Self Isolation Day Twelve – Namibia Ghost Town

Day twelve of mandatory self isolation (not long to go now!) includes a photograph I made on my workshop to Namibia in 2019. Taken at the ghost town of Kolmonskop I chose this particular side of the building as the low angle of sun was throwing beautiful warm light into the room and across the sand. Kolmonskop is one of my favourite places in Namibia for landscape photography. The sand filled buildings and cracked and weathered pastel paint make for a wonderful combination. The key to photographing in this location is to pay extra special attention the light and which buildings and rooms are receiving light. Kolmonskop tends to be quite a dreary and solemn place making it perhaps more critical than usual to pay extra special attention to the angle and play of light across the subject.

The photograph was taken tripod mounted with the Canon EOS 1DX MK2 with the Canon 24mm f.35L TSE MK2 w/ Canon 1.4 TC for an effective focal length of approximately 35mm.

Self Isolation Day Eleven – White Wolf in Finland

Day eleven of mandatory self isolation (getting closer to freedom) includes a photograph I made in September last year of a young white Wolf on the Russia / Finland border. Photographed from a ground level hide this photograph is a great example of when it is completely ok (in fact preferred) to place the subject right in the middle of the frame. When making these sort of split second framing decisions on where to place the subject in the frame I am watching carefully how the animal is positioning itself.  Almost always you want to make sure the animal is looking into the frame and not out of the frame. That is, you want to avoid large amounts of negative space in your frame. In cases such as this photograph where the Wolf is looking directly at the photographer it is usually an acceptable (and frequently preferred) option to place the subject dead centre in the frame.

The photograph was taken hand held with the Canon EOS 1DX MK2 with the Canon 600mm f4L IS MK2.  Camera Settings: ISO800 f5.6 1/320th of a second. I will be leading another workshop to this part of northern Finland in October this year (provided the world recovers from the Chinese Wuhan COVID-19 pandemic) for a small group of just six photographers (only two places remaining). Although this workshop is dedicated to the photography of Wolves, Wolverine and Bears it should be noted that there are also many really superb landscape opportunities.

Self Isolation Day Ten – Greenland Winter Landscape

Day ten of mandatory self isolation (double digits!) includes a photograph I made in March this year on the East Coast of Greenland during my expedition to photograph Polar Bears on the frozen sea ice (Read the Trip Report). Taken near sunset, with a fog beginning to descend across the freezing ocean, this photograph captures for me the beauty of winter in the Arctic.

The photograph was taken hand held with the Canon EOS 1DX MK3 with the Canon 16-35mm f4L IS.  Camera Settings: ISO800 f6.3 1/1000th of a second.

Photo of the Month April 2020 – Finland Placid Lake

The photograph of the month for April 2020 comes from my Finland workshop in September last year. It has also been a while since I have posted a landscape photograph as my image of the month. Taken very early on a still morning with rising fog by the side of a placid lake near our cabin, this photograph epitomises for me the peace, tranquility and silent beauty of the Finland forest in Autumn. This photograph really works for me on an emotive level. The soft distant trees in combination with the still lake and contrasting reeds gives a strong sense of peace and tranquility.

I will be leading another workshop to this part of northern Finland in October this year (provided the world recovers from the Chinese Wuhan COVID-19 pandemic) for a small group of just six photographers (only two places remaining). Although this workshop is dedicated to the photography of Wolves, Wolverine and Bears it should be noted that there are also many really superb landscape opportunities.

Self Isolation Day Nine – Snowy Owl Take Off

Day nine of mandatory self isolation (getting closer to freedom!) includes a photograph I made in January this year of a Snowy Owl on my Snowy Owl workshop in Canada. Snowy Owls are without doubt my favourite bird to photograph. They are incredibly majestic with iridescent yellow eyes. This particular photograph works for me because of the gesture and position of the bird as it takes off.

The photograph was taken hand held with the Canon EOS 1DX MK2 with the Canon 400mm f2.8L IA MK3.  Camera Settings: ISO800 f5.6, 1/1000th of a second. I will be leading another workshop for Snowy Owls in January 2021 (provided the world recovers from the Chinese Wuhan COVID-19 pandemic) for a small group of just six photographers (only one place remaining).