TIPS FOR GETTING A BETTER PICTURE

Fujifilm ambassador and judge Mark Gilligan (www.wastwater photography.co.uk) continues his series of top tips on how to get a better mountain shot…

1 Travel light

Changing to a mirrorless SLR set-up five years ago helped me shed a few pounds. I found that I was getting the same quality with a lot less weight.

2 Lenses

I tend to have two lenses to hand – a wide angle and a zoom (Fujifilm XF10-24 and XF16-55). However, it does all depend on your objective and different shots will require a different lens.

3 Tripods

Love ’em or hate ’em they are useful. For mountain photography you need a sturdy lightweight one, but you will need to be mindful of the wind. A hook underneath the centre column helps as you can hang your bag on it for extra ballast. By ‘upping’ the ISO you can take perfectly good hand-held shots, but for effects such as slow-moving clouds or silky water it’s usually best to have a tripod on hand.

4 Cable release

Although you can use the camera’s timer to reduce shake, it's best to control exactly when you want the shot to be taken, so invest in a cable release or infra-red remote. I prefer the cable release as it doesn’t rely on another battery that can and will lose power just when you don’t want it to.

5 Clothing

Buy the best mountain clothing you can afford and always take plenty of layers so you're prepared for changing weather conditions. It’s so easy to get cold when you’re stopping to compose an image or to look for that perfect shot.