iJourneys

John Gough Photography

Photography in the Peak District

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Curbar Edge / John Gough / Canon 6D

The way to really appreciate Curbar Edge in the Peak District is to get there at dawn, and if you are lucky with the weather, the sun will rise behind you throwing the rocky outcrop into relief creating memorable photographs.

We did just that last week. Thanks to Clive Williams at Bedford Camera Club for organising the event. We set off from home at 4.00am and arrived just as the sun was rising at 6.45.

Curbar Edge

Curbar Edge, in the Peak District, is a high gritstone escarpment offering spectacular views across the idyllic countryside of the White Peak.

If you go there, the National Trust car park can be found at Clodhall Lane, Hope Valley, S32 3YR. Climb the steps at the rear of the car park and follow the path.

Photography

I did not take a long lens, but I wished I had so I could have got a better shot of the villages and stone walled fields further up the valley. If you are lucky then the valley may be clouded over below you, adding to the drama of any photographs.

I used a tripod, and a wide angle lens, with a small aperture around f22 for the shot above. This ensured both the rocks and the valley were in focus.

Just through the morning gloom is Chatsworth House. With a longer lens and mist or snow on the ground, this could be a fabulous shot.

 

 

Where I Buy

I buy my equipment from Wex because of their exceptional customer service. I once returned a camera after 30 days, and the next day they called to return my money to my account. Their prices are always competitive and they offer good prices on the trade in of your used gear

This Image was Taken on a Canon

The Street Photographer Behind the Mirror

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The Mirror / John Gough / Sony a6300

I was taking photographs in the City the other day following a visit to the excellent London Nights exhibition at the Museum of London. Although I am at heart a street photographer, I do think the urban environment offers fantastic opportunities.

It is possible to walk from the Museum of London to Moorgate, and into the Barbican on elevated walkways. If there is good light this raised environment provides creative ways to play with the sunlight, that cuts majestically through the spaces between the buildings. A shard of light, or the interplay of light and dark, with people walking half in and out of shadow, are one of the techniques that urban photographers have played with since Henri Cartier-Bresson in the 1930’s.

Today the swathes of glass offer fantastic reflections. As the picture above illustrates. I had to wait for some time for that shot. Waiting for a figure to occupy that first third of the image.

As I stood pointing my camera at the window, a security guard tapped me on the shoulder and asked me what I was doing. As usual, because this happens to me quite frequently, I have a well rehearsed response. I was polite, I engaged in conversation and offered him my business card. A business card is essential for any street photographer, I have managed to escape without acrimony many times this way.

Later, as I thought about it. I tried to imagine what it must have been like for whoever was on the other side of this mirror faced glass window. Probably it was an important business meeting or business deal which could have reached a dramatic climax. Then looking up the city bankers saw me prone, camera in hand, pointing it forcibly in their direction.

In that situation, I admit I too would have been indignant and summoned security. After all, I know what it feels like, I was behind that mirror once.

Where I Buy

I buy my equipment from Wex because I have genuinely found that they offer great advice and customer service.

 

Rule of Thirds

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Crossed Lines / John Gough / Sony a6300

In photography why bother following the rules to be really creative?  Why not just throw away the rule book and create beautiful images?

However, breaking up is just so hard to do, and the Rule of Thirds is just so useful that you will never want to dispose of it. It is the first composition rule that most photographers learn, and the one they will use forever.

The Rule of Thirds has been used for centuries. By Leonardo da Vinci for example.

Rule of Thirds

Rule of Thirds

Once you aware of the rule you will notice it countless times each day in photography, film and TV. Rarely does the subject of a photograph happily sit slap bang in the centre. Instead, it is usually more pleasing to place it one third in from the left or the right. Similarly with a horizon. In the centre would just split the image in two, a third from the top or bottom makes the image far more interesting.

Why does it work? It just does. The Rule of Thirds is one of the rules of nature.

Rachel across at Photography Talk has created a great guide on how to make it work in your photography. Check it out.

 

Photographing Dorset

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Old Hary Rocks / John Gough / Canon 6D

Yes, you could take the well worn path to Durdle Door and take the photograph that every other landscape photographer has taken. Or you could look for a different location. If you are photographing Dorset, then a similar scene with a different perspective can be found at Old Harry Rocks.

Photographing Dorset – Studland Bay

Head to Studland Bay, a terrific location for photographing Dorset and park at the South Beach car park. The path is signposted to Old Harry Rocks

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There is then a gorgeous walk out to the headland. This has photo opportunities all along the path until you emerge on the coastline. The vista is just magnificent. These pictures were taken in June this year, and I was so lucky with cloud formations which complemented both the sea and the sky.

Paddling in Dorset / John Gough / Canon 6D

 

Photographing Dorset: Reference

I used this book for my jaunt photographing Dorset, it was very useful giving precise details of how to access many locations. If you don’t know the area and have limited time a book like this is essential. I have used similar books for most of my location visits.

 

Where I Buy

I buy my equipment from Wex. I have genuinely found that they offer great advice and customer service.

This Image was Taken on a Canon

Street Photography Standing Still

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End of the Pier Show / John Gough / Sony a6300

Norfolk is a photography location with beautiful beaches, wonderful seascapes, the Norfolk Broads and seaside resorts. However, I headed for Great Yarmouth with street photography in mind.

Street Photography

I went there to add to my Square Nation portfolio. This is street photography in Great Yarmouth with my Sony a6300.

Usually, I stride about a location looking for scenes to photograph. However, I am learning that rather than walking about looking for opportunities, find a location, stop wait and let the opportunities come to you. This is street photography standing still. It is all about some planning in advance and exploring the space around you.  Finding a location where the action is, and having enough confidence to stay put even though you may think it is kicking off somewhere else.

Standing Still

Being stationary does not draw attention like going up to a stranger and poking a camera in their face. The photograph above, I love because it is natural, and up close. I would normally never dare to invade space so intrusively. However, I sat on the pier at Great Yarmouth and tried to blend into the background.  This is ambush photography. I have seen wildlife photographers do the same, but they sit in a hide on the banks of a watering hole in the Serengeti, waiting for a crocodile to lunge forward and grab a wildebeest. Street photography standing still is less dramatic but requires the same stealthy skills.

I was on a workshop with Matt Hart earlier in the summer. Matt was on a frenetic search moving quickly through the streets of London, and this approach worked well, we found some terrific situations. However, I wonder whether Martin Parr’s Last Resort included some street photography standing still because there is in his photography, that sense of our inclusion in the scene.

I am excited and off to try this technique again. Watch this space.

 

Where I Buy

I buy my equipment from Wex because I have genuinely found that they offer great advice and customer service.

This Image was Taken on a Sony

 

 

 

Kathy Brown’s Garden: Photography Location

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Red Flower / John Gough / Canon 6D

Yesterday I attended a flower photography workshop at Kathy Brown’s Garden in north Bedfordshire. The garden is gorgeous especially this time of year, with endless blooms to photograph. We were led by Sue Bishop, author, renowned photographer and founder of Light and Land.

Flower Photography

Sue demonstrated how she would set up a flower shot. What impressed me, was that she usually spent twenty minutes looking for the ideal bloom. She used a 100mm macro lens mounted on a Nikon DSLR on a Gitzo (I think) tripod and triggered the exposure with a remote.

She recommended:

  • Focussing on either the front edge petals or the stamens of the flower.
  • Approaching the flower from the side rather than flat and head on.
  • A big aperture to create a dreamy out of focus background.
  • Watch the background for highlights and colours that would detract from the subject.

It was a windy day and that is my excuse, but thank you to Bruce Deacon for setting up the day.

Where I Buy

I buy my equipment from Wex because I have genuinely found that they offer great advice and customer service.

This Image was Taken on a Canon

Peterborough Cathedral Photographic Location

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Direct Line to God /John Gough / Canon 6D

Thank you to Peterborough Cathedral for allowing a group of us to photograph Peterborough Cathedral.

In the Middle Ages, these magnificent buildings emerged like pyramids, brick by brick out of the pastoral English landscape. We still do not fully understand how they were built.

We were lucky enough to have a full tour of the building, including the triforium and tower. Many thanks to Bruce Deacon and Adrian Stone for setting this up.

It was an awesome experience but on a very hot day. I was pleased to eventually down a pint of Stella. It was an Ice Cold in Alex experience.

Where I Buy

I buy my equipment from Wex because I have genuinely found that they offer great advice and customer service.

This Image was Taken on a Canon

The London Salon

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London Salon

The London Salon

Last Friday I visited The London Salon of Photography Exhibition. If you are a bit vague about what a salon is then this beginners guide is a good place to start. Essentially it is an open competition usually organised by a photography club, that is followed by an exhibition of the photographs that have been ‘accepted’. The London Salon is one of the most prestigious, with thousands of entries, and about one hundred and seventy acceptances, including nine salon medals.

The nine medal winners can be seen here.

Why Visit the Exhibition

For me, it is interesting to pick up the trends on how judges are interpreting the entries. What type of genre is on the way up? What type of images are they looking for? What is missing?. What is emerging and what the trends are.

What are the Trends.

This is my unscientific analysis of what is up and what is down.

  • Of the one hundred and seventy acceptances, over half are monochrome.
  • The colour images are usually heavily desaturated. There is a move to just include a hint of colour.
  • Nearly half feature people either individually or in groups. Most seem posed rather than candid. There is some street photography.
  • There are more fantasy images than one might expect.
  • There is a little wildlife. Probably about half a dozen.
  • There are a few traditional travel pictures again about half a dozen.
  • The traditional landscape is completely missing. There are more urban than rural.
  • Abstract images are trending. Especially landscape which has been layered.
  • There is a definite minimalist trend. A monochrome park bench in a bleached landscape. A lone figure against a desaturated background. A black railing on a white background.

However, all the images are wonderful, I wish I had taken any one of them. Congratulations to all who managed to get accepted. I loved Heather Woodhams, Wayside Flowers which deservedly won a medal. Congratulations to my friend Cliff Harvey with Into the Light.

 

 

Wex Walkabout in London’s East End

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On High / John Gough / Sony a6300

Wex Walkabout

I went on a Wex Walkabout yesterday with Matt Hart the street photographer’s, street photographer. He led us around the City and London’s East End for a very hot, but enjoyable couple of hours of street photography, finishing up in Brick Lane. The area is so vibrant that there are photographic opportunities everywhere. However, I noticed that Matt was very much more discerning than the twelve of us, who were in more point and shoot mode. He had succeeded in his mission to take away the fear of pointing a camera at people we do not know, which is what street photography is all about.  Matt said before the shoot that a good picture requires light, composition, interesting subject and emotion, and a great picture will have all those elements.

The image above was taken in the City which was also included on the walk.

Wex Walkabouts are amazing value considering Light and Land charge hundreds of pounds for similar workshops. I encourage you to have a go.

Where I Buy

I buy my equipment from Wex because I have genuinely found that they offer great advice and customer service.

This Image was Taken on a Sony