After deciding to put a few framed pictures up in the local pub, to gauge interest from a range of people, one has emerged as being quite a talking point. It has been really interesting talking to people about it and I have been amazed by the comments made by many people who would not normally be interested in art photography.


The image in question is this one, of Fountains Abbey in North Yorkshire:





I really like this image because of the architecture, the detail in the ruin and also the very moody sky. Walking around the abbey grounds, you really get a sense of awe that this place was built so long ago in such a lovely landscape, you can understand why people would want to come and meditate here. When I was at the abbey, it was a lovely day, if a little overcast. The shots that I got there were lovely, but lacked that little extra punch that I was looking for. I started thinking about what I could do to improve the image.


I always shoot my images in RAW file format. There is more information stored in the image file and the file doesn’t receive any compression, which can cause the image quality to drop. So after using the camera raw exposure tool, I discovered that there was a lot more in the sky than just a light grey mass. All I needed to do to improve the picture was to bring out the extra detail that dropping the exposure would provide. I decided to use Photomatix Pro to produce a HDR (High Dynamic Range) picture of the image. Usually you would use a few images to produce a HDR photograph, but as I had shot the image in RAW, I could produce three copies of the same photograph from the same file, each with a different exposure.


Once the HDR photograph had been produced, I converted the picture to grayscale and came up with the photograph you see above. Quite a catch image according to the patrons of my local. Some have called the photo eerie, or even brooding, but to see it printed and up on the wall is quite encouraging because I can talk to people about it, and I have even managed to sell a few prints as well.


If you are interested in obtaining prints of the work you have seen on my site – take a look at my portfolio of personal images by clicking here and then get in contact with me. I am also planning on adding to the images on the site so keep an eye out for new work.


I would also love to hear your thoughts about this image in the comments section below.

As a first post on my new blog, I have decided to start at the beginning. To learn about photography, I believe you need to read a few introductory books which explain the basics of a photograph and the creative controls of the camera, then the best thing to do is shoot as many photographs as you can, changing the settings as you go – take the same picture a dozen times with different settings. This will enable you to see what each of the controls change. Digital is really handy for this, once you have the camera there are no massive costs involved to see your experimentation come to life. A decent entry level SLR, and some good point and shoot cameras, will give you manual controls so you can set your photography free of the program mode.

I learnt on film, only a few years ago, and it really does make you think. Digital is easy because you don’t have to think before you shoot – but shooting a hundred shots to get one good one is not a good use of time in any business. If you are keen on pursuing photography as a possible business opportunity, then you need to make every shot count, and that means making sure you know what is going to come out every time you press the shutter release. This can only be achieved with a great number of test and experimental shots.

The last thing I would say is this: If you are keen to get in to photography, DO IT!! It is great fun, involves a creative aspect, but also relies heavily on science. Understanding the technical helps with the creative. After you have a great image in the camera, you can start experimenting with the post production – and that is another topic all together.