Photography News Issue 29

Photography News Issue 29 absolutephoto.com

Technique 30

Landscape Photographer of the Year images: Far left Your view Commended 2015: Frozen Pool detail, Higger Tor, Peak District, Derbyshire, by Annabell Ison. Top left Adult Living the view Highly commended 2015: The ref’s an Angel, Gateshead, Tyne &Wear, by Ian Taylor. Left Classic view Commended 2015: Cloud glacier, Beinn an Aodainn, Knoydart, by Andy Tibbetts. Below Your view Commended 2015: Winter Metamorphosis, Loch Tulla, by Fortunato Gatto. Wintry conditions can provide opportunities to create photographs that help viewers actually ‘feel’ your location

In the thick of it There’s also the question of whether shooting in the snow itself is as successful for landscape photography as waiting for it to settle and form part of the landscape. Charlie’s take is that it can be difficult to represent the weather effectively in a two- dimensional medium. “The weather is able to make all our senses tingle; the smell of ozone by the sea, the sound of the wind rustling leaves and so on. Wintry conditions can provide opportunities to create photographs that help viewers actually ‘feel’ your location at the point of creation; a tree bending against a storm or a snow blizzard. Fortunato Gatto’s image of Scotland evokes a feeling of exposurewhere you can almost hear the roar of the wind. My own photography tends to be calmer in style, though, so I wouldn’t usually photograph in these conditionsmyself but I verymuch enjoy looking at the results of thosewho do.” You’ll need to be careful with your positioning and shutter speed if you want to catch falling snow. The light flakes can be difficult to distinguish if the sky or the scene is also light, but if you have a darker backdrop they will show up, as in Gatto’s image, where a shutter speed of around 1/2sec lets you feel the movement of the blizzard without the flakes blurring out of view. If in doubt try different shutter speeds and check out the effect.

Snow you don’t? Of course, it’s still possible to shoot winter- themed scenics without snow and ice as a feature, and the more ‘UK-centric’ winter landscape conditions of rain, fog, mist and frost can be just as emotive. Indeed, it’s not just about opportunity. “Sometimes,” says Charlie “vast areas of snow are simply too overwhelming and the eye is unable to distinguish between the features of one area and another.” There are plenty of visual cues in the landscape that can be added to your compositions to give them an undeniable winter feel. Winter trees, in particular, are a dead seasonal giveaway, which Charlie references; denuded and lacking the weight of their leaves you can make full use of whatever symmetry their empty branches might offer you: “they tend to lift higher, allowing the eye and the camera to wonder at the design,” says Charlie. The winter staples of rain, mist and fog can be particularly effective in the urban landscape, especially those with a human element. Thick with water vapour, the conditions draw a thin veil over previously cluttered or uninspiring scenes, heightening the sense of separation and depth. There’s no doubt, says Charlie, “that the competition has seen some very evocative images taken in winter mists, and I have thoroughly enjoyed looking at them; they’re both romantic andmoving.”

Stars of track and field

You can find more great winter landscapes (and of course many other amazing scenic shots) in Landscape Photographer of the Year Collection 9 (AA Publishing, £25). With the format nearing a decade of publications, the new book spans 224 beautiful pages, covering an amazing variety of scenes and styles from up and down the land. All the winning and commended images from the competition’s categories are included, so there’s an inspiring mix of rural and urban landscapes scenes. What’s more, each shot is accompanied by the photographer’s personal account of taking the picture, and there’s a special technical section, detailing the equipment and techniques used by the photographers. Find out more at take-a-view.co.uk where you’ll soon also find information about 2016’s competition.