Leica Q3 | alan frost photography

Posts tagged ‘Leica Q3’

A photographic journey ….. Revisiting Buttermere in the Lake District after 12 Years

I ask myself – what took me so long?

In all the years I have been making photographs, there have been certain locations which are deserving of the comment; ‘one day I hope to return’. The Lake District, and Buttermere in particular, definitely falls into this category and I hope you can understand why from the images you see here.

After a long interlude of twelve years, I am pleased to say that a few weeks ago I was walking along the shoreline of Buttermere once again. It was quite early in the day and although the sky was overcast, there were some bright patches of light reflecting off the surface of the water. In many respects these are ideal conditions for black and white photography.

Who knows but one day I would like to head to The Lake District again. If I do, I’ll try not leave it quite so long. After all none of us get any younger and to reach some of the best locations for photography it can involve quite a trek. Hopefully my legs will still get me there! If not these photographs and others captured during our stay will always serve as a reminder of this very beautiful place. That’s the great thing about photography. The images themselves do not have to be 10 out of 10. If all they do is bring back happy memories about a certain time and location, then pressing the shutter to record these moments is a very worthwhile thing to do.

Incidentally all these images were captured with the Leica Q3 and processed in Capture One and Nik Silver Efex Pro. After a few months in use I can truly vouch for what a great camera it is.

There will be more posts of the Lake District coming soon but in the meantime you might like to look at my Lake District Gallery Page. It shows a number of images from my previous visit to the area back in 2013.

Northbound again to the Lake District ….. patiently waiting for the editing to begin

This blog has been rather quiet recently for one very simple reason. I headed north to the Lake District and then up to Scotland for three weeks and I have now returned home. Whilst this trip was holiday first, walking and photography were the draw to head north to some of my favourite destinations.

In the past I would have taken a laptop with me and started editing and processing ‘on the hoof’ so to speak. But on this occasion I decided I would wait until I returned home. In some ways it would extend the holiday, as I could look forward to downloading the images and seeing what I had captured for the first time. Yes I could view them on the back of the camera but they look very different on a large monitor. I also think there is something to be said for allowing time for the images to gestate before any processing is undertaken. I have heard of some photographers who will wait months or even years before they edit a photograph. I am not that patient, but I do believe waiting a few weeks is beneficial. You approach the image afresh, perhaps seeing something in the picture which wasn’t immediately evident at the time the shutter was pressed. I do think a little time results in a better photograph.

The image above is of Derwentwater in the Lake District. It’s a scene I remember taking and I was keen to process the image. There will be many more of course, so as I work through the files, I am looking forward to sharing some of these with you in the coming weeks.

Continuing to document the Dorset countryside … and loving the Leica Q3

It’s only been a few weeks since I purchased my Leica Q3 and in that short period of time I have already grown to love this camera. I have become familiar with its controls and settings. I am really enjoying the 28mm field of view and my eye has quickly adapted to see potential compositions using this focal length. The addition of a hand and thumb grip plus a soft release button have improved the handling and it now feels very comfortable to hold and use. The files are simply stunning and the dynamic range of the sensor is unlike anything I have used in the past.

My collection of images of the Dorset countryside near to my home continues to grow. Here are just a few photographs I have made with the Leica Q3. Seeing these images on screen is one step away from making prints, and I am increasingly inspired to do so in the near future.

Farm buildings, Dorset — *Let’s store it here*

Farm buildings — *Late afternoon – West Farm*

A simple signpost yet a symbol of an ever changing countryside

A few weeks ago I walked along a footpath, a path I had followed many times before. At the junction with another bridleway stood an old signpost. Years of weathering had caused the wood to deform and split. I suspect the post itself was rotten where it emerged from the ground. Layers of lichen and moss had partially covered the names of the nearby villages – Turners Puddle, Throop and Tolpuddle. The fingerpost had character, a patina which would only appear given the passage of time. It complemented the farmland backdrop.

This simple scene spoke to me; a reminder of all the people that had worked on the land and had walked or ridden a horse along the bridleway between these old Dorset settlements. It was more than worthy of a photograph and I am so pleased I did so.

I returned to this same location only yesterday and I was saddened to find the old sign had been removed. It had been replaced with a new post with plastic signage. To my eyes this new sign was bereft of personality. There was no inclusion now of village names. I had the feeling that it was symbolic of the urban environment encroaching on the beauty of the countryside.

I fully accept that the old sign wouldn’t have lasted forever and at some point it would need replacing. However a ‘like for like’ timber sign would in my view have been a more sympathetic choice. If only I had personally witnessed its removal. I think I would have asked the contractor if I could take it home with me and find it a new home in my garden.

This change clearly illustrates and reinforces why I choose to photograph the rural area around me. To record what I see knowing that change is inevitable. It will probably happen very slowly of course and in truth I suspect very little will actually change in my lifetime, but change it will. However given recent Government announcements, which are sure to affect the farming community here in the UK, I feel the pace of change will only accelerate.

A photograph is all about capturing a moment in time, so I need to go out with my camera and document what I see before it’s no longer there.

Photographic workflow – Part 3 ….. Processing in the digital darkroom ….. the before and after

In part two of this short series I wrote about my approach to image capture with a particular reference to my recent purchase of a Leica Q3. Buying a new camera is always an exciting time. I couldn’t wait to begin editing the first shots I had taken and to see for myself just how good the files are from a 60mp sensor when seen through a 28mm f1.7 Summilux fixed prime lens.

Full of eager anticipation I plugged the SD card into my laptop, downloaded the files into Capture One but was very disappointed with the results. Why you ask? Well I have to admit to a schoolboy error. Before buying the Q3 I didn’t check whether or not my version of Capture One would support the Q3 DNG RAW files. It didn’t; the RAW converter wasn’t compatible and I had no choice but to purchase and install the latest version of Capture One. Problem solved but I hadn’t allowed for this additional cost. Lesson learned I could now move on and start editing the files and I was blown away by the quality and detail. Everything I had read in various reviews was there on the screen in front of me.