Researching - Liza Dracup...

Liza Dracup is a photographer who focuses on the Landscape of the British Isles. She has produced a large collection of work which she exhibits. Some of her work is in private and public collections. She has been inspired by Atkinson Grimshaws work. He makes great use of light and colour and location and some of his work is reminiscent of Turner's Paintings.

Her collection called 'Sharpes Wood' was nominated for the Prix Pictet EARTH Photographic Prize. The ' Sharpes wood' pieces are taken at night, thereby showing us what can only be seen by the camera. She exhibits her work at various galleries throughout the country.

Dracup's work is tinged "with myth and memory". Her interest in woods and night harks back to childish fear and excitement of the unknown. Her work verges almost upon the fairytale. 'Sharpes Wood' was comissioned by The Impressions Gallery and took four years to finish.

These two photos I have chosen from the 'Sharpes Wood' collection.

There are twenty three images to this series.

The first picture was taken at night  and leads the eye into the middle distance. The compostion has a tree lit by the flash in the foreground and then the light fades as it goes into the shadowy background. The picture is very haunting and the colour almost unbelievable. It could be from any time. I think that she has enhanced the colours to add to the drama. There are various shades of gold, purple and a cold blue. These works are viewed in exhibitions around the country. I would like to be able to use her work as a reference for some of my final images as I enjoy the ways in which she plays with light and colour. I am a fan of changing the Colour Enhancement.

The second picture that I have chosen in this series shows the cool reflections of trees in a woodland lake. Again this is taken at night and the depth of the background contrasts well with the muted greens of the middle and foreground. The picture is at one and the same time mysterious and yet soporific. The atmosphere is slightly unnerving as though the viewer is in a state of trance waiting for something to happen.

'Whitby' (Moonlight) 2010

This picture is number ten of a series of eighteen from the 'Chasing the Gloaming' collection. It is a beautiful photo of moonlight reflecting on the sea. Again it has the silhouette theme that I like and the lighting is so subtle that it almost looks like a painting. It is a very romatic and evocative photo and is almost mesmeric. The main colours are greys and silver with the silhouette lit by an orange glow.

'Green Circle' - Tree & Moon 2011

(This photo again is from 'Chasing the Gloaming').

This photograph is circular on a green/grey background. The moon shines low through mist and trees. This photo will have been digitally manipulated with the use of the frame. It would be ideal to digitally manipulate as the setting is almost fantasy. For this body of work the photographer was much influenced by Atkinson Grimshaw (a victorian artist). Dracup was inspired by his use of light, colour, subject and location.I find that the frame transports it from photo into a piece of art.

Researching - Bill Atkinson...

As a young child Atkinson cut out nature photographs from the Arizona Highways Magazine. He pinned them on his bedroom wall and this was his original inspriration to begin his life photographing nature. He spent forty years perfecting his art, always looking for that elusive hidden beauty to be found in nature. He photographs Landscapes and also Close-ups. He is a pioneer of Digital Printing Technologies and has passed on his expertise to many more photographers.

He was a member of The Original Macintosh Team at Apple Computer for twelve years, designing a lot of the user interface and wrote the QuickDraw, MacPaint and HyperCard software. He uses what he has learnt to perfect his own art, using the accuracy and creative control.


His Close-up pictures, mainly of stones, look very much like abstract paintings. He wrote a book using these photgraphs called "Within the Stone".

Artists Statement:
" Photography begins not in the camera but in the mind and the eye. The real work is one of noticing and appreciating, seeing things clearly and differently, and sharing that vision with others. I have developed my vision and my photographic craft in order to bring the beauty of nature to light in a fresh way that can inspire and nourish people." - Bill Atkinson.

1029 Quinault Rainforest - Bill Atkinson

This photograph is from the collection titled 'Pacific Northwest' located in the Olympic Peninsula, Washington on a Nikon Camera using a 35mm Format. I found this photo on his Official Website. The style is Documentary and brings the exotic to the viewer. The picture was taken in 2007. The photo is taken deep in the forest and shows a moss covered trunk as the main subject which is surrounded by various flora.  The light projects down form the canopy emphasizing the shadows and bringing out the different textures and shades of green, this being the prime colour.

It is a relatively close up photo giving a view of the dense foreground. There are 48 images to this series. He displays his work on the internet, in magazines and newspapers.

1530 Sunrise at Red Sands Beach - Bill Atkinson

This photograph is from the 'Hawaii' collection and the location is Maui, Hawaii. He has used a Hasselblad Camera. The photo comprises of a rugged Silhouetted Rock set in the foreground and a dramatic sunrise as the backdrop. There can also be seen Choppy waves crashing onto the rocks. This picture is full of romantic drama with fiery clouds hanging under blue skies. The silhoutte is in stark contrast to the colour of the background. This photo is full of power and emotion. I would like to take a photo in silhouette because I love the contrast between a flat outline and the movement of the sky or landscape behind. The effectiveness of this type of photo relies heavily on timing and requires quite a lot of patience and luck.

Researching - Ansel Adams...

Ansel Adams is a photographer who captured some of the most beautiful, inspiring and Grand pictures of the American Landscapes, and because of his art and his personal interest, helped to protect and preserve it.

Adams visited the Yosemite National Park in 1916 and fell in love with it, taking pictures on his first camera. He went back each summer working at various jobs and began to perfect his own style of photography. He was an acknowleged wilderness photographer by the age of 34 and was also brilliant in the Dark Room. He developed a set of guidelines for planning the exposure and development of negatives and this he called the "Zone System". This allowed him to control the contrast of light and dark.

He founded the department of photgraphy at The Museum of Modern Art in New York. In 1936, he petitioned congress to create a National Park in Kings River Canyon in California and his photographs of this area helped to convince the lawmakers to agree and the Kings River Canyon was made a National Park in 1940.


He was comissioned to produce a series of photos of the National Park System for the department of Interior Museum and produced 225 prints, now kept in the National Archives in Washington. The second World War stopped the project but some of these photographs were reproduced from negatives and these are of particular interest to me.

Ansel Adams 'Road'

I particularly like this one as I'm obsessed with the cloudscape while capturing images. I also like roads that lead to "somewhere". It leaves a lot to the imagination. I am fond of images that let you think and make up your own conclusions. I like the bluntness on the title ; he hasn't tried to complicate matters, he simply states the obvious and leaves the rest up to the viewer. The composition is positioned nicely, as it seems to be rather symmetrical.To me the distance stands out the most in this picture, it just goes on and on and on...

Branches in Snow - Ansel Adams

This picture is a close up of thin pine branches at the base of a tree, weighed down by snow. It is a balck and white photo taken round about 1932. It is part of the Yosemite Special Edition Photographs. This particular picture has been used in books and as prints. The reason I like this photo is that it veers away from the usual photos of vast landscapes that I normally like. Although it is a close up, I feel that there is plenty to see as it is very detailed. Looking at it long enough you could almost imagine it as a landscape. It provides a contrast with the other photographs that I have chosen for my research. I like the shape and form of the pine needles and the texture contrast.

His photgraphs are in black and white and far from simplifying the scenery, it adds depth and awe. The scenes are powerful and strong and have an emotional pull on the viewer. Great effect is made of the play of light shadow and it brings to mind how small mankind is when compared to the nature around us.


I would like to try and emulate his style but with the British countryside which is a softer and less harsh enviroment but which still has its mysterious and dramatic side.