by Steve Tanham
It’s easy when you have a dog. The charging collie clearly loves a beach. But I’m having as much fun as she is. You see, one of the greatest places to see the sky is the beach… Where the ocean meets the land is a wonderful place. Rocky, sandy or urban-developed, this ‘littoral zone’ has a special magic that spills over into opportunities for … Read More Signs of Spring : Beaches
by Steve Tanham
What do you do when it’s raining so hard that normal landscape photography is impossible? Stay indoors and use a simple trick to make some sophisticated and stylish abstracts for your future blogs… or even book covers. (400 words, a two minute read) They’re inexpensive, available online at a day’s notice, and will fool most observers into thinking you’re a Photoshop expert – which … Read More Wet Sunday photo trickery…
by Steve Tanham
I love this time of year. The early spring offers an interesting mixture of summer light and winter forms. The last few weeks of the bare organic structures offer mischievous possibilities for a slight degree of editing… But sometimes, nature surprises without any artifice on the photographer’s part. In the opening shot, I was walking Tess through the local forest when I was startled … Read More Eyes in the Sunset
by Steve Tanham
There’s a saying in Cumbria; you don’t get the real spring till it’s fooled you, twice… But you do get the sun; and its increased energy brings real life to the natural colours in the landscape and the sky. Below: One of the great trees on the shores of Lake Windermere has a large network of half-exposed roots which look magically green in the … Read More Signs of Spring (1): the edges of colour
by Steve Tanham
It shouldn’t be happening. Bowness-on-Windermere swans are notoriously aggressive, and yet these two are approaching me as though I were another swan. I’m not, obviously. But I am in the water with them. Why this is taking place needs some explanation… We live a short drive from the shores of Lake Windermere. Our collie needs a decent daily walk, and the park areas around … Read More Approaching delight
by Steve Tanham
There’s something special about the two week period when one season blends into another, particularly winter into spring. This liminal period is capable of showing us the subtlety that winter lacks… (200 words, a two-minute read) Something wonderful happens to the winter sky towards the end of February – there is a weekend during which the light energy doubles – it’s the largest upward … Read More Winter walks with camera (12) liminal crossing into Spring
by Steve Tanham
Winter is a natural fit for black and white photography. The essence of a good monochrome shot is strong contrast, aided by subtle mid-stones. The low winter sun lends itself to that mix – as long as there is any sun, at all… (460 words; a four-minute read) The power of the high-end mobile phone camera has provided the means to carry out sophisticated … Read More Winter walks with camera (11) : black and white
by Steve Tanham
I’m partial to stations… especially those that have history. The Victorian railways were a magnificent achievement, and changed British society in far-reaching ways. (600 words; a five minute read) During the late 1950s, and early 1960s my grandparents in Bolton used to take me for days out to the seaside. We never got as far as Grange-over-Sands, the lovely town that nestles at the … Read More #ShortWrytz: favourite buildings – Grange Station
by Steve Tanham
Winter landscapes involving water are plentiful, but water can be a tricky subject to photograph. The eye is much more subtle than a camera lens, and we have to help the camera overcome this… (200 words, a two-minute read) Watery landscapes can look pale and ‘flat’ if you let the standard camera settings take charge. The lens is doing what it’s supposed to, but … Read More Winter walks with camera (10) flowing water
by Steve Tanham
We think of winter as being full of disadvantages for the photographer, but it also brings unique colours and dynamic contrasts: from clouds in the sky to the low sun on the landscape. (200 words, a two-minute read) One of the most subtle contrasts is between the dull green of winter’s foliage and the colour of the residual life of trunk, branch, twig and … Read More Winter walks with camera (9) dull green and soft ochre
by Steve Tanham
I love that fragile first coat of snow that changes the landscape like a frosting… yet leaves the main features visible behind the sheet of white. Here, the thin snow is not sufficient to do anything but emphasise the railway tracks and the tall, bordering conifer trees. There was something stark about the collie and the single post in the field near the coastal … Read More Winter walks with camera (8) first frosting
+ #Silenti, landscapes, Photographic techniques, Photography, Silent Eye School, Silent Eye Workshops, Yoga
by Steve Tanham
The modern mobile phone puts an arsenal of photographic tools at our disposal. One of the strangest and most difficult to master is the panorama… yet the results can be wonderful. (550 words. A four minute read) The panorama is not a gimmick. It’s a wide-angled shot in which the correct proportions are retained, rather than the treatment of a ‘fish-eye’ lens, where the … Read More Winter walks with Camera (7) : panorama
Sun in Gemini 
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