Landscape Photography on Location: Keswick at Derwentwater
The spooky tree in Keswick at Derwentwater - my favourite in the Lake District National Park.
Originality in Photography
When it comes to landscape photography, deciding what to photograph is the photographer’s primary concern. Shall we shoot the hotspots? Do we rehash the picture postcard scenes that many people have snapped time after time? Or do we try our hand at something more…well, original?
As some, including Keswick-based landscape photographer, workshop leader and gallery owner, Stuart Mcglennon, have pointed out, running a photography business is altogether different from engaging in photography as a hobby; this is because the photographer must now shoot for an audience, not for themselves.
Put simply, when it comes to prints, what is saleable is what is recognisable as it evokes the emotion of a place captured in time - a memory. Imagine visiting a gift shop or a visitor information centre. You would instinctively select the fridge magnet that shows most of the places you’ve been on that long weekend city break. Precisely!
Many photographers then find that the time for creativity is over. We must shoot what sells.
Well, I recently decided in favour of a passion project. Sorry. not sorry!
Photographing something different in Keswick in the Lake District National Park, Cumbria
I CAN GUARANTEE THIS!
Were I to stand in the main car park at Derwentwater and hand 100 people a polaroid camera with the challenge to bring me back their best shot, the majority would walk straight down the path beyond the Lakeside Cafe Restaurant and the Theatre by the Lake with one thing in mind. Predictable as the sun rising each morning, every Tom, Dick and Harry would then return about 15 minutes later with exactly the same image.
Picture the scene:
Keswick Launch with little wooden rowing boats lined up along the water’s edge. Catbells, dramatic as ever, posed to perfection in the background with some mid-ground greenery of wooded islands. There may be a few avian animals present, such as ducks, geese or seagulls - but mainly geese! The sky would be blue with a 50% smattering of clouds. Depending on the time of day, the water would glare and reflect to varying degrees and there may be some time taken to capture the scene without a tourist poking their head in. (Maybe. If we’re lucky.)
The headline image for this blog post shows a haunted tree at Derwentwater in Keswick. This is by far my favourite tree in the Lake District National Park
In the past, this tree has flummoxed me. I’ve simply not been able to photograph it in all its glory - not been able to do it justice!
It was never so much the technical settings such as aperture, shutter speed and ISO that caused my analysis paralysis, rather compositional elements and storytelling. I had toiled on previous visits over the rule of thirds, lighting, perspective and much more besides. For example, did I attach a wide-angle lens, 35mm, 50mm, certainly not a telephoto lens - surely to goodness?!
I wanted to convey a sense of scale and majesty, the full height and width of this tree’s unfurled beauty and the dark drama in the sky, its deadness and deep-rooted history in a landscape otherwise alive and kicking. You get the idea.
Legendary landscape photographer Ansel Adams said, “A good photograph is knowing where to stand.” Very true. I could circle this tree a full 360 degrees. What's the best backdrop? Where’s the light coming from? What’s its best side? This shoot was beginning to feel less landscape and more fashion portrait.
My previous attempts had fallen flat. For example, I would chop the tree at the limb. Not good.
How I made the image
Go ahead and read my very first blog post entitled, “What is Photography”. Then you’ll understand to what extent I view editing/post-processing (whatever you want to call it) as an essential part of the production process.
Notice how I speak of “making” an image. To my mind, I get two turns at creating a masterpiece:
1) In camera
2) On a computer screen.
To be clear, this does not mean that I will artificially invent a scene from my sofa that never existed out on location. Rather, I have the opportunity - afforded by the digital age - to enhance a composition and push it closer to my intended vision. Think of it as the styling product on a fresh new haircut.
Here’s some points to consider:
You’ll notice a sense of balance in the composition. For example, see how the top of the mountain range sits on the upper vertical third whilst the ground into which the tree trunk is rooted sits approximately on the lower line. The subject - the tree - stands on the right-hand side third.
The sloped grass banks in both the foreground and mid ground of the photograph gives a sense of depth and train the viewer’s eye up and down the image as well as side to side.
I used a landscape colour profile in Adobe Lightroom to enhance blues and greens. Cautiously cranking the vibrancy and saturation sliders gives it a kick - but don't overdo it!
I love contrasty images. This one really begged for some definition between those shadows and highlights, especially on the spindly branches. Boosting texture and contrast helped here.
I always treat the sky differently using “masking” to bring out the emotion of the weather.
For what it’s worth, my settings were as follows:
ISO: 140 (really don’t care about this - I leave it in “Auto” most of the time and keep an eye that it doesn’t go too high. If it does, I know my other two variables over which I retain control aren’t working for the situation)
Aperture: f/9.0 (to get everything in focus)
Shutter speed: 1/125 (I was locked off on a tripod for stability to wanted to ensure wind vibration through the legs didn’t minimise sharpness and introduce subject movement)
I was shooting with Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8G lens, which behaves like a 75mm focal length on my Nikon D500
An old friend
I always get a wave from this tree and find myself moving in closer to say, “hello”!
The next time you walk towards Friar’s Crag - arguably the most photogenic location in the Lake District - be sure to let your feet meander leftwards and pay this fellow a visit. You won’t be disappointed!
For prints, visit my Store, or Contact me.
Yours,
Matthew