208 Theme 2 Nature - Adam Burton Professional Photographer

Assignment 208 Principles of location Photography Theme 2 Nature 

Research and influences - Adam Burton Professional Photographer

Adam Burton is a leading landscape photographer and the author of four books. He now concentrates on South West England but has previously taken photographs on five continents. He runs workshops and one to one tuition days. He uses a full frame digital SLR camera with just 3 high quality zoom lenses that give him focal lengths from 16 to 200 mm combined with Neutral Density and Polarising filters. He became a full time professional in 2008 and has since had images published on the covers of more than 100 magazines as well as books and calenders.

Close examination of the first 5 images below and a number of the others combined with the information above taken from Adam Burton's web site about the equipment he uses give the answer to how he produces these images. They are all have perfect exposure over the entire frame with the sky darkened probably by the use of a graduated neutral density filter and strong saturated colours probably helped by the use of a polarising filter. The eye is led into and through the image very well by the positioning of the natural features and focal point in the frame. The horizon and the main points of interest are placed on the thirds of the frame.

The image below has additional interest added with the branch of the tree over the river framing the image and the water leading the eye from the bottom right of the frame to the top left which is the brightest point of the image. A neutral density filter may have been used to reduce the light and hence increase the exposure required to give the river this white blurred appearance. The strong colours are beautiful and well saturated with a very good tonal range.

The 3 waterscapes below are beautiful studies of light and composition. The sky and reflections on the first and third images are spectacular with the eye led to a single vanishing point. I do not think that these images have been enhanced by the use of graduated or polarising filters. However on the second image below a neutral density filter over the complete frame may well have been used to reduce the light and hence increase the exposure time required to turn the sea into a white mist.  

The image above and the 3 below are all about mood colour and a minimalist approach to the composition. The beautiful colours are produced by the time of day with the sky and reflections taking on the blue or pink colours of the light. The two images below that may well have been taken a short time apart and show how the light changes the total look of an image. All of these images lead the eye into the frame by the placement of the rocks and water within the frame.

The following 4 images again show a perfect control of exposure probably with the aid of a graduated neutral density filter. The first image has a small white cottage on or about the bottom left third of the frame to give a focal point, after which the eye is led through to the horizon. The colours, textures and tonal range are very good on all of these images.