Interview with Total Photoshop Magazine

Max Furia, editor of the splendid Italian website, Total Photoshop recently interviewed me about my approach to landscape photography. If your Italian is up to scratch, please go ahead and read the interview.  I think we can forgive the editor for not having heard of curry. Half of Italy now thinks I go for a beer and a bowl of soup, when I finish for the day. For those of us, including myself, who failed at languages during school, I've included the full interview in English.

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Landscape Photography Explained by Alan Mackenzie

He is a young British photographer. I have always been impressed by the quality and compositional choices from the very first time I saw them. Alan makes it clear that it's tough work and he is not afraid of hard work. I couldn't help but ask him for some advice and for some interesting stories about his experience of landscape photography. Here is what came of our chat.

Welcome to Total-Photoshop, Alan. As usual we like to ask about the lives of photographers. How old are you, where you do live and when did you start taking photographs?

Thank you, it's great to be here on Total-Photoshop. I am 32 years old and I live in a city called Brighton and Hove, on the south coast of England. I am very lucky to have the coast and countryside within easy reach. I began photography at the age of 16 inside the City Camera Exchange, in Croydon. My father gave me the choice between a camera and telescope. I chose the camera, because I saw a chance to combine my already established interest in the natural world with creativity. Within one month, I'd taken a picture, which was published in Amateur Photographer magazine. Our family garden, in a leafy part of Brighton, was visited regularly by foxes and badgers. It wasn't difficult to go out into the garden and re-enact what I'd just seen on a TV nature documentary. As a family, we functioned well outdoors, hence I have many happy memories of days out in the Sussex countryside along with holidays in places, such as the New Forest, the Malvern Hills and the Cotswolds. Give the child nature for his first eleven years and I'll give you the man.

What equipment do you use?

I use a Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II body and L series lenses ranging from 17mm to 400mm. If I could afford it, I would switch to Nikon, because of the mind blowing low light performance of the Nikon D3s. However, it'll be cheaper to wait until the Canon EOS-1DX hits the shelves, because I've already bought into the excellent Canon EF lens system.



Your subjects are landscapes. Describe an important concept about landscape photography. What we absolutely have to know and remember?

The most important stage in the process of landscape photography is the first: a correctly lit and exposed RAW file looks almost 'ready' for publication, even before the post-processing stage. The standard of my landscape photographs has vastly improved since I began using LEE neutral density graduated filters to address exposure and lighting issues. When a photo is correctly exposed across the frame, very little post-processing in Adobe Photoshop is required. Only curves, tones, contrast and saturation adjustments are necessary. I seldom create images from multiple exposures and never use HDR. These techniques are rarely done well and often produce unrealistic results.



As my photographs show, it is possible, even desirable, to get everything right at the time of exposure and consequently treat Photoshop as a means to an end. No amount of hocus-pocus will rescue a poorly lit or incorrectly exposed photo. I feel quite strongly about this. I anticipate many people will become quite defensive. Images that have been overdone during the post-processing stage show disregard for natural beauty. It's neither desirable or necessary to make the natural world 'better' than it really is, which is why I only take landscape photographs when the lighting, weather and visibility is optimal. Early morning or late evening are the best times. If conditions are unsuitable, I simply don't go out taking photographs.



Tell us a story behind your shoots.

England suffered the coldest December weather in living memory back in 2010. I decided that I wanted an outstanding photograph of a local war memorial in the snow, with a twist of course. I would take the photo at night. The Chattri monument is located at the top of a series of hills called the South Downs. I waded through 50cm snow drifts for over a mile and underneath my layers of clothes, it felt like a boiling hot summer's day.  I arrived at the Chattri and removed my outer gloves, to set up the camera and tripod. When I picked up the gloves a few minutes later, to my surprise, the sweat inside them had frozen solid. Handling my tripod reminded me of what happens when one touches the interior of a freezer cabinet. My fingers stuck to the metal bars. The digital thermometer I had brought with me gave a reading of -13°C. Rather than time the long exposures, I listened to music on my phone and deactivated the remote cable at the end of each song. I finally gave up after 90 minutes, because I was entering the early stages of hypothermia. On the way back, I waded through 50 cm snow drifts, which my body heat partially melted. I first noticed that I was wearing a pair of frozen trousers when I reached Brighton. I often conclude my expeditions with a beer and curry. I think I'd truly earned them on this occasion!



What tips do you have for new photographers approaching landscape photography?

Firstly, the price of being in the right place at the right time is being in the wrong place at the wrong time, hundreds of times. Learn to accept disappointing outcomes in the field as learning moments. The natural world isn't here for our benefit. It just goes on existing and has no regard for whether or not a photographer has a portfolio to build. Secondly, if you want to create evocative, beautiful and original landscape photographs, you must work very hard. Many young people in England and I suspect elsewhere, have an 'X-Factor mindset'. The idea that anybody can be talented and become famous is a canard. When people tell me that I must be very gifted, my response is that my achievements aren't gifts from above. They are the result of a complex series of life experiences and of course, an ongoing commitment to achieve the highest possible standards, while hopefully managing not to take oneself too seriously. Thirdly, the marriage of technical excellence and true love of natural beauty will reward you and everyone else.



Thank you for your sharing. We hope to meet you again soon.

Thank you, it's been a joy.

May 2012 Photo Diary

May is my favourite calendar month, surpassing even October for colour and natural beauty. It is a time of great hope and optimistic joy, as summer is near and the daytime lengthening by three minutes every 24 hours. Please stick around, because I will be hard at work taking and adding photographs to this online diary for the rest of May.

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Tuesday 8th May 2012 : Perhaps it is appropriate justice that a rustic wooden gate features at the beginning of this diary. That gate just cries out to be opened and passed though. This part of the South Downs, just north of Falmer, benefits from the presence of traditional rural features, including pointed gates, mature trees and hawthorn hedgerows. The network of fields, little copses and valleys is home to everything a wildlife and landscape photographer needs : deer, badgers, foxes, owls, raptors, a nearby woodland filled with mature beech trees and views stretching towards Lewes and Brighton seafront. Heavy overnight rain soaked the arterial bridleways onto the South Downs. In a nearby wood, the dainty little hoof-prints created by Roe and Fallow deer were clearly visible along the muddy paths. As students from the University of Sussex slept inside their halls of residence, little did they know that these beautiful, shy eavesdroppers grazed nearby, before once again melting into the leafy cover of Moon's Plantation.

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Friday 11th May 2012 : Exceat Wood, located on the southern flank of Friston Forest, in East Sussex, consists mainly of beech and maple trees. The leaves are out three weeks later than last year, owing to the dry winter and cool, unsettled spring. Tawny Owls can be heard (and occasionally seen) from dusk onwards. The woodland also has a transient population of Fallow deer.

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Sunday 13th May 2012 : The brilliant green leaves belonging to mature beech trees in Millbank Wood seem almost unreal, until one realises that for a short period in May, they are indeed this colour. Like all pleasurable experiences, the vibrant green of May is a bitter-sweet occasion. Soon, the foliage will lose its translucence and the forest will become a dark, silent place. Happily, the network of paths in Millbank Wood are still muddy enough to record the overnight movement of Roe deer. Little trails of hooves and the occasional skid mark accompanied the familiar tread of walking boots and horse shoes. Finn Hopson has told me that the deer are quite indifferent to mountain bike riders. I doubt they would be so forgiving of my presence. Further north, the cows of Stanmer Down are rearing their calves. The occasional placenta can be seen in the great expanse of thick, luscious grass; cows are very attentive towards their young and become quite vocal when humans approach.

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Monday 22nd May 2012 : Commuters travelling between Preston Park and Three Bridges railway station are treated to picturesque views of the Sussex countryside, before the train has to make its unfortunate way through Crawley, Redhill, Croydon and inner London. The 360 degree outlook across Mid-Sussex from the Ouse Valley Viaduct is quite breathtakingly beautiful. Further north, is the well-kept, attractive village of Balcombe, which is where my journey to the woods began. Wealden sandstone cottages and red brick Victorian detached houses were in perfect keeping with the leafy lanes and wooded embankments. Strolling past hand-crafted bus shelters and eyeing the richly forested Wealden landscape, I found myself thinking more and more about Midsomer Murders. After taking a short walk past St. Mary's Church and along Handcross Road, I caught sight of an entrance to a mature oak, beech and elm woodland, carpeted with bluebells. The beautifully named Hourglass Wood is a place of such natural elegance, I asked myself, "Where have you been all my life?" Ancient woodland, benefiting from fertile, acidic topsoil supports a far more diverse array of flora than the thin, well-drained alkaline soil belonging to the South Downs. Plantations, such as Stanmer Wood and Houghton Forest are to woodlands, what Directors Bitter is to real ale. At a return fare of just £7.80, Hourglass Wood and adjacent surrounds are to become the destination of choice.

There was barely a step I took, in which a trail of deer prints was absent. Indeed, this was of no real surprise; as a place of such natural, undisturbed beauty, Hourglass Wood lacks a network of mediated, artificial paths. As the sun went down, three Fallow deer sporting characteristic white spots and fawn coats appeared from nowhere. These majestic woodland apparitions have 310 degree vision and a sense of smell seven times greater than ours. The leading buck spent a few seconds observing me, before all three bolted. I shall look forward to observing the Fallow deer rut during mid-autumn. The mellow euphoria of the days adventures lasted the train journey home thanks to the effects of a generously mixed can of Marks and Spencer Gin and Tonic. 

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Thursday 24th May 2012 : Such was the rich beauty and splendour of Cowdray Forest, in West Sussex, that I repeatedly told myself, "I don't know where to start!" Only after several visits, will I begin to reflect the visual wonder of the forest. I have fond memories of the area, for at one time, my family and I frequented nearby Wakehurst Place and Nymans Gardens during summer afternoons. Mid Sussex will always be a home from home to me.

Temperatures soared to 26°C this afternoon. Being a fit and able man, clocking up 10 miles, while carrying nearly 10kg of equipment from Balcombe to Pease Pottage and back presented little of a challenge. Indeed, high temperatures and naturally beautiful surroundings are as motivating as they are beneficial to one's health. The efficacy of nature to relieve mental distress and sooth the soul cannot be overstated.

   



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Friday 25th May 2012 : The temperature in Mid Sussex, although warm, was noticeably lower by a few degrees than the coast. This made for pleasant walking conditions, as I took a circular route around the fabulously beautiful and quintessentially English Wealden countryside. I began the afternoon in Wellgrove Wood, where I was immediately greeted by the presence of two Roe deer. Although they are fearful of humans, they find us quite fascinating at the same time. A doe spent perhaps a minute staring at me, before her male companion decided it was time to bolt. By the evening, I had encountered some delightful cottages, idyllically set on the banks of Ardingly Reservoir. I have yet to visit an area, apart from the Cotswolds, where I have seen quite so many desirable places to live, than here in Mid Sussex. And in no area, other than the New Forest, have I seen so many trees. I ended my sedate, carefree walk at the Half Moon Inn, Balcombe, where, in the evening sunshine, I enjoyed an ice cold pint of Harveys Sussex Best Bitter.

   

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Sunday 27th May 2012 : Seventeen miles up the Brighton to London railway line made all the difference between spring and summer. A pleasant sea breeze kept Brighton and Hove well within normal daytime temperatures for May. Cowdray Forest, in sharp contrast was like an oven, and all the better for it. Today was my final day of annual leave before I return to a very people-orientated (and demanding!) job on Monday. I feel on top of the world at having spent four visits discovering the beautiful, ancient woodland of the High Weald, and for picking a week of such fine weather to go with it. I hope to add at least one more day to my diary before the end of May. Someone has tipped me off about an excellent location for spotting Roe deer just a few miles further up the railway line. I will try not to disappoint.

   

How to photograph fast-moving animals and birds using a Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II

Introduction

This article is aimed at Canon photographers, who shoot moving animals and birds using Canon EOS-1D/Ds Mark II cameras. Photographers using other Canon EOS-1D series bodies can easily adapt the information provided and set the equivalent Custom Functions to the recommended values.

What is AI Servo AF?

AI Servo AF gets its name from the Artificial Intelligence used to predict the speed and distance of a moving subject and control the Auto Focus accordingly. AI Servo AF differs from One Shot AF, which locks focus onto static subjects. When set up and used correctly, AI Servo AF will produce crisp, well focussed shots of moving subjects time and again. The golden rule of AI Servo AF technique is to begin tracking a subject at least 2 seconds before taking a picture. This approach allows the camera CPU to begin receiving data from AF sensors in order to predict the speed/distance of a subject in the near-future.

What does AE stand for?

AE stands for autoexposure. The camera receives data from its built-in light meter to calculate the correct exposure values for an image. If the autoexposure calculations are wrong, the image will be either too dark or too bright. For action photography, I recommend setting the camera Mode to Aperture Priority or Av. Set the lens aperture to the widest setting and let your camera decide the correct shutter speed.

Division of Labour

Starting with the Canon EOS-1D Mark II, all Canon EOS-1D series bodies have two CPUs assigned to either 1. AF point selection and AF detection; 2. Lens driving control, predictive AF calculations and lens communications. The division of tasks between CPUs allows the execution of decisions simultaneously, rather than sequentially. Canon cameras outside of the EOS-1D range only have one CPU, so tasks have to be scheduled in a sequence. Single CPU cameras, such as the 7D and 5D Mark II cannot schedule focussing decisions simultaneously, making predictive AI Servo AF slower and less accurate.

Focus Points

1. Single Point AF is suitable for isolating subjects in a group. The starling murmuration photograph below shows how a Single AF Point was used in tandem with Custom Function 20 to keep starlings nearest to the camera in focus.

2. Automatic Focus Point Selection is suitable for single subjects moving in-front of a clean background. I prefer not to use this feature, since the 45 AF point readout can slow down the CPU. A faster alternative is to expand the AF activation area to 7 additional points area using Custom Function 17 (see below).

Custom Functions

I use the Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II, which like its sports-orientated brother, the Canon EOS-1D Mark II, allows the action photographer greater customisation over AI Servo AF. The camera produces high quality, high resolution images and offers superior autofocus performance in comparison to the newer, botched implementations belonging to the 1D Mark III and 5D Mark II.

By default, autofocus and autoexposure are activated simultaneously by depressing the shutter release button half-way. Unfortunately, this combined button operation slows the camera down during action photography, when CPU load and AF speed is critical. To correct this, I change Custom Function 4 to setting 3 on the menu. This operation allows the photographer to separate autofocus from autoexposure. With this Custom Function set, I can use my thumb to activate AF by pressing the * button on the rear of the camera and my forefinger to activate AE/release the shutter. Not only does this make the AF more responsive, but it reduces the number of frames exposed in error. 

For scenarios involving fast-moving, unpredictable subjects moving in-front of a background featuring distinctive objects, I change Custom Function 20 to setting 3.  This setting changes the default AI Servo AF tracking sensitivity from 'Standard' to 'Moderately Fast'. During the winter, huge starling murmurations form over Brighton Pier. The birds move quickly, but their flight patterns are unpredictable. Since the murmurations form in late afternoon, objects behind the starlings, such as the sun and clouds can throw the lens out of focus. The 'Moderately Fast' setting prevents this from happening. I find 'Moderately Slow' cannot adjust the focus in time, should the scene change rapidly. Setting 1 on Custom Function 17 is useful for dogs, because up to seven AF points around the selected AF point become active. Dogs, being excitable animals, change direction suddenly and very quickly. Having extra AF points active can increase my yield of sharp pictures, particularly if the dog's head is situated away from the centre of the frame. If the background is free of distracting subjects, I will change Custom Function 20 to setting 4 or 'Fast'.

Additional Steps

1. Set the lens focus limiter to 6.5m - ∞ to prevent focus hunting.

2. Use an ISO setting high enough to give a shutter speed of at least 1/1000 second. The two images below were shot at ISO 400.

3. Use a monopod and Image Stabilized lens. 

Real World Examples

The starling murmuration picture is on the front cover of VisitBrighton's new Conference Guide. Having a strong, working knowledge of AI Servo AF pays financially and rewards us all with beautiful photographs of nature.

Stanmer Down, Reprise

This evening was a calmer, more sedate affair than of late. Looking up at the moon put everything in perspective. In the scheme of things, taking the best ever photograph of the South Downs really isn't that important. I enjoyed myself for the first time in a fortnight, revisiting Stanmer Down, a favourite haunt of mine. Sadly, I forgot to bring my bottle opener, which meant the Black Sheep Ale had to await consumption until arrival at home, despite numerous attempts to force the cap off using my tripod head.

English Bluebell Woodland

The National Trust had predicted a brief and limited display of bluebells this spring, owing to an extremely dry winter. My mother, a keen gardener, was among the first to dismiss this suggestion, followed by a number of Brighton-based photographers. It would seem that this year's bluebells are simply a trifle tardy in their arrival.

Nate Wood is on the southern flank of a 360 hectare woodland near Polegate in East Sussex. I was fortunate enough to visit this location during a cool and unsettled Sunday evening, which meant that the indigenous crepuscular and nocturnal animals could begin feeding an hour early. Indeed, the absence of people led to a sighting of Roe deer in neighbouring Abbots Wood. I observed three of these beautiful, petite mammals running through the woods; their winter coats replaced by a lightweight reddish-brown coat of summer.

Photographing bluebells is harder than you think. The best approach is to use a moderately long telephoto lens, shooting from a low angle to compress the carpet of bluebells. I find a wide aperture provides a smooth background and allows the viewer to focus on the primary visual elements. Lighting is provided by the early morning or late evening sun, for warm, soft textures and vivid colours. The use of a tripod, remote trigger and ISO 100 is essential for maximum image quality. My success rate in starling and deer photography is far higher than it is with bluebells. These delightful woodland flowers are easy to photograph, but difficult to photograph well. Obtaining an image matching the standard seen below is double-edged sword. Although this photograph has been lavished with praise on Flickr, people come to expect such a high standard all the time and the work required in order to maintain or exceed those standards results in long periods spent in a horizontal position.

If only you could see what I've seen with your eyes

Danny Callcut of Sticky Rice once told me that I ought to photograph people more often. "Street portraiture in Brighton is easier said than done", I replied. The southern English are very private in comparison to our friends in the north. Down here, it sometimes takes a unifying event to bring people out of their shells. In a quintessentially English manner, the snowy weather of December 2010 made strangers more receptive to pleasant, informal conversation. I wish for snowy winters more often, if the joyous company of strangers like Frank and Magnus are anything to go by. More recently, when I met photographers Alex Lawrence and Finn Hopson, we had so much to talk about that portraiture was not even an afterthought. Perhaps, out of respect for my comrades, I unconsciously refrained from making another photographer a subject in his own right. Rather than observe them via the intermediary of a viewfinder and lens, I instinctively felt the need to relate with them directly through my own, subjective human senses. If I can record someone being who they are, avoiding the trap of defining people by what they do, then I will have discovered a happy medium.

Winter's End

April continues to be blustery and unsettled. The light and cloud formations were such that I imagined this was Scotland, rather than East Sussex. I felt quite giddy with excitement as the weather provided yet another superb opportunity to portray my home county in all its bucolic splendour. I presently cannot get enough of the outdoors; no wonder my mother says I have a weather-beaten look about me. I am so lucky to have a place like Balmer Down on my doorstep, something I never take for granted. The fields surrounding Ridge Road, Falmer are simply the finest in East Sussex. Lined with attractive hedgerows and accessed via lovely pointed gates, Roe deer can be seen grazing in early morning or late evening. Kestrels, Kites and Tawny Owls reward the patient observer, while bats can be seen gliding along the northern end of Ridge Road at dusk.

A Home From Home

On Sunday, I went to photograph the River Cuckmere from Exceat HillI after drawing inspiration from a postcard I had sent to my mother during a birthday present holiday in Friston Forest last autumn. The Cuckmere Valley seems like a home from home to me. Perhaps this is because, as a child, I was taken there by my parents and allowed to engage in free, unstructured, creative play. No-one "protected" me from original experience and the unknown. My better qualities originate from early unmediated experiences outside of Sussex too, including holidays in the New Forest, Hereford and Worcester and the Cotswolds. I was perfectly happy to walk into the unknown and keep on going; my experience of sensory reality uncurtailed by external measurable results, concerns about "safety" and other stifling forms of preparation for "adulthood".

The continuing unsettled and rather cold April weather was perfect for Sunday's visit to the Cuckmere Valley. Strong winds and scattered, heavy clouds allowed beams of sunlight to race across the landscape, like a spotlight chasing a jewel thief. I finished the trip with a customary pint of Harveys Sussex Best Bitter; yet another throwback to my misspent youth, when, as a fourteen year old cricketer graduating from Harveys shandy to Harveys neat, I began a lifelong love affair with real ale. Photography had to wait another two years and curry four. 

Cuckmere Haven

When I set off this afternoon, I had in mind a photograph of the Seven Sisters with a rainbow and retreating thundercloud providing the backdrop. The rainfall radar looked promising, until the bus reached Seaford. Unfortunately, everywhere east of Seaford was bone dry, so I decided to walk the Crowlink to Exceat semi-circular route instead, which took me through Crowlink down to the cliff edge and westwards to the beautifully named Cuckmere Haven.

This was the second opportunity in which to demonstrate the potential of LEE neutral density graduated filters. They have solved so many problems that would otherwise have created blown out skies or underexposed foregrounds. I have also noticed how little post-processing the images require in comparison to before. Of course, all RAW files require post-processing, however, now they look far more 'ready' than they used to.

After spending a joyous hour at Cuckmere Haven and a further exhilarating thirty minutes walking past Grey Herons, Little Egrets, Mute Swans, Canada Geese and the Crows I saved from certain death on Tuesday, I enjoyed a pint of Harveys Sussex Best Bitter at the Golden Galleon, marking the perfect end to a most uplifting country outing.

The Joys of Lee Filters and Saving Lives

The verdant Cuckmere Valley looked quite lovely on Tuesday afternoon. The presence of cumulus clouds provided an opportunity to use my new LEE neutral density graduated filters. Although they are expensive, LEE ND grad filters are worth every penny, for they help the landscape photographer achieve correct exposure across the frame without leaving colour casts.

For this particular photograph, I stacked two 0.6 hard and soft grads together. I had to hold the filters in place by hand, since Warehouse Express don't yet have the LEE Universal Hood and Filter Holder in stock. The only telephoto lens currently at my disposal is the Sigma 150mm f/2.8 macro, because my new Canon EF 100-400mm lens is being fixed under warranty courtesy of MPD Photographic. The lens has a serious hunting problem and cannot achieve focus at middle distances between 300-400mm, making the lens useless for wildlife photography.

On the matter of serious hunting problems, I earlier noticed a professional marksman down in the valley, using a high powered air rifle to shoot crows. I felt quite nauseous as he crept towards a gate and took aim. Although I love the countryside, I cannot stand all the killing. In the past, I've used a 130 decibel Suzy Lamplugh alarm to scare off deer about to be shot dead by marksmen. Luckily, the moderate south-westerly breeze caused both his shots to miss and the fortunate crow escaped. I clapped my hands all the way to Cuckmere Haven, causing potential avian targets to fly away to safety.  And I took great delight in watching the rotund gnome return to the car park without a single kill!

The Right Place at the Right Time

I've often said to people that the price of being in the right place at the right time, is being in the wrong place at the wrong time, hundreds of times. I wouldn't have taken these pictures, if I hadn't ventured across treacherous, even dangerous ground, walked up steep hills or revisited locations several times, even when feeling tired. As a landscape and wildlife photographer, I have experienced failure and disappointment many times. One simply has to keep trying. Of course, it is important to have a sound understanding of the weather and knowledge of tides, otherwise there would be many more wasted trips than is desirable. I say desirable, because experience of failure is character-building; it gives me focus and makes me stronger. I prefer visiting coastal locations during abnormally low tides in sunny weather, to obtain striking images of familiar landmarks, such as Beachy Head Lighthouse. Recently, when taking photographs across Cuckoo Bottom towards Kingston Ridge, high cloud prevented any decent light from modelling the landscape, until I noticed thin gaps in the cloud, just above the horizon. As expected, the sun came out for just a few minutes and modelled Kingston Ridge beautifully. A few days later, I was talking to a jogger, when I spotted a jet aircraft heading straight 'towards' the crescent moon. Having just one minute to set up my telephoto lens and tripod, I saw an opportunity to capture the plane crossing the lunar disc, while using the sky as negative space in a creative manner. I do this because I love it. I hope you enjoy looking at these photographs as much as I enjoyed taking them.

Alan's picture to feature in the London 2012 Festival

My image of the Seven Sisters is to feature in Peace Camp 2012, part of the London 2012 Festival, culminating in a series of encampments at various locations around the British coastline. Theatre director, Deborah Warner and actor Fiona Shaw are working in collaboration to produce a series of coastal installations, from Cornwall to Sussex and Wales, Northumberland, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

 "Designed to be visited between dusk and dawn, Peace Camp is a poignant exploration of love poetry and a celebration of the extraordinary variety and beauty of our coastline." Peace Camp 2012.

My image will advertise Cuckmere Haven, the nearest Peace Camp installation to the London 2012 Games. I expect the image to gain wide exposure, owing to the proximity to London. Peace Camp 2012 runs between 19th - 22nd July and entry is free.

Paradise Revisited

Looking at these until now unseen pictures, taken last June, make me crave for a pint of real Sussex ale, a cheese board and everything else I associate with a warm summer evening. The fields around Balmer Down and Falmer are some of the more interesting parts of the South Downs. At no point, could I describe them as bland. The landscape is very English and well kept. Hedgerows line fields and Roe deer graze into the night. Hurry up, spring!

Spring Tide 2012, Brighton Beach

Part one : Thursday 8th March 2012. During March, the orbital alignment of the sun and the moon creates a strong gravitational pull on Earth's oceans, resulting in abnormally low tides. Coastal features normally hidden at any other time of the year are revealed. Brighton beach is the place to be during the spring tides. I had the pleasure of meeting Alex Lawrence and brightondj for the first time and once again, I bumped into Finn Hopson. Alex and I probably spent more time chin-wagging than taking photographs. He also let me try out his 10 frames-per-second Canon EOS-1D Mark IV, which he uses in his job as a professional motor racing photographer. In part two, I will revisit the beach at the weekend, when the forecast is for bright sunshine. I will also have my new Canon EF 100-400mm lens by then, replacing the copy destroyed at Beachy Head on Monday evening.

On Saturday 10th March 2012, the water level fell to 30cm on an unseasonably warm evening. In places, one could walk at least 150 metres from the pebble line and 250 metres from Brighton promenade.  Indeed, 250 metres south of the Brighton Wheel is where I found Finn Hopson taking pictures after dark. I enjoyed a walk between the West Pier and Brighton Pier the most, because I could appreciate the serene twilight through my own fragile human senses. It was the sort of occasion I will recall for years to come, as truly mesmerising. Finn Hopson agreed. I started this week on a bad note, dropping an expensive telephoto lens into the sea. I head into Sunday, having enjoyed the perfect Saturday : I have a new lens, my starling photograph was selected for the Flickr front page, attracting enough views to populate Hove (and favourites to keep Arundel overcrowded with tourists) and now I am off to the local curry house for a vegetable Phall and a few ales.