Tom Mackie
Great landscapes are all about first and last light, Tom Mackie sets his alarm clock early…
Landscape photographer Tom sets the alarm for an ungodly hour to shoot windmills and waterways in the Norfolk Broads.
Tom Barrett met professional landscape and travel photographer Tom Mackie near the village of Thurne, Norfolk, at the appointed time of 3:30… In the morning. “Landscape photography is all about being at your location before sunrise – and being there beyond sunset. And at the height of summer that means getting up early and staying out late,” Tom M chirpily explained. It was the middle of June and the summer equinox was fast approaching, where the days are at their longest – and nights at their shortest.
Their first shooting spot was just across the River Thurne from the village of the same name. “From here, Thurne Mill faces east across the river, and I’m hoping that we’ll get this really brilliant sky, with clouds reflected in the river as the mist rises, warmed by the morning sun.”
They set up their cameras on tripods and waited for the sun to creep above the horizon and illuminate the landscape.
MORNING HAS BROKEN
Tom M’s predictions for a glorious yet moody sunrise proved spot on, with the cloud-filled sky being dramatically reflected in the waters below.
“So where should I be focusing?” asked Tom B. “Is it on the windmill itself, or should I try and extend the depth of field by focusing on its reflection, say?”
“Focus on the windmill to make absolutely certain it’s pin-sharp,” Tom replied. “The reflection is distorted anyway, so any softness in the water simply won’t be visible in the shot.”
“And what about composition?” wondered Tom B. “As there’s a reflection, should I be looking to put the windmill centrally in the frame?”
“Yes, placing the horizon centrally will work well here,” Tom M confirmed. “But the main thing is to keep trying new compositions. Always consider whether there’s anything you can do to improve on your shot. Change your orientation from portrait to landscape; try a different shooting angle to bring different elements closer together (or further apart in the frame); consider the effect of adding filters; check the edges of the frame to ensure you don’t have anything coming in that you don’t want; and think about how you’re going to process the photo.”
They decided to add a 3-stop graduated neutral density (ND grad) filter with a soft transition to balance the brighter sky with the dark land below, while avoiding making the mill look artificially dark. After trying out a variety of compositions, such as the vertical shot (left), Super Shot #1 was taken with a panoramic crop in mind.