Please find below the first instalment of a two-part piece which was inspired after receiving some jaw-dropping photographic books this Xmas….
I am looking through the photographic books which I received over the festive period and am having mixed feelings because whilst they are all undeniably stunning, they may also be heralding the end of the ‘one-author-one-book’ tradition.
You see, the books in question are all ‘compilation works’ (i.e. assembled from pictures submitted by various photographers and/or contest entrants) and the images themselves are stunning. They have truly captured Mother Nature at her finest, in every location, in every season and in every light imaginable.
I believe that the cornerstone of this photographic renaissance is the digital camera – a tool which has liberated us from the shackles of the darkroom. (Whilst this may seem a slightly contrarian things for a commercial photographer to say, I love landscapes more than I do photography and the thought that someone is around to record and share Nature’s incredibly fleeting moments more than outweighs the envy of not capturing something myself.)
In many ways, it reminds me of James Surowiecki’s The Wisdom of the Crowds, only in this medium the ‘wisdom’ is not information or knowledge, but the 24/7 omnipresence of the masses. With camera and Flickr in hand, we can all now contribute to the real-time documentary of Nature simultaneously around the world.
However, I am increasingly feeling that the downside of this photographic democratisation is the complete lack of visual narrative.
To demonstrate this point, I just conducted a rather unscientific experiment of my most favoured photographic books in the library. Top of the Pops were works from Joe Cornish, Peter Dombrovskis and Zhang Liping (amongst others). Books from such ‘storytellers’ lead us through a world - be it Scotland, Tasmania or Guilin respectively - with a consistent artistic eye and a clear visual narrative. I particularly enjoy looking out for deft visual touches (for example, charting not only the development of the landscape during the course of a book but also of the photographer) and I don’t feel I receive the same level of enjoyment from compilation works.
What does this mean for us photographers still plodding away by ourselves?? Well, you can read about that and thoughts on my next journey in part two of this article which I shall post shortly after further reflection…
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December 30, 2009
December 23, 2009
Jaspal Jandu Photography - Seasons Greetings and Year in Review
The festive season is in full swing in Europe, with dollops of snow everywhere. As you enjoy this time with your loved ones, please spare a thought for all those faithful friends who have to lovingly accompany photographers on random trips to the Italian Alps :-)
On a more relevant note, here’s a review of an exciting year and a glimpse at our plans for 2010. It’s been a fantastic 2009 and I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
All the very best
Jaspal
December 19, 2009
December 11, 2009
December 04, 2009
Life Begins With Three
Having becoming a happy father for the first time over the weekend, I will spare you gushing pictures of the new bundle of joy. However, I will let you know how she has forced me to brush up on some rusty skills.
You see, a Linhof panoramic camera is useless when it comes to close-ups, particularly those involving hyperactive babies. Instead, I have rummaged through the camera cupboard and have unearthed the superb 50mm f/1.4 and 100mm f/4 macro lenses. Combined with a Speedlight flash and a suitably silly looking Lightsphere, and I have assembled the perfect setup for the task at hand.
And what a task it is.
Babies like to move, yawn, cry and dribble at the drop of a hat and this provides very little leeway to get that life-defining image. In addition, one has to cope with the incredibly shallow (yet pleasing) depth of field at f/1.4 and also the tricky problem of white balance.
Shooting indoors with either fluorescent or incandescent light sources will mess up a camera’s view of ‘white’. Therefore, a grey card and a custom white balance has to be used (I use a gel filter to get the flash to match the ambient light and then set the white balance accordingly).
It’s obvious that I’m reacquainting myself with a lot of old tricks and techniques at the moment and although landscape duty will be resumed soon, there is no doubt that the joy and frustration will continue for some time yet… :-)
About
- Jaspal Jandu is a landscape photographer based in the UK who specialises in the panoramic format. Join his stunning journey around the world via this blog.
