Equipment & Approach
Nearly all of photos on this website were taken with a digital single-lens-reflex (DSLR) camera. A great deal of time and effort was involved in the making of every one of these images; I like to think that the approach to making them has something in common with that of large-format photography. The aim is always to get the image right 'in-camera' as far as possible, managing the exposure when necessary via the careful use of graduated neutral-density (ND) filters. All of these images were composed with the final aspect ratio in mind, using 'Live View' and an on-screen grid (enabled via one of the menu functions) to indicate the borders of the intended crop.
The 4x5 or 5x4 ratio predominates, as I find it to be most satisfying. The mirror-lock-up facility is used together with an electronic shutter release to avoid any loss of image sharpness through residual camera movement during exposure.
There is still something intensely satisfying about this approach. Nevertheless, the equipment involved - not just the camera body and lenses but the associated filter assemblies, and of course the tripod - is fairly unwieldy, and does not readily lend itself to use in the mountains, or in situations where the light is changing rapidly and the camera has to be made ready in short order. With the advent of mirrorless technology, the alternative of using relatively light cameras, hand-held and making use of in-camera image stabilisation, has become irresistible. The dynamic range of modern sensors is such that the use of filtration to balance exposures is often unecessary. Moreover, the image quality from modern iPhones can rival that produced by larger camera bodies. Thus, this website now features photos produced via these 'lightweight' approaches. These may be technically inferior to the more carefully-composed DSLR shots, but they hopefully convey something of the atmosphere that the photographer experienced at the time.
All the images on this website are the result of a single exposure. In all cases post-production has been limited to minor adjustments to contrast (using the Curves tool in Lightroom), with realistic colour saturation being maintained.
The 4x5 or 5x4 ratio predominates, as I find it to be most satisfying. The mirror-lock-up facility is used together with an electronic shutter release to avoid any loss of image sharpness through residual camera movement during exposure.
There is still something intensely satisfying about this approach. Nevertheless, the equipment involved - not just the camera body and lenses but the associated filter assemblies, and of course the tripod - is fairly unwieldy, and does not readily lend itself to use in the mountains, or in situations where the light is changing rapidly and the camera has to be made ready in short order. With the advent of mirrorless technology, the alternative of using relatively light cameras, hand-held and making use of in-camera image stabilisation, has become irresistible. The dynamic range of modern sensors is such that the use of filtration to balance exposures is often unecessary. Moreover, the image quality from modern iPhones can rival that produced by larger camera bodies. Thus, this website now features photos produced via these 'lightweight' approaches. These may be technically inferior to the more carefully-composed DSLR shots, but they hopefully convey something of the atmosphere that the photographer experienced at the time.
All the images on this website are the result of a single exposure. In all cases post-production has been limited to minor adjustments to contrast (using the Curves tool in Lightroom), with realistic colour saturation being maintained.