these perches aren’t too difficult to locate due
to the birds’ habit of perching bolt upright with white chest
feathers on display.
Nikon F5 with Nikon 500mm f/4 AFS lens with Nikon 1.4x
teleconverter, Fuji Provia ISO 100, 1/250sec at f/8, cable
The round-leaved, or common sundew (Drosera release, tripod, hide
rotundifolia) is one of three species of this carnivorous plant
found in the UK. These species entrap insects by means of
a sticky fluid on the ends of ‘tentacles’ around the rim of the
leaves. With or without trapped insects, the leaves of these
plants are tiny, but they are well worth photographing.
Nikon D300 with Nikon 200mm f/4 AF macro lens,
ISO 400, 1/80sec at f/11, beanbag
Chanonry Point, the spit of land jutting out from the north-east coast of the
inner Moray Firth by the village of Fortrose, is widely regarded as one of the
best shore-based sites anywhere in Europe to see and photograph bottlenose
dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). The action usually starts two hours after low tide,
when the animals gather to fish close to the shore. There isn’t always a lot of
breaching behaviour to see, however, and often individuals just swim back and
forth along the line of a rip-current, diving then surfacing to breathe at intervals.
While it’s difficult to capture the moment an adult breaks the surface, the calves,
which swim very close to their mothers, emerge from the water a moment later.
Nikon D300 with Nikon 500mm f/4 VR lens, ISO 400, 1/800sec at f/4.5, tripod
76_77 Nature photo guide_SW.indd 76 10/04/2017 16:57

More seasonal subjects...
Flora
Water avens (Geum rivale) – found more commonly on
damp ground than in water, the drooping red flowers and
stem are a little hairy and look good with soft backlighting.
Matthew J Thomas / Shutterstock.com

Sea campion (Silene maritima) – this low, mat-forming plant
has bulbous white flowers, which can add an eye-catching
feature to the foreground of clifftop landscapes by the sea.
Bog rosemary (Andromeda polifolia) – predominantly found
on damp moorland in the west of England and Wales, this
shrub has attractive pink-white, bell-shaped flowers.
Fauna
Buff-tip moth (Phalera bucephala) – this reasonably common,
stocky moth is silver-grey in the middle and creamy-yellow at 10 of the best British wildflower meadows
each end; it neatly resembles a broken silver birch twig.
Short-beaked common dolphin (Delphinus delphis) – If Tammy Marlar’s flower photography guide on page 26 has
named ‘common dolphin’ for good reason in world terms. inspired you, then why not head to these fabulous locations?
In the UK, they are most often found off the west coast.
Sand martin (Riparia riparia) – today’s autofocus systems Muker, North Yorkshire Foxlease Meadows,
give us the opportunity to photograph this fast-flying 1 Set amid the hills of Swaledale, 6 Hampshire
species in the air. the upland hay meadows at Muker Dyer's greenweed, heath spotted
support a range of wildflowers and orchid and meadow thistle are found
grasses, including lady’s mantles, in this network of grassland, fen and
melancholy thistle and vernal grass. rush pasture meadows.
natureinthedales.org.uk hiwwt.org.uk
Janelle Lugge / Shutterstock.com
Umbra, County Derry Kingcombe, Dorset

2 Comprising sand dunes and 7 Managed without the use of
meadows, this 45-hectare nature artificial fertiliser or herbicides, the
reserve is a haven for wildlife. During nature reserve comprises plant-
summer there is a superb display of rich grassland, streams ponds and
flowering plants, including several wooded areas. Photogenic flowers
orchid species. include heath spotted orchid, oxeye
ulsterwildlife.org/reserves/umbra daisy and devil’s-bit scabious.
World wildlife spectacles Rod Wood, Staffordshire
dorsetwildlifetrust.org.uk/
Kingcombe_Meadows_Nature_
Okavango Delta, Botswana 3 Visit the reserve in late June Reserve.html
Spanning over 9,000 square miles when the waters are at or early July for an abundance of
their highest, the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Okavango wildflowers in bloom, including oxeye Marden Meadow, Kent
Delta in northern Botswana is the world’s largest inland daisy, eyebright, knapweed and 8 Located close to Cranbrook
delta. Annual flooding from the river Okavango creates common spotted orchid. It's located village, this nature reserve boasts
a vast labyrinth of waterways and palm-fringed islands, two miles east of Cheddleton. one of the finest remaining hay
making it an oasis for some of Africa’s most awe-inspiring staffs-wildlife.org.uk/reserves/ meadows in Kent. Visit in May to see
animals, such as elephants, lions, leopards, cheetahs, rod-wood swathes of green-winged orchids.
rhinos and buffalo. It is also home to over 250 bird species, kentwildlifetrust.org.uk/reserves/
including several rarities. June, July and August are some of New Grove Meadows, marden-meadow
the best months to visit the delta, as wildlife concentrations 4 Monmouthshire
increase in these months. Thousands of orchid spikes, Freeman’s Pasture,
set against a backdrop of other 9 Lancashire
Seabirds, Iceland wildflowers, create a wonderful Over 120 plant species have been
Iceland is widely considered show of colour in May and June. The recorded at Freeman’s Pasture, one
Louie Lea / Shutterstock.com
a birdwatcher’s paradise, reserve also offers views across to of only a few wildlife-rich grasslands
especially around the Great Skirrid and Sugar Loaf. remaining in Lancashire.
coastline. Látrabjarg, the gwentwildlife.org/reserves/new- lancswt.org.uk/reserves/freemans-
country’s most westerly point, grove-meadows pasture-local-nature-reserve
is a hotbed of bird activity –
especially during the breeding Rose End Meadows, Hannah’s Meadow, Durham
season. The nine-mile promontory consists of four towering 5 Derbyshire 10 This nature reserve is great for
cliffs that rise up to 440m high and support one of Europe’s A variety of wildflowers flourish in the traditional hay meadow flowers such
largest seabird colonies. Nearly half the world’s population 16 fields in this reserve, located near as ragged robin, wood crane’s bill,
of some species are found here, including the razorbill. Matlock. Species include bluebells, yellow rattle, marsh marigold and
Thousands of puffins breed on the cliffs, as well as gannets, cowslips and wood anemones. globe flower.
guillemots, white-tailed eagles, red-throated loons, arctic derbyshirewildlifetrust.org.uk/ durhamwt.com/reserves/
terns, redshanks, snipes, auks, murres, kittiwakes, fulmars, reserves/rose-end-meadows hannahs-meadow
snow buntings and ringed plovers.
76_77 Nature photo guide_SW.indd 77 10/04/2017 16:57

078_OPHO_218.indd 78 4/4/17 4:45 PM
A MOMENT WITH NATURE
Sharing a connection
For Canadian photographer John Launstein and his family, some of their most meaningful
wildlife encounters are with specific animals they have followed over many years, as was
the case with a red fox vixen they got to share some cherished times with…
Wildlife photography is often an odd mix of to wildlife and conservation photography raising her cubs each spring. She hunted in front
frustration and euphoria, joy and heartache. professionally, but the closest I’ve come can be of us, nursed and groomed her cubs, and gave
When everything comes together and you press summed up in one word: connection. long looks down the barrel of our telephoto
the shutter release button on an image you’ve There have been hours I’ve spent with lenses from time to time. On the rare occasion
dreamed of capturing for years, it can feel in my children Jenaya and Josiah, who are also her rambunctious youngsters let her have a
that moment like you’ve conquered Everest. photographers, sharing a connection with our break, she would even curl up for a nap nearby.
But for every mountaintop moment, there are subjects through the lens, or sometimes (gasp!) Josiah and I spent an afternoon with the
many days fi lled with uncooperative subjects, foregoing the picture to stay in the moment. vixen in the spring of 2015, which remains
inadequate light, or gale-force winds. It is, to be There are specific bears, bull elk, bighorn rams, one of our most special times in the field
sure, a hobby or vocation fi lled with challenges foxes, owls, marmots, hares and pikas that together. Three days later she was found dead
and successes not entirely within our control. our family looks forward to seeing every year; beside a nearby road. We grieved her passing
So why do we do it? Operating a family-run often we anxiously await their reappearance to and the moments we shared. We often talk
wildlife art gallery in a tourist destination in confirm they are well. about how much we miss her and the way she
the Canadian Rockies, we get asked a lot of Somewhere along the way, for those of us who demonstrated her care for her cubs. Had we
questions about our craft; about the hours (and have the privilege of photographing the same not forged such a connection, we wouldn’t
dollars) spent and the kilometres covered in individuals year-in and year-out, that connection miss her so dearly, but neither would we have
pursuit of just one special frame on our memory can be even more pronounced. This was certainly the memories nor the intimate images those
cards. This has led me to some introspection, true for our family of photographers with the moments produced. Developing connections
as there are surely more lucrative fields in which beautiful red fox vixen in the picture above. within the natural world inspires photographers
to ply our craft. I’m not sure I’ve arrived at a Having photographed her for several years, to take up causes and make a difference for the
defining answer as to why we are committed we had slowly won her trust as she went about very animals they care so much about.
79 A moment with nature_SW.indd 79 03/04/2017 14:34

NATURE ZONE
STEVE YOUNG
On the wing
Last summer, with a lack of feathered subjects around, Steve Young’s interest was piqued by an influx
of dragonflies and damselflies on a local pond, and he set about photographing the insects instead
Above A bit of a change this month, but the plant species, including flag iris and The 300mm became my ‘standard’
Emperor dragonfly column is called ‘On the wing’, and as some reedmace. lens over the next month or so, as I had
and blue damselfly: long as my photography subjects have As if by magic, a once deserted pond a much greater success rate using it
it’s a dangerous
game this common wings, I’m happy! So bear with me was soon inhabited by a variety of rather than trying to get closer with the
blue damselfly is while I deviate from birds in this issue smaller pond creatures such as water 105mm. As well as enabling me to take
playing, as it risks and turn my attention to a different boatmen, pond skimmers and the odd shots of the dragons and damsels when
being eaten by the winged creature. common darter dragonfly. In 2016, they landed further away in the pond
larger emperor. A few years ago a new pond was created however, there was what can only be on lily pads or other floating vegetation,
at my golf course; it was in front of the described as a dragonfly invasion. I could also try to capture some of the
18th green and was a necessary addition The first species I saw (while looking larger insects in flight.
to reduce the flooding we used to have for my ball in the pond) was azure The species kept on coming over the
during the winter months. It’s made that damselfly; not just the one, but lots next few weeks of perfect weather, with
particular hole a lot more difficult, and of them, and they were flying around large red and blue-tailed damselflies
many are the times I’ve watched with and landing on floating leaves to lay added to the list. The highlight was two
dismay as my ball has disappeared with eggs. Also darting around the pond was male emperor dragonflies hawking the
a resounding splash. a four-spotted chaser, while a broad- pond while a female was ovipositing in
Never mind the golfing horrors, though bodied chaser was perched on a reed. the water below them, and she was being
– what about the wildlife delights a new After my game of golf I headed for attacked by common blue damselflies.
pond can bring? During the first year home, then returned with my camera The season for dragonflies and
there was little activity, as the idea and lenses to see what I could photograph. damselflies is short, and I really did
was to keep the water very clean with Using a macro lens I got a few shots but spend a lot of time on site taking photos
a pumping system, and to prevent too soon realised that my 300mm was going whenever the weather was good enough.
much vegetation from growing. Nature to be of more use, as it was difficult to Later in the year migrant hawkers were
has its own way of developing, though, approach most of the species without recorded on the same pool. I’ll be back
and 2015 saw the appearance of various them flying away. this year looking for more species.
80-81 On the Wing_SW.indd 80 10/04/2017 17:00

STEVE’S JUNE HIGHLIGHTS LOCATION OF
THE MONTH
BIRD OF THE MONTH
© National Trust Images/Joe Cornish

Following on from May’s reed warbler,
I’ve chosen another summer visitor
this month: the sedge warbler. Found in
habitats similar to reed warbler, the two
can be confused when heard, but they
are very different to look at.
Sedge warbler has a large, white, flared
stripe above the eye and a darker stripe
above that, while the mantle (back) is
diffusely streaked, giving it a totally Farne Islands,
different appearance to reed warbler. They Northumberland
are common breeders in the UK and can Lying just off the Northumberland
show well for photography, particularly coast, and uninhabited by humans,
when they first arrive and are sorting out Sedge warblers like to sing from a branch or small bush with the Farne Islands are a haven
territories and looking for mates. reedbeds or surrounding areas and can show very well, for wildlife. Depending on the
particularly in early spring when they first arrive. state of the tide, the archipelago
comprises between 15 and 28
islands, and they are accessible
only by boat.
The thriving seabird colony is the
big draw at this time of year, when
thousands of breeding puffins,
Arctic terns and guillemots cover
the islands, as well as species
such as kittiwakes, eiders, shags
and razorbills. It’s possible to get
Above This very fresh plumaged juvenile superb views of the birds from the
sedge warbler shows the mantle and regular boat trips that run from
head markings off perfectly. Seahouses, but to get even closer,
you can take a boat with landing
Right With a distinctive head pattern, sedge rights and step ashore. During the
warbler has a very different look to it than breeding season (May to July), the
reed warbler. National Trust opens two of the
main islands to the public – Staple
Island and Inner Farne – for half
BIRD PHOTOGRAPHY TIP of each day (in the morning and
afternoon respectively). Standing
on the islands will put you right
in the centre of the action, and
you can expect photography
opportunities at every turn. A hat
is an essential item to protect your
head from dive-bombing terns!
Location The Farne Islands lie

between one and a half and five
miles off the Northumberland coast.
Getting there During spring and
summer (weather permitting)
there are daily boat trips from
Bittern: The perfect species for single-shot Swallow: Trying to photograph a swallow in flight does Seahouses harbour.
photography; bittern is a very slow-moving bird, require continuous mode, with the fastest possible Facilities There are full-access
so there is no need to use continuous shutter mode. frame rate to give the best chance of success. toilets on Inner Farne and near
the harbour at Seahouses.
I recently traded in one of my camera bodies for which move very slowly looking for prey – but I’ve been Entry fee Admission to Inner Farne
an upgrade. One of the big questions I was asked in hides when shutters have been going at 10 frames and Staple Island costs from £9 per
about the model I was selling concerned the number per second while the bird being photographed is adult and £4.40 for children, and
of shutter actuations, and it seems this is a major standing still. the fees do not include boatmen’s
consideration when selling privately on eBay or I’m not suggesting that we all go back to the ‘wind charges. All-day admission to the
similar sites. This got me thinking about how many on the film’ era, but those days certainly made you islands starts from £26 per adult,
times I’ve used single-shot mode to reduce the think about costs, and camera shutters didn’t get the and family tickets are also available.
number of ‘clicks’, and I have to admit that these wear and tear they do now. Maybe just think a little Website nationaltrust.org.uk/
occasions are very rare. Some species are perfect about keeping the shutter clicks down a touch; it farne-islands
for single-shot – herons and bitterns, for example, might pay off the next time you trade in your camera.
80-81 On the Wing_SW.indd 81 10/04/2017 17:00

082_OPHO_218.indd 82 4/4/17 4:24 PM
INSIDE TRACK
When photography sings the blues…

If the reason for there being so many photographs in the world today is that photography is
easy, then the reason there are so few great photographs is that photography is also difficult.
Nick Smith turns to music to help explain the paradox
One of the central unifying paradoxes of photography is that it should instrument from the standard ‘Spanish’ to D major, you have a simple
be simultaneously so blissfully simple and yet so fiendishly difficult. 12-bar structure concentrating predominantly on the tonic, subdominant
It’s something that has often occurred to me and yet I’ve never really and dominant notes of the scale. Easy.
managed to fi nd a way of articulating this contradictory proposition Providing you can play a guitar in the first place, you will certainly get
in such terms that made it easier, rather than harder, to understand. the song into good enough shape to strum down the pub in no more than
That is until a few days ago when, having a pint or two at the local tap- 20 minutes. The problem, as I found out, was that to get it any better than
house with a merry band of comrades, I found myself, back to the wall, ‘good enough for the pub’ was virtually impossible. And while I think we
defending my thesis with a certain amount of frustrated vigour. ‘What do can probably all agree that Johnson was a genius with the bottleneck,
you mean: it’s difficult and easy at the same time?’ they chimed in unison. whereas I am not, there is also something else going on here. That is
I tried a few analogies on my non-photographic friends, but to no avail. because, if we switch back to photographic terms, I had got to the point
Their counter argument, presumably drawn from their experiences with where I’d understood all that stuff about shutter speeds and aperture,
smartphones, was that it was as easy as pressing a button. Furthermore, and yet not fully realised what it meant to take a photograph. In other
as with driving Formula 1 cars or being an astronaut, taking photos was words, I’d done the easy bit, which, strange as it might seem, is precisely
a mere bagatelle and it was a deception to claim otherwise, and we were what puts so many off serious photography in the fi rst place.
all being hoodwinked. They don’t call it the blues for nothing. By the time I’d listened to
You should never pick up gauntlets dropped by people who don’t know Johnson a few more times I had drunk deeply of the desperation of this
what they’re talking about. But I simply wasn’t going to be put on to the poverty-stricken blind preacher man, living in the shadow of slavery
canvas by such featherweight thinking. And then I got it. ‘Look,’ quoth in America’s Deep South during the worst economic depression the
I, ‘it’s just like playing the blues. You can learn the nuts and bolts in no world had ever seen, whose only hope of salvation is that of reading
time at all, but you’ll spend the rest of your life trying to play it properly’. the Bible. I started to wonder what it would be like to be possessed
I’m not quite sure if the comparison is watertight, but it certainly had of a gift that could allow me to take a photograph as loaded with feeling
the effect of stopping my companions in their tracks. And while they and as hauntingly wraithlike as that song. And there we have it: only
returned to talking about how Formula 1 was simply driving around in the camera is the guitar and the photograph is the song. How many
circles, I tried to disguise the look on my face that was inviting them to cameras have we owned in our lives because it is easy to own a camera?
rearrange the words ‘pipe’, ‘stick’ and ‘smoke’ into a meaningful sentence. And how few great photographs have we taken, because it is difficult
As I have never been a man prone to swagger, I decided that it would to take a truly great photograph? Easy and difficult at the same time.
be unfair to accept the victory laurels without at least fi rst testing my Thus, it was demonstrated.
idea in the context of practical experiment. Upon returning home, As a footnote, Johnson recorded only 30 songs. But it was enough
I duly dusted off my best guitar, made by the worthy luthier C F Martin to ensure immortality. When his house burned down he had nowhere
and Co, and got weaving. For the record, I decided that I would learn to go and so carried on living in the ruins, eventually dying of syphilis,
Blind Willie Johnson’s ‘It’s Nobody’s Fault but Mine’, which he recorded alone, unknown and unloved. To this day no one is sure exactly where
on 3 December, 1927. This for the simple reason that, despite sounding he is buried. But we do know one thing: and that is his music is literally
quite straightforward, the song has earned a reputation for challenging out of this world. Along with classical works by Bach, Mozart and
even the most gifted of musicians, including the mighty Led Zeppelin. Beethoven, Johnson’s gospel blues were cast into the cosmos on the
As I’m supposed to be writing about photography I’ll keep the next bit Voyager spacecraft in 1977, with an accompanying message of peace
short. But in point form, once it’s clicked that you need to retune your to any civilisation out there capable of understanding it.
83 Inside track CB.indd 83 10/04/2017 17:01

Dark Magog Sunrise
Location: Mount Assiniboine, Nikon D810 | Nikkor 14-24mm @ 14mm LEE Filters SW150 Mark II Filter Holder,
British Columbia, Canada ISO 100 | f/14 | 30 seconds 0.6 ND Soft Grad + Little Stopper
Mount Assiniboine in British Columbia, Canada, is one of my all-time favourite locations. The sight of it never fails
to impress, and on this occasion I was lucky enough to arrive just after an early-season snowfall. This, coupled
with the glow of the sunrise, made the scene breathtakingly beautiful, and I envisaged a long-exposure image
with the first light hitting the peaks.
I waited for the light to creep over the horizon. To ensure the tops of the mountains didn’t overexpose, I chose the
LEE Filters SW150 Mark II holder with a 0.6 ND soft grad and a Little Stopper. This combination of filters allowed
me not only to increase the length of the exposure and therefore capture a sense of movement in the clouds,
but also to control the highlights on the mountain peaks. The 30-second exposure was perfect for softening the
clouds against the jagged peaks of Assiniboine and the surrounding mountains.
For me, controlling exposure in-camera is essential, and it’s easy to achieve when using a filter system as
advanced as the SW150 Mark II.
Sarah Hatton
www.iso100.com.au
leefilters.com
084_OPHO_218.indd 84 4/6/17 9:50 AM

NEXT MONTH
OP219 ON SALE 1 JUNE 2017
How to take compelling

travel photographs
Bruce Percy on his personal journey to Hokkaido
Meet conservation photography guru Pete Oxford
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ2000 – is it a super zoom?
Ben Pipe - U Bein Bridge, Myanmar
85 Next month_SW.indd 85 13/04/2017 10:11

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50mm f/1.2 L USM £1,369.00 800mm f/5.6L IS USM £11,899.00 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM £1,999.00 AF-S 35mm f1.8G DX £169.00 AF-S 300mm f/4 D IF-ED £1,149.00 AF-S 18-300mm f/3.5-6.3 VR £629.00
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50mm f/1.8 STM £129.00 10-18mm IS STM £213.00 70-200mm f/4.0L IS USM £1,149.00 AF 50mm f/1.4D £259.00 AF-S 400mm f/2.8 FL ED VR £9,999.00 AF-S 28-300mm ED VR £799.00
60mm f/2.8 Macro £419.00 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 £499.00 70-200mm f/4.0L USM £659.00 AF-S 50mm f/1.4G £389.00 AF-S 500mm f/4E FL VR £8,499.00 AF-S 55-200mm f/4-5.6 VR II £259.00
85mm f/1.2L II USM £1,799.00 11-24mm f/4L USM £2,699.00 70-300mm f/4.0-5.6 IS £449.00 AF-D 50mm f/1.8 £119.00 AF-S 600mm f/4E FL VR £10,999.00 AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8 VR II £1,999.00
85mm f/1.8 USM £349.00 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS £649.00 70-300mm f/4.0-5.6IS II USM £499.00 AF-S 50mm f/1.8G £189.00 AF-S 800mm f/5.6E FL VR £14,799.00 AF-S 70-300mm IF ED VR £499.00
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086_OPHO_218.indd 86 4/12/17 12:48 PM

GEAR ZONE
ACQUIRE
88 Gearing up 90 Camera test
MEDIUM FORMAT GAME CHANGER?

Fergus Kennedy gets to grips with Fujifilm’s exciting new GFX 50S
87 Gear zone opener_SW.indd 87 03/04/2017 14:36

WIN THIS!
Turn to page 112
BioLite BaseLantern Lowa Aerox GTX Lo

This is the world’s first flat pack lantern that provides portable edge-lighting Lowa’s latest hiking shoes are testament to the company’s
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GEARING UP
Tamron 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5 DI II VC HLD lens Rohan Convey Vest

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88-89 Gearing Up CB.indd 88 13/04/2017 10:13

Lifeventure Packable Berghaus Island Peak Novo Explora T-5 Carbon
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88-89 Gearing Up CB.indd 89 13/04/2017 10:14

GEAR ZONE
CAMERA TEST
Fujifilm GFX 50S

One of the most exciting camera launches
of the year, Fujifilm’s medium format offering
has got everyone talking. Fergus Kennedy
gets his hands on one of the first ones in
the country to put it through its paces
Guide price £6,199 (body only)

Contact fujifilm.co.uk
Fujifilm cameras Every so often a camera comes along from its conventional home within format cameras such as the Phase One
are well known that breaks new ground. The new the handgrip. The top of the camera XF, where the sensor is a whopping
for their great
rendition of colours. Fujifi lm GFX 50S is exciting not only accommodates a removable electronic 53.7 x 40.4mm). The individual
The GFX 50S is because its sensor is considerably viewfi nder. In terms of the control photosites are larger than those
no exception. larger than that found on a full-frame layout, the camera will feel instantly in a full-frame DSLR with similar
Fujifilm GFX 50S DSLR, but the mirrorless body design familiar to users of Fujifi lm’s other resolution, which, in theory, should
with 63mm f/2.8
lens, ISO 100, packs all this performance into a very mirrorless offerings such as the well- mean improved low-light performance.
6.5sec at f/5.6 manageable size. The price, while still received X-T2. An abundance of dials and I headed out to put the camera
fairly eye watering, is not far beyond the physical buttons is the order of the day, through its paces in a variety of outdoor
territory of a top-end DSLR. So what is including an ISO dial and a shutter speed situations. Toting it around handheld
this newcomer all about, how does the dial. There is a rather fetching LCD and shooting on the fly, the camera
image quality stack up and what sort of display on the top plate that displays performed adequately. The autofocus
photographer will it suit? I headed out all your basic settings at a glance. was pretty snappy in good light and
on location to find some answers. My initial feeling having seen the the camera can manage three frames
The GFX 50S feels solidly built and not specs of the GFX 50S was that it was per second in continuous mode. Pay
significantly larger in the hand than a a camera to delight image-quality particular attention to shutter speed
full-frame DSLR such as the Canon EOS aficionados. The 51.4MP sensor if you’re not using a tripod. It’s not the
5D series. It has a slightly strange looking measures 43.8 x 32.9mm, which is best camera for catching high-speed
protuberance on the back behind the rear a significant step-up from the 36 x 24mm action, but this was never what it was
LCD. Further investigation reveals this sensor of a full-frame camera (but still intended for. While it could work for
is in part to house the battery; a change smaller than some other digital medium travel and street photography, my feeling
is that the GFX 50S really shines for
photographers who take a considered
approach, camera on tripod, taking
time and care over the composition
and reaping the rewards of beautiful
image quality (more on this later).
It’s a funny thing, but I found that
just knowing I was using a medium
format camera made me slow down
and take that extra bit of time with
my images. This considered approach
to photography is exactly what fi ne-
LIKES
Fantastically detailed images
Superb dynamic range
Great in low light
Small size for a medium
format camera
DISLIKES
AF sluggish in low light
EVF image artifacts
Limited lens selection
90_91 Camera test CB.indd 90 10/04/2017 17:06

art landscape photographers practise
on a daily basis and there is certainly
something magical about the aesthetic
of the medium format images from the
GFX 50S.
Back in the office, I opened up the
Raw fi les with Lightroom and, as I had
hoped, the level of detail in the images
was superb. Noise levels were very low;
I happily shot in the street at night up
to ISO 6400, and even 12800 was very
useable, with any noise being fi ne-
grained and not distracting. Dynamic
SPECIFICATIONS range was excellent, with good detail
Sensor 51.4MP medium format retained in the shadows, even when
Resolution 8256 x 6192 pixels pushing the shadows slider all the way
Lens mount Interchangeable to 100. Top left Extra care
Fuji GF mount is needed when
One area I felt could benefit from
Shutter speed 360sec
to 1/4000sec, 1/16000sec
a little improvement was the electronic shooting long
exposures; the
VERDICT
(electronic) viewfinder. While it was generally extremely high The Fujifilm GFX 50S is an
ISO 200-12800 adequate, I did notice distracting resolution sensor interesting camera that packs
(100-51200 extended) patterns of noise and moiré. It’s a shows up even a lot of image quality into
Viewfinder Electronic, 3.7M dots, relatively minor point, but it did slightly the tiniest bit of a small package. It does have
detract from the otherwise high-end camera shake. competition, though, both from
removable
Fujifilm GFX 50S medium format rivals such as the
LCD 3.2in tilting (3:2) 2.4M-dots experience of using the camera. Video with 63mm f/2.8
Flash Hotshoe is possible with this camera, but at a Pentax 645Z and the Hasselblad
lens, ISO 100,
Movie mode Max 1080p up fairly modest (by modern standards) full X1D, and from the latest crop of
30sec at f/4
to 30fps high megapixel full-frame DSLR
HD, 30fps maximum. Microphone and
Card formats SD/SDHC/SDXC Top right Shooting and mirrorless cameras. There
headphone sockets are provided. are certainly more versatile and
dual card slot in medium format
Currently the GF system lens selection brings out the inner faster cameras out there, but my
Power NP-T125 lithium-ion is limited to two primes and a zoom. artist, and with so feeling is that the GFX 50S may
Size 148 x 94 x 91mm
When choosing, bear in mind that many pixels, you well have hit a sweetspot between
Weight 740g (battery/no lens) can crop the image image quality, portability and
you need to multiply the focal lengths
and still retain affordability, especially for high-
by 0.79 to get 35mm equivalents, and
plenty of detail. end landscape photographers.
the same applies to the maximum Fujifilm GFX 50S
apertures, so the 63mm f/2.8 lens with 63mm f/2.8
should give similar results in terms lens, ISO 100,
of depth of field to a 50mm f/2.2 on a 4.3sec at f/8
full-frame DSLR. Two more GF lenses,
a 23mm f/4 and a 110mm f/2, are due
Above Fuji’s superb RATINGS
film emulation Handling 96%
in June, and a couple more are in the profiles include
Performance 92%
pipeline. A lens adapter is available that some nice black
Specification 98%
allows the use of Fujifi lm H mount and & white options.
Fujifilm GFX 50S Value 93%
Hasselblad lenses, albeit with manual with 63mm f/2.8
focus only, and another adapter from lens, ISO 100, Overall 95%
Cambo works with Canon EF lenses. 10sec at f/22
90_91 Camera test CB.indd 91 18/04/2017 16:18

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Nikon Lenses
20mm f1.8 G AF-S ED .............................. £649
40mm f2.8 G AF-S DX Micro .................... £239
D750 D810 D5 50mm f1.4 G AF-S .................................... £385
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OM-D E-M11 II A6500

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092_093_OPHO_218.indd 92 4/4/17 4:26 PM

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104_111 One thing this month CB.indd 104 10/04/2017 17:19

COMPETITION
If you only do one thing this month…

Beauty of winter
In our February issue we asked you to send us your most impressive photographs that
capture the magic of winter, and the quantity and quality of your entries was exceptional.
Here’s our winner, who receives a Sprayway Mylas jacket, and 12 runners-up…
WINNER Chris Dale

Left I noticed this young sapling in a small
clearing surrounded by bracken and birch.
As the branches were thinner, the frost had
covered them with a brighter winter coat than
the surrounding trees. A wider aperture was
necessary to separate it from the detail behind,
and this was helped a little more with some local
adjustments in post-processing with Lightroom.
Canon EOS 6D with 70-300mm lens at 183mm,
ISO 200, 1/50sec at f/5, handheld with stabilisation
chrismdale.co.uk
Dylan Nardini
Right I was scouting a new location near
Eaglesham Moor in Renfrewshire when I found
myself in an unexpected blizzard. Although
the snow was very wet and resistant to lying,
it consisted of large flakes and there was very
little wind. I was drawn to the lack of visibility
and looked to capture the sense of this by
focusing on the twisting tree. Choosing to use
a very shallow depth of field allowed for a faster
shutter speed to record the falling snowfl akes.
Nikon D810 with Nikkor 85mm AI-s f/1.8 lens,
ISO 64, 1/200sec at f/1.8, handheld
dylannardini.com

Conor Molloy
Right I took this image around 4pm on a walk
around the tearooms near the Cat and Fiddle
Inn in Cheshire, which is the second highest
pub in England. The sun was giving off a
marvellous orange hue in the gathering cloud,
which contrasted well with the foreground
snow. It was a reminder that the sun can still
produce some magic in the depths of winter.
Canon EOS 1Dx with Canon EF 24-105mm f/4
L IS USM lens at 40mm, ISO 100, 1/8sec at f/16,
Lee 0.6 ND grad, Gitzo tripod
conor20images.co.uk
Brian McCready
Below Early morning sunlight breaks through
the clouds on the summit of Slieve Bearnagh
in the Mourne Mountains, Northern Ireland.
Nikon D750 with 16-35mm lens at 16mm,
ISO 100, 1/20sec at f/11, 0.6 ND grad, tripod
brianmccready.com

Gary Short
Above It was a stormy winter’s day in January
when I ascended the Aran ridge in Snowdonia.
After a long climb though deep snow drifts, ice
and gale force winds, I took a break to get some
shelter and rest. The light suddenly changed,
however, as the sun’s rays hit the slopes of Cwm
Cywarch. I quickly captured some shots with my
back-up camera, which is always in my bag ready
to use for such a fleeting scenario.
Canon Powershot G7X with 21mm lens, ISO 200,
1/1250sec at f/5, handheld
garyshortphotography.co.uk
Robert Fulton
Right This image was taken at Tangle Creek
during a photography holiday in Yellowstone
National Park in the USA.
Canon EOS 7D with Canon EF 24-105mm L IS USM
lens at 24mm, ISO 200, 1/200sec at f/18, tripod
rfultonphotos.com


Tony Gill significant snowfall. The fresh snow, calm at 111mm, ISO 320, 1/800sec at f/9, handheld
Opposite, top A chill winter morning of freezing water and translucent low clouds created johnrichardsonphotography.com
fog meant perfect conditions in woodland near a strange optical illusion where it was quite
Moor Crichel in Dorset, but an unrewarding hard to judge distance. Geoff Kell
initial location had left me darting from place Nikon D600 with 24-85mm lens at 46mm, Above This image was taken on a very foggy
to place trying to grab something worthwhile ISO 400, 1/60sec at f/16, tripod, remote morning in the New Forest National Park,
before the magic was gone. Happily, I stumbled maragorm.com Hampshire. A light hoar frost had left everything
upon this small beech copse as the sun began muted and, at times, barely visible. It was
to heat the air and warm my bones. John Richardson interesting playing with shapes and tones, and
Canon EOS 6D with 35mm f/2 lens, ISO 100, Opposite, right Taken on a family walk in Glen here a small tree is somewhat dwarfed by much
0.6sec at f/16, Manfrotto tripod Feshie in the Cairngorms National Park. I was larger pines looming from the mist behind.
first drawn to the simple lines of the hills, then Canon EOS 5D MkIII with Canon EF 70-200mm
Aidan Maccormick waited for a break in the cloud and enjoyed f/4 L lens at 106mm, ISO 100, 1/25sec at f/5.6,
Opposite, left Driving to Assynt in late February watching the light dance around the hillside. tripod, stitch of three portrait-orientated files
last year, I passed by Loch Glascarnoch after Canon EOS 6D with 70-200mm f/4 L IS lens flickr.com/photos/148444916@N05


YOUR NEXT CHALLENGE
ENTER ONLINE NOW!
Flowers and plants
This is the season when nature is at its
most abundant, as flowers and plants
explode into a riot of colours, shapes
and patterns that never fail to make us
all feel happier. These colourful scenes
can be extremely complex, though,
and photographing them in a way that
captures the emotions they inspire is far
more challenging than it first appears.
Discovering flowers that are in good
condition and offer the right aspect in
terms of light and background usually
requires some dedication. Then you
need to simplify the composition and
understand the impact of the included
colours to create an image that
transcends being only a record shot.
Read Tammy Marlar’s superb creative
guide to shooting flowers and plants
on page 26, then send us your best
photographs that capture their essence,
for a chance to be published in our Autumn
issue. To submit your images, head to
outdoorphotographymagazine.co.uk/
submissions. Closing date for entries is
21 June 2017. See page 56 for more details.
Enter and you could win

a MindShift Gear TrailScape
18L backpack, worth £165!
The winner of our ‘Flowers and plants’
competition will not only see their image
published in the Autumn issue of OP,
but will also receive a superb TrailScape
18L backpack from MindShift Gear.
Ideal for outdoor photographers, the
backpack is spacious enough to hold
a full camera system, including a DSLR
fi tted with a 70-200mm f/2.8 lens, and
yet it retains a slim and compact profile.
It also has a dedicated compartment for
Joanna Clegg way the iceberg shape replicated the outlines a 13in laptop and 10in tablet, and a front
zippered pocket that can hold six litres of
Opposite, top Frozen mornings are rare here in of the two mountain peaks beyond.
extra gear. To ensure all-day comfort, the
south-west Cornwall, so when they do occur Panasonic Lumix G80 with 14-140mm lens
TrailScape is built with a contoured back
you need to get out and grab the opportunity at 40mm, ISO 800, 1/200sec at f/8 panel with lumbar support and a robust ,
while it lasts. Fortunately there are often puddles iceniphotography.com padded shoulder harness.
on our heathland that freeze over, and when Other features include
looked at closely it’s possible to find fascinating Robin Koehler lash points for
patterns frozen into them. When I converted Above I took this image on a perfect winter expanding
this image to black & white it immediately made day just after Christmas, after a short hike capacity, a
me think of the Milky Way, with stars scattered up to Beinn a’Chrulaiste in the mountains mounting system
for a tripod,
all around. around Glen Coe. I had gone up there to
a seam-sealed
Canon EOS 5D MkII with Tamron 90mm f/2.8 lens, shoot a particular panorama, which I’d had rain cover, and
ISO 100, 1/100sec at f/5.6, handheld in mind for a long time, but stopped on my interior zippered
abstractnature.co.uk way back down to shoot this fantastic sunset, pockets for small
which illuminated the Three Sisters and accessories.
Paul Cooper surrounding hills. Find out more at
Opposite, bottom This was taken at Fjallsárlón Sony Alpha 6000 with Samyang 12mm f/2 lens, snapperstuff.com
ice lagoon in south-eastern Iceland. I loved the ISO 100, 1/4sec at f/11, tripod

COMPETITION
© Dominik Michalek / Shutterstock.com
Where in the world?

If you can tell us the name of this extraordinary and spectacularly
located citadel, you could win a BioLite BaseLantern, worth £110!
NEW! ONLINE ENTRY THIS MONTH’S PRIZE MARCH ISSUE WINNER

BioLite BaseLantern WORTH In our March issue, we asked you to name
Where is it? This month we’ve teamed up with £1 10! the 4,000m mountain shown in the image.
This precariously situated citadel is in one BioLite to give away one of their The correct answer is:
of the most beautiful and dramatic parts of innovative BaseLanterns. The world’s first c) Mount Kinabalu, Malaysia Borneo
Europe. But is it: flatpack lantern to provide portable edge-lighting, (N.B. there was an error with the available answers on
the lantern also doubles as a miniature smart grid. the OP website, so all who entered ‘c’ as the answer
Powerful enough to light large group settings, charge online were included in the final draw).
a) Corte, Corsica
phones and other devices, the 500-lumen lantern
b) La Chanca, Spain offers real time battery feedback so you get the most
c) Château de Quéribus, France from your off-grid energy. Controlled via your phone
through BioLite’s
custom, low energy
The answer and the winner’s name will be revealed Bluetooth app,
in OP221 (on sale 27 July 2017). You can enter the this clever piece
© Shutterstock/hkhtt hj
competition online at outdoorphotographymagazine. of kit includes

co.uk/c/win, using ‘Citadel218’ as the code, or send a 7,800mAh
your answer to opcomp@thegmcgroup.com, stating rechargeable
‘Citadel218’ as the subject. Alternatively, drop it in internal battery.
the post to: Where in the world – ‘Citadel218’, OP, Find out more at
Carolyn Morrison from Culbokie, Highland
whitbyandco.co.uk
86 High Street, Lewes, East Sussex, BN7 1XN. is the winner of the Tenba DNA Messenger
15 camera bag – congratulations!
Deadline for entries is midnight on 21 June 2017.
112 Where in the world CB.indd 112 10/04/2017 17:21

IBC_OPHO_218.indd 1 4/6/17 2:17 PM
“The world just does not fit conveniently
into the format of a 35mm camera”
W. Eugene Smith
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YOUR EYES.
SEE MORE OF THE WORLD WITH THE FUJIFILM GFX 50S.
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425POINT AUTOFOCUS SYSTEM | ISO SENSITIVITY FROM 50102,400 | MULTIPLE FORMAT OPTIONS
4:3 3:2 5:4 7:6 1:1

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51.4 MEGAPIXELS 45.4 MEGAPIXELS 38.3 MEGAPIXELS 25.2 MEGAPIXELS 48 MEGAPIXELS 44.8 MEGAPIXELS 38.3 MEGAPIXELS
OBC_OPHO_218.indd 1 4/7/17 12:33 PM

Outdoor - Photography June.2017 P2P

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Copyright:

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Outdoor - Photography June.2017 P2P

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HOW TO TAKE STUNNING FLOWER PHOTOS

landscape | wildlife | nature | adventure

OFC_218_Tammy Marlar 01.indd 1 02/05/2017 17:11

Steve Watkins Our selection from the Sony World

Keep right up to date with news by ‘liking’ OP at

June 2017 Outdoor Photography 1

1 Eds letter_SW.indd 1 13/04/2017 09:51

FEATURES & OPINION LEARNING LOCATIONS

2 Outdoor Photography June 2017

2_3 Contents CB.indd 2 13/04/2017 09:56

June 2017 Outdoor Photography 3

2_3 Contents CB.indd 3 13/04/2017 09:56

Outdoor Photography (ISSN 1470-5400)

For further details:

Visit the Apple App store,

4 Contribs CB.indd 4 13/04/2017 09:57

Online entry weather-photo.org #weathercomp

005_OPHO_218.indd 5 4/11/17 12:49 PM

6_7 Opening shot_SW.indd 6 10/04/2017 14:14

Nikon D5 with 500mm f/4 lens,

June 2017 Outdoor Photography 7

6_7 Opening shot_SW.indd 7 13/04/2017 14:24

NEWSROOMCONSERVATION NEW LAUNCHES COMPETITIONS OUTDOORS TECHNOLOGY OTHER NEWS

Land donation helps Chile expand its national parkland

from July 2017, and a Portfolio Yearbook will

8 Outdoor Photography June 2017

8_9 Newsroom CB.indd 8 13/04/2017 10:02

Twelve ‘new’ cloud types NUMBER

© Andy Hay (rspb-images.com)

© maciel photo MF / Shutterstock.com

Park Authority wardens Alex Payne

June 2017 Outdoor Photography 9

8_9 Newsroom CB.indd 9 10/04/2017 14:17

the resulting photographs are insightful and

Landscape Wales: A celebration locations include Sugarloaf Mountain,

10 Outdoor Photography June 2017

10_11 Out there_SW.indd 10 13/04/2017 10:04

THE ENDURANCE OF THE

June 2017 Outdoor Photography 11

10_11 Out there_SW.indd 11 13/04/2017 14:26

THE BIG VIEW

Derek Eland outside his tent, Salwa Bahry I, Egypt,

12 Outdoor Photography June 2017

12_13 The Big View_SW.indd 12 13/04/2017 14:27

Okawa Village, Tosa County,

Courtesy of Silva Navigation School

Silva Navigation School one-day

June 2017 Outdoor Photography 13

12_13 The Big View_SW.indd 13 13/04/2017 14:27

Feeling the freedom exposure, focus, highlights and shadows.

14 Outdoor Photography June 2017

14_Social_hub CB.indd 14 10/04/2017 14:24

In conversation with Konrad Bartelski

Interview by Nick Smith

16 Outdoor Photography June 2017

16_22 Interview_SW.indd 16 13/04/2017 14:29

June 2017 Outdoor Photography 17

16_22 Interview_SW.indd 17 13/04/2017 14:30

16_22 Interview_SW.indd 18 13/04/2017 14:30

in Japan were a quarter of the price that they

June 2017 Outdoor Photography 19

16_22 Interview_SW.indd 19 13/04/2017 14:30

The young skier then progressed to an