Working to an Influence - Michael Kenna

I was recently introduced to the work of Michael Kenna by My Tutor John Todd. My initial response was slight amazement as to how close Michael's work was to what I had in my own mind as a style and standard that I wanted to create in landscape shots for myself. I had been experimenting before this using home made high stop ND filters for a while with mixed results. I seemed to be getting the exposure and to a degree the composition to an expectable standard but the finishing was lacking somewhat. Feedback from my first assignment also brought to light areas for improvement, especially with finishing and presenting my work.

Here is a link to Kenna's most recent work from his own web site:
My next steps was to get out and give it a go armed with some fresh inspiration, a dirty old welding glass (approx. 10 stops) and an image in my mind of a standard I wanted to aim for. Kenna most often utilises a simplistic approach it seems, the minimalist content of the composition allows for a clean image that expresses without ambiguity. His use of the fundamentals of design are clear with lines, shapes and points apparent without too much scrutiny, the use of these fundamentals in the work seems, often, effortless on his part.

So, here is my image of Durdle Dor on the Dorset Coast. I used a 24mm lens at f22 with a 9 shade welding glass attached as my substitute for a 10 stop ND filter. The exposure took 30 seconds in bright conditions and strong winds which left keeping the camera steady itself was a challenge. Processing made this shot all the better, fresh skills learned the same night after a telephone consolation with John my tutor. The creation of this shot marks a turning point in my photography.



Click on image for a larger view.