OUTDOOR PHOTOGRAPHY MAGAZINE INTERVIEW
In the February issue of Outdoor Photography magazines Holiday & Courses guide, I give my tips for producing stunning black and white digital images.
I can remember developing a print from a black & white negative in a school art class – and this being a life changing moment. I was hooked, I knew what I wanted to be; a photographer. Printing was one of my passions when I was studying for my degree in photography many moons ago and loved the whole process of developing the black & white film and developing prints. I still miss this part of photography, but nowadays black & white digital photography can still retain its visual impact.
When leading photo tours and workshops I say to my guests, ‘See colour, think black & white as this adage has served me well over the years. It will extend your opportunities, especially when conditions don’t lend themselves to colour photography. Some locations work really well in black & white such as the Grand Canyon especially when there are moody, dramatic skies.
Some of the steps I use when producing digital black & white images include the following: Before taking the photograph, it is important to pre-visualise your result and it is also valuable to have a knowledge of the Zone System. Shoot in colour in RAW mode, colour space Adobe RGB.
You will have far more control over the finished result by photographing in colour and then making a black & white conversion using image processing software; my preferred one being Lightroom. Shoot on the lowest ISO possible. At high ISOs the noise (grain) is more evident; the lower the ISO the less noise. If you want to increase the grain on an image, it is best to add this in post production.
To process my images in Lightroom I do not use the basic develop module apart from maybe adding a little clarity. Instead I use the tone curve and develop the image to how I visualised it when I took the photograph.
There are many different digital print papers on the market, which have various feels and tones. This is similar to wet processed black & white prints, where each make of paper has a certain quality, along with the chemicals used in developing the print with any dodging or burning adding to the final look.
A favourite paper of mine used to be Kentmere Kentona paper, which had deep warm rich blacks with a warmer base white. To replicate the feel and look of this paper, for the digital photograph of the overgrown temple in Cambodia
in the develop mode of Lightroom I used the split tone function. This adds more depth and character to the finished result.
My photography holidays & courses to Cambodia, Angkor Wat, Vietnam, Marrakech the USA and the Gower, can be found on my holidays website http://www.digitalphotographyholidays.com
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With the advent of digital photography and phones with cameras we are all photographers, but what makes one photograph really stand out from the others? The answer to that is there is no single correct way to photograph flowers, however, certain elements do have to be taken into consideration to make a great shot.
It can get pretty hot here too, but the warm hued landscapes are worth the heat, especially near to sunset when the place comes on fire.
as the hoodoos glow in the morning sunlight.
As Utah is +1 hour ahead in time from Nevada and Arizona, sunrises are at a very comfortable 7.00am in September, no excuses for getting up for these views.
The skies here can be outrageously moody.
In a very synchronistic way that always seem to happen on Navajo Land, I have teamed up with a Navajo friend who has taken me way off road to a place only accessible with a Navajo guide, this has been the highlight on the photo tour I run here. The drive is totally amazing going over terrain that only a local would be confident doing, but once at the top of one of the mesa’s the panoramic views of the sandstone formations from a distance bathed in warm evening light are breath taking.
As for the desert night skies high up from this vantage point, you can see the Milky Way and a billion stars as there is no light pollution here. The sunrises from up here too are a landscape photographers dream.
The Grand Canyon is world famous for the light, which photographs well whatever the weather conditions are. I personally prefer real moody scenes as they really add drama to photographs,
the same scene can change within a very short space of time, making it worthwhile to stop and photograph the ever changing views that appear in front of your lens.
There are so many great turn outs to stop at along the south rim meaning that you don’t have to walk far for stunning photographs.
Americana and old-school kitsch.
Hackberry stores literally in the middle of nowhere is sure worth a stop on the way back,
as is the strange little town of Chloride, those that have been there will know what I mean!
The one thing you will need for a two week road trip is plenty of storage space to back up all the photographs you will take. 
Instead of heading back to the madness of Vegas after this nature immersion I like to stay in Boulder City, Nevada. On the way you pass the Hoover Dam, worthy of a quick visit. Boulder is a small compact city that you can walk around and has some fantastic places to eat and craft beer micro breweries. From here it’s only a short drive to Las Vegas airport to fly home.
There’s great value to be taken from photography road-tripping as they are not only full 
Taking my first peek at the show last year on the Sunday before press day, Manoj Malde’s ‘Beneath a Mexican Sky’ garden stopped me in my tracks with it’s in your face bold use of colour. Having spent some time in Mexico myself I know that Mexicans are not shy of using colour.
The Viking Cruises ‘Garden of Inspiration’ by Sarah Eberle had bright vivid mosaics and of course the orange tree to take you straight to the Med.
The Breast Cancer Now Garden: Through the Microscope designed by Ruth Willmott
used the colour palette of oranges, reds and yellows to great effect.
with the occasional splash from deep bass sound, a novel idea well executed.
The Anneka Rice ‘Colour Cutting’ garden designed by Sarah Raven was a colourful garden which had a lovely retro, nostalgic feel to it.
The vegetable garden also reflected the warm colours of reds and bronzes.
Matt’s sumptuous planting truly showcased beautiful flower, grass and conifer plant combinations alike.
The very contemporary urban garden showcased the principles of sustainable rainwater management, with naturalistic informal planting set against the strong shapes and forms of the paths and hard surfaces. 
The RHS ‘
