It is during this period of winter wildness that I spent a week in the Northwest Highlands, based in Annat just outside the village of Torridon. This location resides in the heart of mountain scenery offering superb views of the trio of Munro’s (mountains over 3000ft) known as Beinn Eighe, Liathach and Beinn Alligin. Having climbed Lithach and Beinn Alligin previously, my aim this time was to capture a photograph of Liathach at dawn from Beinn Eighe.

Mountain climbing in winter with a large format camera, tripod, crampons and ice axe require a different approach to normal photography. Its not just about the weight of equipment and the gradient of the hill. There are times when you might need to take a pack off and haul it with rope for a section that requires scrambling, or the weight of a poorly positioned tripod can push you off balance when negotiating a tricky descent. There’s also the additional need to carry food and extra clothing as standing around on a summit waiting for the light can be an extremely chilly business.

Its these instances where a traditional camera rucksack isn’t suitable. The back systems don’t allow enough movement and the weight and overall design of the pack aren’t geared up to this type of activity. In these circumstances I favour an alpine style mountaineering pack (Macpac Ascent) which is both lighter and more comfortable than traditional photo backpacks.

They say, ‘with the right equipment the job is easy’. Well climbing up Coire an Laoigh in snow certainly wasn’t easy, but I reached the summit of Spidean Coire nan Clach shortly after dawn. Descending back down on to the shoulder of the ridge, the views to Liathach were stunning and I made my images in glorious morning light with the lightest winds.

In photography, timing is everything and my week in Torridon at the end of February certainly proved to be one of the most fruitful ever.

Until the next time.

Besides being outside, this is also a time of year that I like to consolidate those images which I captured in the previous year & think about those previsualised scene’s which I’m looking forward to trying to capture this coming year. One of those images that stands out for me on a personal level is Shepards Chine which I captured in early December. The Isle of Wight (like the rest of the British Isles) was created by a combination of techtonic plates pushing north from Africa some 110-65 million years ago, followed by the last ice age carving out the river Solent. Shepards Chine bares witness to these early Cretaceous period events in the Wealdon rock prominent on the beach & the many fossilised shellfish/bones that can be found here. Having spent many hours here over December, I’ve really come to appreciate the beauty of this area & the forces of nature which have sculpted the Southern half of the Island. I trust as your reading this, you also have an area of secluded, hard to reach coastline that also offers stunning compositional opportunities.

Velvia 50

I, like many other Landscape Photographers use Velvia 50. Up until the end of 2009, I’ve been running a freezer full of the ‘old’ version as I’m sure many other photographers have. I’ve now moved onto the ‘new’ velvia 50 & I have to say, I much prefer the rendition and silkiness of the blacks to that of the hold. Well done to Fuji for reinventing this masterpiece of film technology. Fingers crossed, Fuji will continue to produce this and their other emulsions for a few more years yet.

Colin Prior – High:Light

As I write this, I’m coinciding a mountineering trip in Northwest Scotland with a visit to a ‘certain Scottish Photographers studio’ in Glasgow. Colin has been working hard on his new book High-Light which is due for publication by Constable later in the year. I have a feeling this is going to be exceptional & well worth waiting for. I’m advising on CMYK conversion & setting Colin’s printer up for proofing capabilities, here’s hoping………..

New Film Scanning Forum

Also new, I’ve ‘just’ set up the online forum www.filmscanning.org.uk this is a forum dedicated to discussing film scanners & all aspects of film scanning. I’m currently in the processing of an online video giving advice on setting up and calibrating a film scanner which will appear on the home page. The forum is all but empty at present, but please feel free to make posts and provide links to the forum I’ll be providing as much support as possible to answering some of the more difficult questions.

liathach - torridon - wester ross - scotland

As we move into 2010 (happy new year by the way!) along with the announcement that Fujifilm are to discontinue production of quickload 5×4 films. It appears that digital imaging is finally starting to reach a point whereby the landscape photographer can no longer ignore its application. It seems more than ever that we as landscape photographers are obsessed with resolving power and resolution rather than the compositional quality of the images we take. Have we forgotten those spellbinding images by the likes of Ansel Adams or, Vittorio Sella taken what seems such a long time ago?

These images still connect with us today, despite being of far lower resolution than that which is attainable with current technology.

The image above was made on my Fuji GX617 camera and Fuji Acros film. This is a recipe that I will continue to use as well as the renown Fuji Velvia film. Why I hear you ask? Well, for me there is several issues happening here. Firstly, these films (particularly Velvia) give me a substance (a photographic look) that make my images look a certain way that I find visually pleasing. Achieving this look is very important to the way I work, as it then allows me to create images at a certain time of day (mostly at dawn) that will then connect on an emotional level.

Additionally, the camera that I use, has a 90mm lens. This lens on a normal 35mm style camera would be a short length telephoto. However, on the Fuji it has the equivalent width of a 20mm lens (in 35mm terms). This brings with it a compression within the focal plains not achievable by digital panoramic stitching.

So far, (despite trying many digital camera systems) I still haven’t been able to attain the visual look that replicates both the look and feel of film and this compression of perspective. I have found that digital backs from the likes of Phase One & Hasselblad offer a resolution (at 65 megapixels) which is certainly very attractive and comparable to the 5×4 film format. What they don’t offer however is the ability to render a sunset, or long exposure in the same way as Fuji Velvia does.  They also cost a considerable amount more than the price of film developing and scanning, and for this reason (along with the massive advancements in technology each year) don’t offer real value for money.

I believe we’re in the last quarter of what I would call a transitional phase. Digital imaging (for landscape use) hasn’t quite caught up with film. But, it’s not far off. There’s going to be a point in the reasonably near future when we landscape photographers will be forced to move into digital imaging. For now though, there isn’t any real innovation in the world of digital, with the exception of Leica and Canon.

So for me, I will continue to shoot with my Fuji GX617, but will also be using digital camera’s as a landscape research tool, looking for that piece of forthcoming technology that will give me the look and feel I’m after in my images to communicate my emotions within the landscape.

But, most importantly, it will be the composition and content that will always come first.

Great photography will always remain GREAT PHOTOGRAPHY.

Happy new year.