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Deb Clark
@debc_nz
Best of the week 41 at #nomadict 2020
I was born in New Zealand and am proud to be a kiwi. It’s a fantastic place to live. I am ashamed to say that I was a Kiwi who had never been to Aoraki / Mount Cook. Not too long after I first picked up the camera my partner took me here. The drive in was spectacular and then we walked into Hooker Lake. It had snowed and there was a thick blanket of white on the mountains and the ground. To say I was speechless is a huge understatement. It was the single most beautiful scene I had ever viewed and it brought tears to my eyes.
"I don’t even think I took many photos as I was too busy drinking in that incredible scene."
I have been shooting ever since, for about five years now. My background is in the creative industry where art, design, and fashion meet. The fashion industry is a people orientated industry and although I love it, I think part of why I got into landscape photography is for the solitude it brings. I need that alone time. Somewhere to go to get away from the pressures of daily life.
"When you’re busy on location there is no time to be worrying about anything but getting the shot you came for and enjoying where you are."
I have always loved to travel and particularly enjoy immersing myself in new cultures. Getting out of your comfort zone by seeing and eating new things, conversing with people who don’t speak your language and observing how others live gives experiences that help to shape you. In recent years photography has become an integral part of my travel itinerary. I still travel just for fun but most often it is coordinated to incorporate as many landscape locations for shooting as it is possible to cram into the time I have. I have enjoyed some incredible trips with other photographers where we eat, sleep and breathe all things related to photography.
"Sleep is generally in very short supply during these trips but the smiles and memories you leave with are priceless."
There are a couple of things that have happened to me in recent years that have completely changed how I view my life, what is important to me and who and what I invest my time in. One of these was a serious accident that turned my life upside down, has changed my world forever and which I am still recovering from. People say that important life events, both good and bad, change you and this is so true. It was time to get some perspective. To think about what really gave me pleasure and make it a priority. Photography put the smile back on my face. I really do love it. Every time I pick up my camera it’s like I’m coming home. It is the tranquility in an otherwise chaotic world.
"To be recognised for my work is pretty nice but not why I do it - I do it because it makes me feel alive."
"Nature provides the most spectacular scenery and I believe locking it into an image for all time is a privilege."
Imagine yourself in the pitch dark of pre-sunrise… You’re waiting quietly for the light and the anticipation builds. Not knowing what will happen is part of the excitement. The colour slowly creeps into the sky and I can feel my senses coming alive. My fingers start tingling ready to push that shutter. I want all those feelings locked into that one moment for all time. I want people to feel what I feel. That for me is a winner. It doesn’t matter if you are shooting wider landscapes or the many smaller parts that make up the whole. Nature always gives back. You never know quite what you will get from a location, if you will even get an image you’re happy with depending on the weather or season, but in all conditions it is a beautiful moment to be in. We should be respectful of it and thankful for it every day. My images are for sale on my website and nothing gives me more pleasure than when happy customers tell me how one of my nature works makes them feel.
"That is the very best reward for the hard work and love put in a photo."
My personality is such that I have to do the best I can. I believe in working hard and putting your best efforts into what you do in order to see genuine improvement. Mediocre is not for me. What that means in terms of photography is that an ok image will never be enough. I am constantly looking at the work of others, analysing why a particular image caught my attention. I imagine myself looking through their lens. I look at tutorials and Youtube, talk to photographers I admire and read as much as I can. Then I shoot, shoot and shoot some more. Every photo you take teaches you something. I always start with basic settings and fire off a couple of shots. It’s a basis, somewhere to start from. Then I run through my ‘what ifs’. What if I move the frame left or right? What if I shoot lower or higher? What if I expose for longer or change up the focal length?
"There was, still is, so much to learn and remember but for me starting with long exposures was a good solid basis in which to move forward from."
Initially I wasn’t even sure if I like long exposure photography but I was given some basic settings and it hooked me right in. You have to think things through a bit more and although frustrating initially, it is now what I specialise in. For me, I think it takes an image a level up. It gives a slightly surreal effect, an almost wistful quality.
"The winning shot is also characterized by long exposure. Actually this image from Mount Taranaki is one of my favorites."
I had been wanting to get back up here for the longest time and was pretty excited when the opportunity presented itself. It’s a bit of a walk up but not too hard, except when you’re lugging an over full camera bag, food, and sleeping gear for an overnight. There’s this really great Department of Conservation hut that you can stay in. Unfortunately, although you can buy the tickets it doesn’t guarantee a bed so you need to get up there early and claim your space. When I look back on it now I can only apologise to the poor hikers who after a full day were exhausted and trying to get some sleep. We woke them up when we came back from shooting sunset and astro, and again at ridiculous o’clock when we got up for sunrise.
WINNING PHOTOGRAPH
BEST OF THE WEEK 41
As it was windy there were no reflections in the water but that’s the beauty of long exposures; slowing down and smoothing out the water gave a nice effect and there was just enough cloud in the sky to stretch it out a bit. At first I was disappointed with the cloud on the mountain top but it moved just enough and when the light hit it really was quite beautiful. It’s a little walk from the hut and we were early so there was time to get set up and really just take in the view. Very calming and so good for the soul. I was up there with my partner and a good friend so there was lots of banter. We had a great time and it is one of my fondest memories.
When shooting and editing, I took the cloud colour on the mountain top as the feature and I wanted the water to draw you into it. Luckily the wind was blowing the right way and the long exposure certainly helped with this. I merely highlighted some streaks in the water to assist with that. I evened out the exposure on the edge of the tarn and emphasised the cloud colour a little but that was it. Colour is critical to me when editing. I do not like over saturation and this is a common error people make when they are learning. I know I did. A bit of vibrancy usually does the trick. I have always worked with colour creation in my previous occupations and this helps a lot.
"Understanding the basics of the colour star and colour mixing is a key component to me ensuring an image looks natural and real."
I like to think every image is distinct and needs to be edited that way. Of course there are the basics to go through and my workflow usually involves darkening highlights, lightening shadows, featuring areas so you are drawn into the main event, and balancing colour. I am a fast worker.
That’s not to say I don’t go back and do more at times, just not much more. I usually will do most of the editing and then leave it for a day or two. Just to get some fresh eyes on it. I have done quite a few editing tutorials for Adobe over the last couple of years. Short sequences showing how to use particular editing tools mostly. These are a lot of fun and I get great feedback on them. I also do quite a few short clips for tourism partners. I don’t profess to be a videographer but enjoy these short works.
"Besides creating tutorials myself, I watch tutorials from others and love to get inspired by other creators."
I was lucky in that my partner @brentpurcellnz.nz is also a photographer. He gave me a basic long exposure setting and I was away. We shoot together a lot and love exploring New Zealand with our camper van. We have developed very diverse styles over time, it is interesting that you can shoot side by side with someone and get completely different images. This comes with developing your own style and makes it a whole lot of fun too.
Currently, one of my favorite photographers is @petermckinnon. His Youtube videos are informative and inspiring and endlessly entertaining. He has been exploring other styles and he has a second account where he showcases these. I am also madly in love with the work of @estherbmb. She takes creative photography to a whole new level and really makes you think about what you are seeing. Recently I have started thinking about and working with depth of field more. Learning is pretty easy these days as you can google anything and someone, somewhere has made a ‘how to’ video of it.
"Making time to explore new techniques is critical in my journey to stay inspired and be better."
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