Britain's Greatest Landscape Photographer, Joe Cornish, in the field
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- Опубліковано 27 вер 2024
- In this video I go hiking with my favourite landscape photographer, Joe Cornish. Joe goes through his technical and creative process at length and I discuss why I think he is Britain's greatest landscape photographer!
Obviously there can be no true greatest, but Joe's contribution to photography has been massive and for decades now he has been producing work at the very highest level. His compositional mastery is what elevates him into that top echelon. Hopefully you'll enjoy his thoughtful approach to image making.
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Great video. I love the way Joe doesn’t shy away from the complex scene, he soaks it up and embraces it leaving the viewer to decide how deep they want to dive into the image.. over simplification and minimalism has almost become an abused method in todays landscape photography making novices shy away from scenes such as this when they should be embraced.. Joe’s ethos with grads is also a nice break from the conventional, instead using them to push and direct light around the frame rather than to simply balance sky vs land.. a method I wholeheartedly agree with… well done, it’s a great video..:-)
You’ve said it all, thanks Simon!
Hi Simon, it's interesting to hear you say Joe's use of grads is a break from the conventional. I naively assumed what he was doing (balancing the light) was the convention. It's something that David Ward mentions in the Inspiring Professionals book, published by Lee in 2007.
@@rickbowdentube I think when people become experienced they might use grads like Joe. But less experienced photographers might not actually analyse where the brightness was in the image and in that case “darken the sky” seems a more obvious approach that is likely to produce good results in most situations.
@@alexnail I think you're right. It's also probably a sign of the times and the advancements in camera dynamic range. Grads were an essential piece of equipment at one stage, but today not so much, although I still like to use them sometimes. There will probably be people out there who will never ever use a grad, and that's fine too.
@@rickbowdentube yes I’m one of them and I am sort of agnostic on them generally. Although I would say if you use them, make sure you know what you are doing, you can certainly permanently ruin an image with poor grad placement!
I just love listening to him talking through his comps and the care he takes never seems to be rushed and gives a calmness to his work.
Yes, quite the antidote to me rushing around like a lunatic at the peak of the light! Although to be fair we did have lots of time to be slow here!
Just adore the flow.
A bliss listening to Joe explaining his thoughts ..
Thank you and keep inspiring.
Only met Joe once at his gallery in Yorkshire and he was an absolute gentleman. Despite being busy with something he was more than happy to talk to me and answer all my questions without any impatience, really nice guy. And as you say, a fantastic and special photographer.
Yes, he’s a lovely guy and rather unassuming. Which is why it’s kind of fun to describe him as ‘the best’, to him it’s a wind-up!
Absolutely. I did a workshop with him many years ago and at the end of the day he thanked me for sharing the experience with him.
Absolutely. I did a workshop with him many years ago and at the end of the day he thanked me for sharing the experience with him.
Absolutely the best. And not just of Britain.
When Joe is talking every photographer who wants to learn should listen closely. What a great video Alex! Thank you for creating it!
Brilliant Alex, thank you for this video. I could just listen to Joe talk about his photography all day long. But to see him talk about one of his compositions in the field was super interesting. Thanks for sharing this.
My pleasure Julian, glad you enjoyed it and I hope everything is going well with you!
@@alexnail I also watched your recent video on composition which I took a lot from as well. Yes, all good here thanks. Not producing a lot of video content at the moment, but working hard on exploring new areas on Dartmoor. :-)
Excellent! A tour-de-force.
A brilliant video, and fascinating to see Joe's thought processes that go into the creation of an image. He's definitely been right up there amongst my favourite photographers for quite some time now. Thank you!
Thanks for making this one Alex. I have been fortunate to speak with him during a conference and one of the thing about Joe is how warm and kind he is when speaking to people. There is nor air or superiority.
Absolutely!
Thanks for the video and the insight in how Joe compose a photo. he is one of the photographers that I admire and as a South African I rate him as an international icon.
I’ll have to tell him that he’s an international icon, that will make him cringe even more!
Thank you very much! This is a clever analysis of Mr Cornish‘s beautiful fotograph and a nice appreciation of his work.
Joe's fantastic composition manages complexity and makes it work. Without a coherent composition, the complexity would be nothing but chaos. With his great composition it's endlessly interesting because despite the numerous elements it still works as a whole. Excellent video.
Thanks Len. There are some images in his book ‘Scotlands Mountains’ were he somehow manages to find order in broken scree. He’s certainly very good at managing complexity!
I can never get enough of listening to Joe,
Good to see you back on UA-cam Alex , great video
Thanks Andrew!
Joe's Cornish photography is to get it perfect in camera from what I saw. He works into the details of the scene and from experience he does understand what the light is doing as well. It all comes through experience and a lot of imagery. The final image is very well balanced and yes the detail is astonishing.
I think Joe likes to get his images as good as possible in camera but he also doesn’t shy away from colour and contrast work if he feels the image needs it. Thanks for the comment!
This are one of the vety rare videos, with bring a lot of dephts with. Enjoy this experience, thks for showing this, lg Klaus
Really glad you enjoyed it Klaus. Joe is particularly good at talking about his process!
Great video Alex, I love Joe's work and agree he is probably Britain's greatest landscape photographer, and was the first person to inspire me all those years ago.
Yep indeed! Before UA-cam he was always the name that cropped up most when people were asked who their favourite photographer was.
Nice to see you back. A great return with a interesting and informative video into the mind of Joe Cornish. 😃
Thanks Andrew!
Great video, a real treat for us all, thanks for sharing, and looking forward to your upcoming videos
My pleasure Brian :)
This took me back to time spent on workshops with Joe. He is unrivalled in his mastery of complex scenes, something that has been rather overshadowed in recent years by the fashion for simplicity and ‘less is more’.
Yeah it’s certainly on trend to simplify these days. Sometimes to the point that all you are left with is a portfolio of textures. All these approaches have their place of course, but it’s would be nice to see people tackling complexity a bit more - maybe I will give it more of a go!
Thank you. Thank you so much for taking photography back to what it should be about - composition and light. Nowadays, and particularly with the advent of digital cameras and mobile 'phones it has been reduced to a quick point-and-shoot, often taken as a 'selfie' with little or no thought as to the balance, composition or exposure. This wonderful video show just what goes into a shoot. In many ways, I also concentrate even more by going to black and white where the tonality plays as much a part as the aforementioned light and composition. Again, thank you.
Amazing!
Really fascinating and educational. Thanks so much. Amazing how gear gets carried and makes me tired thinking about it.
Excellent video Alex, thank you for sharing how Joe goes about achieving his brilliant images. Great to have you back again and looking forward to more of these types of videos from you.
My pleasure John. Hopefully a new video next week. I’m editing it today!
Fascinating watching, 5 days of this must have been great fun. Thanks for sharing, looking forward to you next batch of videos.
Yeah it was great to have an extended period to chat and also great to see Joe ‘do his thing’. Glad you enjoyed it!
Thank you...
Thanks for this great video.
Splendid thank you. I'd love to see more like this.
I'm hoping Joe and I can get a hike in this winter and, if so, I will ask him again. Although I have to say, videoing Joe means I can't shoot myself, which is fine in summer, but a bit harder in those precious winter conditions (if they come!)
Would love to see this series extend with more Photographers
That would certainly be nice, but it’s difficult to arrange and not many photographers are as eloquent as Joe!
@@alexnail i understand, loved the concept. Keep up the good work
Brilliant video! I love Joe's images and you help to explain what he's done perfectly.
Thanks very much Keith!
Thanks so much for this, Alex! Joe is a hero for me as well so this was a true treat to watch! Got heavily into 4x5 for many years because of his influence. The number of comments below that misunderstand the benefit of a view camera is staggering. You nailed it in one of your responses. The advantage of tilt/shift movements on DOF really only offsets the down sides of using the longer focal lengths needed for the larger capture area of a camera with a bigger sheet of film or digital sensor. A 16-24mm range on a full frame DSLR/mirrorless would be about a 58-90mm range on 4x5. So adequate dof (even with stopping down a fair ways) really requires throwing the plane of focus off parallel from the capture plane to even approach the native dof of a wide-angle lens on a smaller camera. The real advantage of his setup here is not regarding focus, but perspective control--emphasizing foreground elements, retaining vertical/horizontal parallel lines, etc. Anyway, many thanks again!
Thanks Alex. I recently recorded a podcast with Joe as well. You can find it on F-stop Collaborate and Listen (on UA-cam and podcast platforms)
Great video and wonderful insight into composition!!
Brilliant video, interesting and well presented.
Wonderful video. Great walkthrough of the image. Thanks!
Thanks Jeffrey!
Exceptionally well done video. First, it is always a pleasure and a learning experience to see Joe Cornish in action. I continue to be in awe of his work and also his generosity with the photography community. Lastly Nail, you have added value to this video with your analysis. I do think you got it about right in showing the cropped image as what most photographers would have gone for. Well done!
Thanks Frank, it’s a pleasure to get to spend time with Joe!
brilliant photo!
Great stuff!!
Fantastic video! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Caleb 🙏
Wonderful video Alex, so refreshing to see great photographers relying that much into the field instead of post-processing.
Thanks, I think that still applies to the majority of photographers, but certainly Joe is pretty straight laced in that regard!
Highly enjoyable Alex, great to see Joe’s thought process in action. Like you, Joe has served as an inspiration since I first picked up a camera, his First Light book a true gem.
Yes indeed. Do you have Scotland’s Mountains? I think that’s his best book!
@@alexnail Must check that out, I do however have his Scotlands Coast book.
One of the best videos that I have watched in the last month for those who love photography and appreciate cameras/lenses and not vice versa. I also watched your video on white balance. Given how informative they are, I may end up watching most/all your videos. Thank you!
My pleasure Michail!
Great video thanks Alex, great to see a master at work! Your analysis of the composition is always interesting too.
Thanks Stephen - it feels a little presumptuous if I’m honest. But I think it’s important to recognise that Joe isn’t good just because he’s been at it a long time. I think there are some pretty unique qualities to his photography that aren’t really talked about.
A superb watch Alex and good to see Joe at work but to be fair I enjoyed your shot as well, as an ex climber I couldn't take my eyes off the rock face. I am lucky that the gallery is only 25 minutes away so I get to pop in at least once a month, it's also a great place to have a coffee and maybe a bit of cake.
Excellent. Thank you
Thanks for this very interesting video. To me it feels as though the picture is less about the destination (the subject if you will, which I would regard as the mountains), but the journey to that destination through all of the elements of the picture. For me, that is what makes the picture so interesting, it describes a journey, not solely the destination, so I'm experiencing the excitement, the anticipation, and the all of the questions a journey holds.
Thank you ; that was really so interesting ; the dying art of view cameras instead the modern way of blazing away hoping to get an image that often needs or just gets far too much editing.
What I would call "dedicated photography"
So good to see a highly accomplished Photographer at work managing organising and making artistic decisions about image/composition/lighting/timing/filters...that we all do. So pleasing to see Joe using grads which in my opinion have taken unnecessary flak over the last few years. The cruciale element here is the massive high res camera Joe uses, a breakdown of the kit seen here would be interesting. Now all we need is to see Joe editting an image.....now that would be fascinating. Great vid Alex
If you hunt around there are various videos of Joe editing on UA-cam.
Glad you enjoyed the video!
The lens is high res, the high megapixel back adds little to nothing to the final product, certainly nothing you could discern at common very large print size.
Wonderful video and insight to a real master of photography Alex. Look forward to more videos in the future.
Thanks Paul :)
Great!!!
exelente video saludos cordiales desde Montevideo Uruguay
Great vid Alex. Joe was my inspiration in the days of film. Really good to see him again.
As you can see he's still a very active photographer!
Great episode Alex, to take a trip with someone you look up to so much and get an insight into his thinking etc must have been like ticking something off a bucket list, lol. I love the way he conveys his images and having seen him do a few talks can say that he really is a master of the landscape.. and comes across as a lovely guy to boot. Great watch. atb Alan
Yeah, very much bucket list to be honest. In fact I was out in Fisherfield with a workshop group and it occurred to me just how much Joe would probably enjoy photographing in the area we were in. So on the way home I gave him a ring and he jumped at the chance. I think as he gets older he’s still happy to hike, but perhaps not for multiple days without someone else who knows what they are doing. Fortunately he’s also a very good hiker and once camp is up he floats up the hills!
awesome video. thank you so much
I think, given the kind of super-valuable discussion, that, if possible, you could have recorded the video out from the digital back, to allow us to see the continuing refinement of the image...I thonk that many of these backs have HDMI or wifi video output...maybe next time? Thanks!
A very interesting video, thank you!
My pleasure
God, I miss being out there taking photographs, Still, my knee is nearly better, and then its back out on Dartmoor for autumn and the ever changing colours. D810, 24 PC-E and Lee filters, OR, a full kit of two bodies, oodles of lenses, filters, exposure meters, dark clothes etc... I shall keep it simple.
awesome video, thank you
Just discovered your channel having been attracted by the catchy title. Excellent content and discussions accompany your presentations clearly worthy of many more subscribers. The selection of attention-getting titles and thumbnails do tend to attract viewers. A new subscriber here.
Yeah it’s just annoying producing ‘clickbait’ like that. In this case I actually believe what I’m saying, so it doesn’t bother me. But there is a UA-camr who just produced and editing video with the thumbnail saying “You’re being lied to” (the liars being other photographers on UA-cam). It’s just so unnecessary.
Lowest common denominator isn’t really how I like to do things!
For some reason I could see more layers than what you were pointing out. To think he didn't think it was much of a photo.
There are certainly layers on layers there but where do you stop!
And yes, in his interview with Tim he says something to the effect of “it’s a perfectly adequate photo”
I'm only halfway into the video, but at about 09:30 is the only allusion to lens/body tilt to achieve end-to-end focus...I am seeing so many videos where landscape photographers are at f:16, or focus stacking, and ISO 1000, to get depth of field, when a tilt/shift lens would allow them to maintain perspective, and 'infinite' DOF...Yes, they do cost, but so does all of the top level gear ;-)
I’ve pretty much never seen a landscape photographer on UA-cam or anywhere else shoot at ISO1000 and f/16. I certainly haven’t. Focus stacking is also easier with modern cameras than it used to be (they do it automatically) so the quality you can achieve stacking at f8 with a scene that doesn’t have motion is exceptional, and higher than you could get with a tilt shift in some cases. Either way these are all valid techniques and a means to an end, so I don’t give it too much thought.
Again, at 17:00, you mention the bsck shift, but this is also achievable with Canon T/S lenses, and you can get adapters for Canon EF lenses for your favourite mirrorless body...
Excellent video, thanks for doing it Alex. I share your opinion about Joe. I've read and studied Joe's thoughts and approach to composition and this was one of the most informative pieces I've encountered. It was fascinating to have an insight into such a complex composition and how the challenges were mitigated. By the way yiur not a half bad photographer too
Thanks Tony, really glad you enjoyed it and cheers for the kind words about my own photography!
Super interesting insights, thank you very much!
Joe certainly understands photography!
That's some next level stuff right there. I hope to see more videos from your trip soon.
I only recorded one more short video from this trip which I *probably* won’t put up simply because the light wasn’t up to much and I have a big backlog!
@@alexnail Thats too bad. However, I just found your channel and after only two videos, I'm hooked. Thanks for the great videos and photos :)
I thought for a second you were shooting with Micheal Kenna with an accolade like that.
It’s a subjective thing. Michaels work is extremely stylistic usually long exposure black and white so I don’t really see it as a classic form of landscape photography, though he is certainly a landscape photographer!
I have to say whilst you might not know much about Joe, it is a fairly widely held opinion, though it is just that, an opinion.
Hi! 📺
Guy Edwards is Britains greatest landscape photographer period.
Joe would never argue otherwise, and besides it is all opinion. But why is it your opinion that Guy is the greatest landscape photographer in the UK? Guy is a superb photographer no doubt, but I can think of many others who are also producing superb work and I would be interested to know what you think sets him apart?
Thank u very much. Wonderful video…especially valuable to hear the creative process articulated. Can u give details of the gear he is using pls?
Thanks. He talks about his setup in other videos. I can’t remember what the camera is, but the back is a Phase One IQ4 150MP
Some say you should never meet your heroes... I'd love to hear what you will now be incorporating into your composition after this master class? I've been to Joe's gallery a couple of times and may go back this week as I'm down in Teesside at the moment. Great to hear that you've mastered the pronunciation of gneiss at last!!
As always, looking forward to your next video.
There were a few ideas that I think I might pursue a bit more when the opportunity presents itself. Particularly with regard to actively pursuing complexity. The difficulty is I do have different aesthetic preferences, I’m not going to shoot differently overnight, because a lot of what I do might be simple, but I also think it achieves what I want…..It’s always nice to have new input like this though!
@@alexnail Yes, I did wonder that given your styles are quite different. Like you I very much admire Joe's work but would not try to cope with such a complex scene as this. Cross pollenating or just cherry-picking the ideas you can use is what I'd see as the greatest benefit. Thanks for another great video Alex and for taking the time to reply.
Very nice 👍
Joe is such a nice guy. I met him a couple of time on Saltburn beach and he gave me a few pointers. His gallery over in Northallerton is worth a run over the NY,moors for too.
Great Video 2x👍
Yeah he’s a lovely chap! Thanks for the comment :)
Stunning image, as a complete novice I've only had a used DSLR for 2 weeks now, please forgive my ignorance but couldn't that picture be taken on a 16x9 using a wide-angle lens. And additionally what kind of camera is Joe using, please?
Great content, as ever, Alex. Would be great to find out more details about Joe's set-up. Particularly the head he uses seems to give him a wealth of options and fine control. I'm not about to rush out and buy one though :o) Joe really does seem to connect the void between the technical and the artistic elements, to achieve his end result.
Yeah the ballhead is an Arca Swiss Cube, they are about £1200, but incredible engineering and lovely to use. They are heavy though and not the best for hiking. Joe had a bit of assistance from his son with some of the gear, although he certainly carried lots himself!
Hi Alex, I don't speak English and I would know what kind of equipment Joe used. Camera and lens. Thank you so much!
Why there’s no center column? Any idea to share?
The point of "level" and "shift" is often related to converging lines and that may be important in architecture. In landscape photography, in absence of clear vertical lines in the subject we tend not to see the converging. However tilting the camera up or down compresses height in the resulting image and in our perception. And that's what makes photos weird, subconsciously.
As the lens used here has a very wide image circle, there is ample space for the tilt adjustment within that circle - that is a special design that mere 35mm mortals don't have in their lenses. And even expensive 35mm camera brand tilt or tilt/shift lenses do not have this large adjustment potential.
If we want to get a similar effect as Cornish with his medium format (*) Phase One back, the (probably) Schneider lens, and the camera thing between lens and back, but with more affordable kit like a 35mm camera and relatively simple lens, then that is perfectly possible.
The buzzword here is "panorama".
We start with a relatively wide wide-angle lens and camera. Between leveling tripod head and camera we now need a nodal slide. Place the camera vertically (portrait) and "level" in all axes. The wide angle gives us the foreground that we want as per Cornish example. First we figure out our lens's nodal point (**) - this makes stitching in post easier.
Now we shoot the constituent frames. In LrC or Ps we stitch them into one image. And we crop away part of the sky that we don't want/need. If stitching in LrC does not work out, then we probable did not do the nodal point correctly - Ps can probably still sort it out in a (simple but very) clever way. I strongly advise however to find the nodal point for your prime lenses and note it all down. Also, make sure that focusing at another distance than you used in determining the nodal point, does not change the nodal point - because it might.
(*) old school: if it fits on 127 film (40mm wide - 1.575") then it's "small format". If it's about 9cm x 12cm (3.5"*4.7") or larger then it is "large format". Anything in between is medium format.
Or, most of what is called "medium format by marketers today is actually small format
History: what we call "full frame" started at Leitz where a Mr. Barnack had to develop a camera to test shoot 35mm wide movie film for sensitivity and desired development/processing. The normal frame size was 24mm wide and 18mm high - serious size perforation left and right of the image was there to facilitate projection at 24 fps. That frame was too small to assess test shots (stills) and so Barnack doubled the size to 24x36 and rotated the film 90 degrees (so it runs horizontally). Which explains why the Leitz cameras (Leica) got advertised as "double frame" before WW2.
(**) the nodal point of a camera/lens combination is the imaginary pivotal point where optically - geometrically - the image is converted. If we rotate with that point as axis, then we get perfectly overlapping foregrounds between shots. Assuming lenses that do not distort.
Yes, the method you describe is one work around, but it comes with its own issues. Whilst putting the horizon in the middle of the frame and panning around the horizontal plane (in portrait format) would indeed get you part of the way there, you still need to apply a rectilinear correction (unless you had luck with this in your stitch program, I generally don't!). Even with a 50mp camera, were you to say crop 20% off for the sky, you end up with a vertical dimension of 6,500px vs 10,500px for the Phase. If you kept the same 4x5 ratio that gives you an image of 54mp, vs 150mp for the Phase. So then you could try tiling, but then as you know the nodal point would change with pitch, so you would have to have a full panorama setup... and so on. Really to practically achieve an image that is the equal of Joe's in both quality and geometry is pretty tricky. Fortunately as you elude to, in the landscape it doesn't generally matter because you don't have many recognisable geometrical relationships (reflections and pine trees being some exceptions).
Good to know some definitions around format. I must admit I wasnt sure on the classification, nor did I think to check. I just knew the sensor was far larger than some of the sensors marketed as medium format!
@@alexnail - appreciate your answer. Thank you. If you tried panorama stitching and it didn't work then either you had a big foreground nodal point problem or your lens has serious field curvature. LrC has corrections for field curvature for many, not all, lenses and Adobe had a tool for DIY creation of a correction file for a so far unsupported lens (in some cases, the correction function for as lens comes with raw shots in the meta-data). Or both. If you apply "distortion correction" somewhere before Ps then take images into Ps, you should be fine.
MP have nothing to do with this.
More means there's more refined correction potential but not by a lot.
Note that MP are an area number (2nd power) but human perception relates to linear comparison. If you have a sensor X*Y=MP then two times linear (better, larger, more resolution) means 2X*2Y=4MP. So 96MP is twice as good as 24 (ceteris paribus).
@@jpdj2715 I've been stitching panoramas for 16 years now, so I know my way around the various ins and outs of the many programs I have used in their time and have a good understanding of the various transforms. I think you misunderstood my point, but either way, the difference is a somewhat minor one. Ultimately neither rectilinear nor spherical can maintain both the shape and scale of subjects away from the centre. That is just the nature of transforming a spherical view onto a flat plane.
Again, you misunderstood my point around megapixels. I was simply saying that matching Joe's image for resolution would be a stretch with the method you describe, because there IS a very noticeable difference between a 60MP image and a 150MP one!
Anyone know a source for a protective pouch for a Manfrotto Junior geared head?
I’m afraid I can’t help there Colin. I have to say I just bash my tripods up!
Never used grads? My good man, where have you been living?
Well, ok, photographers "today" seem to depend on post-processing, but grads allow one to get as much out of dynamic range as possible, AND, allow you to see, in-camera, the effects of the 'gradient mask' in real-time, and eliminate a lot of extra post-processing work. The wide range of grads available give a myriad of options for dealing with "impossible" lighting, while eliminating problems caused by multiple exposure temporal shifts...but, hey, I'm just some unknown old guy...
Alex, which make/model camera is Joe shooting with there?
Watching the legends work always generates more questions than answers.. how long did it take him to find that composition? He's clearly fine tuning it as you film so it wasn't automatic, but I'm curious if he saw the spot immediately or if he had to work the scene for a while before discovering it.
You can see him wandering around at the top of the hill at the start. I think after generally exploring the area he settled on that spot fairly quickly and whilst he tweaked his idea (as you saw) I think the fundamentals were in place before he even set up. But I don’t actually think that is particularly unusual - exploring a small area relatively fast without a camera and then quickly solving a general puzzle is I think how many top photographers shoot.
Joe, will never disappoint. Great video, I do enjoy working things out, and Joe does a spectacular job doing that ,thanks again
Would be nice to get some equipment details.
Perhaps another time!
Excellent video Alex. Great to get some insight into Joe’s approach to a scene and his ability to take on some much complexity. My first thought was how is he going to get all of it sharp with such a large sensor. Still don’t fully understand but an excellent end result.
Calendar arrived yesterday!
The camera movements allow you to tilt the focus plane to align with the landscape (as opposed to being vertical). Then stopping the aperture down increases the depth of field up and down as opposed to forward and back (although the depth of field increases less close to camera so effectively you end up with a sharpness wedge - small at the front, massive at the back).
Glad you enjoyed it Kenny and cheers for buying the calendar!
@@alexnail Thank you for taking the time to explain - really interesting. I suspect your engineering background makes it easier to grasp these things. Calendar looks brilliant as expected.
@@kennymuir1019 yeah the engineering helps for sure! Glad you like the calendar!
I like Charlie Waite…. He has a great eye
Yes, I think that is fairly indisputable!
What camera is he using?
What camera is he using?
Great shot 👍🏼what's the name of the mountain?
On the left is Beinn Lair
I wonder if the lens can resolve a 150mp sensor.
Yes, very easily on the plane of focus. These pixels are the sharpest I have ever seen. Consider that many lenses could outresolve fine grain 10”x8” film. Also that the pixel pitch is 3.76, the same as a Sony A7R4
Just out of curiosity - is that a phase one medium format back? What is the image size its taking? 2x3?
Yes it is a Phase One XF IQ4 150MP digital back. The image resolution is 14204 x 10652.
Fantastic images, and excellent report. If only the equipment he uses didn't cost as much as a new 3-series BMW.
I’m with you there!
Singh Ray grads??
Joe uses Lee grads. I have to say Singh ray grads don’t tend to do very well in comparisons!
So odd to hear Joe's voice. We last met 40 years ago at Lightfingers, NW3!
Five years before I was born!
That's great. Joe is the ultimate anti-UA-camr. Good work
I hope I don't offend, but these photographs don't move me nearly as much as an Ansel Adams masterpiece. Maybe landscapes just look better in black and white?
Oh there will definitely be people that think these images are rubbish I am sure, and Joe himself wouldn’t ever want to compare himself against Ansel.
But from my personal perspective I almost always find colour images preferable and I’m afraid many of the landscapes and compositions Ansel photographed have been endlessly repeated by modern day photographers. So they do a lot less for me that they otherwise might. There are also a lot of Ansel’s images that were of there time and hold very little appeal for me. He has many famous shots that people naturally think of, but few are thinking of his wider portfolio of images which don’t have soaring mountains, winding rivers and the rock faces of Yosemite.
His process is interesting to listen too, but like so many landscape photographers the final images are over cooked and look unrealistic (in my opinion).
That’s an interesting take given how little has been done to the image. Out of interest what do you think it is in particular that makes you say that?
With 15 stops of dynamic range why bother with clunky gradiant filters when you could just do whatever you want to the image in way more detail in post?
I’m with Joe right now and he says “I’m sure you are right” and also from some of the group I am with: “what do you even say to that” and also: “you can only laugh really”
@Alex Nail Photography Glad I could provide some humour. I think we are very spoiled with modern digital sensors. 😅 Enjoyed Joe's insights.
Tuppence worth. If the viewer can't see what the cameraman sees, it's all a bit difficult to know what the cameraman is talkng about!
Its really remarkable that you would take the time purely to criticise me when all I have tried to do is to provide a video that others can enjoy and potentially learn from. Whilst I'm open to views on how I can improve my videography I wish some people could just be a little more courteous, it doesn't cost anything.
Joe is making the best of a messy scene and I doubt it could be improved upon technically but the overall image just seems too busy and there is nowhere for the eye to settle, there is just too much going on, I look at the nice warm sidelight on the hills and then my eye is pulled down to that distracting dark foreground with the black patches. Joe is the master at technical landscapes but this one doesn't do it for me I'm afraid. Imho..
A totally valid opinion Ian. It works well for me for the reasons that I mentioned, but I think your criticisms are fair and based around how we all read images a little differently.
Handheld Spot meters test every photographer especially those purporting to be Britains best landscape photographer.
If everyone had the gear this gentleman had we could all call ourselves Britains best landscape photographer couldn’t we. And all that waffling on about nothing, This is the very same reason many people stay away from camera clubs and photography Degree courses.
I think you can probably tell by his demeanour that Joe would never consider himself to be the "best" anything. This is simply my view of a man who has inspired me very directly for more than 15 years. Joe is best known for his work in film, 4x5 Fuji Velvia/Provia mostly. He has largely determined what people consider to be 'great' landscape photography in the UK simply by his extensive body of work, major gallery, and work with tourist boards and conservation organisations.
I doubt there are many photographers who believe that gear makes you great, but at least I now know one!
As you can hopefully see from the comments, most people "get it" and have enjoyed the video, but I am sorry that it isn't for you.