I spent over a decade living in the UK and photographing the British landscape, not as it is, but as I see it in my mind. As the great Ansel Adams said: “You don’t take a picture. You make it.”

In order to become a good photographer, one needs to master not only the technical craft but also the art of photography. And this is easier said than done.

Photography is the art of crafting light. The word ‘photograph’ has Greek roots – being a combination of 'phos' (light) and 'graphé' (drawing).

I captured images using a variety of different photographic techniques including neutral density filters, high dynamic range photography (HDR), tone mapping, stacking, exposure blending and digital panorama stitching.

The science of photography

A photographer’s medium is light itself and one needs to understand its properties and behaviour. Light is unique in the sense that it is both particle and wave.

Exposure

As a photographer, we are always trying to capture just the right amount of light to create a photographic exposure. Too much light and the exposure is too high, resulting in all the brighter parts of the scene, such as clouds in the sky, losing all texture and tonal detail and rendering an area of solid white.

Too little and the darker areas of the image and middle values, such as the ground, trees and foliage come out completely black.

The units of measure for light generally used in photography are called stops. Every time a stop is increased, the amount of light is doubled.

The human eye can see about 16 stops of light at any given time. This is a sliding range that can adapt itself over a 20-stop absolute range.

For example, when one walks into a cinema, it takes a moment for one to adjust to the low light as one’s iris opens up to allow for more light.

Similarly, when one walks into bright sunlight, it takes a while for one’s iris to close down and adjust to the sun. In both scenarios, one’s eyes are showing about 16 stops of light but have adjusted by about an extra four stops to adapt to the environment.

Aperture

Just like the iris in our eye, camera lenses have an aperture (opening) built in that gives the photographer control over the amount of light coming through the lens.

The aperture size is measured in f-stops and written as f/[number] - the smaller the number, the wider the aperture.

Whilst wide apertures allow more light in, they also result in shallower depth of field. Depth of field is the volume in front of the camera where objects appear to be in focus.

Small apertures tend to generate greater depth of field at the cost of reducing the light that comes through to the sensor.

One-third of the depth of field extends from the point of focus towards the camera whilst two-thirds of the depth of field extends beyond the point of focus.

For example, if the focus is set to a distance of 10 metres, a wide aperture may give you a depth of field of three metres, i.e., everything between nine metres to 12 metres would be in focus.

A small aperture, on the other hand, may give you a depth of field of 15 metres where any objects that lie between five metres to 20 metres in front of the lens would be in focus.

Two-thirds of the depth of field extends further away from the plane of focus (the distance where the focus is set) whilst one-third lies from the plane of focus extending towards the camera.

Shutter speed

Besides the amount of light coming through, another aspect that the photographer needs to consider is how long to allow that light to come through. This is done using a shutter that is present inside either the camera or lens.

The faster the shutter speed, the more frozen in time any moving objects in the scene will appear such as the birds in the sky and the waves in the image below:

Sunset at Bournemouth Beach

Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark III
Lens: Zeiss 21mm f/2.8 Distagon
Number of exposures: 1
Aperture: f/16
ISO: 800
Shutter speed(s): 1/80 sec.

Leave the shutter open for a longer duration and any moving elements in the scene will become motion blurred. The amount of motion blur will depend on the length of time the shutter is open for.

The images below illustrate different shutter speeds used to blur the motion of the waves to varying degrees.

Sea Petal

Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark III
Lens: Zeiss 21mm f/2.8 Distagon
Number of exposures: 1
Aperture: f/16
ISO: 100
Shutter speed(s): 4 sec.

Sea, Sky and Shore

Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark III
Lens: Sigma Art 35mm f/1.4 DG
Number of exposures: 1
Aperture: f/16
ISO: 100
Shutter speed(s): 31 sec.

Old Harry

Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Lens: Sigma 24mm f/1.8 EX DG
Number of exposures: 1
Aperture: f/16
ISO: 160
Shutter speed(s): 120.0 sec.

Longer shutter speeds can create interesting images, turning moving elements in the scene, such as clouds and water, misty. However, longer shutter speeds require the camera to be completely still and use of a tripod is therefore essential.

Camera sensor

Finally, the camera sensor is an important element to consider. It has a number of photosites responsible for actually recording the light.

You can make the sensor more or less responsive to light by changing a setting known as ISO.

The higher the ISO number, the more responsive the sensor is. However, the sensor noise also increases when you increase the ISO.

Therefore, it is important to keep the ISO as low as possible whilst still getting the correct exposure.

Landscape photography

When photographing landscapes, one has to work with available light and this requires continuously improvising and responding to any lighting changes in order to create the desired look.

You can limit the light entering the lens by placing certain filters in front of it but you cannot manipulate the light in the surroundings to become brighter given the intensity and vastness of the landscape.

The amount of light digital cameras can record in a single exposure varies greatly from camera to camera but even with most of the latest cameras, it is difficult to record beyond a range of 7-8 stops when the scene contrast might be as wide as 22 stops.

There are two main techniques employed by landscape photographers in such instances.

The purist approach is to use graduated neutral density (ND Grad) filters which are pieces of glass or resin that are completely transparent at one end and dark at the other.

These filters are available in normal, hard and soft graduation between light and dark, and, in varying intensities.

These filters are essentially used to bring the exposure of the sky down, closer to the exposure required for the ground so that the overall exposure is within range of the camera sensor.

Whilst these filters work very well for landscapes with a straight horizon, they end up darkening any landscape features that may poke up cutting across the horizon, such as buildings, hills or mountains.

Another relatively recent approach that has gained popularity in digital photography is high dynamic range (HDR) photography where the photographer takes multiple images of the scene, without moving the camera, at different exposures to expose correctly for different elements in the scene.

These exposures are combined and blended together, either within the camera or through the use of a photo manipulation software, so that only the desired pixels from each exposure appear in the final image.

The aperture and ISO are kept locked when photographing in HDR as changing the aperture changes the depth of field across images and ISO changes result in different patterns of noise.

The only variable, therefore, is the shutter speed which is used to vary the exposure levels in the sequence.

There are a number of challenges that the photographer needs to be wary of when photographing landscapes in HDR.

Scenic elements, such as clouds, foliage, water, fog etc., are in constant motion and may not line up properly between one exposure to the next and appear as semi-translucent “ghosts” that require manual intervention.

And whilst each exposure brings more dynamic range to the final image, it also brings all the lens and camera sensor artifacts, such as chromatic aberrations and noise, that can get compounded in the final image.

Nevertheless, the latitude and flexibility that HDR photography provides is a huge benefit when pushing and pulling pixel values around during post-production as there are a lot more values to play with in order to create the image you previsualised.

Most of the images in this article have been created using this technique. The camera, lens, aperture, ISO and shutter speeds used to create each image are also listed.

Being far up in the northern hemisphere, the quality of light in the UK is very different and much softer than the harsh sunlight in Pakistan. The constantly changing weather and cloud formations add more drama to the scene.

Castles have been one of my favourite subjects. Corfe Castle, in particular, has featured in a number of my works.

Corfe Castle

Corfe Castle has an interesting history. It is a tale of bravery and betrayal.

The castle itself sits in a gap (or ceorfan in old English, where it gets the name) between two hills on the Isle of Purbeck in Dorset county.

Known as the most romantic ruin in Britain, to me it offers a sense of closure – an end to the conflict. It doesn’t matter who lost or who won, at least now no one lives in constant uncertainty and fear for their lives.

Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Lens: Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM
Number of exposures: 11
Aperture: f/16
ISO: 100
Shutter speed(s): 1.6 sec., 0.8 sec., 0.4 sec., 1/5 sec., 1/10 sec., 1/20 sec., 1/40 sec., 1/80 sec., 1/160 sec., 1/320 sec., 1/640 sec.

Corfe Castle - The second conquest

Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Lens: Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM
Number of exposures: 3
Aperture: f/10
ISO: 100
Shutter speed(s): 1/100 sec., 1/400 sec., 1/25 sec.

Corfe Castle Panorama

Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark III
Lens: Sigma 24mm f/1.8 EX DG
Number of exposures: 1
Aperture: f/11
ISO: 200
Shutter speed(s): 1/60 sec.

Eileen Donan Castle, Kyle of Lochalsh, Scotland

Eileen Donan castle has featured in a number of Hollywood movies. It sits on a tiny island in Scotland and is a sight to behold.

Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark III
Lens: Canon EF 28mm f/1.8 USM
Number of exposures: 6
Aperture: f/16
ISO: 200
Shutter speed(s): 1/500 sec., 1/125 sec., 1/30 sec., 1/8 sec., 0.5 sec., 2 sec.

Dunvegan Castle, Isle of Skye, Scotland

Dunvegan Castle is the seat of the MacLeod, chief of the clan MacLeod. Clan MacLeod might ring a bell to the fans of the movie and TV series Highlander.

Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark III
Lens: Canon EF 28mm f/1.8 USM
Number of exposures: 7
Aperture: f/16
ISO: 200
Shutter speed(s): 1/1000 sec., 1/250 sec., 1/60 sec., 1/15 sec., 1/4 sec., 1, 4 sec.

Gillett Road - Icy

Home can be a magical place too! This shot was taken next to my bungalow.

Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Lens: Canon 25-105mm f/4 EF 28mm f/1.8 USM
Number of exposures: 3
Aperture: f/16
ISO: 1000
Shutter speed(s): 1/125 sec.,1/30 sec.,1/8 sec.

Kimmeridge Bay at sunset

Kimmeridge Bay has amazing stone ledges leading into the sea. This shot was photographed during a 15 minute break between two storms.

Both the sunset and approaching rain storm can be seen in the distance.

Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Lens: Canon EF 15mm f/2.8 Fisheye
Number of exposures: 3
Aperture: f/8
ISO: 100
Shutter speed(s): 1/100 sec., 1/400 sec., 1/25 sec.

Lighthouse, Isle of Skye

The lighthouse here on the Isle of Skye seems dwarfed by the mountains in the background.

Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark III
Lens: Sigma 70-200 mm f/2.8 EX DG OS HSM
Number of exposures: 7
Aperture: f/16
ISO: 400
Shutter speed(s): 1/8000 sec., 1/3200 sec., 1/800 sec., 1/200 sec., 1/50 sec., 1/13 sec., 0.3 sec.

Sligachan Bridge, Isle of Skye, Scotland

Sligachan Bridge is a sort of local landmark on the Isle of Skye in Scotland.

Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark III
Lens: Canon EF 28mm f/1.8 USM
Number of exposures: 7
Aperture: f/16
ISO: 400
Shutter speed(s): 1/1250 sec., 1/320 sec., 1/80 sec., 1/20 sec., 1/5 sec., 0.8 sec.

Cheddar Gorge

Cheddar Gorge is a fascinating geological site.

This image is made up of a total of 40 different exposures!

The scene was too big even for the 21mm wide lens and I had to take a series of exposures, pan the camera whilst ensuring there was at least 50% overlap in the new framing compared to the previous one, and take another series of exposures and so on.

First the exposures for the same framing were blended together and then the resulting images were digitally stitched together to create this mammoth image.

See thumbnails for the individual exposures below:

Swanage Pier

This long exposure of Swanage Pier in Dorset, UK is a metaphor for time. The boat and birds in motion contrasts the stillness and strength of the pier.

The motion of the sea has been transformed into a misty stillness. The effect of the passage of time can be seen on the pier.

However, it still stands - worn, beaten but strong - and now serves a different purpose as a resting place for the migrating birds.

Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Lens: Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM
Number of exposures: 1
Aperture: f/11
ISO: 160
Shutter speed(s): 30 sec.
Filter: Lee 10-stop ND (Big Stopper) filter

The Isle of Skye

Dramatic light on the Isle of Skye, Scotland

Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark III
Lens: Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM
Number of exposures: 1
Aperture: f/11
ISO: 400
Shutter speed(s): 1/320 sec.

The curves of Kimmeridge

The rolling hills of the Isle of Purbeck in Dorset are a sight to behold.

The curves of the hedges and the hills creating a contrasting pattern to the straight, linear lines in the sea whereas the sky is a blend of linear patterns and forms on the land.

The grazing sheep and the tractor transport the viewer to the lazy afternoon in the countryside.

Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Lens: Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM
Number of exposures: 3
Aperture: f/13
ISO: 320
Shutter speed(s): 1/160 sec., 1/640 sec., 1/40 sec.

Glencoe, Scotland

Glencoe has a dark history. Losts in these mists somewhere are the spirits of the massacred souls.

Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark III
Lens: Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 EX DG
Number of exposures: 3
Aperture: f/11
ISO: 800
Shutter speed(s): 1/640 sec., 1/160 sec., 1/40 sec.

Warwick Castle

The castle with its grandeur is presented here in all its tonal detail and glory.

Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Lens: Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 USM
Number of exposures: 15
Aperture: f/22
ISO: 100
Shutter speed(s): 20 sec., 10 sec., 5 sec., 2.5 sec., 1.3 sec, 0.6 sec., 0.3 sec., 1/6 sec., 1/13 sec., 1/25 sec., 1/50 sec., 1/100 sec., 1/200 sec., 1/400 sec., 1/800 sec.

Stair Hole, Lulworth

Lulworth is a geological goldmine where you can see the limestone folding from the shock reverberations to the tectonic plates when Europe and Africa collided together millions of years ago.

Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Lens: Canon EF 24 - 70mm f/2.8L USM
Number of exposures: 3
Aperture: f/16
ISO: 100
Shutter speed(s): 1/30 sec., 1/125 sec. and 1/8 sec.

Lulworth Cove

Lulworth Cove is yet an amazing geological formation along the Jurassic Coast in the south of England. This is a stitched high dynamic range panorama shot created from over 30 images.

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