Lyme Park

Lyme Park, originally uploaded by foto-art.

Another stark shot at Lyme Park in Cheshire. The important elements in the composition here are the tree, the tower, the figure and the rock. Positioning the horizon low in the frame gives a feeling of space and expanse. It was important to get the base of the tree standing out against the sky, as opposed to being obscured by the background landscape.

Trees

Trees, originally uploaded by foto-art.

A stark black and white shot taken at Lyme Park, in Cheshire, England. For some reason last year I got into black and white photography - something I have not done much of in over forty years of taking pics. I know that colour pics can easily be changed to black and white on photoshop, but sometimes I think that effect is better using the black and white mode on the digital camera. The difference between takling and colour and black and white as far as the photographer is concerned consists of learning to 'see' in black and white - which means picking out shapes and textures rather than areas of hue and colour.

Cyclist

cyclist, originally uploaded by foto-art.

I find that when I go out with my camera, a certain amount of spontaneity is required. I do not usually go out to take a particular, planned image, but rather to walk with my camera, having a more open, receptive mind than usual; with a sensitivity, openness and awareness to images, shapes and colours around me. This is just such a spontaneous shot, the whole thing taken in less than a second. I walked to the side of this guy, became aware that he would soon be in silhouette, stopped at the right the moment, turned and snapped this contre-jour shot. I seem to be in a black and white phase so the image is black and white and not in colour. In Photoshop, I went on to Images/Adjust/Auto Contrast and this made the image even more dynamic.

Statues

Statue, originally uploaded by foto-art.

I love these old gravestones in local cemetries; they have a beauty an sometimes an eroticism all of their own. Alas many of them are falling into disrepair or have been vandalised so over the last few years I have taken photos of the more interesting ones, especially with an eye to this kind of montage work. This image is one that I had not planned but arose as I was looking at various images and elements. What I like is the contrast between the shiny sleek figure on the left and the the rougher stone figure on the right, creating a slightly surreal and erotic image. Thus I do not close my mind to creativity after the image is taken, but continue to thing of different ways of cropping or enhancing images on the computer, especially at this time of the year, whicj in England is rather dull, damp and cold, so outdoor photography is minimised and darkroom/computer work emphasised until the better light and weather comes along.

Abbey montage

Abbey montage, originally uploaded by foto-art.

This is another of my photomontage projects using Photoshop. This one looked better in black and white. The various elements are built up on layers, and one important factor is the direction of light and shadow. I try to make my photomontages look as though they could be real...they do not necessarily appear as obvious montage work, or I at least try to leave the viewer guessing. Conflicting directions of light and shdow between elements is an obvious give away.

Fence and sand dune at Formby Point

Fence and sand dune, originally uploaded by foto-art.

Sand dune and fencing at Formby Point, England. Winter storms and high spring tides had taken their toll on the landscape at Formby Point, and the in some places the dunes had been considerably eroded since I was last there only a few months ago. This area is owned by the National Trust and they were working hard at conserving this area of Britain's coast.

Sand dune tree

Sand dune tree, originally uploaded by foto-art.

Wind swept tree on the beach at Formby Point, England. I love these stark and barren images though I must admit that I am getting ready now to see some leaves on the trees to give a splash of colour and to soften the landscape.

Valle Crucis Monastery 2

Valle Crucus Abbey 2, originally uploaded by foto-art.

Valle Crucis Monastery, near Llangollen in North Wales. This is the Latin name for 'Vale of the Cross' and the Monastery, founded in 1200/1201 by Madoc ap Gruffydd for the Cistercian order, is considered to be the best preserved of the North Wales monasteries. It is situated near the base of the Horseshoe Pass. This shot was taken in black and white mode using a combination of red and polarising filters. I liked the way the sunlight caught the building against the dark hills in the background. If I were to do anything more to this shot, it would be to remove the car on the extreme left using pixel cloning.

Valle Crucis Abbey 4 - Light and shade

Valle Crucis Abbey 4, originally uploaded by foto-art.

Valle Crucis Monastery. I quite like this composition. The bases of the pillars and the wall on the extreme left, lead the eye to the doorway, and from there, the eye wanders to the windowed wall at the back of the ruin. The wall on the right also leads to this wall at the back of the ruin. I also like the balance of light and shade.

Lone tree - Photoshop auto contrast turorial

Lone tree, originally uploaded by foto-art.

Lone tree near Rode Heath, South Cheshire, England. This was taken with a red filter to enhance contrast. Sometimes the images come out a little flat - lacking in contrast. With almost every picture I do I go into Photoshop/Image/Image adjust/AutoContrast. Doing that with this image certainly brought out the vitality and contrast of the tonal range. It does not always make the image look better, but it can soon be undone in Edit/StepBackward.

Dead tree - Landscape as self-portrait of the photographer

Dead tree, originally uploaded by foto-art.

Dead tree near Rode Heath, South Cheshire, England. What does that mean? ‘A landscape as a self-portrait of the photographer’. I indicated earlier that you could save yourself hundreds of pounds or dollars by realizing that photography is not about how expensive you camera is, but rather is about a way of seeing the world: it is about perception and perspective. Ultimately, the photographer is selecting a particular aspect of reality, viewing it from a particular vantage point, framing it with the viewfinder at a particular time and in doing so is saying to others ‘Out of lots of shapes, vantage points and colours in reality, this one is worth looking at’. In making that decision to photograph this and not that, the photographer brings their own personality and perspective to the jumble of reality that is out there: they impose on reality their own perspective of it, their own ideals and preferences concerning it: they order it, frame it, look at it and arrange it in a certain way. I have already said elsewhere that I often take on a minimalist approach to my images and this says a lot about me. I hate clutter, busyness and closed in spaces preferring a sense of space, with things clearly defined and seen. I have a dislike for randomness or untidiness, preferring structure and formality: I like things ordered, structured, in harmony and balance. I do not particularly enjoy meeting people: I do not understand them very well, or trust them, so in my images, people are often reduced to impersonal formal elements in a composition. I do not take many portraits. It is in this kind of way that the photograph begins to reveal the character of the person who takes it.

This is why there may be a dilemma for the photographer who wants to earn money from his work. Lucky indeed is the person who can make a living from photographing what they like. Instead, they have to take on commissions, do portraits or weddings or work in photo-journalism or in advertising and design. As soon as I start thinking about making money from my images, I begin to think about what other people would like, what they would buy and so on, or I am doing a job for someone else, doing things they way they want them. I have to compromise my artistic integrity, even who I am, so that I have to see things the way other people want me to see them. For me, my photography is not about that. I want complete creative freedom in what I do, so that I take what I want, when I want, how I want, and if others like it, then that is a bonus. My photography is a totally selfish act; an expression of personal creative integrity, it is not about being told what to do and how to do it, it is not a job or a business, but a creative outlet and an expression of myself.

Old tree

Old tree, originally uploaded by foto-art.

Tree and fence near Rode Heath, South Cheshire, England. Once again a red filter was used for this shot.

Branches

Branches, originally uploaded by foto-art.

Tree branches. Another shot using black and white mode and a red filter to enhance contrast.

Sand dune fence

Sand dune fence, originally uploaded by foto-art.

Sand dune fence at Formby Point. This is an into the light or contre-jour shot and I do not think that I used any filters for this. This is about strong composition using strong shapes to create the effect. Notice also again the use of the rule of thirds, wuth the horizon about one third up and the main vertical posts being positioned also approximately at one third divisions.

Sand dune grass

sand dune grass, originally uploaded by foto-art.

Sand dune grass at Formby Point, England. This shot is about texture as well as shape. Notice that the main tuft of grass is positioned one third in from the right. Its top is one third from the top and the main horizon in one third from the bottom. A red filter was used for this shot with the camera on black and white mode. This helps to give the grass that 'wispy' feel against a darker sky.

Sand dune posts

sand dune posts, originally uploaded by foto-art.

Sand dune posts at Formby Point. This shot was taken in black and white mode using a red filter to increase contrast. Composition-Wise, the line of posts lead the eye in from the right to the larger posts an the area just to the left of them which is the main element of the picture. The grassy hill at the back leads the eye back towards the posts again.

Post 2

Post 2, originally uploaded by foto-art.

Fence post in the moorlands. I think that this was taken using a red filter, but I am not sure. The post is positioned one third in from the right and the horizon one third up from the bottom. The key thing here was a low viewpoint. I was either lying on the grass or squatting down and holding the camera low to get this shot. The low viewpoint means that the fence post is not lost against the background of grass, but rather, stands boldly against the sky.

Little Moreton Hall bw 1 - Polarising Filter tutorial

Little Moreton Hall bw 1, originally uploaded by foto-art.

Little Moreton Hall, South Cheshire, England. I took a number of shots of this hall both in colour and black and white. This shot was taken using a combination of red and polarising filters in black and white mode. I liked the way the sun was being reflected in the upper windows. The red filter serves to darken the sky and increase contrast creating a more dramatic effect. The polarising filter also darkens the sky by cutting out light travelling in a certain direction. The filter has to be rotated in front of the camera and at a certain angle, the sky darkens. However, the camera has to be pretty much at right angles to the sun for this to take effect, so the polarising filter is only useful for side lit subjects. however, the polarising filter works for both colour and black and white images. This filter can also be used to reduce the effects of haze.

Little Moreton Hall bw 2

Little Moreton Hall bw 2, originally uploaded by foto-art.

Little Moreton Hall, South Cheshire, England. Like its sister shot, this image too was taken in black and white mode using a combination of red and polarising filters to increase contrast and darken the sky.

Dune tree

Dune tree, originally uploaded by foto-art.

Tree in the dunes at Formby Point, England. Definitely a competition entry for me. A combination of red and polaroid filters was used for this shot taken in black and white mode. I love the stong shape and texture of the tree against a minimalist plain background. The bit of tree trunk or stone lying on the ground in the distance on the right acts as a counterpoint to the tree, (and was there, honest, I did not place it there). Even the vapour trail of the plane in the sky adds to the shot.