Photography News issue 26

Photography News Issue 26 absolutephoto.com

Interview

Do you always use a tripod? I use a tripod for 99% of my landscape work. Not only does the tripod give me the flexibility to maintain image quality whatever the length of exposure required but it also forces me to slow down and think more about the image- making process. We see you use Lee Filters. Which ones are your most commonly used filters? I have a set of soft and hard ND graduates, ND filters, 2, 3, 6 and 10 stop and a polariser. I rarely take a landscape shot without using one of the ND grads – I find them essential to balance the exposure. Your pictures always seem to be square format. What is the background behind this?Do youhave the camera’s EVF/monitor masked to show the square format? This is a bit like the ‘what came first – the chicken or the egg?’ question. I don’t know if I like the square format because I’ve shot a lot with 6x6cm-format cameras in the past – I’ve owned Lubitel and Yashica-Mat TLRs and Hasselblad 503CW cameras – or if I use that format because it appeals to my personal vision. Either way it’s a format that seems to suit my graphic, minimalist style. I do tend to have the EVF/monitor set to 1:1 format bydefault and switch to one of the other options (usually 4:3 or 16:9) when appropriate. Can you give us some background information on your editing techniques? So, for example, what softwares do you use for your monochrome conversions? I use the Capture One Raw processor for the first stage of my edit and I find the most recent version of this great piece of software meets most of my needs. I do import into Photoshop for some final tweaking prior to printing and occasionally use Google Nik Silver Efex Pro II for its superb black & white conversions. Do you do your own printing? If so what printer do you use for output? Yes, I can print up to A2. I’ve always used Epson printers as they give superb image quality and particularly for black & white. My current printer is the Stylus Pro 3880. Your exhibition has prints made on PermaJet papers. What made you pick PermaJet and which surface do you favour? When I started printing digitally I tried as many different papers as I could get my hands on. But I pretty soon narrowed it down to

three or four papers that I liked and continue to use on a regular basis. For the exhibition I’ve chosen PermaJet’s Museum Classic, a wonderful, slightly textured fine art paper for black & white prints and FB Gold Silk for the colour images. What is your favourite area on the UK for landscapes? Same question, but abroad? In theUK that’s easy – thewest of Scotland and particularly the Isle of Skye. It’s a bit harder to choose an overseas location – I love Iceland so that would be high on my list but last year I visited the Faroe Islands and that is a fantastic location for landscape photography and in many ways a cross between Skye and Iceland. Most experienced landscapers avoid the middle of the day because of the harsh, unattractive lighting. As your work is in black & white, does this apply to you too? I shoot at all times of the day (and night too!) and try tomatchmy choice of locationwith the prevailing weather conditions. For example, going to woodland or where there is water in flat, overcast light or shooting graphic and bold compositions in bright sunshine. In terms of weather and light, what conditions do you favour? My favourite locations offer a clue! I like to work in changeable weather conditions; it’s on the edge of a weather system when things can get interesting in terms of light and cloud structure. I have a saying, ‘if I haven’t got wet then I probably haven’t got a good shot’. What are the worst conditions you have experienced on one of your landscape shoots? Have you had any really potentially dangerous moments? Given what I’ve just said you can imagine that I’m normally getting wet and cold in pursuit of a good picture. So the choice of appropriate, good-quality clothing and footwear is important to ensure that I’m as well equipped for the conditions as possible. It’s important to plan and to be prepared for the worst to happen. To be honest I try to avoid putting myself into risky situations – no photograph is worth dying for! If you had to give one piece of advice to readers keen on landscape photography and keen to improve, what would you say? Follow your instincts and be true to yourself by photographing your passions, and don’t be overly concerned about the views of others.

Above Steve’s exhibition features images taken in a variety of locations with the Lake District playing a dominant role. This is entitled Hanging on. Below Funningur Church, Faroe Islands. One of Steve’s favourite locations is the Faroes. “Inmany ways it is a cross between Skye and Iceland,” he says.

See the show: Steve Gosling’s exhibition

The exhibition will be held in the Friends’ Gallery on the first floor of Theatre by the Lake in Keswick, Cumbria,. The exhibition opens on 28 November and runs until 20 January 2016. The Friends’ Gallery is open from 9.30am to 5.00pm on non performance days and until 9.00pm on performance days. Steve is also hosting a talk about his photography at the same venue on 5 December, starting at 10am. Places are limited and tickets can be bought from the theatre’s box office (phone 017687 74411,) and they cost £4 each.

theatrebythelake.com stevegoslingphotography.co.uk