Waiting for the Light

161 Pages·2008·24.759 MB·English

by  David Noton

Title:Photography Essentials Waiting For The Light Client: David & Charles
Size: 260mm x 240mm (Bleed 3mm)
PHOTOGRAPHY
ES S E N T I A L S
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Title:Photography Essentials Waiting For The Light Client: David & Charles
Size: 260mm x 240mm (Bleed 3mm)
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Title:Photography Essentials Waiting For The Light Client: David & Charles
Size: 260mm x 240mm (Bleed 3mm)
PHOTOGRAPHY
ES S E N T I A L S
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Title:Photography Essentials Waiting For The Light Client: David & Charles
Size: 260mm x 240mm (Bleed 3mm)
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ADAVID&CHARLESBOOK
Copyright©David&CharlesLimited2008
David&CharlesisanF+WPublicationsInc.company
4700EastGalbraithRoad AcataloguerecordforthisbookisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary.
Cincinnati,OH45236
ISBN-13:978-0-7153-2741-8(UKhardback)
FirstpublishedintheUKin2008 ISBN-10:0-7153-2741-0
FirstpublishedintheUSin2008 ISBN-13:978-0-7153-2819-4(USpaperback)
ISBN-10:0-7153-2819-0
Textcopyright©DavidNoton,2008
Imagescopyright©DavidNoton,2008 Printedinxxbyxx
forDavid&Charles
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Contents
The Waiting Game 6
Part One: Vision 12
Jetty near Brenzone, Lake Garda, Lombardy, Italy
In the cool light before dawn the clouds are scudding across the sky, Part Two: Environments 44
driven by a brisk wind from the east. The distant bulk of the Dolomites
to the north east is capped by dark, angry skies, and the waters of Lake
Garda are choppy and restless. There will be no warm Mediterranean
Part Three: Gallery 110
light this morning. So, I pile on every neutral density filter I’ve got to
slow the exposure down to a tedious ten minutes, open the shutter and
wait. In five minutes I’ll take another exposure reading, but for now I’ve
just got to let all that movement in the image do the job. I would turn Part Four: Mechanics 142
to crime for a caffe latte right now.
• Fuji GX617, 90mm lens
Acknowledgments 158
(page 2) Cloudburst over the Isle of Harris from
Neist Point, Isle of Skye, Scotland
About the Author 158
I’m huddling on the cliff tops on the western tip of the Isle of Skye,
wind-battered, sodden, and despondent, waiting for the light.
Will these clouds ever part? Looks like another fruitless vigil.
A faint lightening of the sky far out to sea over the Isle of Harris Index 159
rouses me from my musings. There’s yet another downpour rolling
in off the Atlantic, I’ll get another soaking, but behind it the sun
is threatening to break through. I’m scrabbling in my bag to get
the filter on my 70–200, fumbling with the adaptor ring with cold
fingers, glancing over my shoulder at the ever more dramatic
sky. For just seconds a heavenly shaft of sparkling northern light
backlights the rain. I expose, do a few brackets, and it has gone;
a scene never to be repeated.
• Nikon F5, 70–200mm lens
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Title:Photography Essentials Waiting For The Light Client: David & Charles
Size: 260mm x 240mm (Bleed 3mm)
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Title:Photography Essentials Waiting For The Light Client: David & Charles
Size: 260mm x 240mm (Bleed 3mm)
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I’mstandingbymytripod,mydefaultsetting,waitingforthe
light.WatchingthedawnbreakoveraRockyMountainlakeis
anexperiencetostirthesoul.Mistseepsacrosstheflat,calm
waters,diffusingtheperfectreflectionsofthejaggedpeaks.
Thecallofaloonechoes;abeaversurfacingbrieflyripplesthe
water;thefirstlightofdayseepsthroughtheskytingeingthe
cloudsclingingtothemountainswithpink.Thisismyeighth
morningwaitingherebythetripodandfinallyalltheelements
arecomingtogether.Thislocationwasfoundonthefirstday;
undergreyskieswithachillwindwhippingthewateritlooked
averydifferentscene,butthepotentialwasevident.Three
morningslater,afterseveralfruitlessdawnpatrols,theday
startedcalmandclearwithstrongsunlightbut…notacloudin
thesky–nomist,nodrama,nomood.So,westayedon,waiting
forthelight.Now,aftereightdaysourpersistenceisrewarded
withcloudsdrapedoverMountRundleandalayerofmistover
thestillwatersofVermillionLake.Asalways,thisimageisa
fusionoftheelementsMotherNaturechoosestooffer–light,
clouds,mist,reflectionsandthelandscapeitself–andmy
input;beingthere,pre-visualizinghowthescenecouldlookin
therightconditions,persistenceandlastly,technique.Inshort,
thispicturewasmadebyamarriageofnature’sperfection
andphotographicvision–thesearetheelementsthatarethe
makingofaphotograph.
Mount Rundle reflected inVermillion Lake,
Banff National Park,Alberta, Canada
• Fuji GX617, 105mm lens
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Title:Photography Essentials Waiting For The Light Client: David & Charles
Size: 260mm x 240mm (Bleed 3mm)
INTRODUCTION (cid:59)(cid:47)(cid:44)(cid:3)(cid:62)(cid:40)(cid:48)(cid:59)(cid:48)(cid:53)(cid:46)(cid:3)(cid:46)(cid:40)(cid:52)(cid:44)
Let’scuttoagrey,windyFebruaryday,1981.I’mupaladdercleaning Wrong.It’sapopularmisconceptionthat’seasytofallinto–abeliefthat
thewindowsofanofficeblockonatradingestateinWatford…sounds justturningupsomewhereepicwillbeenough,thatgreatshotsarejust
tantalizingdoesn’tit?Photographyhasjusttakenovermylife,withmy thereforthetakinglikeripefruitoffatree.Butthereallyunique,striking,
payofffromtheMerchantNavyI’vejustboughtmyfirstSLRcameraand achinglysubtle,perceptiveimagesaremade,nottaken.Theyarethe
lifewillneverbethesameagain.InowknowIwanttobeaprofessional productofanidea,avisionbroughttorealitybypersistenceandsound
photographer,buthaven’tgotacluehowtoachievethat.AsIworkmy technique.Thisisthecrunch–thedifferencebetweenthe‘taking’and
squeegeeI’mdreamingoffarhorizons,theHimalayasinparticular.My ‘making’ofaphotograph.Thisbookisallaboutthatdifference.There’s
friendPedrohasjustreturnedfrombackpackingthroughNepalandI’m theartybit–thedevelopmentofaphotographicvision,andthepractical
sojealous.LastnightIwasdroolingoveratravelfeatureonAnnapurna. bit–howtoworkinthefield,orupamountain,orinthejungle.Andinthe
Surely,ifIcouldscrapetogetherthecashtogetthere,greatimageswould processwe’regoingtoseetheworld.So,let’sgo.
justfallinmylap,right?
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Title:Photography Essentials Waiting For The Light Client: David & Charles
Size: 260mm x 240mm (Bleed 3mm)
Château St Ulrich,Vosges Mountains,Alsace, France
We started trudging up the mountain by the light of our head torches through
mist-shrouded woods. Directly overhead the stars were visible, we just had to
get above the low-lying cloud.As the twilight tones spread through the sky from
the east, we emerged panting from the swirling fogs to our chosen viewpoint.
Some sights stay with you forever – this is one.
• Fuji GX617, 105mm lens
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