A close watch

Good landscape photography takes huge amounts of self-control. Yes, there’s the discipline that means you don’t roll over in bed and ignore that 4am alarm call, but what about once you’re at the location itself? It’s easy to end up in headless-chicken mode – especially if the light and conditions are spectacular – dashing around, firing at will, desperately trying to include everything of interest in the frame, but possibly not capturing the essence of the place.

Taking the decision to turn your back on the grand vista takes even greater self-control. The need to say ‘I was here’ runs deep within many lovers of the landscape. And why not? There’s nothing wrong with wanting to show your friends and family what this spectacular scene looked like at the moment you released the shutter, but for some photographers, there is more to be gleaned from a landscape photograph – and that means going closer, not wider.

David Ward is one such photographer. While this photo workshop leader and former commercial