I had a good time photographing Steyning Bowl on this sunny morning but I also want to reflect on the fact that it’s important to critique your work in order to improve, as well as scout out locations to find out where the best views are and plan the time of day for the best light. This shoot was all done a bit too late in the morning, but it still proved useful for future shoots. The images are all a bit average and I will be going back to reshoot at a later stage in the year with a better grasp on the sunrise time.
Cows on the Hillside, Steyning 2015
This venture around Steyning bowl was more of a scouting mission for potential photographs. I’ve photographed here before but it still puzzles me of how to get a really good shot here. I’ve mainly been experimenting to try and keep the sun out of the lens and practice further with the Graduated Filters. I’ve also started experimenting using a longer lens (70-200mm) to compress the landscape and focus on the details (above).
This image has some potential, but it’s not quite there both in terms of composition and the lighting. The sun being directly in the lens creates the lensflare, which isn’t helpful in this image. The cow parsley is out though and creates a lovely spring atmosphere.
This is Truleigh hill. There are some great lines here and the hazy light creates a unique atmosphere but the image isn’t striking enough.
More experiments using the longer lens. I love the way the light hits the land here, but the composition needs a focal point in the image.
I need an even longer lens to zoom in on this misty detail. I love the layers of trees across this plateau but the telephoto isn’t long enough. The irrigated fields provide some great mist in this area north of Steyning.
Around the corner from Steyning bowl there is Annington Hill, which was quite a trek up to the top, but there were nice views, but again there aren’t any focal points in these photos. There were a lot of Skylark birds, which have become pleasant companions on these sunny mornings.
The leading line in this image works well for me but I still think the image needs a bit more to it.
I think these photos look great. In particular the image with the cow parsely in the foreground. I would maybe experiment with cropping some of these to remove some clutter from the edges of the photos as there are some very nice lines. Like the last photo with the hedges in the corner. Nonetheless some great images with good lighting.