Photo: Charles Kenwright
My aim is to interpret and to visualise the world around me – not just how I see, hear and feel it but also how it effects my inner senses – my emotions.
The process from visualisation to finished print, whether landscape or cityscape is a long one. I plan where I want to go, when I will go and what sort of image I wish to make there which will capture the essence of that place for me. Sometimes it works but often, and for many reasons, it may not. The reasons for failure are many – weather, atmospheric conditions, unforeseen changes can all make for a wasted journey. But the excitement of uncertainty is part and parcel of the creative process.
When I arrive at my destination I study it in “the flesh”, I try to breath it in, to understand it. This again can result in failure, sometimes I am unable to communicate with what is before me – my fault entirely- and must return later with a, hopefully, more open frame of mind. I usually use a tripod. This not only gives me a stable and consistent platform to work from, but also slows the process down allowing me to enter into the scene and to, hopefully, understand it. Camera filters also help in the creative process, allowing more control over exposure, contrast and colour.
But once the shot has been taken, that´s not the end of the story. Back at my desk there now follows the work in the, as some like to call it, “digital darkroom”. Here I´ll work on contrast, colour balance and improving shadow and highlight detail; if I´ve decided to produce a monochrome work, I´ll convert it to black and white. Often at the time of capturing the image I know what paper I´ll use to print it on. So after all the development is finished I´ll produce test prints, the result is analysed, changes made and printed again. Finally if the print meets my standards then and only then it´s ready for you!