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FIRST LIGHT

Approaching Black Clough, Forest of Bowland (Jon)

‘Which comes first, photography or the outdoors?’ For us this is like the question of the chicken and the egg. The two are inextricably entwined. However, there’s no confusion as far as this book is concerned.

This book is written for people who love the outdoors and, above all, for people who love doing things in the outdoors. We assume that you want your photographs to reflect that passion. It’s not about winning prizes at the camera club, or impressing people with your latest slide show. What it’s about is getting out there. You want pictures that capture what it’s like and how it makes you feel.

Photography should add to the outdoor experience. It shouldn’t get in the way. If it helps you focus your mind on the texture of a rock or the play of light on a waterfall, it enhances your experience. If all you can think about is filters and f-stops, it does just the opposite.

However, if you’re serious, photography can’t just be an afterthought. Ideally it will be an integrated part of your outdoor activity. And if you are serious, you want to be in control of the picture-making process. You can’t control what you don’t understand. Blindly relying on camera automation leaves you clueless when the pictures don’t work out, and dilutes the satisfaction when they do.

With most things in the outdoor life, the most interesting place is around the edge of the comfort zone. You don’t improve your rock-climbing grade by trying to jump straight from VS to E6, but by testing yourself on a few HVS routes, consolidating at that grade, and then progressing again to E1. It’s the same with photography. Think about what you’re trying to achieve with your shots and where you’d particularly like them to improve. Then think about moderate, manageable steps that you might take to bring about these improvements.

A decent automatic camera will give you good results most of the time, but some understanding of the process helps you recognise when you need to take charge. This book will focus on understanding rather than ‘technique’. It will use as little technical language as possible, but won’t shy away from it when it is necessary. Essential concepts will be explained as clearly as possible. The basics of photography are not complicated, and certainly not rocket science.

To be an integrated part of your outdoor activity, photography must be light, fast and simple. This does not mean being casual or sloppy. Like the rest of your outdoor life, the more you put in, the more you get back. In photography, much of this input requires an investment of nothing more than time and thought. And much of this can be done when you’re indoors.

In the end, it’s your outdoor life and they’re your photographs. What you want from your pictures isn’t necessarily what we want, or anyone else wants. Everything in this book is based on experience, and it works for us, but that doesn’t always mean it will work for you. This much we can say: it will be worth trying.