#celticcompositions

So, was it worth the effort and early rise?

Well for me, I have to say no. The sun illuminated the subject as planned, and had the warmth that was anticipated and expected. However, due to the sun rising behind me and front lighting the subject, this resulted in a rather flat image, with little texture, and some of the images even appear slightly 'bleached'. Unfortunately, due to the shape of the valley, with its steep sides, it's impossible to have the preferred side lighting with the warmth of golden hour light, and particularly at that time of the year, when the leaves are showing their autumn colours.

The images is still quite nice, but I am my own worst critic, and it doesn't meet my requirements. All was not lost however, as some other shots from the morning produced some pleasing results.

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 So, will I be returning to this location at sunrise next Autumn??? -  Absolutely!

The main image may not have turned out as hoped, but I feel giving the correct weather conditions, perhaps dappled golden hour light, or even the glow of pre-sunrise light, on high cirrus, cirrocumulus or cirrostratus clouds, reflecting and illuminating the autumn foliage, the ingredients are there to produce a stunning image of a magnificent location.

I would love to hear your thoughts, so please comment on what you've read.

Thanks for viewing my blog and Merry Christmas!

BCNU!

Carl,

Carl Jones - Welsh Landscape Photography

www.celticcompositions.co.uk

With the move to North Wales and settling in to a new job, and all the distractions and new places to explore, I’m conscious I’ve neglected my Photography Blogs, so here’s a bonus one. In this Blog, I’ll talk through how I go about planning a shoot. Some people think I wander around all day with the camera shooting away merrily, but the fact of the matter is, the visit is planned way in advance, to increase the chances of getting the right conditions to hopefully capture an image that’s more striking than that of say a tourist randomly point and shooting as he/she walks around. 

And with the high footfall of tourists visiting the iconic landmark and destinations, all carrying at the very least a camera equipped mobile phone, means there are masses of images out there in the digital world, and so to make your work standout from the crowd, some planning, (and luck!), have to come in to play.

The first thing I consider is how exactly I will attempt to produce something original or something that stands-out. This usually entails photographing from a different perspective, a lesser accessible viewpoint (most people are too lazy to go for a walk or climb a hill!), a fresh composition, sometimes so fresh, that it’s not recognised at first glance. To aid this search, my first resource is a map, either an OS foldout, or online maps. I pay particular attention to the contours and paint a picture in my head of the shape of a particular mountain or valley. In this instance a steep glacial trough with a very obvious cliff face at the end of the valley. The topography at this location dictate that the waterfall and surrounding woodland would be cast in shade for much of the day, particularly during the summer, and any light hitting the valley is likely to be harsh midday sun. Thankfully, the South East facing falls is perfect for Autumn sunrise, which also coincides with the more pleasing autumnal tapestry of the surrounding woodlands.  

I highlight a few possible vantage points, then if available, I will also use Google Earth and select a road that is as near to that viewpoint as is possible. This gives a rough perspective of the subject, but also may show access to the desired final shooting position.

Waterfall as seen from the approach road (it’s tall!) (Google Earth)

To get a higher, and slightly more original view, a climb up the right hand bank would be required. Thankfully, further reference to Google Earth shows a Public Footpath, which although doesn’t remove the effort of a climb, does at least save me from wading through the thick bracken!

Next, it’s time to narrow down the timing of the shot, both from a Date and Time perspective.

Firstly, the preferred day(s) must be established. The days when the sun will be rising from the correct positions, un-obstructed by other hill or mountains are what I was seeking. This also needs to fit in, as far as possible, to the optimum time to visit with regards to foliage colour. So a compromise is often made and the preferred dates are established. With reference to the Ephemeris, it’s possible to pin point the sunrise location, the angle at which it will rise about a particular obstruction, and the time the sun will clear the obstruction and illuminate the subject. In this instance, I believe sunrise was 07:09, with the sun lifting sufficiently to clear a nearby hill by 07:25. The aim is to take the shot as close to Sunrise time as possible to absorb the golden light into the photograph.

The yellow line indicates the direction of sunrise (07:09), while the orange line indicates the sun clearing nearby hill and hitting the subject with the first light of day (07:25)

There’s no substitute for getting on the boots and zoning in on the final shooting location(s), and so a weekend trip during the day was made several weeks prior to the intended date, and time taken to walk from the car park up the hill recorded. Several other compositions were also considered, in case a Plan B was necessary (nothing worse than turning up at a location in the early hours, having been on the road for an hour or more, to find someone’s erected scaffolding infront of your chosen composition!)

All the advanced planning done, all that was needed now was the weather….

Part 2 - Will be blogged on the 26th November, be sure to check it out!

BCNU,

Carl

www.celticcomposits.co.uk