Six of the Best

On a recent blog, I started to put together a top 10 from my 2012 efforts. Limiting my favourites to this number has since proved to be far more difficult than I expected with around 15 that I would consider worthy of consideration. Rather than make the hard decisions at the pointy end of the list, I’m first going to list another half dozen here, which added to “Frozen Visage” gives me three more spots to fill.

Caressing the Sea

Caressing the Sea

The year got off to a great start with this Cornish seascape. It was one of those blink and you miss it moments. Or even if the eyes were open, the change in quality of light was so subtle that it could have passed unnoticed. As I mentioned on the Magic Hour Travelscapes facebook page, it’s got that soothing timeless feel that would make it a personal wall hanger for me.

The Distinguished Gentleman

The Distinguished Gentleman

My favourite street photo from Paris this year, shot on one of my workshops incidentally while taking a ‘patisserie break’. It was one of those decisive moments that Cartier-Bresson spoke about. An interesting subject stepping through the doors just as I was making an exposure and the break in pedestrians with their umbrellas framing the scene for me.

The Wind From the West

The Wind From the West

This was my most popular image posted to my Facebook fan page since it came into being mid-year 2012. It’s just a classic landscape with powerful elements in the foreground, midground and background, with some dramatic weather conditions to set it off. The technical stuff was crucial here : timing and choosing the right shutter speed.

Les Aiguilles Gothiques

Les Aiguilles Gothiques

Another dramatic landscape, this time from half way around the world. This dramatic piece of coastline was what drew me to Brittany and kept me exploring. I’ve just scratched the surface and will be returning to go deeper into this relatively virgin territory among international landscape photographers. I’ll be offering a photo adventure this year taking in coastal Brittany which will be sure to be a very pleasant experience given the superb views, idyllic lifestyle and gastronomic delights in France.

Sophie’s Sunrise

Sophie’s Sunrise

As I’m gearing up for my 4th and possible final Carnevale, I’m tremendously excited by the busy programme of shoots in store for me this year. I could have chosen one of many portraits I shot of Sophie Farfalla, my Carnevale muse but I’ve chosen this one for several reasons. Firstly, the location at the Accademia bridge, although extremely popular as a tourist attraction, is unusual for a Carnevale photograph, especially at dawn when everyone else is at Piazza San Marco. Secondly, I’m very fond of the back lighting bringing out Sophie’s pink costume. Thirdly, the colour contrast between cool and warm tones never gets old. And finally, the technical puzzle had portrait photographers scratching their heads about how correct exposure was achieved with the back lighting. It just didn’t occur to them on their forum that a neutral grad filter was used to balance out the bright sky.

Waiting in Rouen

Waiting in Rouen

A mixture of street and travel photography, this photograph is a reminder to me of persistence paying off. I wrote a blog about the story behind this one. I’m still very fond of this one half a year later, taking pleasure from the details which take me back to a somewhat damp evening at one of Rouen’s most romantic streets : the glistening cobblestones, the complementary crossover lighting, the open window and the timber facade of the buildings, typical of the style in the Middle Ages. The wait for the perfect subject to bring this stage to life turned out to be well worth it in the end.

The Final Three

The final three spots are likely to be taken up with new releases which will each get their own blog article over the next couple of weeks.