Category Archives: Nature Photography

Nov. 10—New Exhibits Opening

“Colossal and Intimate: Nature, Abstraction, Imagination Through the Artist’s Lens” features the photography of Artist Member Laura Davis.

“Beauty is hidden in plain sight. My work is a joyful interpretation of the divine details which surround us. Reflections in dewdrops, peeling paint, beetle paths, wood grain, and patterns in natural or human-made structures are captured and highlighted by my lens.” (Laura Davis, Artist Statement)

In her visual art, she notices details, often overlooked by others. For the title of the exhibition “Colossal and Intimate: Nature, Abstraction, Imagination Through the Artist’s Lens,” her inner wordsmith provides the choice of “colossal” for macro, and “intimate” for close-up.

She sees the abstraction which surrounds us, in exquisite compositions, with symmetrical or asymmetrical balance, fractal patterns, spirals, and flower petals following Fibonacci sequence, Sacred Geometry, and the Golden Ratio.

The act of creating leads to stories: beetle’s lairs, walls, and creative practice, The Beetle’s Way. Biophilic collage, tangled with Celtic knots. Mirrored photographs become mandalas. Compositions are created by the simple act of framing, or by detailed, organic journeys through line, shape, form, color, and texture.

As a sculptor early in her art making pursuits, earning a BFA from the Kansas City Art Institute, she explored shadow and movement, image projection interacting with fabric in site-specific installations.

She earned an MFA in the Art Media Studies program in the School of Art at Syracuse University. Pattern, movement, and projection of light informed her video productions. Cutting edge video image manipulation tools, in its infancy in commercial television, was available for experiment. One of the pieces which came out of this period was “You Never Left,” winning a national award in Experimental Video from the American Film Institute.

She was hired at the East Carolina University School of Art to develop elective courses in video art. During those seven years she began to integrate traditional media, such as works on paper and gels applied to acetate, into her video productions. She created large works on paper, which were exhibited in a solo exhibition at the Greenville, North Carolina, Museum of Art.

Upon her return to her home state of Colorado, she began to explore photography, especially macro close-up imagery capturing the color, texture, and pattern of Mother Nature’s palette. Her digital collage uses photography interwoven with patterns and knots, a pursuit she has been exploring for over a decade. The advent of digital cameras, and the explosion of accessible, affordable, and easy to use digital tools, has enabled her abstractions and digital collage. Her “straight” photographs capture details, textures, and pattern from our surroundings, directing our attention to, and celebrating, the patterns that surround us in the natural world.

Her portfolio of large scale painted works on paper from North Carolina was included as part of her application to Decorate Utility Boxes (DUB) in Estes Park, Colorado, in 2018. She was one of the five artists, all women, chosen to paint the boxes in 2018. Her two boxes are behind Kirk’ s Fly Shop on the Riverwalk, just east of the new Women’s Monument.

2022 was her first year participating in the Estes Park Studio Tour, founded and funded by working artists in our community. She was juried into artist membership at the Art Center of Estes Park in 2018. Much of her work is also available printed in various formats including wearables, jigsaw puzzles, and yoga mats. www.lauradavisartstudio.com

“Special Holiday Exhibit” features the photography of Founding Artist James Frank and Invited Artist Lydia Pellow, potter.

James Frank: Being from northern Ohio and growing up along the banks of Rocky River, I became familiar in my early years with forest, stream, and things wild, all cultivating a love of the outdoors and a passion for all things in nature. Little did I know that the river I often frequented would be linked by namesake to the mountains I roamed later in life.

After a single visit the decision to move to Estes Park and the Rocky Mountains was easy. The journey was made in 1978 when Estes Park became my home for what now amounts to more than 40 years. I met and married my wife, Tamara, near the alluvial fan in Rocky Mountain National Park in September of 1988. In the mid-1990s we adopted our daughter Claire. Family and a home in these sacred mountains are more than I’d ever dreamed they would be.

I became interested in art at Doane College during several art appreciation courses. There were friends at school who were musicians and played in bands, so my interest in musical and visual arts was growing in leaps and bounds. One of the two main reasons for wanting to live near Rocky was to nurture my love of photography to begin a career involving capturing moments in nature and the world around me that told a story and hopefully inspired not only attention but also happy memories.

My wife and I as business partners have owned a front range postcard company, and two galleries based in Estes Park. For a decade we also owned and published the local magazine Estes Park Vacationland.

From the very beginning and across all these years my photography was catalogued and licensed for publication through James Frank Photography and a handful of agents both national and international. My work has been widely published in books about Rocky, Colorado, and the American West. Through owning and operating galleries, a niche in fine art photography blossomed and is currently the emphasis of my photographic work and business. My art photography is represented by Aspen and Evergreen Gallery in Estes Park and at my website, jamesfrank.com.

Lydia Pellow: I started taking pottery classes in 1976 in Colorado Springs, but it wasn’t until my teacher, Jake Anderson, offered me an apprentice position that I began learning the really hard parts of making pottery — mixing glazes, loading kilns, firing pots, and making money from my art.

During my career I have studied with many famous potters — Daniel Rhodes, Paul Soldner, Tom and Elaine Coleman, Jim and Nan McKinnell, Steven Hill, and others — primarily in hands-on, workshop-type settings. I have been passing on what I’ve learned to my own students since 1977, and I love to share my passion for the creative artistry that is pottery.

The Boulder Potters’ Guild, which I joined in 1986 and am currently the president of, has been invaluable as an avenue for me to teach and share with other amazing artists. The Guild has been an active nonprofit for fifty-three years, is a Tier III SCFD organization, and is dedicated to supporting artists and giving back to the greater community. I also founded an artists’ co-op in 1989 on the Pearl Street Mall called Handmade in Colorado.

Functional pottery is very important to me. Using a one-of-a-kind piece of pottery made by a fellow human being is truly a joy! I like to put “messages” on the bottom of some of my pots. I imagine someone washing it with care (although all my pieces are dishwasher safe), seeing my message, and smiling. All of my pots are also microwave safe and lead free.

I am influenced in part by Japanese pottery and love their concept of Wabi Sabi (“the elusive beauty of imperfection”} in life as well as in art. I invite you to feel my joy in the pottery I’ve create.

Opening Reception

November 11, 5 — 7 p.m.

Opening Weekend Door Prize

“Summer Serenity” Photography 11.7″Wx16.5″ H giclee print donated by Laura Davis.

The public is invited to enter for this Door Prize from 11 a.m. Friday, November 11 to 5 p.m. Monday, November 7, at which time a name wil be drawn and the winner notified

Also on display in the gallery are the outstanding work of the other Art Center artist members, including other works in oil painting, watercolor, pastel, jewelry, ceramics, charcoal, graphite, glass, wood, sculpture, fiber, photography, printmaking and mixed media.

The Art Center is open 11 a.m. — 5 p.m. Friday through Monday.

Art Class in November

3D Zentangling® Layering: a Pretty Porcelain Mug with Annie Reiser. November 19, 1 — 3 p.m.

Art Center Members: $27. Non-Members: $30.

Get a start on your holiday gifts. Nothing is more special than something created by you, like this lovely and unique cup. Annie Reiser, certified Zentangle,® (CZT) teacher will share her experience with tangling on 3-D objects as you decorate a beautiful mug with your favorite tangle patterns or copy Annie’s design. She will tell you how to make it permanent for handwashing (not dishwasher-safe). You may also explore adding color to your designs with porcelain paints that Annie will share. All levels and kids welcome.

Materials: A kit is available to buy (directly from the teacher on the day of class) for $7. (The kit will include a plain white porcelain mug, 1 black Dual-tip Identipen from Sakura, a piece of chocolate, and handout.)

Important Note: If you decide not to purchase the kit, you will need to bring a plain white mug and a black dual-tip Identipen marker.

Teacher will provide: Colored porcelain paint pens to share, rubbing alcohol or fingernail polish remover, Q-tips, cotton pads, solvent blender markers to share.

All Students Should Bring: Sketchbook and pen to take notes.

Call For Entries

“The Magic of Masks” — Some Mardi Gras Fun in Estes Park

The Art Center of Estes Park would like to invite you to participate in our community mask challenge! All you need to do is pick-up your 8″x10″ canvas and create a mask that will fit on that canvas. Entry fee $20. Only one canvas per person.

Winter is coming and this is a great time to engage your creativity and share your results for Mardi Gras fun in February! Limited number of canvases are available!

—Any age 5 to 105 can enter.

—All masks must be for sale …range $20 to $150. You’ll receive 60% of the sales price.

—Each canvas will come pre-drilled with wire and hooks for hanging, you can choose your preference horizontal or vertical orientation. Title card/price form taped to back of canvas.

—Any media is fine- 2D painting, collage, or 3D… as long as it fits on the canvas and can be hung on the wall. Just be certain that any dangling ribbons, feathers etc. do not extend more than 1″ off the canvas.

—Exhibit: Saturday, February 18 to March 13, 2023

—Opening Reception: Saturday, February 18, 2-4pm

—Completed Masks delivered by February 11,12,13, 2023 (Sat-Mon) with completed Title Card/Price Form.

—Prizes will be Awarded!

Entry form and canvas can be pick-up daily. Limited number of canvases available!

Satellite Exhibits

A new exhibit is now on display at the Estes Park Health featuring Pat Greenberg and Diane Visinstainer. VERT and Snowy Peaks Winery has a number of Art Center artists on display. John Long is on exhibit at US Bank.

(c)2022 Estes Park Trail-Gazette, Colo. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Opening this Saturday (12 November) at the City Art Centre, Glean, features 125 photographs, eight films and 35 related artefacts by 14 women who worked in Scotland in the early 20th century.

The work is drawn from 17 archives predominantly from Scotland, ranging from Galloway to Shetland. This exhibition aims to show how the women responded with their cameras to life in Scotland’s rural communities, cities and beyond. It is the first time their work will have been seen together, and it uncovers a previously untold story within the history of Scottish photography and filmmaking from this period. These women present different accounts of Scotland, covering both rural and city places and communities. The exhibition will show the breadth of their photography and filmmaking, offering a critical analysis of their work.

The exhibition groups the work under four themes: nature, landscape and travel looks at the ways the women were keen observers of nature and landscape, including working the land. Capturing Scotland shows how the women captured the shift from traditional to modern life in both urban and rural contexts. Recording Community looks at the works of two of the women in particular, Margaret Fay Shaw and Dr Beatrice Garvie, who lived for long periods of time in the communities they were recording. Women and Society looks at how, as photographers and filmmakers, they portrayed the role of women in rural and urban societies.

From rural Scotland, we see a portrait of Shetland from Jenny Gilbertson; Margaret Fay Shaw’s portraits of sisters Màiri and Peigi MacRae and their life in the small village of North Glendale, South Uist; to the wanderings of M.E.M. Donaldson in her walks with her camera across the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. In a time where islanders and highlanders were represented purely as ‘type’, the work of these women presents them as real people and equals, an intimacy afforded by living in their communities over a long period of time. Through their lens we can also glimpse the issues of the time, from the recording of protest marches by Helen Biggar and Christina Broom, to the housing conditions of the lower classes through Ruby Grierson and the interwar years in Marion Grierson’s films. Rural and city work, industry and trade are represented in particular by Violet Banks, Margaret Watkins, Margaret Fay Shaw and Jenny Gilbertson. Isabell Burton MacKenzie was The Highlands Home Industry travelling organiser from 1911-14. Using a Kodak Vest Pocket camera as an aide memoire, she visited the homes of islanders involved in craft, to encourage them to sell their work directly through exhibitions on the mainland through The Highlands Home Industry initiatives. Dr Beatrice Garvie, who was the medical doctor for North Roaldsay, Orkney, for 15 years, recorded the work and significant community events in the island.

The exhibition alludes to the different contexts the women were working in, from those who were independent to those working in or with industry. This was, of course, during a period when only some women over 30 had the vote in 1918, with all women over 21 being granted the vote in 1928, the early women photographers and film-makers were forging a different path to that expected of their gender. For example, Banks and Broom sustained their own commercial photography studios, whilst the Grierson sisters worked through their brother documentary maker John Grierson’s national government and industry financed film initiatives.

The exhibition curated by Jenny Brownrigg, Exhibitions Director at The Glasgow School of Art, is a partnership project with City Art Centre. There is a programme of events accompanying the exhibition which brings together other researchers, gallerists and archivists who have championed the work of these women.

Culture and Communities Convener Cllr Val Walker said:

Glean promises to be an empowering exhibition that looks back on the wonderful work of female photographers and early filmmakers who were creating an important legacy in a male dominated field. The women featured played a huge part in the photography history of Scotland and Glean invites viewers to find out more about these inspiring women and it’s fantastic to see the accomplishments of these extraordinary practitioners.

City Art Centre Curator, David Patterson said:

The City Art Centre is delighted to be staging this exhibition in partnership with Glasgow School of Art Exhibitions Director, Jenny Brownrigg. We were really intrigued by Jenny’s original proposal to tell the story of these pioneering women, and to bring their work to a wider public. The proposal also fitted so well with other photographic exhibitions being staged at the same time, providing a national and historical context to the two other displays which have a definite Edinburgh focus. We are confident that visitors will find the exhibition of real interest, as well as the accompanying events programme which enables a deeper exploration of the work of some of the artists.

Jenny Brownrigg, the curator of ‘Glean’ said:

I am delighted to be working with City Art Centre for this exhibition and am grateful to all the lenders. I hope that the exhibition shows the women’s different motivations for making their work. Seen together, their photography and films show different stories about Scotland.

 

Autumn is coming! The days are getting shorter, there is a crisp snap to the air, and the first rains are blowing in from the Pacific. To celebrate the changing of the seasons, Aubrey and I went out to the White River, east of the Cascades, and paddled the 14 miles of the twists and turns upstream of Lake Wenatchee. The tributaries of Lake Wenatchee are one of five spawning grounds for sockeye salmon in Washington, and now is the time that they are beginning their upstream migrations. Sockeye salmon fry (the baby fish) are unusual compared to other salmon in that they need a lake to mature, before they head out to the ocean (though land-locked populations also exist, called kokanee).

The river was never more than 300 yards or so from the road, and yet, it felt like a real wilderness, almost like being far from civilization in Alaska. In addition to the salmon, we saw bald eagles, river otters, american dippers, and lots of evidence of bears (paw tracks). It’s nice to see a healthy wilderness ecosystem thriving so close to civilization.

Tags: cascades, packrafting, paddling, white river

May 14, 2022

Landscape photography is about capturing the scenery of a place. It can be your way of showing how you see the world around you, and a way to capture the beauty of the landscape and environment, whether that’s local, or when travelling. This genre is all about light, location and composition. Thinking about what you include in your image can take your landscape photography from average to being spectacular. Below, in no particular order, we have rounded up some of the best landscape photographs we’ve seen as inspiration for your next landscape shoot…

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The Best Landscape Photographs

Morning at Countryside by Mara Leite

Mara Leite won the grand prize of Landscape Photographer of the Year 2021 with this beautiful photograph taken in Halnaker, West Sussex.

Mara told us, ‘Mill Lane is a famous footpath in Halnaker, West Sussex. I was looking for a different composition when I decided to turn the other way and saw this beautiful sight. I love the gate in the background and how the morning light is hitting the leaves and softly entering the tunnel.’

She shared her top tips for landscape photography here: Top tips for award-winning landscapes from LPOTY 2021 winners

@maralphoto

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Woolland Woods by Chris Frost

Chris Frost won Landscape Photographer of the Year 2020 with his early-morning shot of Woolland Woods in Dorset, with mist rolling over wild garlic.

‘Taken in spring of 2018 in a wooded area close to Milborne St. Andrew in Dorset, this was the third visit to the area in a matter of days,’ he explains. ‘On the previous days, both devoid of morning mists, the light had been harsh and unappealing but the third day delivered stunning conditions with mist swirling through the trees. The low shooting position allowed more emphasis to be placed on the wild garlic and pathway.’

@chris_frost_photography

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Breaking the Time by Aytek Çetin

Aytek Çetin won the overall International Landscape Photographer of the Year 2021 title with his portfolio containing this image Breaking The Time, Cappadocia, Turkey.

Aytek Çetin explained, ‘The 60-million-year-old story of fairy chimneys and the fact they have been home to different civilisations for tens of thousands of years, makes Cappadocia extremely mysterious for me. If you are lucky, you can visit there during hazy, atmospheric conditions with a soft light pushing through at sunrise or sunset.’

These soft light conditions were present when Çetin shot this cleverly framed study of the three fairy chimneys at sunrise on a winter morning. ‘The reason I chose this location is because I love the excitement inside me when the sun first hits the fairy chimneys and how it makes me feel like I’m living in the bronze age.’

Çetin was born and raised in Ankara, Turkey, and revealed, ‘I graduated from the department of sales management at university and, for many years, I worked as a store manager for luxury Italian clothing brands. I used to go to the sea for my limited holidays, but after repeating the same kind of trips for years, it was starting to lose its meaning for me. Then I decided to do something different, to dive deeply into nature. I started to explore remote, mountainous regions and experiencing the energy of the mightiest entities of nature, left me deeply impressed and awakened a love for nature within. An interest in photography followed as a result and has now turned into a passion!’

@aytekcetinphotography

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Comet NeoWise Setting by Tanmay Sapkal

Tanmay’s Sapkal’s image Comet NeoWise Setting won the 8th International Landscape Photograph of the Year, which is awarded for a single image at the International Landscape Photographer of the Year competition.

Sapkal is an amateur photographer from the USA, and his winning photograph was taken on Mt. Tamalpais, in Marin County, just north of San Francisco, USA.

Sapkal revealed to us how he shot the image, ‘It is quite a special place for photographers as it stands above the local landscape, which is engulfed in low coastal fog almost every summer evening. After shooting there tens of times over the last four years, I realised that I really liked the way fog looks when it is lit from underneath. I also realised that the comet would become visible in the north west sky, so I started planning this shot.’

He added, ‘It wasn’t possible to line up the comet exactly above the foreground I wanted, so I decided to take two separate exposures. It took a couple of visits to get just the right amount of fog on the hills to create the dreamy setting and then I waited patiently for some cars to drive by and create a blanket of light under the fog. After shooting for more than a few hours that night, my friend and I hurried back down to the car. Little did we know that parking on the mountain after sunset meant getting a parking ticket! But now, in my opinion, it’s the best $80 I have ever spent on parking! Ha ha!’

@theurbanvoyager

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Lake Magadi by Jie Fisher

This photograph by Jie Fischer, is one of the images as part of the portfolio which won the Landscapes & Adventure category of Travel Photographer of the Year 2021 (TPOTY). The photographs in her portfolio were taken from a helicopter and show a colourful, almost abstract depicting flamingos over the remarkable coloured waters of Lake Magadi in Kenya.

She explained, ‘Lake Magadi is one of the inland lakes at the southernmost point of Kenya, belonging to the Rift Valley area of Kenya, formed by fault subsidence. During the dry season, it is 80% covered by sodium carbonate and is well known for its wading birds, including flamingos. In the dry season, there will be salt deposits around the lake, forming colourful patterns, depending on wind and wave. Large numbers of flamingos are often seen here.’

@jiefischerphotographer

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Haines, Alaska by Pally Learmond

Pally Learmond won the ‘Landscapes & Adventure: Best Single Image’ category of TPOTY 2021 with this shot of a single skier in Haines, Alaska, USA.

He revealed, ‘Due to the close proximity of the Pacific Ocean, snow sticks to the mountains of southeast Alaska like nowhere else on earth. This creates a phenomenon called “spines” which form on top of the normally steep and rocky mountain faces. This provides professional free-ride skiers with a playground like no other. In this photo, Austrian professional free-skier Fabian Lentsch lets it all go on a mountain face called “Dirty Needle”.’

@pallylearmond

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It’s a Long Road by Daniel Newton

Daniel Newton won our Landscapes round of the Amateur Photographer of the Year 2021 competition. This was a unanimously recognised and well-received image, achieving placings and commendations from nine of the ten judges. A classic, bucolic landscape scene it most certainly is not, but that’s what makes it stand out. There’s an odd balance of bleakness and anticipation here.

Bleak, of course, thanks to the desolate sand dunes that flank the empty road, while the anticipation comes from the sense that the viewer is heading somewhere. We can’t help but be curious as to what might exist beyond the horizon.

The interesting processing adds to the overall effect. By desaturating and toning the image in the way he has, Daniel has enhanced the sense of other-worldliness.

Daniel also came second in the overall APOY competition and he shared his inspirations and tips here: APOY 2021 winners share their inspiration and tips ahead of 2022 competition

Amateur Photographer of the Year 2022 is now open, enter here.

@dan.newtons

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Gliding above the Gold by Dave Smith

Dave Smith came third in our Landscapes round of the Amateur Photographer of the Year 2021 competition with his image captured above Lake Annecy in the south of France… and what a shot! This photograph transports the viewer right into the scene, making us feel as if we are on top of a mountain looking down upon the intrepid paragliders as they float over a mist-covered Lake Annecy.

Dave did well to compose so that the paragliders stand out against the softness of the lower part of the frame. Any higher, and they would have been lost against the shadows. He’s also adhered to the rule of thirds nicely, which works well here. Overall, an atmospheric and evocative capture.

@davewsphotography

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Highway to the Stars by Jack Giam

Jack Giam from Australia won our Landscapes round of Young Amateur Photographer of the Year 2021.

The contrast between the bright orange of the traffic trails and the navy of the sky and water is what immediately catches the eye here. Jack has composed his shot very nicely, with the line of the road starting in the bottom right corner, then curving round and out of sight, leaving the viewer wondering where it leads.

In the right kind of daylight, this would have been a pleasing enough image, but taking the initiative to shoot it at night is what elevates it, and makes it a worthy winner.

@jackgiam

Enter Young Amateur Photographer of the Year 2022 here!

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Bare Land by Lorenzo Poli

The ‘Life on Earth’ series by Lorenzo Poli, which won the Professional, Landscape category at 2022 Sony World Photography Awards, delves into the ethereal magic of nature and the mysterious beauty of an untamed world, depicted through a diverse set of landscapes. This photograph was taken at an uninhabitable volcanic desert in the Icelandic Highlands. The climatic conditions here are so harsh that, for the majority of the year, life doesn’t thrive.

Lorenzo Poli said, ‘Science and religions may all fall short in explaining the incredible miracle of life which, through millennials of evolution, has transformed barren land into a living planet. There is an untamed world between sacred and magic, where the essence of life is safeguarded by silence, where the outer and the inner world coincide. This is what I am seeking to photograph.’

@lorenzopoli.photography

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Landscape with Trees by Federico Testi

Testi’s minimalist photograph Landscape with Trees won a Gold award in the Nature Art category of World Nature Photography Awards 2021.

Federico Testi explained, ‘The natural creativity of San Quirico d’orcia, in Tuscany, Italy. Waves, shapes and tone created by light, in harmony with the universe.’

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South Island Landscape, New Zealand by Sam Wilson

Sam Wilson won a Gold award in the Planet Earth’s Landscapes and Environments category of the World Nature Photography Awards 2021.

She revealed, ‘Travelling down random dirt roads can be so rewarding when you are greeted with scenes like this. Taken on South Island, New Zealand.’

@samwilson_photo

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Solar Graphic by Andrius Repšys

Taken during a winter of unseasonably heavy snowfall caused by climate change, ‘Solar Graphic’ by Andrius Repšys (Lithuania) captures sustainable energy sources such as dams, wind turbines and solar batteries from above, reducing them to graphic abstractions.

In 2021, Lithuania once again experienced a winter of heavy snowfalls – a result of the climate crisis and global warming. Depicted in these photographs are sustainable energy sources such as dams, wind turbines and solar batteries – the very things we need in order to slow down the occurrences of climate disasters. Two of the three main elements of Solar Graphics – seasonality and sustainable energy – organically and purposefully complement each other.

Winter’s monochromatic palette helps reveal the graphic elements found in the white snow. As the land is disrupted by dark lines new images appear – a mouth full of dazzling white teeth or a robot with a surprised look on its face. The high vantage point reduces the landscape to abstraction allowing the viewer to find new meanings and interpretations in the photograph.

Repšys’ was a finalist in the professional category of Sony World Photography Awards 2022.

@andrius.repsys

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Orchid by Zhu Jianxin

The Grand Prize winner in the Photo Category of the Skypixel 7th Anniversary Aerial Photo & Video Contest, was shot by Zhu Jianxin on a DJI Mavic 2 Pro.

The image, Orchid, shows an otherworldly sight of a frozen lake after a heavy snow fell in the Taklamakan Desert, China. With a simple change in perspective, several cracks on a frozen lake magically came together to form something akin to a portrait of an elegant orchid.

Jianxin explained, ‘Photography as an art form always comes from life. It is born from nature. I am amazed by how a drone changes my perspective and helps me capture the beauty of our world.’

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Perfect Chaos by Sara Zanini

Sara Zanini’s photograph taken over the town of Gangi in Sicily was shot on a DJI Mavic 2 Pro and received a First prize in the Skypixel Aerial Photo Contest. This photograph shows a fantastic juxtaposition between the traditional urban town against the natural mountainous landscape.

@sarazaniniiiii

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Room 504 by Charlotte Gibb

Charlotte’s stamping ground is California. It’s home to a wide variety of landscapes, from rugged coastlines to ancient Redwood trees and deserts. This photograph was taken opposite Yosemite Falls from a hotel room window. Firstly, what an incredible view to have from your room! Everything within this photograph, from the light and the falls to the focus drawn into the single tree is dreamy.

Speaking of intimate landscapes she said, ‘Intimate landscapes are compositions that have been derived from the larger scene. It could be a photograph of a small section of beach, or a group of trees, or it could be a photograph of a section of an entire mountain… My heart-of-hearts is with the Sierra Nevada mountains and Yosemite National Park, though… There is tremendous diversity, and as much as I go back again and again, I always come away with a new composition. My most meaningful work has come from these places.’

She shares her tips for capturing your own intimate landscapes here.

@charlottegibb

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Knowlton, Dorset by Jeremy Walker

This moody, monochrome scene by award winning professional landscape photographer and regular AP contributor Jeremy Walker brings a lot of drama and atmosphere with the dark intense sky looming over Knowlton church in Dorset.

When speaking about creating mono landscapes, Jeremy said choosing a ‘subject matter where the mood and drama help tell a story – ancient stone circles, Neolithic earthworks, and abandoned buildings like old churches can all look amazing with stormy skies and fleeting patches of light.’

This photograph is a perfect example!

Jeremy shares his tips for capturing moody monochrome landscapes like this here: How to capture moody monochrome landscapes

@jeremywalkerphotography

Jeremy will also be leading some of our upcoming Photography Holidays, in partnership with Zoom Photo Tours, see all information of our trips here.

Iceland Photo Adventure, 3-8 September 2022

Isle of Skye, 16-19 February 2023

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Stepping Stones #2 by Lee Frost

Black and white images can be simpler, more dramatic, more evocative and more atmospheric than colour. The minimal black and white shot by Lee Frost feels a lot calmer than Walker’s suspenseful landscape above. Taken on a foggy morning by Grasmere, Lake District, this image however doesn’t lack in atmosphere.

Whether you feel calm and at peace, or a sense of eeriness, Frost’s image is successful compositionally, with the stepping stones leading us into the lake.

See his tips for black and white photography.

@leefrostphotography

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The Far Hills by Rachael Talibart

For someone who describes themselves as ‘a poor swimmer and a poorly sailor’ it seems incredible that award-winning coastal and seascape photographer Rachael Talibart chose the sea as her muse.

Her captivating coastal photography has been recognised with awards such as Black+White Photographer of the Year in 2018 and winning the Sunday Times Magazine’s Landscape Photographer of the Year in 2016.

Talibart has had three monographs of her work published – including Sirens and Tides and Tempests – and she runs her f11 photography workshops as well as leading photography tours for Ocean Capture.

Talibart was also featured as one of our 12 top UK woman photographers you must follow

How to take great coastal shots and seascapes this winter

@rachaeltalibart

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 Sutton Park by Verity Milligan

Taken in Sutton Park, Birmingham, Verity Milligan’s photograph was taken on a cold morning in late autumn/early winter.

When speaking of this photograph on Instagram, she said, ‘This is one of those examples of why I love using a telephoto for landscape imagery. The sky would have added little to this composition and distracted from the main event — that frozen little island.’

Milligan’s images have featured in several exhibitions and have been highly commended in major photography awards such as Outdoor Photographer of the Year, British Life Photographer of the Year and Scottish Landscape Photographer of the Year.

Image featured in: Pro tips for great landscape photography

Milligan was also featured as one of our 12 top UK woman photographers you must follow

@veritymilligan

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Get more inspiration & tips

Feeling inspired? View our landscape photography tips and get shooting some spectacular shots!

If you are new to landscapes, check out our beginners guide to Landscape Photography.

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Further reading:

The best landscape photography books for inspiration

How to photograph low light urban landscapes

See the top 20 best travel photographs!

Follow AP on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

How to Hang and Care for Photographic Wall Art

Photographic wall art can transform a space. Works can tie a room together, pique the interest of guests, inspire creativity, and add a bit of flair and class to your home. All these benefits do not come freely, however. Once you purchase a piece of photographic art, you become its curator and have a responsibility to the piece to care for it and display it properly. Large pieces of wall art are not merely decorative tools, but treasures in and of themselves. Below are some general tips on proper preservation and presentation of photo wall art, so that all your pieces get the treatment they deserve.

Hanging & Displaying Your Art

The first consideration you should have with a large photographic work is where to put it and how to get it up there. This can take more effort and be more expensive than you might think, so make sure you’re in love with the work you choose and have the space to put it first.

Positioning Your Artwork

Figuring out where to put a piece of art can be difficult, especially if you inhabit a smaller or busier space. Location is of the utmost importance, however, as a poorly placed piece can not only adversely affect the artwork itself, but the whole flow of a room.

As a general rule, artworks should be hung so that their centers sit at eye level—something around 63 inches above the floor. Too high or too low, and people will need to contort themselves or stand at a distance to see the whole thing. If you’re hanging a photograph above a mantle or piece of furniture, a buffer zone is necessary to avoid awkward spacing and crowding. Something just shy of 10 inches should be enough.

Another important consideration is how close to any windows a piece is. Sunlight can cause photographs to fade and the materials they’re printed on to break down. Indirect sunlight is usually fine, but shade is the best preservative.

Most importantly, hang your art in a place where it can be seen and appreciated. Tight spaces like hallways and stairways are to be avoided, and make sure things like furniture and other pieces of decor don’t obscure your piece.

Using French Cleats

There are many ways of hanging photographic wall art. Some methods are better than others and many kinds of prints can only be hung certain ways.

The French cleat system, for instance, is ideal for works which feature some sort of rear-facing frame or lip. Floating frames are a good example of this, as their edge tends to protrude slightly from the back of the canvas itself. Bare canvasses which have their wooden frames exposed are also quite suitable.

French cleats are rectangular blocks of wood where one edge is cut at a slant, creating a sort of wedge shape. These pieces are fastened to a wall so that the tapered edge faces up and away from it. These edges are what make contact with the back frame, and friction holds the work close to the wall.

French cleats are convenient for their simple design and basic material construction. Anyone with scrap wood, a drill, and some screws or bolts can make a set. To set them up, simply mark on the target wall the places where the inner corners of the rear-facing frame will meet and drill the cleats in so that they align with the marks. As cleats require a little bit more wall drilling than other systems, always be sure to avoid hitting studs, and make sure your cleats are level with each other.

The Hook of D-Clips

Another popular method of hanging larger works is with D-clips. These are small, hinged loops (shaped like the letter D) fastened to the back of a frame, usually on the left and right sides.

D-clips are meant to be looped onto picture hangers nailed into the wall. These are the classic brass fixtures with a flat hook on one end and a loop on the other, punched through with a nail hole.

D-clips can be considered somewhat safer than French cleats because they use more than friction to keep the artwork in place. It is, however, more difficult to get a piece to be flush with the wall using this method, since the picture hangers and the D-clips must all extend past the terminus of the artwork itself.

The D-clip method is also commendable for requiring very little hardware: four pieces not including the pre-installed clips themselves. Getting the picture hangers perfectly aligned and level can be quite difficult, however, so it’s best to have good measuring tools and a helper.

Hanging By A Wire

The final hanging method for big photo artworks is with picture wire. This is perhaps the most ubiquitous and popular means of hanging wall art, both big and small.

Wire hanging works by running a piece of thin coiled wire between the right and left sides of the back of an artwork. It can be attached to D-clips or fastened straight to whatever backing the work has. A picture hanger, nail, bolt, or screw is then driven into the wall and the wire hung on it.

Wire hanging requires even less hardware than the regular D-clip method, and because there is only a single pivot point, fine adjustments are much more easily made. One downside is that this method tends to cause artworks to lean forward on top, making the whole thing tilt downward. As well, the wall mount needs to be quite strong, since it bears all the weight, and larger works may be too heavy.

Lighting Your Artwork

Once you’ve gotten your piece hung, you’ll need to figure out how to light it. There is a wide variety of lighting fixtures and techniques to choose from, and each will have a unique effect on how the colors and textures of a piece behave.

Natural Lighting

Sunlight is the baseline for all lighting, but is generally to be avoided for its ability to damage artworks. Indirect sunlight during the day can help save on electricity costs, but any kind of shade is going to make a piece of art less visible.

Artificial lighting is a much better route, but you’ll still tend to want to replicate the character of sunlight as closely as possible. The warmth or coolness of a light source is measured in Kelvin, and sunlight typically reaches about 5000K. For the most natural representations of color, all lighting should fall around this value.

Types of Fixtures

There are many types of fixtures which can be used to direct light at your piece, and each has its own advantages and disadvantages.

Ceiling sconces and other forms of lighting embedded in the roof above a work are subtle and illuminate a piece without distracting from it. Overhead lighting should strike the art at about a 30 degree angle in order to minimize shadows below the work and reduce glare and reflections. Making ceiling lighting hit a piece of wall art at this angle can be difficult, and installing new sunken fixtures can be a hassle.

Track lighting is easier to install, and can be aimed and directed. Several spotlights are attached to a metal rail and can be used to light both an artwork and other areas of a room. The main downside is increased visibility. Track lighting is a common element of interior design these days, but some might still want something less obtrusive.

Wall washers, on the other hand, sit on the floor or are attached to the wall itself. These can be visually interesting, but the size and angle of their beams are less easy to control. They tend to create odd shadows on artworks and be much more obvious than other kinds of fixtures.

Picture lights hang just above or are attached to the artwork itself. They spread light directly onto a piece from a close range, and as a result can fail to illuminate the whole field evenly. Nonetheless, they are an easy solution and have a classic look which many may find desirable.

Types of Light Sources

Equally important is the kind of light source your fixtures use. Some lights will look more natural, some will be brighter, and others better for the preservation of the art itself.

Incandescent bulbs have been the norm for decades, and offer a warmer, more personal glow to a work and a space. They are, however, far from energy efficient and often dimmer than may be desired.

Fluorescent bulbs are more eco-friendly and brighter, but with one big downside: UV radiation. This creates the same problem as direct sunlight, as UV rays can fade and damage artwork overtime. If you choose to go fluorescent, make sure the light source is far away and try not to have it on all the time.

Halogen bulbs create a perfect facsimile of sunlight without the harmful UV spectrum. They’re also powerful and easily able to illuminate even the largest of pieces. Unfortunately, these bulbs are also very hot, and with these and any type of bulb, it’s best to keep them at a distance from the artwork.

LEDs, or light-emitting diodes are, in most cases, the best way to go. As the technology behind them has advanced, LEDs are now able to rival halogen bulbs in terms of their similarity to sunlight, but without appreciable levels of heat. LEDs are also cheap and easy to position, making them both budget- and conservation-friendly. With LEDs it’s also easy to change the beam angle to suit the size of the artwork, and color temperature can be set to balance with other sources of illumination in a space.

Go With The Flow

With all these considerations about mounting, positioning, and lighting, the overall message is flow. Where you put a piece, what kinds of decor it shares the space with, and how you allow viewers to look at a piece all have a profound effect on the impact of the art itself. Encompassing bold and intellectual abstract works, busy cityscapes, intimate portraits, and stunning scenes from the natural world, professional photographs can be some of the most beautiful works in the art world. Still, at the end of the day, it’s your job as owner and curator to show others exactly how and why a piece is special.

MADISON HEIGHTS — The Red Oaks Nature Center at Suarez Friendship Woods is one of the city’s best-kept secrets — an oasis of greenery in the heart of Madison Heights, hidden away from the roads, where visitors can enjoy peace and quiet on woodland trails. The experience comes complete with a museum chock-full of educational exhibits.

Yet despite the relative tranquility of the park, there’s a lot of hard work that takes place behind the scenes, driven in large part by volunteers. Recently, county officials paid tribute to them at the nature center, located at 30300 Hales St. across from Red Oaks Waterpark on 13 Mile Road west of Dequindre Road.

Among those recognized were volunteers Jean Linville, George Hankins, Cheryl Charpentier-Hankins, Judy Simpson and Mary Haller, each of whom have been helping at the nature center for at least 10 years, when it was first run by the city of Madison Heights, before later coming under the control of Oakland County Parks and Recreation.

Oakland County Commissioner Gary McGillivray helped broker that deal.

“I have been involved with the nature center since it first opened when I was serving on the City Council, and it has always had a special place in my heart,” said McGillivray, who also chairs the Oakland County Parks and Recreation Commission, in a statement. “It was an honor to have the opportunity to recognize these special longtime volunteers, who share my passion for the nature center and who have donated countless hours to keep it running all these years. I’m very thankful for their efforts.”

Haller, an Oak Park resident, said that she first visited the nature center when her daughter worked with a naturalist there in the early 2000s, a time during which Haller and her husband were living in California. They eventually moved nearby, buying a home that backed up to Suarez Friendship Woods.

“I loved having the woods as my ‘backyard’ and walked almost daily,” Haller said in an email. “I volunteered occasionally then, but started coming weekly after Oakland County took over operations. We welcomed visitors, gave tours, and shared what we knew about the birds, turtles, fish and butterflies. We also helped with seasonal decorating, parties, and supported various programs.

“I’ve often considered the nature center as a community center with all the different programs, birthday parties, community cleanups, Hotdog Fridays, and fall open houses,” she added. “I still come back whenever I’m in the area for a walk in the woods. It’s always magical to me how as soon as I step in the woods, I immediately start breathing deeper, and feel calmer.”

The park itself spans 37 acres and includes 1.3 miles of paved pathways, popular with walkers and bicyclists, as well as those taking their dog for a stroll or watching the many birds that make the woods a stopover on their migratory travels.

There are educational programs throughout the year that make extensive use of the trails, and a special “Storybook Trail” features installations that tell a story as one proceeds along the path.

Sarah Hudson began working at the park as its naturalist eight years ago. She said that since before that time, volunteers have been coming to the center at least once a week to assist with a variety of tasks. She said that volunteers and nature center staff have become like a family, and that the patrons also love interacting with the volunteers.

She described how the volunteers care for the captive animal collection, prepare materials and snacks for programs, greet and direct visitors, create promotional materials for upcoming events, and assist with programs by handling animals for patrons to see and touch, and reading stories.

“Their support has brought a new dynamic to the experience we are able to offer guests, as well as contributed countless hours and effort, allowing staff to serve larger audiences and be more effective with their own work hours,” Hudson said via email.

She noted that the museum’s exhibit space was redone as recently as 2019, and that the live specimens in its collection include a variety of reptiles and amphibians native to Michigan. There is also a kids’ area, a bird-viewing window, and seasonal interactive displays.

“Red Oaks Nature Center, and the park as a whole, are still a hidden jewel to many members of the community. The nature center isn’t visible from the road, or even from the parking lot, and I think many people pass it by without realizing it’s even there,” Hudson said. “But please, come and check out this great resource and experience that’s right in your neighborhood.”

The nature center is free to visit, and is open Tuesday through Sunday all year round.

For more information, call the Red Oaks Nature Center at (248) 585-0100.

Design fails can come in many forms. Sometimes it’s an unintentional reference or a simple typo that could have been avoided with closer proofreading. And sometimes an attempt to do something clever falls apart in the execution.

This one falls into the latter category. I get the idea – I think. The travel brand wanted to show a sudden transformation in the face of a young woman as she goes from travelling vicariously by staring at people’s social media feeds to taking a selfie of her own on holiday in Europe. A few pixels of space between the two images might have made that work. Maybe. But as it is, the result looks like something very different.

Earlier this fall I spent 10 days touring the Dolomites. The Dolomites, designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage site, are located in northern Italy and are part of the Alps. The jagged mountain peaks, reflections on the lakes, fall color, and churches are particularly stunning. The sunrises and sunsets can be spectacular. Some of the churches with their ornate architecture are centuries old and but still in surprisingly good condition given their age. The weather in the area is extremely unpredictable.

The image in this post is of Mt Sass de Putia. The day before this image was taken, we visited the area and the entire area including the mountain peak was enshrouded in fog. The mountain peak and the valley below were not visible. I spent the afternoon entertaining myself photographing trees and buildings vanishing in the fog. Prior to our visit our local guides attempted to describe the scenery that we could expect to see. It was difficult to put that in perspective when all you could see was fog.

The next day we returned to the exact same location and the weather was sunny. I was completely blown away by the scenery. I found the scenery more spectacular than described by our guides. The image seen here is of Mt Sass de Putia bathed in the golden light as the sun set. I especially like the mix of warm and cool tones. The color in the cool blue sky and the golden light on the mountain peaks complement each other nicely. My camera did an excellent job of holding detail in the spruce trees. I hope you enjoy this image.

Fall has arrived! Here in the northwest, that means the blueberry bushes are turning red, the larches gold, and a plethora of other plants are taking on shades of yellow, orange, red, and purple. It also means that the rains have come, bringing with them the mist and wetness that so characterize the northwest. Last weekend Aubrey and I went out to a remote area in the Cascades to enjoy the colors and rain, and we were not disappointed. Getting away from people here means you have to work for it, and we did. Our approach involved biking up 8 miles and over 3,000 feet gain on a forest road, followed by 6 miles and 1,500 feet gain on foot. The ride up wasn’t as bad as we had feared, but with an overnight backpack on biking is not particularly comfortable. Well worth it though, for the quick ride back to the bottom on our hike out! Once we broke through treeline we were treated to never-ending views of every color imaginable. I’ll let the pictures do the rest of the talking.

Tags: alpine lakes, autumn, blueberries, cascades, fall color, lakes, larches, mist, northwest, pacific northwest, rain, washington

May 16, 2022

Why compose your landscape images in a square format? Three top photographers with different approaches share their creative reasons with Claire Gillo

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How to: Square Format Landscape Photography

Jonathan Chritchley

Jonathan Chritchley is a fine art photographer whose many prestigious clients including Ralph Lauren and Vogue. He is known for his artistic approach to seascapes, sailing and wildlife. Jonathan is the founder and owner of Ocean Capture, which specialises in luxury photography tours. Visit www.jonathanchritchley.com, www.oceancapture.com and follow on Instagram @jonathanchritchley and @oceancapture.

Jonathan Chritchley is lucky enough to reside in the glorious warm climate of the South of France, however he was born in the UK in the sprawling urban suburbs of Wimbledon in London. At the age of 14 Jonathan moved to a small sailing town called Lymington on the south coast of England and it was here the photographer became infatuated by the water. ‘The water has always been very close,’ he says. ‘The sea is very important to me.’

Jonathan doesn’t tie himself to one genre of photography, and his work crosses from seascapes, to wildlife (mainly horses) and sailing boats. Most of his images however are united by the water, a black & white finish and a square image crop. Shooting in square is something Jonathan feels comfortable with as he comes from a film background. ‘I used to work with a Hasselblad 6×6 square format film,’ he says. ‘Once I got into digital I was using a 35mm format but it didn’t quite feel right.’

Jonathan continues to explain that at first the purist in him felt like it would be fake and dishonest to mess around with the aspect ratio of his images. After struggling for a while Jonathan listened to his gut and started to crop his digital images to square. ‘As a photographer you have to follow your preferences and those strong feelings of what you personally like into your photography.’

Jonathan takes his square format images on his Nikon D850 and for the time being he is very happy with his set-up. ‘I’m not really interested in going mirrorless at the moment,’ he states. ‘I like big, heavy cameras.’ For Jonathan when he’s precariously standing on a moving boat or trying to steady himself as he tracks a moving horse he finds having a heavy camera body balances him.

‘It weighs me down in a good way,’ he says. Jonathan says he has three Nikon camera bodies and they get a good smashing about. ‘They’re bulletproof!’ he jokes. As for lenses Jonathan has a range of Zeiss and Nikon brands in his collection. ‘I always carry with me the Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8. It’s fantastic – I love it.’ He finds this lens particularly useful for shooting moving matter such as sailing boats and horses. Jonathan also highlights his fixed Zeiss Distagon 21mm F2.8 from his collection for taking his seascapes. ‘It’s quite old now,’ he says, ‘but it’s still brilliant.’

If you’re interested in shooting square format images yourself Jonathan leaves our interview with some great advice. ‘Start by cropping your existing images square and learn from that,’ he counsels. ‘On a rainy day go through your back catalogue and move the square crop around in the frame. Start to see how you can place things effectively in the frame.’

For those with cameras that cannot shoot square Jonathan advises to frame your compositions wider. ‘Some people like to compose in portrait format, and chop off the top and bottom of the image, and some like to compose in a landscape orientation, which is what I tend to do. Either way works,’ he continues. ‘It’s a case of leaving enough space, because if you’re going to chop the sides off then you want to make sure there’s nothing crucial left out of your composition.’

Jonathan’s top 3 tips:

1. Crop your existing pictures square to see if you like it and to find out what works.
2. If your camera has an in-camera square format feature, set it up.
3. Shoot wider than you normally would to allow you to crop in square.

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Beata Moore

Beata Moore is a photographer and writer living in Kingston-upon-Thames, England. She is the author of five coffee-table books and two visitor guidebooks. Currently she is working on her eighth book, Photographing Surrey and Sussex, for fotoVUE publishers, which will be available next year. Find out more at beatamoore.co.uk and follow on Instagram @moorebeata, FaceBook @BeataMoorePhotography and Twitter @BeaM00RE.

Beata Moore is inspired by the sea, geology, nature, and architecture. ‘I like to observe light, colour, lines and patterns in the landscapes,’ she says. Beata has always had a keen interest in nature, and attained a postgraduate degree in botany. ‘At first, many of my photographs showed the natural world, especially trees. To this day I am still enchanted by the timeless beauty of the trees,’ she continues. ‘However, soon into my photographic career I established a preference for seascapes and waterscapes. I am particularly drawn to the subtleties of smaller details of landscape providing me with endless patterns, shapes and textures.’

Having learnt her craft with film cameras, both 35mm and medium format, she now works exclusively with digital. ‘Last year I switched from Canon DSLRs to Canon mirrorless bodies,’ she tells us. ‘Most of my lenses are Canon, from a wideangle to a 400mm. My Canon EOS RP with the RF 70-200mm f4 L IS USM lens is my lightest and most favourite set-up at the moment.

The RF 70-200mm lens isolates key elements within the landscape well, and most importantly it has great centre sharpness. It nicely flattens the perspective and opens up a world of endless patterns and shapes that are hard to notice with wider lenses.’

Growing up, Beata found there were always cameras around at home. ‘My father’s old Pentacon Six was my very first camera I used as a teenager. It was a cumbersome camera made in East Germany in the ’70s. Mastering film loading took me ages, and it was so heavy that I constantly complained! Nevertheless, I loved seeing the world in what felt like three-dimensional glass of the waist-level viewfinder. Framing the image was exciting – seeing sharp 6×6 squares with plenty of details, was just pure joy.’

When it comes to shooting square with digital Beata prefers not to take the shot square in camera but rather alter this at the editing stage. ‘Cropping at the post production stage gives me more flexibility and occasionally, new ideas regarding the crop,’ she tells us. ‘Also, sporadically, I create two images from just one frame.’ She continues to describe how this can be useful for exhibiting two images with similar colours and feel, or for creating diptychs. Beata often exhibits her images in galleries and she finds the square format to not only work well as a stand-alone image but also in a set of two or three.

Beata finds the square format fits in better with her approach to photography as it captures intimate landscapes, less literal scenes, and the abstracts that she often shoots. ‘It also hugs images giving them this neatly “boxed” feeling,’ she says. ‘The way we look at squares is different from rectangular images, as all the sides of a square have an equal weighting, so our eye moves around the frame in a circular motion, rather than linear,’ she continues.

‘Squares require a little bit more effort and often more simplicity when composing, so be sure to concentrate on the main subject and its placement. Remember that square is not an ideal format for everything, however, and even when the preference is strong, it may not be suitable for all our photographs.’

Beata’s top 3 tips:

1. When creating square images, a sense of order and harmony is very important, so simplify your composition.
2. Square formats are ideal for central placement, but also for placement near any edge of the frame, so be bold with your composition.
3. Don’t be afraid of using negative space around the subject – it can improve the image significantly.

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Lea Tippett

Lea Tippett is a landscape photographer and Sigma ambassador based in the South West of the UK. He has much experience photographing this part of the world as well as travelling further afield to many places including Scotland, Ireland, and Wales. Find out more at www.leatippett.com and follow on Instagram @lea.tippett and Facebook @Lea Tippett Landscape Photographer. Throughout 2022 Lea is running a range of Sigma Masterclass workshops. Find out more at bit.ly/3LGbOCC

Lea Tippett started his photographic journey in the early days of digital and has since grown with the technology and medium. Trying his hand at whatever came his way to begin, Lea found he was no good at taking portraits but was pulled towards the landscape genre and nature. It was from there his practice evolved. ‘I’m very fortunate as I’ve been an ambassador for Sigma for over ten years now,’ Lea tells us. ‘I’ve always stuck with the Sigma cameras and lenses as well.’

Currently Lea shoots on a Sigma fp and fp L camera bodies, and has in his bag a range of Sigma lenses including his number one choice for his landscapes, a Sigma Art 14-24mm f/2.8 DG DN. ‘It’s a lovely lens,’ he tells us. ‘It’s nice and bright and sharp at the corners as well…. But obviously I cut off the corners anyway!’ he laughs. For Lea he likes to compose and shoot his square images in camera.

‘I do this rather than processing, purely because I can,’ he says. ‘It’s more convenient as I can see what I’ve got on screen rather than having to chop and change the image around after.’ To hunt for the ideal composition before Lea even gets his camera out, he uses a square plastic window. ‘I’m a bit of an old fuddy-duddy!’ he laughs.

‘I cut myself a little plastic square window, which I take around with me. People must look at me and think what the hell’s that guy doing?’ he laughs again. ‘In all seriousness though, it’s easy because you can take the square in your camera bag, pop it out and place it in front of you, and see straight away how an image will work. I also use my iPhone to do this, which I’ve set to square.’

For Lea, his journey to shoot square was something he tried simply because he was inspired to do so. ‘Some of my favourite photographers shoot that way,’ he says. ‘Photographers like Bruce Percy in particular. I’ve got a lot of time for his work. His work is like poetry – it’s more than just a photograph.’ As for his own practice, Lea finds the square format to be more compositionally forgiving. ‘As far as where you place the subject, you don’t necessarily have to work to the rules,’ he reveals.

‘The rules are far more relaxed. I also find square images have more of an artistic appeal, and this retro look, which is something I like.’ Lea also finds it appealing that his square landscape scenes separates him in what is a highly competitive industry. ‘A few years back, I realised my photography was similar to everybody else. I was taking images 3:2, which is fine, but I wanted my work to be set away from the norm.

‘I wanted to develop and be known for my own look. I’m not saying I’m the only one who shoots square – far from it – just that fewer people tend to, which is another appeal for me.’

Lea’s top 3 tips:

1. Start by practising. Set your mobile phone to square and have a go.
2. If you can set your camera to shoot square then do so. You can see your compositions as you shoot.
3. Take a small light square frame around with you. This could simply be made from a piece of cardboard or plastic.

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Further reading:

How to take the minimalist approach to landscapes

Beginners guide to Landscape Photography

Intimate Spring: landscape photography with a difference

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