by Landscape Photographer Jason Baxter – October 2011

Cademuir Hill in the Scottish Borders is a stunning viewpoint for Landscape Photography; from here you can spy not just the picturesque town of Peebles but see as far as the Pentlands Ridge just outside Edinburgh, it also serves as a perfect vantage point with a rather nice ridge view heading down into the Manor Valley – an area with steep hillsides & dramatic scenery, a perfect location for the aspiring & professional landscape photographer alike. So last week the weather looked clear overnight & into the morning, with some cloud build up predicted for just after sunrise, I took the decision to head on out.

Clearly it is a popular spot as within an hour of sunrise I encountered a mountain biker & fellow dog walker – it’s accessibility is easy, parking in the Cademuir Foresty Commission car park; (not the first one as you come out of Peebles, carry on round the corner for another mile or so) this hillside can be accessed as a straight on climb within half an hour. No 3 hour hillclimbs here – with fantastic views & easy accessibility this is a must see hillside as the views are truly lovely.

One tip: When on location taking Landscape photographs, look around you & take more than just one picture – see whats about, look at where the light is falling; use a telephoto lens to take a closer in view of elements in the landscape. Not all images taken have to be wide angle with rocks in the foreground. Watch the light, see where it falls on the Landscape & take mental notes to come back in different conditions – thus capturing the view in a different light, morning or evening?, think on where the sun will rise & set & where the light will fall will all determine when& where you should be.

So what time is best to be up there I hear you ask?; well that would be telling…..best way to find out is to get out there & determine that one for yourself, I can’t go giving away all of my knowledge!

1. Morning Light emerging over the Tweed Valley

2. Morning Dawn Sunrise

3. Morning Light emerging over the Border Hills

4. Edston Quarry Sunrise

5. Autumnal Colours & the River Tweed

6. The Manor Valley

7. Morning Light

8. Farming Life - Sheep Grazing

Notes: All images are protected by Copyright; right clicking & copying is theft!. Proper Permission MUST be sought before usage.

The Cairngorm National Park, it’s awe inspiring, very accesible but equally you have to treat it with the utmost respect – the Plateau ‘Masif’ region is synonomous as being compared in winter to sub artic conditions. It was for that reason I undertook a winter skills mountain training course in those mountains, if you can’t hack it there, then you have no hope of surviving. It’s challenging, but equally stunning in it’s awe inspiring beauty….

A perfect location for the adventurous Panoramic Photographer otherwise known as Jason Baxter!.

This time i’ll shut up & say no more….enjoy

1. Loch Morlich Afterglow by Jason Baxter

2. Braeriach temperature Inversion by Jason Baxter

3. Loch An Eilean by Jason Baxter

4. Cairngorm Plateau by Jason Baxter

5. Autumn over Loch An Eilean by Jason Baxter

Remember folks - these pictures are protected by Copyright; any theft/copying without the necessary paid for image license will not be tolerated!.

Notes: Alot of planning was involved with this particular client, having been asked to think about how to document such a wide range of colours & products in a way that not just stands out, but is consistent in it’s quality standards – in effect re-enforcing the professional standards of this modern retail company within the Scottish Borders.

Product Shots: The solution was to use a device known as a Ring Flash; a style used alot in fashion photography, ensuring consistent light on the subject by almost creating a 3D effect by creating a shadow area behind the model. It also ensured the colours & textures of each item being documented where true & vibrant, live models where used as we wanted to create in the minds eye of the viewer the ability to visualise what the item would look like on an actual person vs a product on a manequin. Thus creating an intial relationship with the viewer. We used a bright white background to bring out the darker colours & a dark background to bring out the vibrancy of the brighter items on show.

It’s not just about turning up & shooting, this commision all the way along the line was discussed in depth with the client & a workable solution that matched both budget needs & branding identity.

Wholesale Interior Warehouse

Yellow Scarf against a dark background

Red Scarf against a bright background

Handbag being shown to the viewer

Subtle colours

Notes; I was requested by award winning accountancy firm Stark Main to provide initial costings & discussions on a new set of images, as they identified a need for a website revamp – they sourced several local photographers. Upon being shortlisted, I was invited to discuss my ideas in more detail with the leading director.

Clearly they felt confident that I was the best person for the job as my experience, passion & drive for my work clearly matched their own enthusiasm for ensuring a well thought out set of images to document this local award winning firm in a way they felt matched their own ambitions in the best way possible.

The commision itself involved documenting 7 case studies across the Scottish Borders & Edinburgh alongside Directors interacting to indicate openess & professionalism in a board room setting as well as general staff images for website use.

Notes: Lead up to the shoot included the sourcing of a similar model in age & appearance as well as location scouting with the client in order to logistically organise the days shoot, all carried out on location in the town of Innerleithen in the Scottish Borders. Natural light bounced of a reflector was used vs hard flash in order to maintain the natural look & feel the client was seeking.

nb - to view the higher resolution version; just click on each picture in turn.

nb: all images taken in the Tweed Valley, across three seperate locations from Glentress Peel to Pirn Hill & Plora Craig.

nb. With the added benefit of the regional Search & Rescue Helicopter from HMS Gannet making an appearance I managed to communicate with the pilot before hand in order to position the chopper (hovering in the valley) in between the two Land Rovers so as to give a much more dramatic feel to the image in order to assist in making sure the images stand out for a perfect Public Relations/Press image.

Tweed Valley Mountain Rescue/RAF Unit by Jason Baxter

Tweed Valley Mountain Rescue/RAF Unit by Jason Baxter

Tweed Valley Mountain Rescue Unit by Jason Baxter

Tweed Valley Mountain Rescue/RAF Unit by Jason Baxter

Do not underestimate the Scottish Borders; it is in my book an untold resource of deep valleys, rolling hillsides & high hilltops aplenty, a near perfect environment for the Landscape Photographer. I do believe the region has a tendency to be missed in favour of heading north to the Highlands for dramatic scenery, with only a travel journey of some 40 minutes outside of Edinburgh this I firmly believe is a truly understated & undiscovered lowland wilderness. These past 2 winters for me have presented near perfect conditions in documenting the landscape in the region. With the local populace fearing the worst & clearing the shelves; I’m preparing my winter gear & heading of out into the hills.

One such expedition during the last winter, I set out to tackle the highest mountain in the region; Broad Law – a ‘Corbett’ at a height of 2,755ft. Make no mistake, this is not for the faint hearted, you have to be fit, having the right kit is essential – you can burn enough calories the equivalent of a marathon runner & be spending upwards of 6 to 7 hours in freezing conditions. Having undertaken winter skills training in the Cairngorms I know that when it comes to preparation, safety is key.

This is not about putting any budding photographer off; this is more akin to sharing the experience, the motivation, the dangers & outright joy of challenging yourself against nature & winning.

It’s -18C, the wind chill brings the temperature down still further to a borderline frostbite level of -25. It’s taken just over 3 hours to climb to the top of Broad Law; it is by no means an easy ascent especially when you take into consideration the extremity of the near arctic conditions. The day started with a wake up call set for 4.30am to give me enough time to defrost the car, a clear moonless night, the day started out as black as could be. But as any seasoned Landscape Photographer knows, this is a very good omen; despite the freezing temperatures the sense of perfect timing begins to enthuse & the cold conditions begin to fade as you just know this morning Landscape shoot is going to be truly spectacular.

To give you an idea of the effort required, imagine this; you carry a 2 to 3 stone pack on your back, the ground is solid ice under food, the temperature is the equivalent of your freezer – multiple layers, thick winter jacket, balaclava, head torch strapped on. That’s just the beginning. It’s not a race, you just plod & follow the track, soon the slow but long ascent begins, minute after minute passes making gradual progress, it’s energy sapping – your heart beat is pounding & your breathing becomes much more laboured, the going is hard under foot & it’s still very, very dark.

So what on earth goes through your mind?, what’s the motivation to keep you going?, well it’s knowing that no other person on this day is doing what you’re doing, you’re out to capture what no other sane human being would even begin to try, the realisation that you & you alone are capturing the start to a new day in such extreme conditions, capturing the raw beauty of nature in one of it’s most unforgiving of days.

I use my trusty Fuji GX617 panoramic camera, with no batteries required it is & remains an ideal large format camera for these conditions; but of course it does mean loading film, which is not normally an issue; but when you have a 20mph wind whipping around you on the summit on top of the bone chilling air temperature of -18, it then becomes an issue. The gloves have to come of & if you’re not careful it will mean minor frostbite if you leave your skin exposed for to long.

What nobody tells you is this – when you stop in these conditions, your sweat covered wicking tops are no use, your body temperature falls as your heart rate drops now that you’re at rest; no matter how well insulated the jacket or layers of tech clothing you’re wearing. You get cold, wicking tops need to dry, with an evil wind tearing straight through you, the next danger is letting your core body temperature drop beyond safe limits. So you keep active, walk around, wave your hands, jump up & down, but never be complacent; that’s when you make mistakes. It’s a battle of wills in your mind, you simply cannot let the cold win in these conditions, your mindset has to remain positive – there is no choice. Simple.

Make no mistake about it, you are risking your life by undertaking such an ambitious shoot in these extreme conditions, but for me part of the joy in capturing unique landscapes that entice & inspire is the sense of achievement & pure physical challenge of overcoming overwhelming odds. Believe me; the more you set yourself out there to capture nature in such extreme conditions the more you want to do it.

I use a combination of Velvia film, hand held metering & test exposures on my Canon DSLR to refine my exposure on each trip, using 120 slide film on a 6×17 format does not give you much room for manoeuvre, with just 4 exposures per film – you really don’t want to get it wrong. Exposing for the highlights & deliberately overexposing slightly to compensate the fact my meter wants to place the bright snow in mid grey is not what I’m after. Aiming to maximise the sharpness I’m using an f-stop of f45, with the 90mm Fujinon lens I need a central stop neutral density filter to compensate for the uneven light fall of across the film; which means I have to open up one more stop to compensate, so I aim for at least f64, opening up one stop brings me back down to f45, shutter speed 15^th sec. Work that out as you’re keeping warm in -25!.

With the morning light entering the purple end of the spectrum 15 to 20 minutes after sunrise the conditions where perfect, the light was still low enough on the horizon to cast long shadows across the rolling hills – combining contrast, clear skies & early morning dawn light shining across the snow hardened landscape made for a stunningly enticing image created in the most extreme of conditions; it portrays the serenity & beauty of nature despite the extremity of near arctic temperatures. An image to inspire.

This region presents everything for the professional & amateur alike, steep valleys & high vantage points, remote hillsides & truly inspirational landscapes that I do believe can match what the Highlands can offer…these set of panoramic images over the past 2 winters are testament to the fact you don’t always have to travel great distances to capture inspiring landscapes…the beauty being it’s only 40minutes from Edinburgh.

1. Broad Law Winter Sunrise

2. Winter Evening light over the Manor Valley

3. Winter Sunrise over ‘The Eildons’

4. Winter Afterglow across the Manor Valley

5. Evening Light over Peebles Town

6. Snow covered Wall looking towards Lee Pen, Tweed Valley

7. Winter Light over Smailholm Tower

8. Frozen River, Yair Bridge nr Selkirk

9. Winter’s morning Light over Lee Pen, Tweed Valley

NB; all images in this article are protected by Copyright, any attempt to copy/alter without permission is breaking the law…if you like what you see, request an image license by contacting me at the following e-mail address;

jason@jasonbaxter.net

As luck would have it; just the previous week i was out scouting for fresh landscape locations, having driven up to Megget Reservoir on several occasions, i decided to concentrate on this region in part due to the dramatic & rugged scenery on offer. You have to make the most of a Landscape shoot, you plan it, you watch the weather, you find that weather window that opens up – fortunately it all came together during a spell of unseasonably hot weather for the end of Sept (I was not complaining!).

The day began at 5am, (yes, that early – yawn…) but the initial tiredness is put to one side when you arrive on scene & realise that your plans have come together & you get the feeling of elation as you just know, this is going to be a good day.

The climb begins & soon the lactic acid builds up in your calves thanks to the steep climb, your heart rate rises & your lungs are breathing deeper & harder under the strain, your back is aching at the weight of your camera gear – the climb is not an easy one; head torch on, the ridge up ahead you can’t even see it’s that steep & far away. Eventually after several stops to gain your energy; you arrive – rocky outcrop, high atop the hillside half an hour the before the sun greets the new day..

I have tell you this, it’s like a drug; once you done it, you just want more – despite the painful ascents & the agony of muscles straining, the motivation to capture nature in it’s rawest beauty is what drives you; the sense of disappointment in giving up is worse than the physical pain. So you carry on – it’s the stillness, the quiet, the serenity & most of all; the most awe inspiring experience of being atop a mountain as you watch a new day begin is an event that i think we should all see at least once in a lifetime. It can quite literally take your breath away..

Having arrived at my chosen spot; it was now a matter of getting down to business, pre dawn shooting, sunrise & then packing the gear up & heading further on deeper into the hills, wanting to find more locations to put into the memory banks for further return journeys. I see a hillside & think – what’s on the other side?, I seek to explore & look at my surroundings to find more opportunities. You don’t just go to a location, take your picture & go back down, that is not the nature of a Landscape Photographer, we want to seek, & we want to find – but most of all we want to capture an element of nature that no other person can or ever will…ultimately to Inspire..

1. Megget Reservoir – Pre Dawn

Megget Pre Dawn by Jason Baxter

2 . Sunrise over Winterhopeburn

Sunrise by Jason Baxter

3. Dawn Light Emerges over Megget Resevoir

Dawn over Megget by Jason Baxter

4. The road to Talla from Port Hill

To Talla.. by Jason Baxter

5. Layers of Morning Light

Dawn Light by Jason Baxter

6. Remote Hillside above Megget Reservoir

Hillside 'Dead for Cauld' by Jason Baxter

7. ‘Craigdilly’

'Craigdilly' by Jason Baxter

Instructions & Notes

The following link will take you to a specific non-public image gallery of images taken at the Peebles & Tweeddale Pony Club event held on the 25th Sept.

**Image Gallery Link**

Notes:

• If you see more than one picture in this gallery that you like; please use the button called ‘Add to Lightbox’, you can review your selection at any time. Please note if you wish to save your selection you will have to register on the site in order to save your choices.
• To search for your images; i have tagged 80% of the images with the numbers on each Bib, use the drop down menu to the upper right on the screen, type your number into the Image Search button. If you’re fortunate your images will come up, if not then you will have to undertake a manual search.
• Payment is through Pay Pal, all transactions are 100% secure.
• I have designed the system to allow for the purchasing of digital images only; this means you are free to print out as many copies on your own equipment, or through a third party supplier, you are also allowed to use the images for social networking.
• If you do wish to purchase prints then this can be arranged. I am able to supply canvasses if desired & have reasonable rates (please contact me direct in this instance)
• The ‘Orginal’ size image for reference is approx A4 in size.
• To view each image up close, just click on the image in question & you will see a fuller screen version.
• Watermark – will not exist on your purchase.
• To purchase the image (this does not commit you until you decide to checkout; but allows your choice of ‘sized’ image availability) just click on ‘Purchase Image’
• If you spot a friend or collegue – you can e-mail them a link of the image in question.

Natural Horse Portraits?

I am at no additional costs available for private commisions in capturing natural Horse (no obligation) portraits at a location of your choosing. An ideal christmas present perhaps?, a canvas of your well loved horse?, or a fine art hardback book documenting natural behaviour & interaction with the owner?. Please contact me direct to discuss your requirements, otherwise enjoy these stunning images…