1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.6, 1.7, 1.8, 2.1, 2.2, 2.4, 2.6, Photographic Research/Experimental Pictures

This the work of Joe Cornish, I find his pictures very inspirational and will try to study them in more detail, so I can understand what it is, that makes an ordinary or good photograph great, how to look at the landscape and see a framed picture that has all the elements to make it interesting to others, how to use the changing light and seasons and understand the technical elements, so I can reproduce them in my work.


Joe Cornish came to photography gradually whilst studying fine art at university. His influences are Ansel Adams, Edward Weston, Paul Strand and Walker Evans to name some. He tried social and portrait photography for a while but didn't like to be inside a studio, prefering to work outside, he was fascinated by maps as a young boy and liked to discover open landscapes and coastal areas. He was given work by the National Trust, they needed black and white photographs for a book, following this he met Charlie Waite, a successful landscape photographer, and worked with a number of other photographers on a photolibrary 'Landscape
Only'.

I have been studying 'Light & Land, Working The Light, A Landscape Masterclass', put together by Joe Cornish, Charlie Waite, David Ward & Eddie Ephraums.
It is full of beautiful pictures by various photographers and carries critiques as well as technical information about the pictures.

I have put together some photographs by Joe Cornish, click HERE to view.


I love the coastal view below, it clearly demonstrates the use of thirds since 2/3 of the picture is composed with sea and land and the final 1/3 of sky.

The tower on the hill in the distance adds interest in this area, with the eye having been drawn around and up to it, after first alighting on the highlighted boulders in the foreground, my eye then travels to the left down the sloping hillside to the lightening sky, then back over the outcops of rock in the middle ground finally resting on the shoreline and rocky beach.


The sky is a moody reflection of the water and seems to convey a latent power which has just been tamed by the rising sun, colours are muted and of similar dark tones, except for the breaking light on the horizon which is reflected on the boulders in the foreground, this brings the picture to life and adds contrast.


There are different textures in the scene, a slow shutter speed has been used to soften the water on the shoreline breaking on the solid shiney boulders which add pattern and shape, the coastline receding into the distance appears to be hard and rough against the softer billowing clouds, with the sun breaking through to add yet another element.


There is interest all through the picture with the different elements providing an obvious foreground, middle distance and background, it would appear that a small apperture has been used to keep detail sharp all through and probably a graduated filter to give more emphasis and interest in the sky.


I also like the "inner landscapes" of Joe Cornish, details of the landscape, can carry as much impact as panoramic views. There is a fantastic range of colours in the picture 'Beach Pebbles' , although there is great harmony in the picture since all the colours are of the same tone. The photographer repeatedly uses lots of pattern and shape in his pictures to add interest and keep the viewers eye moving from one spot to another.


In order to practice more landscape photography I have decided to take a trip out to Dovedale in the Peak District National Park and will try to keep the work of Joe Cornish in mind when composing pictures.














Venue ; Dovedale, Peak District National Park, Derbyshire
Equipment ; Panasonic Lumix G1, 14-44mm & 44-200mm lens, tripod

Comments ; I have been studying the work of Joe Cornish, (see above) and particularly like his landscape studies which include water. He has used slow shutter speeds in order to soften the flow and make water appear more interesting and frothy.

I decided to try and capture water in this way and took a number of pictures before I achieved the effect I wanted.

I particularly liked the rock with water flowing around it, I wanted to get a close overhead picture and had to find something close enough to the bank where I could lean over with my camera without danger of slipping into the water, I couldn't use a tripod since the bank was muddy and soft, so had to ensure to hold the camera steady. I used my standard lens at f16, shutter speed of 1/4 sec at iso100.

I should have preferred to compose the picture with more thought, perhaps with the rocks better placed and more interest in the foreground, a polarising filter may have been useful to cut down on reflection and give a better view of the green weed under the water. I shall take more time to think about composition when I next go out with my camera.

I also took some larger landscape pictures trying to use the rule of thirds and ensure that I had interest in the foreground, middle and background. Some are more successful than others but I am still not satisfied with the colour. I am sure this will improve as we move more into spring and the hillsides and trees become more green. I have tried to limit the sky to the top third of the picture in many of the shots, since it was uniformly grey the day I could get out. I am however, looking at filters in order to improve colours and add more interest in the sky.

More images can be viewed in my Picasa folder, CLICK HERE