pretentious? moi?

I’m a frustrated artist.

I can’t draw or paint and that’s something that has always troubled me.  As a child, whenever I did draw or paint it was always a landscape or a building or a thing.  Never a person – always “things”.  And I was always intrigued by detail: the minutiae that made a scene more interesting. 

So, it was natural I guess that I would be drawn (no pun intended) to landscape photography when I first picked up a camera.  Taking pictures of people held no interest for me.

As a frustrated artist though, I’ve always been a fan of those who can actually paint.

My love of little details mean I am particularly fond of Hieronymus Bosch; paintings like his “Garden of Earthly Delights”.  And anything by Peter Bruegel draws me in for hours.

And when I did decide I wanted to be a landscape photographer it was old artists who provided me with most of my inspiration, and it was from studying these old “masters” that I learned the basic rules of composition. I mean, the rule of thirds wasn’t invented by a photographer!

The artist that I have always admired most, and the one who has influenced me more than any photographer, is one JMW Turner.

Buttermere Lake, with Part of Cromackwater, Cumberland, a Shower

I love the way he uses light and the elements in his composition to increase interest in what might otherwise be a frankly boring scene.  I also love the counterpoint between light and dark in his work.  It’s something I try to emulate in my own images by underexposing the scene to retain detail in its brightest parts.   

Photography is all about light.  But I love the darkness in it too – I think it can do much more to convey a mood or to tell your story.  

channelling my inner Turner

Getting a really good landscape image is so much more than pointing your camera at a pretty view.  It’s about using light and shadow and what you include and leave out of your composition.  But it’s nothing new.

Who is your favourite artist, and how do they influence or inspire you in your own work?