FINAL SERIES
Image 1: Unknown Boundaries
Image 2: Path to Sub-Summit
Image 3: Fence in Gold
"too far for you to see...", By Kumar Saraff
Inspiration
Kumar Saraff lives and works from Llanwrtyd Wells, Mid-Wales, and works with several mediums including Oil, Watercolour, and Print Making. Kumar studied fine art at the Royal Academy, and has achieved several awards for his work.
The above work "too far for you to see..." is a watercolour on paper, exhibiting first at the Art Shop Gallery, Abergavenny.
In the foreground there is a layer of foliage, perhaps gorse or bracken. In the far distance a mountain is depicted, covered in a deep blue light, reflecting the glow of twilight. As a limited palette has been used, this choice of colouring is effective, and draws interest towards the mountain. All is shrouded in a deep and ominous layer of thick cloud, which effectively frames the mountain subject. It creates a window for us to see through, an opening of hope in a foreboding sky.
The subject is mysterious, and it’s very much an abstract piece of work. I think the title sums this up well: too far for you to see...". The composition used, with the mountain shown just off-centre draws the eyes towards it. Whilst we try to see it in more detail we can’t. Both cloud cover and the abstract nature of this work prevent us from seeing this.
The work makes me feel reflective, thinking back to our previous home outside of Llanwrtyd, stirring a plaintive yearning for long evening walks, and dark skies. Kumar is a family friend, and we were lucky enough to see his exhibition in Abergavenny.
Often photography is about high contrasting, high clarity images. As we progress into the digital age, this trend is increasing, and furthers the medium of photography from the fine arts. Afterall, photography is considered just as much a means of documentation/reproduction as an art. For my next series I want to take inspiration from the Saraff’s watercolour, and work towards capturing an abstract set of images. I want them to be orientated around colour, and I want them to be art, not documentary.
Shoot Planning
Location and concept
The location I've chosen to capture my images is Cadiar Idris, North Wales, at the southernmost extremity of Snowdonia National Park. I want to capture the atmosphere the Kumar Saraff brings to his work. That precious and mysterious haze that hides all, and yet tells so much.
Tying into my theme of "Hireath", Cadair Idris is a great Welsh mountain of legend and tales.
The lake under the summit, "Llyn Cau", Is supposed the the final resting place of a notorious Welsh Water Dragon, 'Y Afanc'. After causing trouble in the low lands, the dragon was supposedly captured by King Arthur and a beautiful maiden, and dragged up the hillside into the lake.
Stemming back centuries, it is a tradition to sleep on the summit, and those who do so wake either a 'Madman or a Poet'. Naturally I decide to test this ancient myth, and alongside my camera equipment I intend to take my tent, and a lot of warm clothes.
(unknown)
'Cadair Sunrise', by Kristopher Williams
My chosen path (Minfordd) is one of the most popular, passing the lake, and ascending the western slopes over portions of loose scree. I intend to set of early afternoon, pause at the lake for a while, and ascend further, taking photos on the higher slopes in the golden post-twilight haze. I'll then make the most of the 'magic hour', and then set up my tent at the summit, awakening to take some images of sunrise in the morning. The weather is also crucial, low lying cloud or mist shouldn't matter too much, as that is incorporated in Kumar's work. However it needs to preferably be dry, and have good light.
Proposed Route
Proposed Route (Small Scale)
Settings and gear
I intend to take my 50mm lens, my Sony Camera, and a Tripod. A 50mm lens might seem rather absurd considering I am planning to capture landscapes, but within the constrains of a 50mm lens you are enabled to really think about framing your subject, and have the bonus of a larger aperture.
I am taking my tripod as I will be shooting until twilight, so I'll require a stable base. It also allows me to close my aperture slightly, creating a larger depth of field. Having said that I'm not entirely sure about carrying a tent, sleeping bag, tripod and camera equipment up the 1000m climb from base to summit...
Golden Hour Settings (est.)
ISO 250 | f.8-10 | 1/80-120
Twilight settings (est.)
ISO 400 | f.6-8 | 1/60-100
The Shoot
I drove up from mid-wales on a late autumn's day, with supposedly good weather predicted. Parking at the Minffordd Car Park, I started my ascent. The weather remained fine for the first few hundred meters, but by the time I reached the lake, a thick layer of grey cloud encompassed the mountain, and visibility was greatly reduced. I paused for a bite to eat, in hope that the sky would clear, but had no such luck, so continued my ascent.
The visibility was getting worse and worse. I stopped a few times to take some images, but the available light was sour and gloomy. I passed some hikers coming back from the summit, and was warned of quickly worsening conditions, and practically no visibility.
Then something incredible happened. At first it was barely noticeable. Slowly but surely the ground and layer of cloud around me started to glow a warm and welcome shade of gold. I whipped out my tripod, and hastened to adjust my camera settings to this new light. It was still only possible to see a couple of meters to either side, but it was an incredibly special feeling. I took a couple of images, and as the clouds cleared a little more I changed my position to capture the path winding behind me.
I continued climbing, my camera at the ready, and was rewarded by seeing the summit bothy, encircled with swirling clouds, at times giving way to stunning windows of Snowdonia and the Irish Sea. By now we were well into twilight, and the terrific winds made for difficulty in holding the tripod steady, creating blurred exposures. I was then rather unfortunate- a sharp gust of wind caught my pack which was lying on the ground, and set my sleeping mat and bag free, sending them tumbling over the side to the lake below. I had no way of retrieving them, and could not sleep without them, so started the arduous, headtorch-lit, descent to the carpark.
I think that my experiences prove that even with meticulous planning, there is ultimately little knowing of the true weather conditions, especially in a place as wild and remote as that mystical mountain.
Madman or a Poet. That's for another night to decide.
Bothy at Sumit
Results
Contact Sheet
Edit
To edit this image I started with lowering the blacks and raising the whites, enhancing the contrast and emphasising the haze. By lowering the black it also darkened the foreground, creating more of a 'blocking' effect. I then traced round the fence in the centre of the image with an enhancement brush and add clarity, attempting to draw the eye to that area of the image.
Before
After
Here the path is what we first see, what we want the eye to follow. I greatly increased the contrast, to change the dependence between the background haze and the outline of the mountain. I also added a little clarity, and slightly changed the temperature.
Before
After
Here I increased the contrast, and increased the whites, colouring the haze. I also adjust the vibrancy and saturation slightly, compensating on my adjustment of temperature.
Before
After
With this image I wanted a clear gradient between the white of the mist in the top right, and the path in the front left. I achieved this by lowering the blacks and increasing the contrast. I also adjusted the temperature to increase the reds and oranges, increasing the golden haze.
Before
After
This image does not fit in with the other images edited here: for a start it is portrait, and has a much cooler temperature. I have included it here to show the levels of visibility before the sun came out of the clouds, measured in the distance between fenceposts. I think seeing them gradually decreasing in clarity and contrast is an interesting idea, as if a new means of measurement. To edit this image I increased the clarity and lowered the blacks to create a 'true black point'. I also lowered the highlights, adding slight detail in the sky.
Framing
To present these images I have decided to frame them, and mount them on the stone wall that runs on the hill above our house. Here I intend to photography them once more, once again in golden hour, creating almost a double exposure, connecting the Beacons to Snowdonia.
Well that was my intention, but due to a lock-down, difficulty to purchase suitable frames, and a bad spell of weather, I decided instead to virtually frame my images, using Photoshop to creating convincing frames.
Photoshop mock-up of framed images against stone wall.