STORY BEHIND THE STILL
Geir Olaf Gjerden retells the story behind his mysterious night-time capture of a Chinese fisherman
PHOTOGRAPHER: Geir olaf Gjerden WEBSITE: 500px.com/geir_olaf_gjerden LOCATION: li river, China
TYPE OF COMMISSION: Personal SHOT DETAILS: nikon d7000, Sigma 18105mm at 34mm, 1/50sec, f4.5, iSo 1600
ABOUT THE SHOT: The key to all good travel photography is effective storytelling. Travel images contain the same subjects as many other genres, namely landscapes, architecture and portraits, so in order to have a unique purpose, they must successfully convey the atmosphere of a location. As is evident in Geir’s image, this can be achieved by exploring a place through the eyes of a local. “This image was taken at Li River, between Guilin and Yangshuo in China,” recalls Geir. “I had an idea about an elderly fisherman with his cormorant birds on the river. We had to do quite a bit of research before, at last, we got to meet this amazing grey-haired Chinese man on his bamboo raft. We stayed in the area for more than a week and made many scenic trips [before] I got the shots of the fisherman.”
By approaching the shoot with a clear concept, it is easier to calculate how best to capture the tone of a place. In this case Geir chose to work closely with the subject and shoot in the early morning. This was not without its challenges however. “We started the shoot when it was still pitch dark and stopped around sunrise. The low-light conditions were a challenge, but the other problem was the language – it was hard to give exact instructions to the fisherman and his helpers. Taking these photos of him in the dark made the whole experience very magical!”
As a photographer who started his career with film, Geir still aims to do most of his work at the shooting stage, although he has fully embraced digital technology. “I am only shooting digitally now, but I still try to do as much as possible at the scene. I do most of my postprocessing in Lightroom – I removed a little bit of noise, lightened up the skies and sharpened the picture a little.”