STEP BY STEP ONE WALK, FOUR DIFFERENT IMAGES

Exercise your compositional creativity as well as your leg muscles when you next head out for a wander – look to capture the atmosphere and mood of your route

1 Compose with leading lines

This photo was taken at the start of my walk. I felt it worked best as a monochrome image. Dog-walking around this field is a daily occurrence for me, and I was walking dogs at the time. This shot was taken at the wider end of the zoom range, and I was looking at the leading lines of the pathway to draw the viewer in. The conversion to black and white has emphasised the contrast and added drama to the image. 1/1,000 sec at f/3.5, ISO 125; 25mm equivalent

2 Look for pleasing variations in lighting

I was searching out suitable images within the landscape, both near and far away. Composition and lighting were uppermost in my mind. Having a 10x zoom was handy for all the situations I encountered. For this image of fungus around a tree stump, I was drawn by the bright autumnal colours highlighted in the weak sunshine. I used the wide end of the zoom range, moving in close to the subject. 1/250 sec at f/4, ISO 125; 25mm equivalent

3 Combine texture and tonality

For this shot, I used the maximum telephoto of the zoom lens: the equivalent to a 250mm lens on a 35mm full-frame camera. My eye was drawn to the patterns and lines within the fields. Spotting a figure approaching from the right, I waited until the walker reached the right spot to complete my composition. There is also an interesting juxtaposition of lighter tones in the foreground.

1/125 sec at f/8, ISO 125; 250mm equivalent

4 Capture detail passing through the frame

As well as dog walkers, morning joggers are a familiar sight around this field. I love the graphic feel of this image. Timing was crucial for the shot, as I wanted to catch the runner between the two silhouetted trees. Shooting uphill from a dip in the path has helped me to isolate the trees and the jogger against the skyline. The long telephoto also adds distance compression to the photograph.

1/400 sec at f/8, ISO 125; 192mm equivalent