Jaspal Jandu Photography

China Cool

Given the immense scale of the Olympics, it’s no surprise that the world has gone China-crazy at the moment!

Co-incidentally, I was watching the opening ceremony at the same time as I was working on the Asia section of the book.  In particular, I was working on a scene from Yangshuo in China. 

Shooting at pre-dawn would normally require a warming filter to correct for the ambient colour temperature.  However, I felt a cooler scene naturally suited the slightly abstract form so I left the camera and Velvia (with a 1/3 of underexposure for a deeper blue) to entirely their own devices…

Training in South Wales

A long weekend opened up a great opportunity to go to South Wales – a familiar landscape ‘friend’ who allows me to train my visual fitness in relative peace and quiet.  The coastline along this stretch of the UK is incredible and I felt inspired take out both the Canon and Linhof simultaneously for the first time in a while. 

The shoulder started off fairly well and my hopes of a speedy recovery were high.  In fact, as I trekked up from the sublime Temple Bay, I felt like Rocky Balboa running up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art replete with trumpets in the background…

However, this was not to last.  The next day on the Gower peninsula I managed to get one great sunset shot before the shoulder had a sense of humour failure.

There’s a very busy schedule set for the latter part of this year, including a possible trip to Mount Everest (more on this in future post).  I am aiming to use these normally quiet summer months to get some training in before the usual Autumnal and Winter ‘goldrush’.  I'm sure Rocky would be proud!

Power of Photography

Finally, I’m very slowly getting back to normal after some serious treatment and physiotherapy on the shoulder (many thanks to all the personal well-wishes). Having barely been able to move at one point, I can only begin to describe how important physical wellbeing is in this profession!

Not all the time has been wasted, however, as I’ve been busy going through the portfolio and have also commenced writing the new book.

As I was writing the South American section recently, I found a picture of our driver racing back to camp in the spectacular Salar de Uyuni salt flats in Bolivia.  It barely needed a glance at the picture before the memories of vastness and awe came vividly back to life; a true testament to the power of photography.

Expect more scenes from the journey now all is slowly getting back to normal…

Pacific Northwest Diary

I’ve finally returned home after a long month on the road.  Because my computer wouldn’t allow me to upload any pictures from the trip (my old memory card reader wouldn’t accept the high density cards found in the new Canon behemoth), I’m changing this post around slightly. Instead of usual more considered piece, I’ll be taking you on a day-by-day tour of my commissioned trip to the magnificent Pacific Northwest of America.

DAY 1 – Arrival and Orientation

The plan this week is start in Seattle and then head to Mount Rainier and onwards to the Olympic Peninsula.  Seattle itself is a great city as it offers a myriad of outdoor pursuits (e.g. sailing, hiking and mountaineering) on its doorstep. I must admit that it’s odd hearing all the coffee table talk on the rising price of gas when it’s over $10 in the UK! Time is limited here, however, as there’s a lot of shooting to do over the next week.  As ever, the journey begins properly on day 2 so stay tuned…

DAY 2 - Hit the Road Jack

Driving around Washington State always reminds me to live here one day.  Today’s route runs directly from Seattle to Mount Rainier and already I can sense something is not quite right.  Although the ambient temperature is around 90c at sea level, I’m hearing consistent stories about heavy snowfall on the higher ground.  My fears are confirmed when we check in to Paradise Inn on the south side of Mount Rainer and there’s over 20 feet of snow (I kid you not – check out the accompanying picture).  Moreover, this is not pristine, photogenic snow but the sort of compacted ice that only a fridge-freezer could love.  I make a few exposures but my unspoken thoughts are filled with disappointment…

DAY 3 – Change of Plans

One of the constant aspects of photography is the continual changing of plans.  Its only day one of the 3 night stay at Rainier and I’m guessing springtime in Oregon maybe a good place to ‘lose’ a few days. Passing some tulip fields on the way and I can’t resist some ‘opportunistic photography’.  Funny how life presents new pastures as soon as you break out of the comfort zone.

DAY 4 – Columbia River Gorge

Wow.  Oregon has surpassed all expectations with the sublime Columbia River Gorge.  It’s verdant, lush and packed with waterfalls!  This is photographic manna from heaven and I’m keen to make the most of it.  Cue 18 hours days and lots of muddy gear (my $5 lens wipe has never come in so useful).  Rainforests and waterfalls need overcast light - the fine mist acts as a giant diffuser ‘spreading light’ into the shadows and reducing the overall contrast range.  It’s a perfect damp, drizzly day and I’m spending lots of frustrating hours coping with the latitude of film in the Linhof and little or no time with the Canon; a true testament to the digital coming of age.

DAY 5 – The Photography Rollercoaster

Driving to a sullen, coastal Long Beach and the photographic opportunities suddenly vanish.  We drive on immediately.  Things suddenly improve with the incredible Quinault and Hoh Rainforest.   These are some of the rarest and largest temperate rainforests in the world and its very surreal - and more than a bit spooky – being amongst the moss and lichen hanging from the trees.  I’m running out of film so I go into ‘preservation mode’ and only shoot the Linhof when absolutely required (swaying trees, for example, don’t work to well with digital stitching).

DAY 6,7 and 8 – Down to the Sea

Driving up through Forks and onto La Push we come to the mightiest sea stacks on the Washington Coast.  It’s a completely cloudless sky and I haven’t shot a single frame (for me, no clouds equates to no drama).  Frustrated, I repeat the exercise the next day and there’s a storm blowing in.  Perfect for me as this is where the magic happens.  It’s cold and as the sun dips beneath the cloud base the sky comes alive! Absolute magic.  I chance my arm on the third night but again it’s a cloudless sky.  A lot of photographers have turned up tonight because its Memorial Day weekend and I don’t have the heart to tell anyone of what happened yesterday!

DAY 9 – Homeward Bound

A low snow line in the Olympic National Park means that most hikes are closed.  The resulting lazy afternoon on Hurricane Ridge is punctuated with a very nice sighting of a young black bear. The trip is nearing its end so things are winding down.  These are both the ‘best of times and the worst of times’ as the disappointment of finishing is counter-balanced by the happiness of going home!

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There you have it – the tumult of a landscape photographer’s life over the course of a frenetic week and over 1,200 miles of road travel. 

Clients often say that they wish they could do my job for a living (invariably in a gallery looking at an epic sunrise or something similar).  I always have a wry smile at these occasions because the tip of the iceberg belies the sheer amount of hard work which supports it from below. 

I hope you enjoyed this vignette and if you did please drop me an email and we’ll see if we can do it again soon.

Keep shooting!
Jaspal Jandu

The Difference a Day Makes

I recently noted how the onset of a new season can dramatically change the appearance of a landscape.  In that particular case, I made a winter return to a scene which I had already captured in its Autumnal prime.

Having just returned from the spectacular Italian Alps and Dolomites over Easter, I was very fortunate to witness an ‘instant’ seasonal change when a storm dropped an absolutely pristine blanket of snow during the cover of night...

There’s nothing better than trampling over fresh snow so it was a joy to mess around during the day (note: snowball fights and cameras really don’t mix) and then to capture a few classic scenes during the most favourable times of sunrise and sunset.

Most European ski resorts have been very happy with the snowfall this year so it may take some time before the new bloom of Spring.   I think I may have been pushing my luck by asking for 3 seasons in a week so a little bit of patience may now be deservedly called for!

India Calling

I’m currently in India – a place rich with childhood memories.  However, the most apparent feature which confronts me as an adult is the widening disparity between rich and poor.  Witnessing the incredible pockets of wealth alongside the abject poverty of the numerous slums is an issue which simply cannot be ignored.

I’ve often thought of taking to the entire country and exploring such issues with my lens. However, capturing a populous of over a billion spread over such a wide geography and culture would take a fair few years to complete.

For the first time in a while, I've not felt the desire to photograph the epic landscapes which I’m normally associated with.  Maybe the sub-conscious feeling of injustice has led me to explore pictures with a human angle.  I’m just not sure.

Whatever the reason, I’ve been on the hunt for pictures of hope; pictures that tell a story of this brave new world. 

There’ll be more pictures when I’ve had a chance to download. I’ve also starting jotting down notes for that epic project so watch this space…

Scotland Revisited

In an earlier post, I noted the value of re-visiting a scene over time.  In that particular case from New Zealand the view had change dramatically for the worse upon re-inspection!

After travelling to Scotland this weekend I could not resist the chance to re-visit the ever-impressive Buachaille Etive Mòr in Glen Coe.  My last trip there had lead to a Limited Edition Print which captured the wild light and autumnal colours at their best.

During this trip a snow storm had swept through the area and deposited around 6 inches of fresh snow on every corner of the park. Bliss!  Although I couldn’t remember exactly where I had taken the first LEP print, I wasn’t that far off as I re-composed my viewfinder.

A great demonstration of the rewards on offer in even familiar places.

Work, Rest and Play

After a last-minute skiing vacation to Chamonix, France popped up on the internet, I must admit that it was difficult leaving some of the heavy-duty camera gear at home.

One of the best ways to combine ‘down-time’ with photography ‘up-time’ is to shoot during the un-social hours of the day (very early and very late) and then devote the rest of the day to the vacation.  Not only does this provide you with the required shooting fix for the day but (more importantly) it keeps a semblance of balance with your companions!

The shot above is case-in-point.  It was taken unfeasibly early one morning with the mercury hovering around -10c.  I was up at 5am and somehow managed to get back for a late breakfast after the gentle morning light had faded.  The rest of the day involved sliding around on the snow gaining new bruises in places I never knew existed.  Bliss, in a very weird way…

Emerald Green

A quick trip to Ireland has provided a welcome respite from the riot of Autumn colour in the UK.  The aptly-named Emerald Isle is so wet and verdant that green just pops out to you from virtually every corner.

More print from Ireland can be found in the Limited Edition Gallery….

Colours of The New Forest

It's Autumn in the Northern hemisphere and the foliage is beginning its annual transformation into the sublime.  Such is the beauty of this event that that my little black book of places to revisit at their best is almost completely full of entries to be captured right about now!

One place which has been in the book for many years is the New Forest in Hampshire, England.  Although a few days are barely enough to cover a fraction of its 145 square mile area, I did manage to while away a complete afternoon at a delightful stream near Brockenhurst.  Concentrating on just the small details, I could have easily filled an entire book with a kaleidoscope of yellows, reds and golds.

A true lesson that we can find an immense wealth of detail if we just look hard enough.