Hi guys
This week I am writing up a quick post on saturday for a change as I have family coming to visit this evening and wont get chance to write this tomorrow.

I have been on Harris for 9 months now and so I thought I would update you on my situation and how things are developing for me as a photographer and in particular my business.

I spent the first few months out in the hills and at the coast scouting locations and taking images, I was still very much developing my style as a photographer (i still am) and this period really helped me to develop a sense of who I am as a landscape photographer and what style my work would take.

I do tend towards the dramatic, in both light and style and this is born out in my images where a large proportion feature the beautiful dramatic light that we get here in the Hebrides.

As I have previously written in another post I had to consider which route to market I would take and where my images best sat within the market.

In the end I decided that I am a landscape photographer because I love making beautiful images of the stunning nature all around us. This in turn lead me to realise that both myself and my images would not necessarily be suited to the high volume, low price commercial markets of postcards, stock photography and the like. Although I do have some interests in those markets they are not intended to be a primary income.

So I decided after some analysis that I would create high end products and sell them through a limited selection of methods.

Firstly I created my website which has now been up and running for quite a few months and is starting to attract good volumes of traffic and business.

The website is a long term project and initially I planned to go after the local market on harris and the outer hebrides, however after further research I have decided that I can still target local sales but that there simply wouldnt be enough volume of sales to sustain a business from.

Therefore I am now trying to establish the website on a much larger scale and target much broader keyword search terms. Obviously this requires much more effort and patience but I think the rewards will be worth it.

I also sell my images via a local art gallery and the sales are just starting to come in good numbers now.
Setting up the gallery sales was quite a stressful process, having to source stock and materials as well as having to meet deadlines to get everything ready by.

In the end though it has proven to be worth every bit of stress as the sales figures already look to be ahead of expectations.

The owners of the gallery couldn’t be nicer and they have certainly set up what I think will be the premier outlet for arts and crafts on Harris. If your ever on the island then make sure you pop in to Hebrides Art in Seilebost, they have the gallery, gifts and great cakes.

I am also trying to break into the magazine market, particularly photography magazines. This is definately a tough nut to crack with stiff competition but I have managed a little success here too which you can see in issue 109 of Digital Photographer. I may also have a few other things in the pipeline which I shall reveal in due course.

Overall the first 9 months of the business have been incredibly hard work, I probably average 12 hour days 7 days a week. There is always another task to perform but it is very rewarding to be in control of my own fate.

I am starting to see some benefits now from my long hours and I firmly believe that if I continue working my socks off then I can make a success of it.

If your thinking of doing the same as me then be prepared to work every hour under the sun for very little money, you wont have time for a social life or money for luxuries but in the end if you want it enough and have a true passion for it then these things wont matter.

I dont care about being rich or famous, I dont even want flash cars and nice things, what I do want is to be truly good at what I do, to gain the respect of my peers and to leave a body of work after I am gone that is enjoyed by others. If I can scrape a living out of it too then I’ll be ecstatic

Landscape photography tips

One of the most common questions I get asked is “How do I get the look?” on my photos. Usually people mean that slightly surreal look to some of my landscape photography. Well here are a few of my landscape photography tips to get you started.

My shots are a combination of factors, which I’ll briefly outline here before I go a little more into creating “the look”.

Almost every shot I take is the result of meticulous planning. I check the weather forecasts, tide tables, sun rise and set times as well as direction. I have been out and scouted hundreds of locations in advance and made notes on how the scene would be best lit so that when the lighting is right I can take advantage and go straight to the right place at the right time.

Learn the basics

Going back before this stage I have learnt the fundamentals of composition through in depth reading and research. Almost anyone can fluke a good shot now and again but to consistantly take good images it is important to spend the time learning what exactly it is that makes up a good image. How to draw the viewer in through use of leading lines and S curves etc. Which shapes capture attention, which create a sense of dynamism and which add balance. What colours work together and in what ratios.

And then when this theory is learned its time to research the rules of composition and how they relate to photography. The rule of thirds, golden mean, use of lead in lines, use of foreground middle and background,weighting a photo so there is balance, use of odd subject numbers etc. These rules are not to be followed religiously but to know them allows you to use them and break them intentionally and creatively.

Ok so you know the theory now you have to put it into practise.

Well there are now several aspects to putting this into practise. Some of these tips and others you can follow via my Twitter profile @davidfleetphoto.

It is a case of trial and error and experimentation to put the theory of composition into practise, however to create technically correct exposures with superb detail the landscape photographer needs to work with certain tools and use certain methods for best results.

10 easy landscape photography tips

1) Use a tripod- I cant stress this enough. Using a tripod will not only make your pictures sharper due to avoiding camera shake, it also slows your picture taking down, allowing you to think more before you take a shot. If you’re after a great reasonably priced tripofd then check out my Vanguard Alta Pro review

2)Use a shutter release cable- this stops any vibrations due to you physically pressing the shutter button.

3)Use mirror lock up- Some people get confused by mirror lockup but it needn’t be the case. This bascially locks the mirror up before you take the shot, so when you press the shutter button the first time the mirror locks up into position then when you press the shutter button the second time the shot is taken (on Canon cameras , I think Nikon is different but have no experience here)

The benefit is that the small vibrations from the movement of the mirror dont transfer into lack of sharpness in your shots.

Tests have been done on tripods to see how long it takes to dampen vibrations- I find on my Manfrotto I allow about 5-6 seconds between locking the mirror up and taking the shot.

4)If you dont have an electronic level then use a hotshoe spirit level to ensure your horizons are straight.

5)Use ND grads to balance out bright skies with darker land. I use Lee filters ( I did a Lee filters review ) but there are plenty of choices from companies like Cokin, Hitech and Singray.

6) Use ND filters to reduce light and allow longer shutter speeds for creative effect.

7)Use a circular polarising filter to reduce reflections, make skies seem bluer, clouds whiter and increase saturation in your shots. Polarisers work best if the sun is at 90 degrees to your shot,ie over your shoulder not behind or in front of you.

Be careful using them with wide angle lenses though as they can create uneven blue skies.

8)Use manual focus- To really nail front to back sharpness I use manual focus and either focus on an object about 1/3 into the scene or use Hyperfocul distances to focus.

9)Use the viewfinder to compose and live view to check focus- I usually compose my shots using the viewfinder, then I focus using live views 10x magnification. This ensures very precise focusing.

10)Dont stick to these general rules rigidly, its better to get a brilliant one off grab shot than to miss it while setting everything up, even if it’s not as sharp as it could have been.

Now as for getting “the look” I usually shoot at dawn and dusk, this means that available light is lower than during the day time. This naturally results in having to use longer shutter speeds.
I often shoot at the coast and I want to capture a little motion in the water to add dynamism to my shots. Perfectly sharp water can look good when capturing a wave or rough seas etc but for a lot of my shots a little movement adds to the shot.

To get this effect I usually aim for a shutter speed of arround 0.5 seconds upto 4 seconds. My method would go like this.

Start at f16 which is my preferd aperture on my 5d mkii
if shutter speed is too fast stop down to f22
if shutter speed is still too fast add a neutral density filter.
If Shutter speed is still too fast use extended iso 50. (i almost always use iso 100 unless I have a good reason not to)

It is rare that I would need any further reduction in light than this, however if I am shooting in the middle of the day (again another rareity) I may add a circular polariser which would give me another 2 stops of light reduction.
I do have a Hitech 10 stop filter but dont use it as the colour casts that it creates are horrendous and render it virtually unuseable unless you want to mess around in photosop for hours which I dont.

Now depending on the effect I’m going for I would alter my desired shutter speed accordingly. For a little movement in a rolling wave like

0.6 seconds is often perfect however I sometimes want some movement in the clouds and to flatten out the ocean. This can take a longer shutter speed of 30 + seconds which was the case in the shot below

Experimentation is really the key here, use a large aperture of f4 and experiment util you find the right exposure to create the look you want. Then do some maths and work out the corresponding shutter speed for an apperture of f11-22. This will mean you can experiment without having to wait so long between exposures.

You can take a look at the various images in my galleries and see what look you like best

Once you know how to create technically correct photos you can then start to concentrate then you will be ready to read my article on how to improve your landscape photography

If this article helped then I would appreciate it if you bought your camera gear through my links as it helps towards the running costs of the site. A big thanks to everyone who does.

Having read and thoroughly enjoyed Outdoor Photography’s national park special last month it got me thinking about all the attention and visitors that the Isle of Harris, where I now live, could be missing out on due to its application for national park status stalling.

As a newly established landscape photographer on the island I am certainly of the opinion that the creation of Scotland’s third national park on Harris would have been very beneficial to Harris and its neighbours Lewis and the Uists.

Harris is a relatively small, wild island with an ageing and declining population. There are worries about the lack of opportunities and jobs on the island and the creation of a national park would have immediately created a significant amount of employment with more opportunities to follow.
These jobs would likely have persuaded some of the younger population to remain on the island and would also offer hope and possible prosperity for the future.

A significant proportion of the economy on Harris relies on the tourist sector. Harris’s main town Tarbert

supports local businesses and artists who are highly dependant upon the tourists that come here during the summer season.
Making Harris a national park would undoubtedly increase tourist numbers to the island, passing on the benefits in terms of job creation and income to locals and helping to create a sustainable and vibrant economy.

When you look at Harris from an outsiders perspective you tend to see a world of opportunity to create a truly stunning national park.

The hills are some of the wildest in the country and offer a chance to get away from our hectic lives and enjoy nature.

The mountains although not quite Munro’s offer fantastic walking and don’t forget they rise from sea level here.

Harris has unrivalled beaches on its west coast that offer miles of golden sand and turquoise waters
You can walk for a whole day and not see another soul. Maybe this would change to some degree with the setup of a national park and an increase in numbers but I think it’s a trade off that most that live here would make.

In fact when the local residents were asked to vote on the creation of a national park an overwhelming 72% voted in favour. Surely the voice of the people who’s lives are affected by this decision should be at the forefront of any decision making process. The right to self determination is a fundamental one and the residents of Harris clearly see the creation of a national park as key to their future prosperity.

Harris is a photographers paradise, offering rocky coves and abundant wildlife in the bays area on the east coast. You would be unlucky not to see seals or an otter if you spent some time here.

The west coast of Harris has some of the finest beaches in Europe and the water is as clean as you will find anywhere in the world. The sea takes on a turquoise colour and you could be forgiven for thinking you were in the Seychelles, except for the occasional gales and torrential rain that blow straight in from the Atlantic (bring a waterproof for you and a shower cap for the camera). These strong winds mean that the weather is constantly changing and this creates some fantastic fleeting light.

Wildlife photographers will be in their element on Harris with one of the highest densities of breeding pairs of Golden Eagles in Europe and an ever increasing population of Sea Eagles.
I was walking in the hills by Loch Seaforth only two weeks ago and found myself no more than 50ft from a Golden Eagle soaring majestically on the thermals. The following week while on a landscape shoot at the once deserted village of Mollinginish I witnessed the huge ‘barn door’ like wings of a White Tailed Eagle swooping down into the loch. These kind of encounters with nature are just some of the reasons why Harris is so special. If only I had the money to buy a nice big white Canon EF 500mm f4 lens I could have captured some fantastic images of these native species of Harris, they are certainly here to be taken.

Why is the process stalling then?
The process relied in part upon the Scottish government seeking the opinion of the Western Isles council based in Stornoway.

They stated “Unfortunately, the Council considers that, at this stage, a convincing case has not been identified for a formal designation”

Unfortunately this has had the effect of stalling the application from moving to the next level.

However one only has to look at the Cairngorms or Loch Lomond and the Trossachs to see the benefits of national park status.

On a personal level the stalling of this process is a disappointment. I rely on tourists for my business, it is geared towards them and they are my target market. Obviously if the numbers increase then I stand to benefit.
Any benefit I see is passed on to other local businesses when I spend money in the local shops on supplies and goods.

Not only would my business benefit from the increased numbers of tourists but if Harris were designated a national park then demand for my images and the work of the other photographers and artists on the island would likely increase too.
Supplements like the national park pull out last month would need shots of Harris and I would be well placed to provide those images.
It does make me wonder how many similar opportunities I and other small businesses will miss out on over the coming years as a result of the local councils decision (not the peoples decision) to stall and possibly halt the creation of a national park on Harris.

I should make the point that some people do have concerns over the creation of a national park on Harris. They wonder if it will make the building of new property more difficult with the possible implementation of tighter planning regulations. It may also drive property prices up leading to difficulty in locals affording housing on the island.
I would argue that without the potential economic prosperity of a national park, many on the island will be forced to leave to look for work elsewhere and so the ongoing population decline will continue and the economic future for Harris will not improve.

These fears are natural but they could easily be allayed with the implementation of sensible management of the national park on a local level.

Clearly at the moment the public purse is short of funds and some might argue that we simply don’t have the money to spend on creating another national park, especially when the budgets of other national parks around the country are being cut significantly.
However the long term financial benefits of creating a park on Harris would surely outweigh the short term costs. Harris has a high rate of long term unemployment, and it is holding steady. The creation of a national park would create jobs and help to lower the unemployment rate. Jobs of every level would be created from managerial positions to tour guides, not to mention the increased need for shop assistants, waiting on staff in the local restaurants and ferry terminal staff. A lot of these positions would be suitable for the young and the management and ranger posts would be jobs that may tempt the younger generation to stay on the island.

The opportunity to create beautiful images on the Isle of Harris are endless. It is such an inspirational landscape in which to live and work. I can be scouting locations in the mountains during the day, and yet be on the beach for one of Harris’ glorious sunsets in the evening.
It is a unique landscape that offers visitors a taste of the wilderness and the exotic all in one package and it is on your doorstep.

I sincerely hope that any future decisions on Harris’s national park status are based upon long term planning and not short term budgets and cost cutting. The benefits would certainly be felt for years to come.
Whichever way the Isle of Harris’s national park journey goes I hope that you will come and see for yourselves this wonderfully unique island on the edge of Europe.

I have been pretty busy this week redesigning my website so I havnt really had a lot of time to write up a blog post.

Perhaps instead of telling you what I’ve been upto this week you can take a look for yourselves over on my landscape photography website

Having spent a large part of my time since the turn of the year on the less fun aspects of my business, like promoting my work and the website, the sunny weather gave me a sharp reminder to actually get out and do what I love best, take photos of the natural world around us.

So this last week I’ve been getting up into the Harris hills and walking different coastal paths (if you can call them paths) and exploring possible locations to shoot.

I spent tuesday up in the hills, looking and finding a great spot for a panoramic shot. I was also lucky enough to see two golden eagles, one was no more that 50ft away from me and was soaring and playing on the thermals.

This little walk inspired me to get out more and i decided that I would bite the bullet and try and get a few dawn shoots in. The sun is now rising here before 6am which means I realistically have to camp wherever I want to shoot unless it is easily accessible by road, which tends not to be the case.

So I decided on Mollinginish, a quiet little township (of 3 houses, one a ruin)on the east coast of Harris, in the shadow of the spine backed mountain of Todun and looking out onto the Minch towards the mainland hills of Torridon.
The only way to get to Mollinginish is to walk in over a mountain pass or by boat. I dont have a boat so I had to trapes all my gear up the mountain pass and down the other side. I weighed my pack when i got home as I wanted to see exactly what was making me walk like a certain resident of Notre Dam, and it came in at 60lbs. I need to either train a lot harder or lighten the load. I know which option i’ll be going for

Once I got to Mollinginish I could see several spots that had great potential for creating images. I spoke to the owner and only resident and he kindly allowd me to pitch my tent on his land (thankyou Simon if your reading this).

Mollinginish consists of a couple of small buildings, a lovely pebble beach, a stream flowing from the hills and a point jutting out into the Minch.

I set up my tent on the point and wandered around to find the best locations. Once I was happy I sat and enjoyed the peace and quiet and listened to Oyster Catchers fishing a few feet away from me. At the end of the point a seal made an appearance to check out my presence and once he realised I wasn’t that interesting he soon dissapeared. Simon the owner of the property informed me that an otter had been this way just an hour before I arrived but he didn’t return. However While returning to my tent I turned to look out over the Minch to see a huge Bird of prey swooping down into the bay. I grabbed my binoculars and could see the obvious white markings on the tail of a White tailed Eagle. It was huge and seeing this rare (although Now doing well in Scotland) bird made my day.

I finally settled in for an early night as my alarm was set for 4.45 am !

When I woke at 4am (yes before the alarm for some reason) I got up and looked outside. There was already a promising pink glow on the horizon. My excitement built as I got my kit together and moved to my first shooting location that I had scouted the night before.

I spent the beautiful morning calmly moving between pre planned shots, starting with those that would take advantage of the stunning colours in the sky before the sun had risen above the Pairc hills in the distance, followed by some shots of the beautiful little house lit by the early morning sun. All the shots from this shoot and other recent ones can be seen in the galleries

I guess this trip served as a good reminder to get out and do what I love most, the reason why I’m a photographer and that is to capture the beauty of nature that is all around us.

I know its not always easy to make time for the things you love in amongst the daily grind but hopefully you can find a little time to get out there and enjoy yourself while we have this beautiful spell of weather. It would be a shame to just watch it out of the office window.

Have fun…