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photographers Innovative Landscape Photographers Steve Morris -- Shrewsbury in soft light
photographers Innovative Landscape Photographers Steve Morris -- Shrewsbury in soft light
Steve Morris -- Shrewsbury in soft light |
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| Written by René Edde |
| Tuesday, 16 September 2008 00:00 |
 Steve Morris creates the kind of pictures that inspire dreams. His images taken in the sleepy old town of Shrewsbury, England, have a surreal sense of place that transports you back in time.The vibrant colors of the skies and the warm lights in the windows of Steve’s photographs have a surreal glow. His use of long exposures, slow shutter speeds, and low lighting situations, all combine together to make Steve’s Shrewsbury photographs look like antiqued oil paintings. It is easy when viewing them, to get transported to this other place, losing yourself for a while in the magic and mystery before you.  In Steve’s photograph, Old Brewery, he uses the reflection of the brewery in the water to create a strong element of depth and interest. Using a Canon 40D and a Sigma 17-70mm lens, the 30 second exposure of the image leads to a surreal glow in the sky and water. This long shutter speed and a slow 100 ISO also adds to the soft focus of the image. Steve uses the wide angle lens to get a wide view of the scene which is common in most architectural and landscape photography. The complimentary colors of the blue sky and the yellow windows give the image a strong color range, while the repetition of the windows in the building and again in the water bring the viewer’s eyes through the photograph and hold their interest. Berwick Rd Trees is a landscape image of trees shot at dusk. The 1/13 second shutter speed is not necessarily a slow shutter speed, but the low lighting of the dusk’s setting sun still gives the image a faintly colored glow. With fog setting in amongst the trees, the f.10 aperture setting does not give as wide a depth of focus as would be expected with the atmospheric conditions. This is just another image of Steve’s work that demonstrates his ability to single out the aspects of the scene that would lead to a surrealistic landscape image.When I asked Steve about his favorite images it became apparent just how much he enjoys taking the time to make photographs. To him it seems to be all about the location and mood. His favorite shooting conditions are fog, cold, and low light. He likes to shoot when the world is all indoors and he can take the time and quiet to make photographs. Steve’s favorite photo was taken at the boathouse in these exact conditions, the fog emphasizing the scene. “The boathouse, the scene for summer regattas, is shrouded in fog and appears like a dreamy medieval village surrounded by distant trees. When I loaded the image onto the computer and applied auto levels, blue hues pervaded the picture and gave it bags of mood - one of those 'wow' moments. I love the icy reflection, the diffused lights like small oases of warmth and the appearance of the doll's house on the right!!”, Steve said about the photograph. Proving that he takes the time to enjoy the moment and take in the scenes that he is shooting. Steve’s second choice of his images is here. Steve visited this site more than once in search of the perfect image, proving that patience and timing are certainly virtues to cherish when shooting. Steve said, “The river normally runs too fast and the reflection is usually broken up. In November 2007, after a spell of no rain, on a very calm evening, the conditions were perfect. The arches reflected a breathtaking oval shape. Waiting until dusk I set up the camera on a boat slipway which jutted into the river and the took several shots. Slightly changing the 'hue' during processing produced a pleasing purple feel with yellow lights.” Steve believes that trees and nature can produce emotion. His third choice of images was taken while wandering on a cold evening and the mist rose up suddenly. He saw the trees and was reminded of a poetic vision of mother and child. He utilized the sunset and the fog to create a mood in the photo. “The fog blocked out the scene behind the trees making them appear ghostly and alone.” Steve's work has a unique style that is soft and subtle. He utilizes the long exposure and the soft atmospheric conditions to create his surreal imagery. You will see by some of the EXIF information that he has shot some of the photographs on program mode. In low light conditions this may not always be the strongest choice. When working in these conditions if you don't want to shoot fully manual, perhaps another option would be shutter speed priority or aperture priority. If you want to get a longer exposure or a larger aperture, these modes would be easier ways to accomplish that. It would create a bit deeper tonal range and more pronounced color. It is obvious that there is passion behind his photography and that he thoroughly enjoys taking the time to photograph where he lives. A little bit of interest and passion behind a body of work often take a body of work to the next level, helping to solidify the photographer’s style and creating a uniformed body of work. Comments(1) Write comment |
| Last Updated ( Tuesday, 30 September 2008 17:12 ) |
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