Diary of a Landscape Photographer | Entry 4
In this series of blog entries, I share little thoughts and parts of my journey as I transition from full time employment into the world of self employment and what some might call entrepreneurship.
It’s happened again. A sudden rush of creative energy just hit me out of nowhere. I’ve spent the last three hours working; writing this, updating all of the products in one of my stores with print and canvas information, adding new limited edition fine art prints, updating categories for the fine art prints, I even enabled a new members section to my site after getting lost in a world of legal jargon, returns & privacy policies and terms of service, all of which I have now added. It’s been very productive evening in the world of Brad Carr Photography. Talking of which, if you need to contact me, it is now brad@bradcarrphotography.co.uk because, you know, I’m professional and all that.
Coming up in my little world, I have an exciting photoshoot for a carpentry website over the next few weeks. My first major project and so I have been busy brainstorming and creating a mood board for what is going to be a perfect test for me and my skills. Think vintage, black and white, natural window light, dark and moody tones and you’ll be on the same page as me. I’m really looking forward to this one.
I also have a couple of talks in the next few weeks with some business advisors because I suppose I probably should do this all properly and avoid any unwanted knocks at the door.
There are also some plans to work with more humans moving forward - I have a portrait and lifestyle page now up and running again over on Instagram, where I’ll be sharing some other work that I pick up. I figured that I might have a better chance of getting paid from people than I do from trees. The deeper I get into photography, the more I want to learn and try my hand at, this bug just will not die.
I thought it would be rude not to share a couple of images from this weeks photography adventures outdoors. The light really shone through for me on both of these occasions.
Diary of a Landscape Photographer | Entry 3
Are you interested to know what I’ve been up to for the last month since I quit my full time job?
I’ve compiled a full months worth of landscape photography in this post.
Well, I really don’t think I could have asked for a better first month in my new career as a professional landscape photographer. At the date of writing, I’ve managed to get out into my local area an incredible thirteen out of twenty eight days with my camera so far. Eight of those have been spent in the grounds of the magnificent Powis Castle with the wonderful woodland making for a new favourite subject of mine. I’ve had a great time finding interesting compositions of the winter trees. They have really allowed me to use an imagination that’s been heavily influenced by the likes of Game of Thrones and, especially, Lord of the Rings while growing up. My Nan made me realise that. She recently questioned whether I saw deeper meanings or stories within my photographs as I showed her my work, before proceeding to tell me some of the things that she could see as she looked through. Since then, I’ve made a conscious effort to think outside of the box when out in the landscape, looking for and composing my photographs.
I have been treated to some absolutely superb conditions for landscape photography, as you’ll see when you scroll down. To think that I would have missed out on nearly all of these photographs, had I still been working in the office for ten hours a day, missing the best light at sunrise and sunset, really confirms that I made the correct decision in risking everything to make a career out of landscape photography. Of course, it’s not been all plain sailing. There have been a couple of days where some self doubt has crept in. I’ve asked myself a few times if I’m sure that I have made the right decision. I think that was to be expected having been in full time employment since I left Aberystwyth University ten years ago. I have sometimes found myself sitting and scratching my head thinking, ‘arghh, I should be doing something right now.’ But then I quickly realise that there is no one to impress or hide from anymore. There are no more ‘quick, look busy’ moments as I fail in evading the supermarket management while I try to take a quick five minute break to swipe through social media.
That’s the beauty of my life now. I have nobody to answer too but myself. Of course, that means that I must be disciplined with my approach to every day now. With a 6.30 alarm and absolutely no exceptions, I’m straight into my journal to write and plan. No more lying in bed until 7.05, scrolling through social media trying to hide from the fact that I have to go and spend my day in a place where I don’t want to be. No more waking up on Monday morning wishing for Friday evening. I have to take responsibility of my life again. Because this life of mine, literally depends on it.
If the weather is good, which it has been more often than not, I quickly throw on some warm clothes, boil the kettle, fill up the flask with some coffee, swing my rucksack over my shoulder and then I’m out of the door with the big wide world in my sights. Ok, not just yet but I do only have a three or four mile radius in my sights for now. Not that I am complaining about that, of course. It’s a small radius that I’ve discovered is filled with natural beauty and hasn’t stopped me capturing some of my favourite ever photographs.
I’ll start with the following series of photographs from the grounds of Powis Castle, which isn’t short of colourful, grand and very interesting trees and woodland. It wasn’t so long ago that I was questioning just what it is that woodland photographers see when they compose their photographs. Here is what I have managed to come up with:
Powis Castle - A Winter Wonderland
Mid Wales sure does look beautiful in the snow, don’t you think? These following trees all drew my attention for various reasons. At times, I was literally running around the landscape to find some angles that would give my photos some context. Probably drew some funny reactions from passers by but I was in my own world and had no idea what was going on outside of photography mode.
Belan Lock & The Montgomery Canal
My second local escape that I have utilised once again throughout this lockdown is the beautiful Montgomery Canal, specifically the short two mile route to Belan Lock from Welshpool. Not only is this one of the more picturesque walks in my area, you’ll also be treated to an abundance of wildlife and who knows, you might even make good friends with a robin like I appear to have recently. Anyone following along on my social media platforms will have seen some daily videos of my encounters with this little guy:
I don’t think that you can ever see enough photos of robins, so here are nine more for you to enjoy.
For anyone interested, I have made a few available for prints and canvases in the store.
A snow-capped long mountain here in Mid Wales.
A small gallery of the snowdrop photographs that I have managed to collect so far from near Belan Locks this year. It won’t be long now and I’ll be on the hunt for some beautiful bluebell woodland as spring really bursts into life. As much as I enjoy trying to stay here and now in the present moment, I sometimes get caught thinking of the beautiful things that are to come in the future.
So there you have it, very briefly, a summary of everything that I have been doing over the last month. I’m really looking forward to February, I have some exciting things happening.
A small selection of products to be stocked in Alexander’s of Welshpool.
The first of two business workshops that I’m attending.
Hopefully, some more beautiful weather conditions so that I can find some more interesting photographs of and around Welshpool.
If you haven’t already, I’ll encourage you to sign up to my newsletter so that I can bombard you with email after email. Just kidding, I’m planning to send out a bi-weekly email with updates on any events and workshops that I have planned as we (fingers crossed) move out of lockdown in the future. It will also be the place where I can update you with new prints and any future book releases (yes, I’m planning to write and release a book or two).
You can sign up at the bottom of the page.
As I always do, I just want to say a massive thank you for being interested in the work I do and the life that I have chosen to live. It really does mean the world to me. It’s extremely humbling to have grown the social media presence that I have so far and something tells me that this is only just the beginning.
Brad.
10 Top Tips to Improve Your Landscape Photography in 2023
Looking for some top tips to improve your landscape photography?
Look no further.
Here, I run through 10 of mine that I hope will help and inspire you to get out there and take better landscape photos.
Introduction
We’ve all been there. Back home after a long and exhausting day of landscape photography out in the field. We throw our bags on the floor and kick our mud-covered hiking boots off in the doorway. The dog is super excited to see us for the first time in 12 hours, she’s starving and needs feeding. But, of course, we don’t care. We have an SD card that full of images and the world will end if we don’t sit down at the computer to download them immediately and edit until the early hours, forgetting about any other life responsibilities.
With the downloading process in motion, we head into the kitchen, dog in tow. She’s disappointed when she realises that a cup of tea is the only thing on your mind. Plus the memories of the day and them sweet looking landscapes, of course. You sit back down and there you are, greeted with 600+ images, 400 of which are nearly identical, with just a slight change in angle to tell them apart. As you make your way through your days’ work, the feelings of disappointment grow stronger. ‘These aren’t anything like the beautiful photographs that I’ve seen on Instagram’, your inner voice declares.
Well, what I’m hoping for, by writing this blog post, is to prevent you from some of those terrible feelings of disappointment and give you a solid foundation from which you can build and improve your landscape photography. At the bottom of the blog, I’ll provide you with some links to the YouTube pages of some of my favourite photographers that have been an outstanding source of information for me over the last two and a half years.
Below, are 10 of my top tips that I think have helped me significantly through my landscape photography journey so far. The points discussed all go beyond what I would call ‘the technical basics’ of taking photos, meaning, that I’m not going to be touching on cameras, lenses, aperture or shutter speed in any real depth. The tips are based around things that you can do personally to improve your photos and compositions. I will release another blog post in the future that will help with some of the basic camera settings that I use in some of my images. If you don’t want to miss that, make sure that you are following me on my Instagram & Facebook or, you can subscribe to my newsletter that will be rolling out very soon. The newsletter form can be found at the bottom of this page.
Patience
Anybody that has spent a little time outdoors, especially here in Wales, will know just how quickly the lighting can shift sometimes and completely transform a landscape from a sunny, blue sky paradise, into a deep, dark, moody looking Game of Thrones set. There have been a number of occasions throughout my photography journey so far, where I have left, or been about to leave a location when, out of nowhere, the clouds part and it’s as though God is shining a torch down from heaven, with a wry grin on his face as if to say, ‘don’t be so hasty young man!’
Having practiced the art of patience through my bodybuilding over the years, I feel that it transitioned into my landscape photography right from the beginning. Anybody following me on Instagram might have seen me working out while waiting for some light to hit the top of Buachille Etive Beag in Scotland last year. Still, I’m no master of patience. Little lessons and reminders do often still appear. Only a couple of months back, I was making my way home from a short photography trip to Lake Vyrnwy, where I wanted to create a large panoramic image of the boathouse and Victorian water tower. I’d already had my tripod set up for well over an hour and I’d decided to pack up because the light hadn’t changed and the whole scene was looking a little too dull. Five minutes up the road, the clouds broke and allowed some light through. With no hesitation, I span the car around, went back to my spot and ended up coming back with this photograph.
You might be wondering what on Earth I’m doing while I’m stood outdoors in the open, in the same place for an hour or two, with nothing but the birds for company. Well, this takes me nicely onto point number 2.
2. Slow down & take a breath
I think it’s pretty clear to us just how much the digital revolution has changed the world. All you have to do is take a walk along your local high street and you’ll probably see one in two people either looking at, or listening to a mobile phone. We are facing the beginning of what I feel, could be an attention span crisis. Generally speaking, we don’t know how to pay attention to a single task. How often do you find yourself breaking out your phone when it buzzes during a face to face conversation?
I don’t personally think that a short attention span would do me any favours out in the field. Photography is an art form based on our senses. If we can’t tune in to these senses because our minds are always elsewhere or waiting for the next notification, how can we expect to create compelling landscape images that capture the attention of our viewer?
Around a year ago, on a solo trip to photograph the Point of Ayr Lighthouse in Talacre, North Wales, my mind was all over the place. I’d had one of those weeks and whilst driving up to North Wales, all I wanted to do was turn the car around and go home. I persevered and on arrival, I decided that I would spend a while simply walking around the location, taking it all in, practicing some deep breathing and just clearing my head before even taking out my camera and looking for a photo.
Now, I’ll purposely aim to arrive a little early (before the best light) to allow myself time to walk around and breathe. I’ve been an advocate of the Wim Hof Method for about a year now. My phone will often be placed on airplane mode while I’m out there in order to better connect with nature and the landscape and to gain a deeper understanding of how I’m feeling, as I think this all translates into an image.
Using these methods was a huge turning point for me and since adopting it, I feel like I’ve noticed the biggest improvement in my photography, with the below image being the result of my first practice back in January 2020 (yes… the one where I wanted to spin the car around and go home)!
3. Chase Progress, Not Perfection
With platforms like Instagram forcing comparison by constantly showing you an unbelievably high level of photography, every minute of every day, it’s so easy to become disillusioned with where you are in your journey.
This is where it’s important to focus on your own art and try to make each photograph just that little bit better than the last. If you’ve only just picked up a camera, you can’t expect to become the next Ansel Adams over night. Try revisiting the same place over and over again and with each new journey, try something a little bit different. If you took a photo using a fast shutter speed to capture some water on your first visit, perhaps try slowing the shutter down this time to see what kind of photograph that produces. It might not work but at least then you have a reason to analyse what didn’t work in the image, allowing you to make tweaks for the future.
Brick by brick is a little philosophy that I live my life by. I have some big ideas but when I’m trying to build a large mansion, focusing on my next little brick is the only thing that’s important to me. Rome wasn’t built in a day, of course.
Below is another image of the Point of Ayr Lighthouse, this time I tried a long exposure to create a very dramatic looking photograph.
This leads me very nicely onto my next point.
4. Try Unique Ideas
What is the one thing we have in this world that no one can steal, copy or borrow?
Our identities. Who we are. Our own experiences. Why we like to communicate in the ways that we do. You need to try to tap into this and make it your superpower. Learn to translate these experiences into your own photography to create imagery that nobody else can.
Of course, with the average person being shown literally hundreds or thousands of photographs every day, it’s so easy to get caught up in travelling to all of the famous places to get those ‘Instagram shots,’ without realising just how much opportunity there is on our own doorsteps to create something that is entirely unique.
While it’s obviously great to travel to those places, I do love them myself and they are all widely photographed for a reason of course, you just can’t beat the satisfaction you feel after getting up at the crack of dawn to capture a photograph like this one below from a secret place that tells its’ own story and will, most likely, never be photographed again.
5. Plan Ahead
This one isn’t very straightforward and will definitely take a while to understand - It’s actually the main thing that I’m working on improving for my own landscape photography as there is just so many different elements that go into planning.
In my experience, the best photographs have been created after many visits to the same place. I think that you really have to take the time to get know and understand the landscape in order to know what you would like to capture from a certain scene. Once you know, you can then proceed to use apps such as The Photographers Ephemeris, which will show you the direction of sunrise, sunset, moonrise & moonset, anywhere in the world.
Apps like this are a great tool but won’t do all of the work for you. They might give you a solid foundation of knowledge but you will need to grow your understanding of a place by visiting in person. That way you can watch the way the light moves around and scout for interesting elements that you can use in your future compositions. If there is water in the scene, you will need to know how light interacts with it. Will you need a polarizing filter to aid with taking some of the glare and reflection from the surface of the water? Where will you need to stand and what focal length will you need to use to convey the feeling that you want to get across to your viewer? Will you shoot with a wide angle and emphasize the vast landscape and foreground detail, or will you opt for a longer lens, to compress the image and bring some scale into your shot?
These are all things that can only truly be decided once you’ve visited and built up some experience. You can then combine your knowledge of the landscape with your choice of tech tools to visualise pictures in your head.
Another app that I have heard nothing but great things about it Photopills, though I haven’t made it round to using it myself just yet.
Do you want to create better photographs?
Check out my brand new Composition e-Book:
This is Volume 1 of my comprehensive 125+ page eBook that contains insights into my creative approach to landscape and nature photography. Each section has multiple examples and is applicable to all standards of photography. Whether you are looking to make a step change in your photography, or just looking for ideas to improve your compositions when out in the field, this e-Book contains the tools to help you.
The eBook contains detailed information on:
How to use different focal lengths to help tell meaningful stories in your photography.
Understanding of ‘rules’ in photography and how to break them to find and develop your own creative style.
Creating depth in your photographs using foregrounds, different apertures and light.
And many many more useful tips including bonus sections on understanding light and using emotions and storytelling.
Purchasing volume 1 of this comprehensive e-Book will give you lifetime access to further volumes that will be released as my knowledge increases and I receive feedback for customers. If you purchase this, please feel welcome to review and provide feedback so that I can make improvements to future volumes.
6. Simplify Your Compositions
The photographs that I feel most pleased with are generally the ones where there isn’t too much going on within it. I tend to try to keep a clear subject in mind when I have my camera in my hand, ensuring that distractions stay to a minimum in order to avoid taking my viewers eye away from where I want it to be.
I’m a sucker for some negative space and I believe that this can be included to create a very powerful photo that helps to capture a viewers imagination and allows them time to think. I love the idea of creating a sense of wonder and I feel that the below image does just that. Perhaps making the audience imagine standing on the summit of Snowdon and reaching for the moon?
Below is another example of how minimalism can have a powerful impact in your landscape photography as I captured this solo hiker tackling the winter whiteout to summit Y Garn in Snowdonia. Lone figures in a vast landscape have always captured my imagination. They make me ask all sorts of questions about who I am and what I am doing here. There’s something I have always found fascinating about how small we are in comparison to nature and this incredible planet that we are on.
7. Create Balance within your Photographs
This one doesn’t need too much explaining. I feel like a photograph looks much more pleasing to the eye if you can create some sort of balance between your elements within a scene. If you take this image from the Ogwen Valley in Snowdonia, you’ll see that my subjects; the tree, the white house, and rays of sunlight are perfectly balanced from the edges of the frame (also see rule of thirds and visualise the provided grid over this photograph).
While it’s much better if you can get this right in camera (practice and experience will help with this), you can make good use of the crop tool within your editing software to fix your photograph afterwards, cropping out any unwanted objects from the edges of the frame. If there are central elements that you don’t like within your photograph or, for example, a piece of stray dirt made it onto your lens and left a mark on your photograph, then you can make great use of some of the ‘spot healing’ tools within camera editing software. My favourite being the one provided in Adobe Photoshop for operations like this.
8. Use the rule of thirds… (But understand why)
Like any rules, they sometimes need to be broken. This one, is by no means set in stone but will be fairly consistent throughout the world of landscape photography and photography in general. Look at the graphic that I created below of a photograph I took while adventuring around Glencoe in Scotland on a trip late in 2020.
You can see clearly that the image has been divided into nine different sections, containing four different intersections toward the centre. When framing an image, it’s always a good idea to try to visualise this graphic and decide whether you want to place your points of interest on, or close to the intersections or break the rules for a different visual effect. You can see in this particular image that I’ve used the rule for the benefit of the composition and combined it with some negative space to the right of the photograph, which allows the viewers eye to follow up the stream and away into the mountains behind without getting distracted by any stray objects. Remember I spoke about simplicity and minimalism in photography a little earlier? This image is a combination of two of my tips.
Personally, I feel like this photograph is actually one of my most pleasing in terms of the composition. It has so many different elements, from the tree that makes up the foreground, the house and base of the mountains that form the background, the stream linking the two and providing interest in the middle of the photo and then the leading lines, rule of thirds and negative space. Perhaps the complete composition, if you like to follow rules, that is!
Just a quick one. You can enable the above grid in your iPhone camera, which may help you to get some practice. Mine has been left on permanently since I enabled it a few years ago. Here is how to do it:
Open ‘Settings’
Tap ‘Photos & Camera’
Find ‘Grid’ and toggle it on
Below is an example of me ‘breaking’ the rules and why.
In this photograph, which I named ‘Stage Fright,’ I purposely placed the young fawn far down in the bottom right of my frame as I feel that it helps to convey the story of this isolated, innocent young animal out in the vast open wilderness, with the trees acting like all of the scary things that life is about to throw at it. Or, as the name suggests, the trees are playing the parts of judges & audience as the young fawn is about to step out on stage.
This is a good chance to think back to point number 2, where I talked a little about paying attention and understanding your surroundings. There is no way that all of those complicated thoughts about how I wanted to frame this image would have occurred if my mind was elsewhere. It’s so important to be present and constantly observe your surroundings when out in the field taking photographs.
9. Hone your Editing Skills
No image, in my opinion, is complete without a photographer putting a stamp on it through some editing software like Adobe Lightroom or Photoshop. The photographs that your camera captures tend to look a little bit flat as a RAW file and will usually need at least a basic edit to correct the darker or lighter parts (shadows & highlights).
Not only that, some cameras and especially lenses have a difficult time picking up accurate colours from the landscape. You can have a tonne of fun playing around with the colour sliders in your editing software to correct these and give your photographs a signature style. You might even find yourself reading books about the origins of colour like in the summer of 2020.
Quick tip: I would always suggest investing your money into lenses before an expensive camera body. A cheap body with an expensive, high quality lens ALWAYS beats an expensive body paired with a cheap lens. You can read this blog to see what gear I shoot with. Most of my photographs so far have been taken on a £600 Canon 800D, I’ve only recently invested in the 5D IV and made sure that I had the lenses to fully complement it.
My favourite part of photography is obviously the getting outdoors part but I made the editing process a bit of a tradition early on. I’ll be sure to get myself a cup of tea, put some of my favourite music on and really get in the zone for it. In its own way, it is just as fun as being outdoors. You get to build a brand around how your photographs are edited. At least, that’s how my mind works anyway.
It takes a lot of time to find your style but I promise you you’ll notice quick improvements if you hack away at it at every chance that you get. Try revisiting old images for practice, and take things to the extreme in software to find the things you like and the things you don’t like. All of a sudden, the buttons you press, the colours you choose and the sliders you slide will start to become second nature to you and you’ll find your groove.
Another tip within a tip: try not to get stuck in a groove. It’s always good to push yourself and find ways that you can improve. No one is ever the finished article. Instagram is a wonderful platform but it can get addictive trying to build that ‘consistent feed’, meaning that you never really test your limits or learn anything new. I’ve learnt recently, that each photograph has its’ own story all together and may need a completely different style of edit in order to bring out the best in it. Wouldn’t it be a shame if you only knew of one way? If you normally edit with warmer, orange tones in your work, try using some cooler tones and enhance your blue and aqua colours for a change that might help to emphasise a feeling of cold.
Ansel Adams famously stated that editing is 50% of the entire photography process and this is something that I’ve really learnt to resonate with. I’ll be releasing some blog posts & videos on my editing process very soon. Feel free to sign up to my newsletter at the bottom of this page for all of the latest updates.
Fairy Glen Gorge, Snowdonia before editing.
Fairy Glen Gorge, Snowdonia after editing.
10. Just Get out THERE and shoot
Seriously. Stop reading this. Now. Well.. I mean, I suppose you could at least finish this point first.
Not really. I’m done. Go. Pick your camera up and get out of here
Pssst I’m joking. You still here? Ok. Well I might as well expand now.
You can read all of the blog posts, watch all of the YouTube videos and buy all of the books that you want. There is not a single thing in that list or any one of my points that will transform your photography as much as going out and clicking that shutter button. Aim it at everything. Just promise me that you won’t do anything illegal and then tell the police that I told you to do it?!
Most of my learning about ISO, aperture and shutter speed was done in the garden and around my local town. I didn’t have a car to drive to locations when I first started photography so I was forced to think creatively. Luckily my Mum loves her garden so I made great use of her flowers and plants to learn everything that I could about my camera and the lenses that I owned back then. There is also a beautiful little field next to my house so I would venture over there to practice my skills and learn a little about composition and the rule of thirds. It wasn’t glamorous. But we can’t be in Snowdonia or Alps all of the time now can we?
You’ll make mistakes. I still make mistakes regularly. There are just longer intervals between my mistakes. And they aren’t as stupid as not knowing how to focus a lens. Yep, I literally took out-of-focus photos for weeks before I saw a friend twisting the end of his lens and asked ‘what does that do?’ Embarrassing then. Very funny now. But there you go. It won’t be perfect, just like anything. But like I said in point number 3; chase progress, not perfection.
On saying that, here is your queue to leave now. Go. Take photos. Like my nan says, ‘you know you’re always welcome to come and visit whenever’. If you want to share some photos with me, or if you need any help the I am only an Instagram message away.
One more thing, as promised. Here are some links to channels down below. Three legends of photography. Sorry that they are links to other people, you’re obviously here because you want to learn from me. Who knows, one day I might have my own videos to link to.
Nigel Danson - cinematic and beautiful videos & story telling.
Thomas Heaton - very open, honest & real. And a damn good photographer!
Mads Peter Iversen - dramatic, epic & moody. His Isle of Skye videos are what first inspired me to go there myself.
Don’t forget to subscribe to my newsletter at the bottom of the page for updates on my future blogs, workshop events and 1 to 1 coaching.
Thank you for reading. Happy photographing.
DO YOU WANT TO LEARN HOW TO CREATE PHOTOGRAPHS LIKE THESE?
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Diary of a Landscape Photographer | Entry 2
I think I’d better get used to this. 10.23 and I’m still sat ‘working’ at the computer. Let’s be honest, it’s not work is it. I love it. How can I call this work when it’s something that I choose to do. When I’ve woken up every single day so far and leap out of bed, which I have always wished I could do. When it’s all a part of what I feel is my mission in life. It’s all tied upstairs in there somewhere. That part I’m still trying to work out and untangle out of this busy little head and onto some sheets of paper. But this week has been a very productive one in terms of writing my ‘why’. I’m literally writing a story as I go along. I’m now a storyteller. And a photographer. And a ‘fitness guy’. And a marketer. And at the moment, a bird. Flying high up in the sky.
Diary of a Landscape Photographer | Entry 1
3/1/2021 - The Sunday before my first Monday of ‘unemployment’.
It still hasn't sunk in yet.
I'M A PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER!!
Two and a half years ago I hadn't worked a camera. I was a van driver at City Electrical Factors. I'd spend my days listening to personal development podcasts while delivering plug sockets and conduit among other things to the sparkies around Mid Wales.
I'd also just embarked on a journey to become a personal trainer, thinking that taking gym selfies for a living and telling people to eat their complex carbs was where my future was.
One weekend, I received a phone call from my best mate asking me to take a spontaneous trip up to Pistyll Rhaeadr. I'd never been. 18 years in Mid Wales and I'd barely made it past Rodney's Pillar on my expeditions. For some unknown reason that day, I decided to nick my sisters DSLR (bleurghh... Nikon. I washed my hands twice afterwards). I stuck the thing in manual mode and the rest, I believe they say, is history.
SUP Mid Wales - A Lifestyle Photoshoot
I met with Isabelle from SUP Mid Wales for a lifestyle photoshoot in Barmouth and Porthor. She bought the paddle board and I bought the camera. We make a great team.
Barmouth, Mid Wales
I recently had the chance to work with Izzy from SUP Mid Wales; a start up stand up paddle board community, as she ventured around the Welsh coastline. My job was to take photographs for the Sup Mid Wales social media platforms, in order to raise awareness around the mental and physical benefits of taking to the waters. As an outdoor and landscape photographer, this photoshoot was a dream come true for me. The first stop took us to Barmouth as Izzy set sail under the legendary Barmouth bridge.
PORTHOR, North Wales
After we exhausted every angle at Barmouth, me and Izzy decided to head to North Wales. I spend most of my time in the north with my photography, so this felt like heading home. We ended up stopping in Porthor, on the isle of Anglesey and Mother Nature treated to a beautiful sunset. Perfect photography conditions.
10 Places to Visit in Wales for Landscape Photography
Are you looking for new places to explore and take photographs in Wales?
Well, look no further..
I’ve compiled a list of my top 10 places to photograph in Wales here…
Having spent the last 8 (it feels like 800) weeks in lockdown, my little brain can’t help but wander off in one of its regular photography daydreams. I’ve been thinking about all of the beautiful places in Wales that I am going to visit for landscape photography when this wretched coronavirus eventually surrenders in the battle against us human beings.
I wanted to share them with you so I’m going to run you through a list of my top 10 places to visit in Wales along with some of my favourite photographs from each location.
The 10 beauty spots I cover:
Point of Ayr Lighthouse, Talacre, North Wales
Llyn Nantlle Uchaf, Snowdonia, North Wales
Llyn Idwal, Snowdonia, North Wales
Snowdon, North Wales
Llyn y Fan Fach, Brecon Beacons, South Wales
Pen y Fan & Corn Du, Brecon Beacons, South Wales
Hafren Forest, Llanidloes, Mid Wales
Pistyll Rhaeadr, Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant, Mid Wales
Lake Vyrnwy, Mid Wales
Fairy Glen Gorge, Snowdonia, North Wales
Plus one bonus location which I felt the need to share with you after spending 90% of my time there over the last few months. Read through to the end to find out more.
Important
Before travelling, please see the latest coronavirus updates from the Welsh Government here.
THE LOCATIONS
Point of Ayr Lighthouse, Talacre, North Wales
First up, a place that has produced some of my favourite photographs in my landscape photography journey so far. A beach that I think is underrated when it comes to locations on the Welsh coastline and places to visit in Wales in general. If history is your thing, then you may want to spend some time exploring the dunes as the area was used by the armed forces as an aircraft firing range during the Second World War. If you’re more interested in the supernatural world, then you’ll probably enjoy the numerous stories of ghostly sightings around the beach, with some people claiming to have seen a figure wearing old fashioned lighthouse keeper clothes standing in front of the abandoned lighthouse.
What can you expect?
Golden sands
Boardwalks and impressive sand dunes
Long stretches of coastline to walk
High tides making the beach inaccessible
Beautiful sunsets
Be sure to do your tide time research as you can very quickly run out of beach to sunbathe on!
2. Llyn Nantlle Uchaf, Snowdonia, North Wales
Fishing boats floating on Llyn Nantlle Uchaf, Snowdonia with Nantlle Ridge visible in the background.
After visiting the beautiful Talacre, I highly doubt that you’ll be in the mood to head home. Why not follow the A55 along the North Wales coast which would take you within a few turnings of one of Wales’ most idyllic mountain lakes, Llyn Nantlle Uchaf? Pick the right day and you will be greeted by some serene conditions and reflections, like these that I experienced towards the end of 2019.
Snowdonia mountains reflected in the waters of Llyn Nantlle Uchaf.
What can you expect?
Incredible mountain roads and views to and from Llyn Nantlle Uchaf.
Peace & quiet - a perfect chance to take some time to reflect.
Potentially some very fast changing weather conditions so make sure that you’re suitably prepared.
3. Llyn Idwal, Snowdonia, North Wales
Next on your list could be a trip through the Ogwen Valley, just a stones throw from the mountain peaks of Snowdon, Moel Siabod and Crimpau. Set right in the heart of the Ogwen Valley and protected by some truly breathtaking mountains, such as Tryfan, Y Garn and Pen Yr Ole Wen, lies Llyn Idwal. The lake, or ‘Llyn’ as it reads in Welsh was named after Prince Idwal Foel who was a grandson of Rhodri Mawr, an ancient King of Wales. Legend has it that the Prince died when he was drowned in the lake, after an unsuccessful revolt against the English. Though an interesting story, this is just the stuff of legend after all and The Chronicle of the Princes of Wales records that "Idwal son of Rhodri, and his brother Elised were killed by the Saxons" in 941, which could suggest some kind of battle took place, though it doesn’t completely rule out the initial story.
Small figure of a man provides a sense of scale standing before Llyn Idwal and Devil’s Kitchen.
What can you expect?
Hiking routes in every direction. Check out the circular hike up through the Devil’s Kitchen on the south side of the lake, walk north to the summit of Y Garn where you can descend and finish your day at the south side of Llyn Idwal before heading back to the Ogwen Cafe for refreshments.
Extremely dangerous hiking conditions. Check out the storm that nearly blew the couple away in the slideshow above.
Carneddau ponies (below) sometimes wander the land. These guys are normally very friendly however, one did try to take a bite out on my friends leg once so it’s best to approach with caution, especially when they are guarding their young.
Large crowds of people. It is one of Wales’ more popular lakes and for good reason. I have been there midweek once and it was bliss.
A Carneddau pony suckling from its mother on the path to Llyn Idwal, Snowdonia.
Do You Want to Create Better Photographs?
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4. Snowdon, North Wales
Hiking to the summit of Snowdon for a sunrise is something that I think everybody should experience at least once in their lives. Just look at that for a beautiful view of a distant Moel Siabod from just beneath the summit of Snowdon (pictured above). The 360 degree views from the top of the mountain are just incredible. From here to Merrick in Southern Scotland is the longest theoretical line of sight on the British Isles at 144 miles but the chances are, you’d be doing well to see 144 metres as my experiences on Snowdon remind me.
Changing weather conditions up here sometimes call for patience in order to get the photograph that you dream of. This was my third visit to the summit, all three previous visits offered little visibility and I came back with hardly any photographs. Third time lucky don’t they say? But even on this visit, me and my friend were actually close to leaving the mountain before the cloud dispersed and the light broke through to give us that vibrant sunrise.
You’ll want to leave yourself enough time to relax and enjoy some of the beautiful views on the way down from the summit too. Around the point where the Miners Track joins the Pyg Track, you’ll be able to sit overlooking Snowdon’s higher of the two lakes, Glaslyn. This makes for a great opportunity to take photographs, with some incredible views of Glaslyn, Y Lliwedd and out across Snowdonia.
Snowdonia mountain road leading to the famous Snowdon Horseshoe.
What can you expect?
Some of the best views in the UK, maybe even the world.
Roads like the above that you’ll struggle to keep your eyes on!
Various routes to the summit. Llanberis path being the easier, steadier route and then Crib Goch for the more experienced.
Unpredictable weather conditions. You should always be prepared for the worst on hikes around Snowdonia. When you’re packing, pack with the possibility in mind that you might be stuck high up on a wet, cold mountain top for hours.
A couple of beautiful and, usually, calm lakes so take your Speedos if wild swimming is your thing.
Some of the above series of photos were taken on a weekend of camping in Snowdonia and the Brecon Beacons, which leads me nicely onto my next location.
5. Llyn y Fan Fach, Brecon Beacons
View from Picws Du of the sunset, west of Llyn y Fan Fach in the Brecon Beacons.
As tourists flock in their droves to the more popular Pen y Fan, Cribyn and Corn Du, you could head west and skip over a few more of the many reservoirs in the Brecon Beacons to the Black Mountains. Here you’ll find the elegant slopes of Fan Brycheiniog and Picws Du (pictured centrally below). At the foot of Picws Du lies one of the most beautiful natural lakes that you’re likely to find here in Wales, Llyn y Fan Fach.
You’ll experience an incredible sunrise and sunset (above photograph is a spring sunset) on the right day and you can see for miles if you look over the lake from the summit of Picws Du. You’ll want to have your camera at the ready as soon as you reach the car park as the walk up to the lake provides plenty of photograph opportunities too, with a pathway and a neighbouring stream providing you with some perfect leading lines to the mountains. I have a shot in mind that gives me another reason to return to this beautiful part of the country.
Looking across Llyn y Fan Fach towards Picws Du in the Brecon Beacons.
Spectacular views over Llyn y Fan Fach of the surrounding Brecon Beacons landscape. In the distance, a golden spring sunset fades beyond the horizon.
What can you expect?
Very strong winds from the south-west on occasions.
Lack of shade meaning lots of fluids and suncream are a must.
Peace and quiet. From experience, the crowds gather at Pen y Fan so you can enjoy some alone time here.
Open views above the lake so there’s photograph opportunities in every direction.
Interested in taking better landscape photos??
You might like my recent blog post where I give away 10 top tips.
6. Pen y Fan, Brecon Beacons
A snow covered Cribyn viewed from the summit of Pen y Fan in the Brecon Beacons.
If you don’t mind the busy crowds, the 6.9 mile circular walk covering Corn Du and Pen y Fan is a spectacular one that will give you plenty of photographic opportunities. I’ve walked this route twice now and I was hoping to visit a lot more this year now I have Canon’s 70-200mm f/4 in my arsenal, as I think there is plenty of distant objects to photograph that would look great through this lens in the right weather conditions. If you want to read a little more about the camera and gear that I use when out taking photographs, you click the link below:
What can you expect?
A mostly steady hike, with only one or two steeper sections towards the top.
Great views from the top & lots of distant areas to zoom in to with a long lens.
Little shade from the sun.
It can get very windy on the summit, I had sideways snow hitting me hard in the face on one trip.
7. Hafren Forest, Llanidloes, Mid Wales
A small fern growing from the forest floor in Hafren Forest, Mid Wales.
Making our way back up north on our journey through Wales, we take a trip to one of my most photographed locations, Hafren Forest. Walk far enough through here and you’ll reach the source of the longest river in the UK, the River Severn, located on Plynlimon in the Cambrian Mountains. From the main car park at Hafren Forest, the path to the source is 7 miles long. You could get plenty of photos taken in the time taken to cover that amount of ground.
If it’s the smaller details that you like to photograph, then you’re going to want to break out the 50mm f/1.8 lens here to get in close to the details that interest you and really create those pleasing out-of-focus areas in your picture as shown above.
I’ve walked my dog here many times and she loves it. With the freedom to roam, there’s plenty of off-track places to explore and get lost. Photograph opportunities are every where you look. On sunny days you can spot breaks of sunlight falling through the pine and spruce trees.
Sunlight shines through the Hafren Forest trees.
On rainy days, soft pitter-patters will greet you as you enter the forest. You’ll be able to get close to the pines to see raindrops just moments before they make their way back to the ground. The photograph below was captured with the Canon 50mm f/1.8. If you missed my link above, you can click here to view my blog post in which I describe the gear I use.
Raindrop hangs on to the tip of a pine tree branch in Hafren Forest, Mid Wales.
If you keep an eye out in the sky, you’ll often see some Red Kite circling above. They’re not after your camera gear though so you don’t need worry. Take out the long lens here as these birds make for some awesome photographs.
Hafren Forest trees disappearing into the mist.
What can you expect?
Plenty of small details to test out your macro photography. You’ll have to think a little differently if you want to come away with some interesting and different shots. I like to regularly explore the area on my own as I find myself in a better creative zone when photographing solo.
A variety of wildlife to keep you busy. I crossed paths with Mr Fox when I was last there but didn’t have a telephoto lens then. Missing out on that photograph is what forced me hit purchase on my 70-200mm lens just a few weeks later!
Some of the most beautiful walks in nature that Wales has to offer. This place really covers it all- wildlife, trees, rivers, waterfalls, it really is hard to get bored here if you’re a photographer.
8. Pistyll Rhaeadr, Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant, Mid Wales
Low, wide angle view of Pistyll Rhaeadr during a sunrise in Mid Wales.
Bringing me a little closer to my neck of the woods in Mid Wales now is a place often referred to as one of the Seven Wonders of Wales. A waterfall that falls over 240 feet in three different stages, Pistyll Rhaeadr. The tallest section, as seen in this photograph measures a drop of 40 metres and looks so impressive after a week of heavy rainfall. Though, getting virtually in the stream, as shown above, would not be recommended during this time.
This photograph was taken just as the sun rose above the hills behind me. That can be a little later than normal here at the waterfall, I think this was a couple of hours after the sun had risen on some lower ground. I’d recommend doing some research of the area before visiting for the first time to make sure you have the best chance of getting the conditions that you want. There are some good apps out there that can really help you to predict how a landscape will look during certain times of the day. The Photographers Ephemeris comes in very handy for working out sunrise and sunset paths and played a big part in the creation of the photo above.
You’ll want to bring your hiking boots along for this one. The view from the top of the waterfall is outstanding. Be careful though, you will be stood directly above the 240 foot drop with no fence to protect you!
What can you expect?
Midges. Lots of them.
Amazing sunrises. Sunsets tend to hide behind the Berwyn mountains which is why I prefer the mornings, even if it does mean a 5am alarm clock!
Lots of wildlife. Birds, squirrels and rabbits are especially popular.
9. Lake Vyrnwy, Llanwddyn, Mid Wales
Stone straining tower overlooking Lake Vyrnwy, Mid Wales.
If you talk to any of us from Mid Wales about Lake Vyrnwy, we each probably sound like Columbus, talking like we discovered the place ourselves. It’s so easy to see why ‘The Lake’ holds such a special place in all of our hearts though, Visit Mid Wales describe it as ‘reminiscent of the Alps’. They’re not wrong are they? Surrounded by dense forests and engulfed by the hills & mountains of Mid Wales, it’s easy to let your imagination run wild here and you’ll quickly start pinching yourself to wake up. This is one of the beautiful views that awaits you at Lake Vyrnwy. See if you can find it en route to the waterfall that hides just a short walk away from the lake itself.
Photography is always extremely popular here. You can pretty much guarantee that you’ll pass a few people snapping photos as you cross the bridge upon usual entry to the lake. Did you even go to Lake Vyrnwy if you didn’t get a picture like this?
One of my favourite days out at Lake Vyrnwy was in summer 2019. Me and a friend hired a canoe from the boathouse that you can see above and spent three hours rowing around the lake, exploring some of the hidden coves that you wouldn’t normally be able to see from the road. We both came away from there with some of our favourite photographs of the year which I’ll share below.
What can you expect?
A hidden waterfall. I’d be interested to know if you manage to find it. Let me know in the comments, or message me on Instagram.
Busy crowds through the summer.
Plenty of new places to explore, with lots of walking routes around Lake Vyrnwy.
Beautiful colours - autumn is pretty special around the lake.
10. Fairy Glen Gorge, Betws-y-Coed, Snowdonia
River Conwy flowing through the Fairy Glen Gorge.
For my tenth and final location in my list of places to photograph in Wales after coronavirus, I take you back to the heart of Snowdonia, just a stones throw from the popular tourist town of Betws-y-Coed, to a land where mythical spirits are said to live, The Fairy Glen Gorge.
Landscape image of the River Conwy flowing through the Fairy Glen Gorge
It’s easy to see why artists have visited this spot for centuries. As I was scouring the Internet doing my photography research about this spot in Wales, I found a painting for sale, dating back to the mid-1800’s. I don’t know what the artist did while waiting for the right light, it’s not like they could scroll through Instagram is it? You’ll probably want to do your own research in order to find the best time of day and conditions that suit the kind of photograph that you want to produce. This picture was taken in the morning, so the soft light entered through the gorge at the end of the photo and gives it some interest back there.
If you do decide to visit the Fairy Glen Gorge for some photography, beware when parking your car because the land owner is on the ball if you don’t put the right amount of money in the box upon entry. It’s £1 per person with £1 per vehicle on top. I made the mistake of thinking that it was £1 in total and she was quick to come and intercept me before I had the chance to drive away!
What can you expect?
Sadly, not fairies!
A parking charge AND a charge for entering the gorge… £2 in total.
Slippery steps when walking the final part of the route to the gorge and very slippery rocks when trying to find your vantage point for a photograph.
A variety of birds paying you a visit and keeping you company while you take your photo.
You thought that was it, right?
Well, it’s now 2021 and since I’ve been forced to explore locally for pretty much the whole of the last year. Here is a bonus location for you.
But you have to promise me that you’ll keep it between me and you.
OK?!
11. Powis Castle, Welshpool, Mid Wales
Though they are absolutely beautiful in their own right, the following photographs that I’m sharing of Powis Castle itself, aren’t the reason that I’m advising you to visit this wonderful location in my hometown of Welshpool in Mid Wales. This is of course, a landscape photography blog after all. Read on to find out the real reason that I’ve included this bonus location.
Winter 2020. The season that I’m giving all credit for me discovering my great love for taking photographs of woodland and trees. Being more specific, it is through my wanderings around the stunning grounds of Powis Castle that I discovered just how much I enjoy being alone in a field, with my camera pointed at a group of trees. I guess you could say that this is where I found myself!
Below, I’ll share with you some of my favourite woodland compositions.
Frozen trees after a night of snowfall here in Mid Wales.
‘Frozen’ is soon to be available as a limited edition fine art print. Subscribe to my newsletter at the bottom of the page to receive an email when it’s released.
Summary
There we have it folks, a list of my ‘10 Places to Visit in Wales for Photography After Lockdown 2021’. If you’ve made it this far then I’d just like to say a massive thank you for caring about what I have to write about. Photography is something that I’ve lived and breathed for the last two and a half years so I’m really glad that you’re interested in the stories that I have to share with you from my trips around Wales.
I’d love to hear from you!
Did you have a favourite photograph from those that I’ve shared above? Are you going to visit any of the 10 places that I’ve showed you? Feel free to let me know in the comments or you can head over to Facebook and Instagram and drop me a direct message over there - I tend to be very active on Instagram which is probably the best place if you need instant communication.
If you know somebody that is looking to visit Wales then please feel free to hit the share button down below and tag them into your social media posts or send them a direct link by copying the website address and sharing it with them.
If you’re interested in my photography that has been included throughout the blog, then the next place for you to visit is linked below.
Get access to the locations of my top 40 favourite photography spots in Wales, mainly covering Eryri/ Snowdonia national park and mid Wales.
This download includes:
Access to a PDF eBook guide that contains a detailed description of many of the locations
Access to the KML Map data for all locations and instructions on how to install onto your Google Maps.
GPX file download containing routes for some of my favourite hikes in Wales, and instructions on how to install to OS maps mobile app.
Lifetime access, meaning I’ll email you whenever I update the map or eBook with new locations.
Please note that these downloads and links are for you personal use only. Please do not share as I have spent a lot of time and effort creating them.
What photography gear is in my camera bag?
Dive in for a full breakdown of the gear that I used to create my photographs.
The Nifty Fifty you might have heard?!
Read on to find out more…
Introduction
How crazy… I never thought there would be enough interest for me to write a blog entry to tell people what camera gear I‘ve been lugging around in my backpack for the last two years. It’s what the people of Instagram wanted and once they cast a vote then there’s no going back.
My whole photography journey so far has been one big blur. I still remember solo tripping to Rodney’s Pillar, my local hill walk with a little point and shoot Canon Powershot to basically copy a photograph that I’d seen one of my favourite fitness influencers post on Instagram. Since that day, I must have driven the A5 to Snowdonia about 10,000 times and eaten the same amount of Moel Siabod full English breakfasts just up the road from Snowdon & the Ogwen Valley here in Wales.
Anyway, enough reminiscing, that’s one for another blog entry. I think it seems fitting to start by introducing you all to the camera body that I picked & why I chose this nearly two years ago to start my photography journey.
The Body
Canon 800D
Canon 800D - The perfect camera body for a beginner photographer.
The Canon 800D, one piece of kit I don’t think I’ll ever be able to part with. This camera would be a dream for any photographer that’s starting out. It has some fantastic features, especially when you’re shooting in Manual mode, as it will display, on the LCD screen, some simplified graphics that show you what type of effect you may get on your photograph, with the settings that you have picked. So, if you want to level up your game up early on, I’d recommend playing around with the different settings whilst keeping an eye on how this changes the look of your images. I linked one in-depth article that explains this in more detail above, there is also another here just in case you need another source. Once you’re up to speed, you can easily disable this feature in the simple-to-navigate settings menu.
Another great feature on this camera and one that also helped to convince me to buy this, was the fully articulating screen, so this is a screen that pops out and rotates 180 degrees as well as twisting fully up and down - great for when you want to get really low to the ground, taking videos and those family beach selfies at sunset.
Though the megapixel count isn’t the be-all and end-all in photography, it’s great to know that this camera came packed with 24.2 megapixels. This ended up working out perfectly for me as I have printed a number of my pictures so far and this ensures that they come out of the printer with plenty of detail, even up to a 24’’ print and easily beyond. There’s a great article that explains megapixels in further detail linked above.
Below, I’ve shared some of my favourite photographs that I’ve managed to gather over the last few years of shooting with the Canon 800D. All of these had Canon’s 16-35mm f/4 lens attached which you can read about down below. Click each photograph to expand for a better look.
The Lenses
Canon 16-35mm f/4
Hands down, my favourite & without a doubt, my most used lens. I think I have about 16,000 photographs spanning two and a half years across my different hard drives, I’d guess that around 7-8,000 of them were taken with this. All in the space of about 8 months.
The cheapest and, probably, most popular option for the Canon 800D will include an 18-55mm kit lens (at about £750) which is a great, versatile lens to start you off but, if you’re serious about taking landscape photos and a whole host of other types of pictures, then you NEED to invest in this lens ASAP! It will set you back around £650, I picked one up from Wex Photo Video - scroll down the linked page and navigate to the ‘Used’ tab. I generally wont buy anything used that has less than a rating of 9 but you can find cheaper options with lower ratings if you don’t mind the odd scratch or scuff.
This lens comes with a built in Image Stabiliser, so you can easily use this without the need for a tripod in most instances. Having that feature is a godsend as I find that some of my favourite photography conditions are after the sun goes down or on cloudier days where there tends to be less light to work with in my photos. With the stabiliser enabled (which it will be 90% of the time if you’re like me) I’m able to get down to the slower shutter speeds, while still getting pin sharp pictures - sometimes I’m down to 1/10 of a second handheld and this lens has no problems compensating for any hand movements which are inevitable for most photographers.
Please note: if you’re looking to get into astrophotography (taking photos of the night sky) then this probably isn’t the lens for you. You’re probably going to want to look at something that lets a little more light into the lens. Something like this will be better suited for those kind of photographs.
Canon 16-35mm f/4 wide angle lens, perfect for landscape photographers.
Canon 50mm f/1.8
While the above lens is probably going to put a hefty dent in your bank account, this little bad boy lens I’m about to talk to you about will cost you about 80 loaves of bread, 40 lattes from a coffee shop or 1 instantly regrettable night out. £109 from Amazon and I can guarantee you that this is some of the best money that I’ve ever spent. I took this to Iceland on my first photography trip and pretty much every photo I came home with, was shot using this lens. I’ll display some of the pictures from Iceland down below.
It’s not called the nifty fifty for no reason, this lens only weighs 160g. Pair this with the Canon 800D camera body including the battery and card and you have a full set up that weighs just 692g - it was perfect for carrying around all day on hikes in the mountains and adventuring to the epic waterfalls that are a trademark of Iceland.
Canon 50mm f/1.8 lens aka the nifty fifty.
To show you the versatility of this inexpensive lens and also, the quality of photographs that you can take with it, I have showcased some different styles of photo that I’ve managed to create over the past years. You can really use this lens for anything that you can think of. One of my favourite things to photograph when this arrived in the post were flowers and plants in the garden. I’ve even managed to experiment with some macro photography using this lens. See how close I managed to get to the watch when I paired this lens with a product I’d like to introduce you to in the future.
I really did all of my learning using this piece of glass, experimenting with different apertures and shutter speed. Study the photograph of my friend Joey in the red coat down below. See how the background looks out of focus and the main subject, Joey, is sharp and in focus? That was shot using an aperture of f/2.8 (from memory) therefore, giving the photograph that shallow depth of field that makes a portrait image look so pleasing to most people.
Canon 70-200mm f/4 II
Finally, we have what I like to call the sniper, Canon’s 70-200mm f/4 II. Essential for my recent venture into the wildlife photography, this enables me to get right up in the animals personal space. I’ve managed to see right into the eye of a blackbird, get a close look of 8 swan eggs inside of Mothers’ nest and pick out isolated houses that draw my attention in the mountains of Snowdonia. A must-have in a photographers arsenal, this lens can be picked up from Wex Photo Video for around £1250 brand new or if you can hold out until they get a good quality used model, you can grab one for about £900.
Canon 70-200mm f/4 ii
A variety of images showcasing some of my work using the Canon 70-200mm lens.
The Filters
Gobe Neutral Density Filter Kit, Circular Polariser Filter, UV Filter
Gobe camera filters. My set up - UV filter, circular polariser (CPL) & neutral density (ND) filters.
Next up, lets talk about my choice of filters. I wanted to find something of good quality, that didn’t break the bank. After a while researching, reading articles and watching YouTube videos, I came across the Gobe filters. After watching the videos and understanding the product itself, I really became immersed in the story behind how the company started and also in their mission statement. I like that they are trying to make a difference in the world by planting trees when they sell a product. You can read all about the by following the link above.
I think that I spent just over £200 on the whole collection of filters. I’ll drop product links for each of the ones I use down below:
Gobe UV Filter - I use this on the front end of my 16-35mm lens as a protection mechanism when I haven’t got my CPL attached. Better to break the glass of a £30 filter than a £700 lens right?
Gobe CPL Filter - This definitely gets the most use out of all of my filters. Great for taking the sunny glare from surfaces such as water. It also seems to add some nice saturation and contrast levels to your photographs which definitely seems to give forest and woodland a denser, richer look. I don’t think that my colours would look the same in my photos without the circular polariser filter attached.
Here are some example images shot with the CPL filter.
Gobe ND Filter Kit - While these filters don’t tend to get a great amount of usage, the photographs that I have managed to capture with them definitely stand out in my portfolio. These filters are basically a dark cover that goes over the front of the lens and acts as a pair of sunglasses, each one helping to block out a different amount of light. so a brighter scene could require a darker/ stronger filter, depending on the type of look you want in your photo. Great for use with things that move, like clouds, as it can give a sense of passing time in your picture (see the lighthouse picture below) - if you didn’t read the article that I linked explaining shutter speed, it might help you understand this in more detail. Read it here.
As well as clouds, the neutral density filters also do a great job with water, giving it a silky look in photographs. Click each of these to expand.
The Tripod
Manfrotto 190GO
Finally, I’ll take you onto the final piece of essential kit that is in my camera bag - the tripod. While the majority of my shots are taken with the camera handheld, there are times when I’d recommend using a good quality tripod. I find that a lot of my photographs are taken while I’m out hiking or on the move, so it just doesn’t make sense for me to keep getting my tripod set up but If I’m planning to head out solo, which I like to do very often these days, then I’m generally heading out with a certain photograph in mind and I can arrive on location to get set up, sometimes with hours spare. This is when I will make sure to use my tripod as, no matter how steady I claim my hand to be, or how fast a shutter speed I use, I always end up with a sharper photo.
Plus, in my opinion, nothing can beat the feeling of finding your spot, adjusting the legs, pitching the tripod, attaching your camera, realising you don’t like said spot, moving, re adjusting the legs because the new ground is uneven, adjusting the height because there’s now a branch in the way and then finally, just before you lose all of the sunset light, hearing that beautiful click of your shutter.
Conclusion
I hope you’ve all enjoyed reading! Thank you for making it this far, I do really appreciate your interest and support in my journey so far. It would be great if you manage to take something away from here that helps you to become a better photographer and please, if you have any questions regarding anything from this blog entry or just photography in general, then feel free to drop a comment down below or follow the links to my social platforms where you can private message me if you’d prefer to stay incognito.
Thanks.
Why not check out My Gallery for more photos? Or visit my project for Peak Fitness Performance next.