Improve your bird spotting skills

Cormorant

HABITAT found around the UK coastline on rocky shores, coastal lagoons and estuaries, it is increasingly being seen inland at reservoirs, lake and gravel pits. VOICE A hearty rhythmical and rumbling honk, followed by a deep croak, which sounds rather like a bullfrog At times, the tree creeper brought twigs that were too big for it to take into the tree crevice and, although it tried every which way to fit it into the gap, it just had to give up but Cormorant dives almost lazily; sometimes half a dive.

Shag

HABITAT during the breeding season at their large Scottish colonies on Orkney, Shetland, the Inner Hebrides and the firth of forth. Elsewhere they can be seen commonly around the coasts of Wales and south west England.

VOICE a deep, throaty croak that pulses and creaks, like the rusty hinges on an old door swimming in the wind. when shag dives for fish it does so with a clear leap out of the water, but Cormorant dives almost lazily; sometimes half a dive, while at other times it just seems to glide underneath without any effort.

          Cormorant and Shag are both breeding birds in Britain and in summer plumage they are pretty unmistakable: Cormorant’s white face, hind neck and thigh patch contrast with the rest of the black with the rest of the black with glossy blue/green sheen plumage, while Shag has a glossy green plumage with a raised crest but no white patches Winter Shag retains its green hue during the winter, whereas Cormorant becomes duller the head, neck and thigh..

              Out of the breeding season they can look very similar; juvenile birds are generally brown plumed and although there is a size difference, with Cormorant being the larger, you really need to see both birds together to spot this.

               When seen closely, shag’s bill is slender compared to the heavy one of Cormorant, too; Shag has a peaked crown at the front, sometimes an obvious looking bump, while Cormorant has a less obvious peak at the rear.

              A bright yellow patch on the cheek is also an obvious feature on juvenile Cormorant, while this is lacking on Shag, which has a white patch extending to the base of the bill. Bill color is also slightly different, grayish on Cormorant, light yellow on Shag. Winter Shag retains its green hue during the winter, whereas Cormorant becomes duller the head, neck and thigh.

           Faced with a lone bird on a lake that you are struggling to identify, there is another clue to look for: when shag dives for fish it does so with a clear leap out of the water, but Cormorant dives almost lazily; sometimes half a dive, while at other times it just seems to glide underneath without any effort.

Ignoring the lenses of birdwatchers and photographers and photographers, the busy parent came to the nest site on numerous occasions, carrying with it a bill full of bark, spider’s web, moss or various sizes of twigs with which to construct its summer home. At times, the tree creeper brought twigs that were too big for it to take into the tree crevice and, although it tried every which way to fit it into the gap, it just had to give up.

At times bird photography can be a very frustrating job, and patience is not just a virtue-but a prerequisite! However, any glitches are quickly forgotten when the rewards for patience are glimpses into the private life of two special woodland species, such as tree creeper and lesser spotted woodpecker.

Harmony and contrast

    We very seldom see just one colour in isolation, and the other colours surrounding it will significantly affect our perception of our main subject’s colour. A red that appears fully saturated and vivid against a black background will not appear as strong against an orange backdrop, for instance. Many books have been written about colour theory and the way that colours interact, and almost all of them have at their core some variation on the colour wheel.

     The three primary colours, red blue and yellow, are at three points on a circle, and between them are the secondary colours, produced by mixing each of the three primaries, i.e. violet, green and orange. Between these again lie the tertiary colours, such as blue-green, red-orange, and so on. The relative position of any two colours on the circle tells us how they will relate to each other in terms of harmony or contrast. Colours that are next to each other on the wheel will harmonies together, while colours that are on opposite sides of the circle will contrast.

Colour harmony

     Any groups of colours next to each other on the wheel are known as analogous colours, and will always harmonies together. Harmonious colours provide a sense of restfulness and order, and there are no contrasting or jarring colours. Such a picture will generally have a limited number of colours in it. The simplest form would be to use only one colour, in various shads and hues-different tones of blue, for example. Many books have been written about colour theory and the way that colours interact, and almost all of them have at their core some variation on the colour wheel. If another colour is introduced, it will be one that is adjacent on the colour wheel-so we might look at adding to the blue tones some greens or violets.

Colour contrast

    Any two colours that lie directly opposite to each other on the wheel are known as complementary colours and will provide the maximum amount of colour contrast in a picture. While adjacent colours provide a restful, harmonious image, complementary colours will result in a photo with impact. A yellow subject, for instance will appear more vivid against a violet background than it will against an orange one.

Saturated and pastel colors

A saturated color is a pure hue that is not diluted with white or black. Fully saturated colors are more vivid and have more impact than those that are diluted with white, known as tints, or with black, known as shades. The color contrast between complementary colors will be at its strongest when they are both fully saturated-for instance, a red flower will exhibit more contrast against a green background than a pink flower will.

A hue that is diluted by white is commonly known as a pastel shade, and is softer and less vivid than the original colors. While saturated colors appears at their most vibrant in bright light, the delicates tones of pastel colors can be bleached out by bright light and often benefit from a gentler, more diffused light. Colours that are next to each other on the wheel will harmonies together, while colours that are on opposite sides of the circle will contrast. For a photo with impact, choose two or more fully saturated shades; but for a more delicate or subtle image, softer, pastel tones can be beautiful to work with.

Warm and cool colours

    One side of the colour wheel contains the warm colours-red, oranges and yellows-white the other side contains the cool colours-blues, violets and greens. Compare the photo of gondolas on a foggy morning with the photo of the blue boat-white the blue boat gives a feeling of serenity and calm, the image of the gondolas has more of a cold feel to it. Warm and cool colours behave very differently in an Image, and it’s important to be aware of this. The warm colours are dominant, and advance towards the viewer, while the cool colours are receding and do not demand attention.

     Even a very small amount of a dominant colour in a collection of cool colours will draw the eye, whether or not it was intended to be the subject of the photograph. So it’s particularly important to be aware of colours in the background of your main subject, even if it is thrown out of focus. Cool colours in the background to a warm-coloured subject will not cause any problem.

Colour combinations

The relation between dominant and receding colours needs to be considered when using pairs of complementary color contrast. For instance, a sunflower photograph with impact, as yellow and violet are complementary colours; but in a photograph of a mauve flower against a yellow background, although the same colour contrast is present, there will be a sense of visual imbalance because the subject is a receding colour while the background is a dominant one.    

Colourful reactions

    Colors have many different psychology or emotion connotations, some of which are culture related, such as the association of some colours with marriage and some of which are more universal, such as the association of green with nature and new life. Many colours have both good and bad associations-red, for instance, can represent aggression as well as warmth.   Similarly, blue can be thought of as serene but also cold. Compare the photo of gondolas on a foggy morning with the photo of the blue boat-white the blue boat gives a feeling of serenity and calm, the image of the gondolas has more of a cold feel to it.

Colour of emotion

    As well as behaving differently in terms of advancing or receding in an image, warm or cool colours also produce different emotional responses in the viewer. Reds, oranges and yellow are said to be energising, powerful, happy, and uplifting, whereas the blues and greens are restful, serene, calming and tranquil. Warm colours are thought to be more emotionally appealing, which is why they are used so much in advertising.      

Steve young’s say’s

Those earlier woodpecker-less visits hadn’t been wasted though, as there is always something to photograph if you walk quietly through woodland, or stand and soak up a place sometimes it may just be a foraging wren, other occasions may provide a singing robin, but on this occasion I was treated to a superb tree creeper building a nest in a crevice of a tree.

Ignoring the lenses of both birdwatchers and photographers, the busy parent came to the nest site on numerous occasions, carrying with is a bill full of bark, spider’s web, moss or various sizes of twigs with which to construct its summer home. At times, the tree creeper brought twigs that were too big for it to take into the tree crevice and, although it tried every which way to fit it into the gap, it just had to give up.

Limiting the colour palette

    In any photograph that we take we males choices about which elements in the scene in front of us to include in our image and which to exclude, and one of the factors, which will be the colour of those elements. As well as evaluated how the various colours interact with each other, we need to consider how many different colours we want to include. An image with a riot of different colours will produce a very different effect from one, which uses only two or three hues.

     Using a wide variety of colours can produce a visually exciting photo with lots of impact; but if care is not taken it can also result in a confusing image in which the viewer’s eye is pulled in various directions at once and doesn’t know where to settle. Sometimes, simplicity of colour can produce a more sophisticated image, and two or three harmonizing or contrasting hues can result in a more visually satisfying photograph.

Enhancing colour

    If the colour in a scene is not all that we would like it to be, there are sometimes ways in which we can improve it. One is to use warm up filters or change your white balance setting to adjust the colour temperature of your subject, and I will look at this in an article about light in next month’s issue. Other than that, one of the easiest ways to improve colour is to use a polarizing filter, although of course this will only work on a sunny day.

     Polarizing filter is best known for deepening the blue of the sky, but they can also reduce white light reflection from glossy objects and so enhance their colour saturation. They work best when the light in coming from the side of the photographer-their effect will be minimal on screen which is front lit or back lit. If you’re handholding your camera, a polarizing filter will affect your exposure by up to two stops. Third time I saw one bird that was too distance for photos, but on the fourth attempt my luck changed. Although your TTL meter will automatically adjust for this, it could lead to camera shake if your shutter speed is lengthened.

Steve young’s say’s

But in March 2009, I finally had some success with this species after many years of trying. Moore nature reserve on the out skirts of Warrington is known for sighting of this species in the surrounding woods. There is a feeding here, but again the bird does not visit, but good views were being had by many local and visiting birders in the surrounding woodlands along the public footpaths; good views that is until I began to visit. Over a period of nine days I visited four times and twice I didn’t even see any. Third time I saw one bird that was too distance for photos, but on the fourth attempt my luck changed.

Clinging to the side of a tree no more than 30 meters away from my lens, a male lesser spotted woodpecker was intently hammering away at a potential nest hole. An image with a riot of different colours will produce a very different effect from one, which uses only two or three hues. As it’s so small, I really needed this bird at 10 meters range for a good sized image, but I was just relived to see it through my lens at all! After a five minute excavation, the woodpecker flew further back into the wood, but returned an hour later to exactly the same spot and continued to chisel away at the tree allowing more images to be gratefully taken.

Rhossili bay Swansea

His spirits lifting with the arrival of a storm, Craig joiner strives to capture the sea and sky in equal measure

    Rhossili bay sits at the westerly tip of the Gower peninsula in south Wales. At its southern end lies the headland of worms head.

    My plan was o photograph worms head over the bay at dusk. The weather looked like it might provide some interesting cloud and color. Typically, as I headed west the clouds completely disappeared leaving an empty blue sky. Not only that, but upon arrive at rhossili, there was a thick blanket of cloud moving in fast carried by a stiff breeze that would that would soon blot out the sun.

    There was no time to shoot anything before the sun went behind the cloud, so I decided to take a wake-camera at the ready-towards worms head to explore. I hadn’t got far before blue sky appeared behind the approaching storm. With a little luck the storm clouds would be right overhead when the sun broke through. I had already noted the view across the bay, and so I quickly back tracked to a suitable vantage point I had spotted earlier.

    Both sea and sky were important elements to the passing storm and so I chose to place the horizon in the centre to include equal amounts of both. My widest lens was required to include the whole scene.

    I didn’t need to use the narrowest aperture, but I decided to use it anyway because the corresponding long shutter speed would help blur the waves a little and add a sense of movement to the water. I used a one-stop neutral density filter to add a little extra weight to the sky and keep detail in the white cloud over the hill.

     Finally, I shielded the camera and tripod from the wind with my coat. As heavy as it is, the Mamiya was still being shaken by the wind.

     The storm soon passed by, raining as it went. Spirits lifted, I headed north round the bay and waited for dusk to fall.

Planning your trip

How to get there Take the A4118 west from Swansea. At scurlage, turn right onto the B4247 and follow it unit it ends at Rhossili where you will find the car park I frequently use a polarizer in conjunction with both a graduated ND filter and a wide-angle lens. Only a front-mounted polarizer is convenient, and only a 105mm thread avoids vignetting with wide and super-wide lenses.

What to shoot Views over the bay from and to the worms head headland. Old wooden shipwreck on the beach at low tide.

What to take Wide angle lens, sturdy tripod.

Nearest pub & accommodation Worm Head Hotel, Rhossili, Gower, Swansea, SA31PP; 01792 390512.

Other time of year Heather on the hillside overlooking the bay in late summer. Sunsets over worms Head are often spectacular during the winter months.

Ordnance survey map LR 159

GOD’S COUNTRY, DEVIL’S GARDEN

In the Mormon state of Utah, the Devil has been given credit for some really splendid scenery, including this area of sand tone monuments in the Grand Staircase-Escalante Wilderness. In the harsh light of day, this composition would have been a hopeless non-starter, but in the gorgeous luminosity of twilight, textures and details are perfectly revealed. I headed west the clouds completely disappeared leaving an empty blue sky. Not only that, but upon arrive at rhossili, there was a thick blanket of cloud moving in fast carried by a stiff breeze that would that would soon blot out the sun. Even so, the influence of a polarizer was vital, darkening down the blue sky enough you really dramatis the colors of the sandstone. I frequently use a polarizer in conjunction with both a graduated ND filter and a wide-angle lens. Only a front-mounted polarizer is convenient, and only a 105mm thread avoids vignetting with wide and super-wide lenses.

Henry Michael

    Henry Michael read business studies at Edinburgh University, but in his holidays he spent much of his time in east Africa. While in Kenya, he took the first steps from being a flourishing amateur to entering the world of being a professional photographer. Over the past decade he’s lived there, worked as guide, managed a game reserve and got to know his way around the bush Nick Brandt’s stuff is really cool too. .

10 Questions

1: when did you realize you were going to become a photographer?

     I’ve been taking photos seriously since I was about 16, but the moment I                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       realized I wanted to become a professional was about a month before I left my job. I thought: I’ve got an eye for photography. I love Africa. That’s it I’m going.

2: what was your first camera?

    A Nikon f65 film SLR. Quite basic, but I liked the control and the way you could take real photographs with it.

3: what formal training do you have?

    I want to the London school of art for four months where I did a crash course on the marketing side of photography. This was hugely helpful, not so much from the creative side of things, but from the business angleOver the past decade he’s lived there, worked as guide, managed a game reserve and got to know his way around the bush.

4: How important is it to specialize?

    It’s important to me. I’ve always been interested in Africa. I’ve got a huge competitive advantage out there because I’ve spent so much time in the bush and know my way around.

5: what is the best assignment you’ve been on?

    Gorillas in Rwanda. I think I enjoyed it so much because I’ve only done that once, and there was a novelty factors in that it was a very different kind of photography from what I’m used to.

6: what’s the worst thing about being a professional photographer?

    I’m away seven months of the year and my friends are in London. So I’m always saying no to weddings and parties. But you tend to worry about where the next pay cheque is coming from.

7: film or digital? Why?

    Digital. It’s cheaper. You save all that money on processing. I guess the equipment is more expensive, but you’ve got that ability to edit in the field.

8: which photographers have had the most influence on your work?

    Once of the photographers I most admire is sebastiao salgado. His work isn’t wild or wacky or crazy, but it’s beautiful and simple. He’s done quite a lot in Africa and so that links in a bit. Peter beard shot exactly the same areas that I photograph now, and so I’ve always been interested in his work. Nick Brandt’s stuff is really cool too.

9: what does photography mean to you?

    In 20 years time Africa will be a very different place-some of the people and wildlife will simply not be there in the same way. It’s important to try to capture this moment in a skilful and beautiful way.

10: what make a great outdoor photograph?

     He’s done quite a lot in Africa and so that links in a bit. Peter beard shot exactly the same areas that I photograph now, and so I’ve always been interested in his work. Nick Brandt’s stuff is really cool too. Everyone knows what a wildebeest or a Maasai look like, and so what you’ve got to try to do is make the familiar look beautiful, perhaps with the light, or the dust or the way your subject is standing.

Zion National park

Various constraints meant that Phil and I were unavailable for our usual on location format in the UK this month. The upshot was that two national parks, Bryce and Zion, in the south-western American state, Utah, were given the green light instead. Although each location is visually outstanding, we plumped for Zion with its spectacular miles of weathered pink and red sandstone cross-hatched with vertical joints.

    There was a palpable air of excitement within the group as we meandered along the road through tunnels and-at times-perilously close to overhanging cliffs, while gawping and gasping at some of the most incredible scenery on the planet Finally, I learnt that a walk in awe-inspiring large scale scenery can produce an image from a small detail hidden in the shade.

     Several thousand feet of descent later, we had hit the Zion Canyon, where, over a million years, the Virgin River has cut a path through the Navajo Sandstone. At one point the canyon walls are 2,000 feet high and a mere 18 feet a part. Trekking in the river through the narrows section is a delicate procedure and must only be attempted when there is no imminent threat of flash floods.

     Our day had begun photographing Bryce Canyon in snow at over 8,000 feet and ended at Zion being greeted with magical end-of-day light with a few storm clouds gathering overhead.

Surrounding beautiful cottonwood trees had not yet shed their leaves and when backlit, their vibrant yellows formed an excellent color contrast with the red sandstone. Some of the canyons of the southwest, and Zion in particular, come alive when bright sunlight bounces off a cliff face onto another sandstone wall opposite, although to capture it-planning and correct timing is crucial. The grandeur of this national park is hugely impressive and the slick rock formations on the plateau are mesmerizing. The desert varnish-where minerals seep out of the rock and appear to paint the cliff face-is extremely photogenic, too. My favorite thing is to walk along the riverbank when it’s in the shade and under a cloudless blue sky.

Peter Wilman

Peter’s reflections on the shoot from Clive I learnt not to always look for the big picture and that often less is more. Phil taught me why to shoot Jpeg as well as RAW, and that what the camera meter sees is not the same as we see. Both Clive and Phil taught me time to compose them.

    I learnt at lot about composition from Clive and I am now determined to put this into practice.

Chris Howe

Chris’s reflections on the shoot I learnt to look at the detail near your feet, not just at the big view. Also, to use the angle finder rather than stooping down for low level images.

    I also discovered that it’s perfectly safe to take two images. With varying exposures for combining in Photoshop, and not use ND grad filters, especially when the horizons undulate wildly. Finally, I learnt that a walk in awe-inspiring large scale scenery can produce an image from a small detail hidden in the shade.

Laurie’s shoot lists

Red squirrel

    With the end of winter in sight, we only have a few weeks left to photograph red squirrels in their winter coats, complete with distinctive ear tufts. If you know of a feeding station where they are baited with hazelnuts, try taking along a few hazelnuts which are already shelled to encourage them to pause long enough them to pause long enough for a photograph I’m glad I did, because as I reached the end.

Wood anemones

    Wood anemones can often be found carpeting woodland floors in profusion from early spring. I was uncertain about taking on a mission to visit another country for only a short length of time and be expected to return with some great images. They are however, really quite delicate and inclined to sway and flutter in even the slightest breeze, so rather than attempt to photograph them an mass with a wide angle lens, reach instead for a long lens, beanbag, and use a wide aperture to maximize the differential focus effect. As with all white or pale toned subjects, work only in soft overcast lighting to avoid losing the highlights.

Grey heron

    Grey heron are early nesters and although many will already be incubating, there will still be a lot of courtship behavior to photograph. City parks containing heroines, where the birds are accustomed to seeing people are by far the easiest places to photograph them. Regents Park in London is a well-known site, but try searching on Google for others-of which there are many.

Laurie Campbell’s

During October last year, I strolled along the stone pier at nearby Ber wick-upon-Tweed. It’s an impressive structure, which projects half a mile out into the North Sea, giving a wonderful view over the Tweed estuary. Needless to say, I took my camera gear I spent more time than they could afford, working between photographing otters on the Tweed river system and the bottle nose dolphins in the Moray Firth. Maybe I made things difficult for myself, but WWE is a high profile, worthy project and my interest was in getting the best pictures I could., and I’m glad I did, because as I reached the end I was amazed to see a pod of nine bottle nose dolphins. I’m certain that they were from the population of the 130-odd animals based in the moray firth, as, in recent years, groups of these animals have been increasingly sighted down the east coast of the UK. Although distant, I could clearly see through binoculars that the dolphins were hunting the salmon lying in the estuary. The Grey seals from the farne islands and the Isle of May have always known about the salmon here, which is why they often hang around the estuary. I’d often though that it was only a matter of time before the dolphins would catch on too!

Wild wonders of Britain

This sighting came less than three months after I’d submitted several hundred images of otters and bottle nose dolphins to the Wild Wonders of Europe (WWE) project. Initially, it was a project that I needed to think twice about, as I was uncertain about taking on a mission to visit another country for only a short length of time and be expected to return with some great images. It’s not how I work. Thankfully, the WWE directors made an exception and allowed me to stay in the UK. In return, I spent more time than they could afford, working between photographing otters on the Tweed river system and the bottle nose dolphins in the Moray Firth. Maybe I made things difficult for myself, but WWE is a high profile, worthy project and my interest was in getting the best pictures I could.

Pete bridgwood

Pointing our cameras towards the sun can often create dramatic images. Overall contrast is obviously maximized, but because foreground and middle ground objects are being illuminated from the other side, they are rendered as desaturated, low contrast silhouettes. There is a controllable degree of texture detail within these shadows, depending on choice of exposure and subsequent digital processing.

    Shooting contre jour during twilight is the magic formula behind some of the most deeply saturated colorful images possible. There is no need for software saturation boosting here, it becomes possible to create honest images with striking colors appearing just as enchanting as they occurred in reality.

    Twilight begins the moment the sun sets and marks the start of a incredibly productive time for the landscape photographer. During this period, sunlight continues to shine through the lower, or denser, level of the atmosphere, which increasingly scatters the sunlight’s blue components away fro the direct beam. This intensifies the orange and red wavelengths reaching the western horizon. A darker, colorless band can often be seen immediately above the horizon. This is the shadow created by curvature of the earth’s surface beyond the horizon, shading the lowest levels from direct sunlight I spent a blustery evening on the deserted rocky shore of priest’s cove, cape Cornwall and after the twilight colors faded, I returned to the car and packed my gear away. As I drove up the hill on my back, this spectacular view appeared in my rear view mirror.

My sudden rise in attitude had provided me with a second chance to capture these intensified hues. I composed this scene as the beautiful twilight colors transformed the horizon. Avoiding camera shake is important with telephoto shots. With the camera on a sturdy tripod, I put myself with my back to the wind; mirror lock-up engaged and with a shutter delay of 2 seconds, I pressed the shutter release and used my coat as a makeshift wind break. An exposure of 2.5 seconds allowed some textural rendering of the ocean, but underexposing the headland helped create this powerful silhouette.

Bird watch journal

Over the last twenty years or so I’ve photographed many species of birds, both common and rare, in Britain, including some seen only once in the country. But of all the species I’ve tried to see and photograph, there is one common wood land bird that has always proved extremely difficult: lesser spotted woodpecker. This is a small woodpecker, the smallest of the ten different types that are found in Europe, so also the smallest of the three species that occur in Britain. It is about the size of the common house sparrow and likes to feed quietly and unobtrusively along branches of trees. Early spring, when birds begin to display and call, and before there is any heavy leaf cover, is the best time to spot this wonderful bird.

Unlike its larger cousin, the great spotted woodpecker, the lesser spotted rarely visits garden feeders, nor is it tempted to feeding stations but a log baited with peanuts; I know because I’ve been trying that for years! I have seen one on a peanut feeder in a friend’s garden and I did manage to grab a few good shots, but it didn’t stay around very long and it is certainly not a regular occurrence.

ENTRANCING

It’s closer than you think

   Australia’s Northern territory is one of the world’s largest areas of untouched wilderness, stretching from the lush tropical rainforests and coastline of the top end to the spectacular desert canyons and rock formations of the aptly named red center. This is a sparsely populated and timeless land of entrancing views, where the air is dry and clean and the silence pure. In every direction the warmth and clarity of light brings forth a tantalizing array of nature colors that will fire your imagination.

    Here, the distant horizon is unbroken by highway, pylon, or office block. Instead, tall skies of cobalt blue contrast brilliantly with the sun burnt hues of the desert and the drenched greens of the coast. Wherever you point your camera, there are images to behold: exotic birds, unique plants and wildflowers, intoxicating scenery and the enthralling dances of the indigenous people. Their breathtaking landscapes inspired me to take up photography more seriously I had my work published in several publications last year.

    Australia is renowned for inspiration photographic settings, but none are closer than the northern territory. Just eighteen and half hours from London to Darwin, via Singapore, with Qantas, Australia’s nation carrier.

    Darwin is the gateway to the Tiwi islands and the spectacular kakadu national park, with its dramatic cliffs, waterfalls and rock pools teeming with bird life I had my work published in several publications last year, and two years in a row I’ve made it into the final leg of the landscape photographer of the year competition and the subsequent exhibition held at the London national gallery. . Beyond Australia’s most northerly city lies the mystical Arnhem land, and roads south to uluru, Kata junta, king’s canyon and Simpson’ gap.

      

    You could be in the northern territory this time tomorrow, camera in hand, entranced by a land where the only boundaries are the limits of your imagination.

Dung Huynh says: I am a research scientist by profession, but incredibly passionate about the outdoors. During my years as a PhD student I often visited the Lake District and the Scottish Highlands. Their breathtaking landscapes inspired me to take up photography more seriously. I consider light the raw material of every photograph at dawn when lighting is at its best. I recently developed a special interest in seascape photography; in particular I enjoy shooting the coastline of Cornwall, Devon, and Suffolk. I’m also photographing seascapes in Vietnam, where one day I very much hope to be able to set up as a full-time professional photographer. I had my work published in several publications last year, and two years in a row I’ve made it into the final leg of the landscape photographer of the year competition and the subsequent exhibition held at the London national gallery.

I never go on a photography trip without my trusty ND filters. Plus, I like to get my photos correct in camera by getting the correct composition, exposure, and achieving low noise. I try to keep my Photo-shop processing to a bare minimum and for post-processing I fine-tune the tones of my images using curves.