Tales of a Wandering Photographer

Ted Leeming

From traditional landscape and the impressionist, to more recent explorations of land use, climate and biodiversity, my work centres around an evolving consideration of place that forms the ‘Zero Footprint’, low carbon concept I share with my wife and fellow photographer, Morag Paterson. More recent works include the collaborative Energise, Fantastic Forest Festival and Artful Migration residencies, Where the Wild Things Are, and an immersive ‘Commute’ - by ebike - from Scotland to Italy. Find out more about our work please visit our blog, “Wanderings of a Photographic Duo”

leemingpaterson.com

As photographers, we are all on a journey. As with any journey, each is unique, the options unlimited and we each choose our own route. They all differ and there is no right or wrong. It’s a very personal thing. The journey can equally be a single project or portfolio or even cover an entire career. It can be very targeted or quite varied, but both are progressive. For many of us, at least at times, the journey can become confusing but if we have an idea as to our direction of travel, an objective, from the outset it can make the journey far easier.

When you look at the work of some of the great photographers you can often see a clear understanding of direction. A perfected expression of place combining vision, mood, technique, style and the individual eye to ultimately capture the soul of the location at a moment in time in an image. Their personalities are revealed by a subtly combined execution of many elements including format, subject, composition, lens, time, settings and post production and a profound understanding of light and how it reacts to the sensor or film. A personal reaction to place, light, season, weather, time of day. The ability to capture varying conditions that present themselves on any given day with respect to their personal style. 

For others, the journey is more varied. My own has seen me travel down a variety of paths including the odd cul-de-sac, motorway dead end and some sublime single track roads. My travels have developed through traditional, impressionist, minimalist, contemporary monochromatic (though rarely black and white), etc. with each project informing the next as my knowledge grows and the journey continues. Each informs the last and I revisit roads previously travelled with the increased information gained from all that has gone before.  But as I commenced my latest journey I was profoundly shaken as events required me to radically change my approach and perceived thinking on capturing landscapes to suit immediate and personal circumstances. The same journey but most definitely a new road. Let me explain.