Landscapes and My Approach

Looking out to sea to one the many Groynes which line Gorleston Beach.
16 November 2019 - ISO 100, 13mm, f14.0, 10s


Those of you that have been following me recently will know I’m no longer offering professional photography services. In my recent post What’s Next https://www.martinjpatterson.co.uk/what-next I mention my desire to get back to landscape photography again.

It’s where I started my photography journey, but was increasingly sidelined as my portrait workload increased. Happily I have managed to get out and about, dusting off my tripod and filters to take some landscape images once again.
Whilst I’m sharing my most recent landscape work I thought I’d give you an insight to my approach to landscape photography.


A long exposure shot of the River Yare looking towards Southtown and South Denes from Gorleston Pier.
23 November 2019 - ISO 100 13mm f10 70secs


Another long exposure image from the same spot as above, but looking towards the river mouth.
23 November 2019 - ISO 100 11mm f10 206secs

For a start, it’s for me. That may sound selfish, but it’s now a hobby again and is only for pleasure. Already via my Landscape Facebook and Instagram accounts, I have had enquiries regarding selling prints. It may happen in the future, but right now I want to concentrate on taking the shots, not going back to more admin work, which was one of the reasons I stopped my pro work in the first place.

I won’t be prolific. By which I mean numbers of images produced. I am quite particular about what I photograph and even more so with what I share publicly. My Landscapes are about quality not quantity. There are a couple of recent examples of what I mean here;
After my first shoot a few weeks back, I shared the first image in this post. Someone kindly shared it on a facebook group, and asked if I would post more from the shoot. Now, I had spent around no more than two hours on Gorleston Beach, which included me getting to the various areas, finding a suitable composition and executing the shots. In that amount of time I am content if I get one shot I am happy with. That was the standout shot for me, yes there were a few more I could have posted, but I had slight doubts about them so I didn’t post them.


The Lifeguard Station on Gorleston Beach
23 November 2019 - ISO 100, 13mm, f10, 514seconds

The second example shows one of the frustrations of landscape photography. I am writing this post because I have come home early from a trip to Burgh Castle. I had a couple of shots in mind to try. One involved a shot close to the river. When I arrived at my chosen spot, I found the water levels were too high, which meant I couldn’t get into the position I wanted and therefore not the composition I wanted. There were also a lot of people about, walking and enjoying the area. All of which meant it was a no-no. I always have a plan B at Burgh Castle, so when I decided Plan A wasn’t happening I headed off to my fall back image, but there was already someone in the spot I had in mind. I did try to work from an area close to it, but the compositions and position of the setting sun wasn’t happening for me. So I made the decision to pack up and go home. It is quite deflating when this happens, but it happens a lot more than people may realise, but makes landscapes more rewarding when you finally get the shot you’re after.


The famous local landmark of the Breakwater taken from Gorleston Pier.
23 November 2019 - ISO 100, 35mm, f11 5 seconds



As well as blog posts on this site, you can follow my landscape work on Facebook and Instagram.

Instagram: @mjplandscapes Facebook Page: MJP Landscape Photography Website: Landscape Portfolio