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LEARNING TO LOVE THELAND A former marine biologist, Ian Carlson looks back on his journey from sometime underwater explorer to fulltime landscape photographer.

5 Apo-Grandagon; Fuji Velvia; 1 sec; f/16; ISO 50 Name: Ian Carlson Town: Pymble, NSW Favourite photography: Landscape and architecture Dream kit: Phase One IQ

com, iancarlsonphotography.com.au Digital Photography: Do you remember your very first camera?

19. I d always had a little bit of an interest, and then a wedding photographer introduced me to professional photography.

and showed us the ropes. We started taking our own photos, and when I finally sold a few I thought, I actually really enjoy doing this. Were you self-taught?

You learned from your mistakes and it made you really sit down and concentrate, you had to focus on what you did wrong and how you could do it better.

As a marine biologist, did you have any interest in underwater photography before making a real break into the landscape world? Surprisingly not.

It was an extra expense and, to be honest, I was working so much underwater and out on boats, the last thing I wanted to do was get in again.

2 LEARNING TO LOVE THELAND A former marine biologist, Ian Carlson looks back on his journey from sometime underwater explorer to fulltime landscape photographer. Interview by Maya Zahran. PROFILE Subject: Lake Oberon, NSW Specs: f/4.5 Apo-Grandagon; Fuji Velvia; 1 sec; f/16; ISO 50 Name: Ian Carlson Town: Pymble, NSW Favourite photography: Landscape and architecture Dream kit: Phase One IQ medium format digital back on a Arca Swiss RMD3 outfit with a series of Rodenstock digital lenses Job: Full-time photographer Website: australiangallery.com, iancarlsonphotography.com.au Digital Photography: Do you remember your very first camera? Ian Carlson: My father gave me an old Yashica 35mm when I was a kid and I used to play around with it, but I didn t really pick up on photography until I was about 19. I d always had a little bit of an interest, and then a wedding photographer introduced me to professional photography. At the time I was working for a wedding reception venue with fellow landscape photographer Dave Evans, and there was a wedding photographer who took a shine to us and showed us the ropes. We started taking our own photos, and when I finally sold a few I thought, I actually really enjoy doing this. Were you self-taught? Completely. Self-taught experimentation. When I first started, digital didn t exist it was all film-based and it was a costly exercise I suppose. You learned from your mistakes and it made you really sit down and concentrate, you had to focus on what you did wrong and how you could do it better. I find that with digital it s a lot easier to not think about how you shoot. I developed all the shots through the pro labs. I couldn t afford to set up my own lab. As a marine biologist, did you have any interest in underwater photography before making a real break into the landscape world? Surprisingly not. I never really took to underwater photography. It was an extra expense and, to be honest, I was working so much underwater and out on boats, the last thing I wanted to do was get in again. Underwater photography takes so much focus; it s very hard to take a good photo just by chance, you really need to devote a lot of time and money to it. I couldn t concentrate on taking photos while I was working, which meant I d have to go out separately and work on shooting then. Instead, I washed up at the end of the day, grabbed my camera and started roaming around the coastline it was a different experience altogether. I m always on the lookout for different scenes, then I ll come back at the right time 40 Your guide to LANDSCAPE PhOtOgrAPhy Your guide to LANDSCAPE PhOtOgrAPhy 41

Subject: Mount Hesperus, TAS Velvia; 1/2 sec; f/22; ISO 50 These days I m trying to focus more and more on a theme or a body of work Subject: Wailing Wall, Walls of Jerusalem National Park, TAS

I use two set-ups; I have a film set-up and a digital set-up. Digital set-ups are a lot easier to use than in the film days.

The digital set-up I ve got is a Canon 5DMkII and my favourite lens at the moment is the 24mm tilt shift it s just incredibly sharp and provides perspective control.

3 Subject: Mount Hesperus, TAS Velvia; 1/2 sec; f/22; ISO 50 These days I m trying to focus more and more on a theme or a body of work Subject: Wailing Wall, Walls of Jerusalem National Park, TAS Equipment: Fuji GW690III, 65mm lens Specs: Fuji Velvia; 2 mins; f/11; ISO 50 What s your must-have gear for shooting? It depends on what the shoot s for: personal print work or a client. I use two set-ups; I have a film set-up and a digital set-up. Digital set-ups are a lot easier to use than in the film days. With live-view you re able to check your focus, and everything else for that matter. The digital set-up I ve got is a Canon 5DMkII and my favourite lens at the moment is the 24mm tilt shift it s just incredibly sharp and provides perspective control. I use that a lot in commercial work and I ve become quite accustomed to it. I also tend to use a 24-70mm f/2.8l and a mm f/2.8. For landscape work, where I m only looking for single captures, I tend to use the 24mm but for panoramic shots where I m stitching, I ll use the 24-70mm or mm, depending on how big the output has to be or how many captures I need. When working on behalf of a client, it can be a bit different depending on the output they want sometimes they want a very high-resolution output, so I end up hiring medium format digital equipment. I m quite partial to the new Pentax 645D it s been great when I ve had my hands on that. Sometimes I like to shoot on film and scan it in, but that only works if I ve got time and the client s not in a rush! It s nice to do because it slows me down and makes me think about my shots a lot more. That s what I ve always enjoyed about landscape photography it allows you to take the time to think about what you re doing, but also allows you to really think about the scene in front of you. What do you think is the best time to shoot for landscapes? I often drive around looking for scenes OLD SchOOL Shooting on film or slides can be a great learning experience. Try shooting just one roll of film or even limiting yourself to 24 captures on your next shoot. they re not actually ready to shoot at that time, so I ll often think, That s a sunrise shot or an evening shot. I m always on the lookout for different scenes, then I ll come back at the right time. A lot of times I get it wrong and I ve got to go back again. Instead of a sunrise, it s a mid-morning shot or vice versa. You re constantly looking at where the sun s going to pop up from, or what s going to be in its way or what shadows it s going to cast on what headland. Thinking about all of those things quite consistently makes it easier to shoot the perfect landscape. When I was living in South Australia, shooting sunsets in the winter was awesome because I had really vibrant colours to work with I had the sun setting over the water and it was spectacular. It made for some great photography. Being back in Sydney, you don t really get the sun setting over the water, so I constantly find myself getting up earlier and earlier to shoot every morning. How do you choose where you re going to shoot? Does a location have to meet a certain list of expectations? It depends on what I m focusing on at the time. Sometimes the commission work takes me to an area, I ll shoot a job and spend some time there doing my own personal work. These days I m trying to focus more and more on a theme or a body of work taking the more traditional artist approach, where you focus on a body of work and present that in whatever format you choose. At the moment I m focusing on Sydney s Northern Beaches there s a fair bit out there and it s so diverse with the whole Pittwater area as well. What challenges have you had to overcome, be it with setting/lighting/ gear restrictions? Travelling interstate or overseas, it s the weight of the gear that s the issue. I always tend to take more than I need. If I m travelling for my personal work, I take mainly my film equipment and my Canon with one lens. The Subject: Ethel Wreck, SA Velvia; 1 sec; f/16; ISO 50 I find myself getting up earlier and earlier to shoot every morning 42 Your guide to LANDSCAPE PhOtOgrAPhy Your guide to LANDSCAPE PhOtOgrAPhy 43

Subject: Pearson Island, SA Velvia ISO50, f16, 1 sec length; ISO 200 I try to lean away from the postcard shot and find something else that s beautiful WhAT YOu LL need Cameras and lenses When

Lights Lenses include a 24-70mm and a 70-200mm, but Ian s current favourite for commercial and landscape work happens to be his 24mm tilt-shift.

The light won t be too bright and you might catch a nice sunrise. film equipment I use includes the Ebony 4x5 camera with a range of lenses, so I ll shoot 612 or 617 and also 4x5 film for that.

light is always a real challenge. I use a range of graduated neutral-density filters and, coming from film, it s very important for me to take that technique through to my digital work.

What you could capture on film was quite limited what you d try to do was even out the light across your scene so it s within the five stops of the dynamic range.

It s still always about capturing the best digital negative you can, because the better the file you can produce, the easier it is to work on.

4 Subject: Pearson Island, SA Velvia ISO50, f16, 1 sec length; ISO 200 I try to lean away from the postcard shot and find something else that s beautiful WhAT YOu LL need Cameras and lenses When shooting privately, Ian relies on his Canon 5DMkII (and an Ebony 4x5 film camera when time permits). When it s time to get serious for a client, he s partial to the medium format Pentax 645D. Lights Lenses include a 24-70mm and a mm, but Ian s current favourite for commercial and landscape work happens to be his 24mm tilt-shift. It s just incredibly sharp and provides perspective control. golden hour Get up and get out shooting before the sun is too high in the sky. The light won t be too bright and you might catch a nice sunrise. film equipment I use includes the Ebony 4x5 camera with a range of lenses, so I ll shoot 612 or 617 and also 4x5 film for that. The problem that I come across most often when shooting in the morning is balancing the light out you often get very, very bright backgrounds and heavily shadowed foregrounds, so trying to even out light is always a real challenge. I use a range of graduated neutral-density filters and, coming from film, it s very important for me to take that technique through to my digital work. I tend to do all that filtration in-camera, rather than doing it afterwards. In the old film days, film had a dynamic range of about five stops (up to seven if you were lucky). What you could capture on film was quite limited what you d try to do was even out the light across your scene so it s within the five stops of the dynamic range. Now with digital, and having up to 11 stops of dynamic range, I find it s still important because it means I m actually doing more work out in the field, and less work in front of the computer. It s still always about capturing the best digital negative you can, because the better the file you can produce, the easier it is to work on. How often do you change the camera you re using and what features are you looking for? I tend to upgrade every five years for a new digital model. I ll wait until the second version of a camera comes out all the bugs are fixed by then! In the DSLRs, I m looking for good auto-focus, good dynamic range. Because I use the digital camera for a whole range of work, I want a camera that can cope under low light. I ve been shooting in full-frame cameras for a while now and I find them very useful to work with. The rest is in the lens, really for me it s as important as the sensor is on the digital camera the lens is certainly the core difference. How would you describe your photographic style? This is hard, because it s something that photographers ask themselves and it takes years, if not decades to develop your own style. I m not sure if I ve really got a style yet. To me it s something that s constantly evolving. I look back sometimes at my earlier work and cringe. I m sure in five years time, I ll do the same again. Subject: Tasman Peninsula, TAS Equipment: Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 24-70mm Specs: 2.8L, 6 frame pano stich Subject: Pink Lake, WA Velvia ISO50; 1/15 sec; f/22; ISO Your guide to LANDSCAPE PhOtOgrAPhy Your guide to LANDSCAPE PhOtOgrAPhy 45

feature IAN CArLSON LANDSCAPES be In IT TO WIn IT There s not really much to lose by entering a photographic competition and there s plenty of them out there, with good prizes.

5 Grandagon-N, Fuji Velvia; 1/4 sec; f/22; ISO 50 You ve won quite a number of AIPP awards for your landscape photography what do you think the judges look for?

Often you produce images for a competition, and especially with the AIPP which has its judging open to the public as an entrant you can go and see your work being judged as well.

5 feature IAN CArLSON LANDSCAPES be In IT TO WIn IT There s not really much to lose by entering a photographic competition and there s plenty of them out there, with good prizes. Search online for local and international competitions. Subject: Ellery Creek Big Hole, NT Equipment: Gaerosi 617shift, Rodenstock 90mm Specs: f/4.5 Grandagon-N, Fuji Velvia; 1/4 sec; f/22; ISO 50 You ve won quite a number of AIPP awards for your landscape photography what do you think the judges look for? Competitions are a whole new world it s a whole other level of producing images. Often you produce images for a competition, and especially with the AIPP which has its judging open to the public as an entrant you can go and see your work being judged as well. If that s available with competitions, it s often worth spending the time to see what the judges look for and it changes from year to year. You start to notice, year by year, that fads come in and out. A few years ago, in landscape work it was the HDR look and everyone was trying it out. Some people did it really well and it looked great. Generally with photo competitions, the more time you spend producing your prints, the better off you ll be. I learnt the hard way. I thought I d just put in some of my best work and it would be fine. Then I realised the judges are looking at every aspect of your image from the technical to the creative, to the artistic element. They also look at the print of the photo whether it s printed on the right paper, whether the quality is good enough, how it looks under specific lighting. It s enjoyable to put your work up against other peers. It gives you a bit of an idea of how you sit amongst your peers. off the South Australian coastline, other photographers haven t been able to get to. My style is still developing, but I tend to shoot a lot of wild landscape images, out in remote places. I ll also shoot some quite common landscapes as well. Even if I go to a classic location, I try and lean away from the postcard shot and find something else that s beautiful. Do you have a hero/mentor/ photographer you look up to? Dave Evans and I met when we were both 18 and it was probably the same wedding photographer that mentored us in the beginning. As far as photographers I ve admired, it changes. I started off really enjoying Peter Dombrovskis work and, at the moment, I m really enjoying Murray Fredericks work. I enjoy the fact that both photographers are wildlife photographers they enjoy photographing landscapes that are predominantly untouched, the real wilderness areas. I admire that type of work because they re very good at capturing the essence of an area. You start to notice, year by year, that fads come in and out Subject: Wentworth Falls, NSW Velvia; 4 sec; f/16; ISO 50 What sets you aside from other landscape photographers? I don t often try to think of that. But, at the moment, a lot of the locations I ve had access to, especially Subject: Sunrise at Castle Rock Beach, NSW Rodenstock 45mm Velvia; 2 mins; f/22; ISO 50 What inspires your work? Do you have a particular vision you work to include or achieve? I used to travel around a lot and find beautiful scenes and photograph them so my portfolio is quite broad as far as the areas I ve been to and the scenes I ve photographed. At the moment, settling back into Sydney and finding a local project is what s driving me that s why I m really looking at the Northern Beaches closely. I m coming back to these places time and time again. The more time you spend in area, the better you get to know it, the better you get to know the weather patterns and can understand what s going to light up and what s not. What advice do you have for a budding landscape photographer in the making? You really have to have a passion for landscape photography. There are very few landscape photographers, I think, that have started and quit their day job and have said: That s what I want to do and I ve made it. It s always an evolving process. Start out taking beautiful photos, practice and learn from your mistakes, and then when you re producing beautiful images, they should really start speaking for themselves. To see more of Ian Carlson s work, see australiangallery.com, iancarlsonphotography.com.au 46 Your guide to LANDSCAPE PhOtOgrAPhy Your guide to LANDSCAPE PhOtOgrAPhy 47

By photographer and photo dealer, Bruce Pottinger (Hon FAIPP AIPP), L&P Digital Photographic, Australia

Testing Extremes By photographer and photo dealer, Bruce Pottinger (Hon FAIPP AIPP), L&P Digital Photographic, Australia Bruce Pottinger is passionate about photography and that passion is never more evident