Richard Edwards Photos and Photography

Photos by Richard Edwards

This is the online photo gallery of Richard Edwards where I post my photos. In a sense its a sort of blog. This is my latest picture:

I enjoy taking pictures of the British landscape. Its simply the best hobby you can have! Outdoor photgraphy is something of a tradition in my family. Both my Grandfather and Father were/are keen amateur photographers. I was bitten by the bug at an early age progressing from very basic cameras (with films processed by Boots the Chemist of course) to 35mm cameras and black and white Ilford film.

Although I toy with buying a second hand X-Pan or Fuji GX617 from time to time, today I no longer use film at all. Sadly its days are numbered unless you are a real expert and use a large format camera. Despite looking as if they belong in the Ark the resolution of large format cameras is staggering, as Frank Hurley's pictures of Ernest Shackleton's Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition in Lacock Abbey amply testifies. Digital has yet to match it. If only I could win the lottery and quit the day job!

I hope you enjoy looking at the pictures as much as I did shooting them.

Website

After neglecting my own site for far too long I am giving this site a much needed update. Rather than just update the old site I am trying to make the new version easier to browse and search. There are prefab photo websites available. After looking at several I decided that I would be better off creating my own. The problem is that when I get a spare moment to work on this site, the temptation to go out with my camera usually wins.

Equipment

Cameras

For me various Canon 35mm digital bodies have been faithful workhorses. I started on the 300D, but now use the 5D with the full frame sensor. The 5D's CMOS (digital sensor) produces excellent results. And the lenses now work properly!

Lens

I use two Canon lenses for landscape work. The 17-40mm L and the 24-105mm L lenses.

Tripod

I use a Magfibre tripod with a pano head. The tripod is light yet strong. The 303 head lets me take pretty good panoramic shots. It can be a tricky beast to operate successful. Patience is the key.

Filters

Lee filters. Usually ND grads to hold the sky. And sometimes a touch of polarizer, although this filter should be used with care.

Mother Nature's Finest

Light and clouds. Preferably the soft light of the 'golden hours'.

Other Bits and Bobs

Post shoot work is completed on an Apple Mac with Aperture, Adobe Photoshop etc. Mostly this involves cleaning up the shots by removing dust spots and the ocassional cropping. Increasingly I am interested in HDR (high dynamic range) photography because this enables me to capture a greater tonal range, and overcome, to some degree, the inherent limitations of the hardware. But I try not to adjust the photo with software trickery by adding or subtracting features, or for that matter to go overboard with HDR and create 'Flickr HDR' shots that are striking but overcooked and largely unrealistic. I want my photographs to represent what I saw with my eyes. That is the most important goal.