I have been reading one of my Christmas Presents: Light in the Landscape - A Photographers Year by Peter Watson and very good it is too.
I must warn those of a nervous disposition that the book is a few years old now and all the shots were taken on film. The past, as they say, is a different country...they do things differently there. But amazingly the constant use of words like "Velvia" do not detract from the book.
What I liked about it, was that it talks about the ups and downs of getting the shot in a way that I completely recognise. Not just the usual comments you find in Landscape togs books about pre-visualising the scene and waiting a week for the light to be right.
In this book Peter admits making mistakes, not being completely happy with compositions and even racing up and down the side of a loch then clambering over a load of brambles in an attempt to catch the light at the end of the day. Some times he lucks out & gets 2 good shots within 20 minutes of each other, other times he gets a shot but is not completely happy with it. This is more like the landscape photography I recognise.
The book works through a year of photographs week by week. Each photo is accompanied by a description and some technical information about it. I feel I will keep this on my bookshelf to give me something to look at when I am wondering what to photograph.
4 comments:
Agreed it's a fantastic book, Peter Watson has to be up there in the Premier League of Britians landscape photographers, his photo from Llantysilio, North Wales from 1998 is possibly the best landscape photo I've ever seen!
Thanks for the comment Dav.
Ahh yes Dav I've found the picture of Llantysilio you are talking about.
It is a belter isn't it :)
That's the one Chris, I'd have been reasonably happy with that one :)
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