Hello, I’m Gill and I write a photography blog inspired by the landscapes of Suffolk and beyond. Please subscribe to read more of my writing and visit my website to view my images.
Time spent in the landscape is never time wasted.
Over the bank holiday weekend I took a trip to Norfolk for a rest and to have a change of scene. I took my camera with me and planned some photography along the Norfolk coast. As much as I love Suffolk I find unfamiliar locations energising and productive and they usually help to inspire me. However I do have a tendency to approach such trips with unrealistic expectations and as a result I tend to put a lot of pressure on myself to create ‘portfolio’ images while I am away.
My destination in Norfolk was Happisburgh - not exactly an unknown location but somewhere I don’t visit regularly so I don’t see the subtle changes.
In my head I had planned a weekend of seascape photography, sunrises, sunsets and lots of long exposure experimentation and worst of all preconceived ideas. In short I had high expectations and was setting myself up for a fall.
There is a phrase ‘expectation feeds frustration’ and I can confirm it is true. The more pressure I put on myself to produce images the more frustrated I get. My first evening on Happisburgh beach turned from excitement to dissatisfaction after an hour where nothing really worked and every image I took I considered a failure.
I felt under pressure in the landscape and I knew that I was ‘looking’ but not really ‘seeing’.
When I have moments like this I know that I need to relax and reassess why I am on the beach in the first place. I love nature and being out in the landscape and I had to remind myself of this. Taking some time to relax, putting the camera down and just sitting on the beach, listening to the waves, watching the light dance on the water and noticing how all the elements came together was really therapeutic. After a while I began to see the world differently. The pressure eased and the images came more freely.
I have learned over time that it is this connection with the landscape that I need to create photographs I am happy with.
If you were to ask me what makes a better photographer - technical knowledge (camera and process) or time spent in the landscape I would say the latter every time. Don’t get me wrong, technical knowledge is important and you need to know the basics (at the very least) but if you were to invest time in your photography I feel that time spent in the landscape is never time wasted. You could spend hours sitting in front of a computer learning about hyperfocal distance, for example (which in reality you will probably never use) or you could get out with your camera and really get to know the landscape. In my opinion the second option will benefit you more.
We never look at a good photo and say ‘Oh, the photographer has really mastered focusing in this image’. We are much more likely to be impressed by the details of the scene, the light, the foreground, the textures, the colours and the atmosphere and how they all interact. These are the details that create the emotion in an image and they are best learned out in the landscape.
Whilst reading a blog this week by Rob Walker I was introduced to an American Photographer, Nigel Poor and her idea of a verbal photograph. In a project she began at San Quentin prison, where she taught the history of photography, she explored the idea of annotating images and picking out elements of significance and making notes as to why they were important.
This got me thinking about studying photographs as a way of learning and how the process of deconstructing an image might be a useful tool to help us all grow as photographers. This is something that you could do with your own images as well as those from other photographers that you admire. As an example this is one of my shots I have annotated with comments relating to things I like and things that I felt didn’t work so well.
Back on the beach at Happisburgh I took several images of the newly installed tide bell (an 8 foot tall marine bronze bell hanging in a solid oak frame) and I have picked out three to discuss. They were all taken within a short window from blue hour to sunrise.
I have done something different with each image, framed it differently, photographed it from alternate angles or just watched as the light has changed. The third image is my favourite and for me the other two don’t work as well but it wasn’t until I studied them that I really appreciated why.
The first shot was taken at blue hour, the tide was slightly higher and the colours were colder. I have framed it so that the subject sits in the top third of the frame. I like the sheen on the bell and the position in the frame makes the image less symmetrical and more dynamic.
The second image I don’t like at all but I have included it because it was the image that I thought I was going to make, ie a picture taken looking towards the rising sun. Whilst I quite like the texture and colour in the water, the sky is distracting and I didn’t get a good angle on the bell because I needed be be deeper into the sea which meant introducing some distracting land into the background of the shot.
The third shot is my favourite. The sun had risen (behind the clouds) but the light was warmer than the first shot giving the sky and water a hue that blended better with the now almost exposed beach. The very static central framing (which breaks all the compositional rules) gives the image a calm feel which is echoed in the colours and motion of the water. The fact that the horizon is less obvious also helps. Shooting away from the light has given me a more evenly toned image with no harsh contrasts and it is the mood that this creates that I like most in the image.
So what lessons could be learned from my frustrations of the bank holiday weekend?
Don’t put too much pressure on yourself to produce ‘great shots’. Bad photos are always good learning resources and are never a waste of time.
There is no substitute for time spent in the field - the more you get out and photograph the more you will grow as a photographer.
Learn the landscape - get to know the areas you want to photograph.
Learn how to react to the conditions and alter your photography accordingly.
Know what you can achieve with certain lighting or weather conditions.
Learn what effects different shutter speeds give you - this is particularly important for seascape photography. Experiment with the motion of the waves and see what the difference is between 1/4 of a second , 1/2 a second, a 1 second and a 10 second exposure. Learn how time renders the water so that you know what speed to go for the next time you are out.
Learn what you like in an image. Go back and look at your shots. Annotate them and see if there is a pattern that emerges regarding what and how you shoot. Look at other images from other photographers and note down what inspires you - what features, techniques or content are you drawn to?
Take note of your favourite images - is there a theme or common subject. Often your best images will be made when you are most inspired.
And most importantly learn how to observe and notice things - after all you cannot photograph what you cannot see.
I will leave you with a couple of quotes from Elliott Erwitt
Good Photography is ‘about reacting to what you see, hopefully without preconception. You can find pictures anywhere. It's simply a matter of noticing things and organising them. You just have to care about what's around you…’
All the technique in the world doesn't compensate for the inability to notice.
Thank you very much for reading and until next week, enjoy your photography.
Gill
A lovely read Gill and some interesting facts.
I haven’t done a lot the past 3/4 months as the mornings are too light too early (they’ve finally caught up with me) but after reading this you’ve given me the inspiration to get out and get going again.. Thank you
I find your writing style inspiring and inspirational and what's more to pick up my camera and capture a moment! As I read a second time over coffee I looked out into my garden and was quite taken aback by all the shadows and shapes from the rising Sun, game on!
Thank you
Ian