Photographing the rural landscape is difficult. Very difficult, and much more difficult than photographing an industrial or urban landscape. All landscapes change as the seasons change and in a rural environment scars and signs of human habitation or endeavours may or may not add to its appeal. There are, however, other distractions. Birds of prey, deer, varieties of colourful butterflies and other colourful insects and wild flowers ( where our guest last Thursday often utilises backlighting when photographing them to great effect ).
Which brings us to Richard Fox. Quite simply one of the most skilled, most knowledgeable, and most accomplished photographers of the landscape and it’s many varieties of inhabitant. Richard studies the light. He understands how its colour changes throughout the year. He anticipates how that variation in the colour of light will affect the myriad of tones, shapes and landforms in the far reaches of our rural areas. As a student of the countryside he knows how that changing light will affect the appearance of foliage, water and stone. Add to that his knowledge that the very low sun of a sunrise or sunset results in sidelighting which highlights the textures and forms in its path in a quite spectacular fashion.
That knowledge has resulted in Richard winning the Scottish Wildlife Portrait category in the Scottish Nature Photography Awards 2023. He was also WEX Photographer of the Year 2022 and Highly Commended in the Scottish Landscape Photographer of the Year 2022, among others.
There is a key point in photographing at any given location at sunrise. If, for example, you want to photograph a well known mountain in Glencoe just as the sun rises above the nearby mountains to illuminate your mountain of choice, and you live perhaps 3 hours away …………… at what time do you set your alarm clock ? If you are photographing at sunset then the situation is reversed, and you arrive home just in time for breakfast. Apart from a photographer’s stamina, Richard’s photographs of the flora and fauna inhabiting his chosen location tell us much about his understanding of the land.
Last Thursday night, like the most experienced and knowledgable practitioners of any discipline, he explained his methods and techniques clearly and in a most understated manner. We learned a lot. Check out his website.
You may have read in the Falkirk Herald of celebrations marking the 160th anniversary of the opening of the Scottish Episcopal Church in Falkirk, Christ Church in Kerse Lane. Two of our club members recently had the privilege of photographing its stunning interior. Another of our club members has just been photographing the Falkirk Tryst Orchestra.
We interact with other photographic clubs in Scotland and further afield. For those occasions we need PDI’s, and sometimes Prints. Club members are invited to login to our PhotoEntry system and upload some PDI’s for upcoming events. Many thanks.
Two weeks ago we had an extremely popular Member’s Night looking at topics requested by club members, and actually taking some photographs. On Thursday 10th October we have another one. Don’t miss out, it’s 7pm for a 7:30pm start.