Joe Cornish
One of the top British Landscape photographers
Joe Cornish is a renowned and highly respected traditional British Landscape Photographer best known for his near 20 year long contribution of Landscape work to the national trust and for his columns and articles in the British Photographic press
I Have been inspired and been influenced by the photography of this great famous British landscape photographer for a long time now. His style is very unique and he is renown the word over for his breath taking Landscape photography. His Landscapes inspire photographers from all over the world
I was fortunate enough to meet this photographer recently at our local college who put on a Joe Cornish photography eveing for students and friends at our college, an event that proved to be a great success.
Joe talked about his photography for 2 hours, giving us all a deep insight into his world of Landscapes which was accompanied by a display of his images, digitally and in print. He was a really nice guy who gave us all a lot of tips on how to shoot such an interesting subject and didn't hold back any secrets on how to produce such lovely images
I asked Joe questions on where and why he chooses his locations to shoot his photography?. He told us all, that good photograph's can be achieved at any interesting locations, it's basically all down to the photographer's eye to source the right shot
His Lanscape work from the Lake District has inspired some of my photography which can be seen further down this page
A lake District Landscape taken with his
Ebony 5x4in field camera and 90mm lens
This shot owes a lot to the moody sky which I
assume was taken in the evening due to the long shadows
Another famous shot from this photographer
This is a shot of Roseberry Topping
a famous hill at the top of the North Yorkshire moors
Joe's inspiration for a lot of his photography came from the famous photographer Ansel Adams who worked as a park ranger for 8 years in the Yosemite national park area of America. This photographer was very lucky living in the vicinity of such beautiful scenery which gave him a great advantage of having an abundance of brilliant photographic subjects right on his doorstep
Joe Cornish was born in Exeter England but later moved to North Yorshire to pursue his love of Lanscapes and the great outdoors. He emulated Adam's skills and philosophy of photography by living on the doorstep of some of our country's finest scenery near the Yorkshire dales and the Lake District. It was from these area's he started to compile some of his greatest master pieces
Shown here are some of his famous landscapes
Banborough Castle
Derwent water in the Lake District
Shown above are some of Joe's most Iconic images
Shown below are some of Joe's lake district shots taken from that region. You can tell by the crop of the images below which indicate they were taken with a 5" x 4" camera
Shown below is a selection of some of my Lake district Photography shots when I visited the area earlier in the Autumn this year
I have taken a lot of inspiration,tips and techniques from Joe Cornish's Landscape work and applied it to my own photography which has helped me to produce better Landscape photographs and improve my overall photography
Equipment
Shown below is some of the equipment that Joe Cornish uses to produce his photography. He mainly uses a 5"X 4" Medium format Ebony camera for his Landscape work, a camera that he swears by and is forever at his side
Camera's
Some of the cameras he uses are Nikon, Voigtlander Bessa, Mamiya 7 and Hasselblad but the vast majority of his landscape work is shot with an Ebony 5x4in field camera.
The lenses he uses
He uses a wide range of lenses, from 58mm to 360 and even 500 occasionally. But most of my work is made with 90mm, 110mm, 150mm or 210mm optics.He uses wide-angle, normal or short telephoto lens for most of his images. He owns lenses from Schneider, Rodenstock, Fujinon and Nikon. All provide excellent image quality
One of his Lake District Images
Below is a section on the equipment that Joe Cornish uses. I researched this information from the internet and from Joe's own personal website.
Joe Cornish describes and comments on his equipment and techniquesOn the camera
I have an Ebony 45SU. Mine is a slightly simplified version of the standard SU, with the rear swing and shift deleted, and it is made from mahogany, considerably lighter (if less beautiful) than the full spec Ebony model. The Ebony 45SU is, in my opinion, the easiest to deploy, fastest to set up fully featured field camera ever made. Its asymmetric rear tilt is so quick to use it is virtually the field camera equivalent of autofocus! It is so easy it sometimes feels like cheating.
On film
The thriving state of large format landscape photography today has been built on two crucial leaps forward in film production. The first was Polaroid's introduction of 5x4in Readyload film sheets, a logical evolution of their existing instant film product. This concept has now been taken over by Kodak, and Fujifilm with their virtually identical Quickload system. Freed from the shackles of the darkroom or light tent, photographers can now carry more film for much less weight than in traditional double dark slide film holders.
The second great innovation was Fujifilm's Velvia ISO 50 emulsion, introduced in 1989. Now, after seventeen years as the landscape photographer's favourite, Fujifilm have discontinued Velvia. While this is not a forum for discussing the reasons why, I feel it is worth remembering that this was a film that recorded some of the most amazing photographs of the natural world ever seen.
For my part I feel that my career as a landscape photographer has been built on Velvia. Wildlife and sports photographers embraced it too, valuing its saturated yet natural colour balance. Fujifilm's two ISO 100 Velvia replacements are very good films, but they are not the same. It will be interesting to see if one day they will reintroduce the original in a superior, updated form. I hope so.
On tripods and heads
A tripod is almost as crucial to my photography as a camera, for I wouldn't want to handhold anything whose image quality really mattered to me, whatever the shutter speed or camera. I have used both Gitzo and Manfrotto tripods all my career, and I even have a Benbo when I need to work in deep water! Manfrotto make great value tripods, but Gitzo carbon fibre range are at the top of the tripod food chain, being unbeatably stronger and lighter than any equivalent models. I have a G1227, a G1327 and a G1548, depending on how far I have to walk. In practice the mid-range model is the one I use the most.
A good tripod head is in some ways as vital as the legs. Manfrotto's 410 and 405 geared heads are brilliant for landscape. Lighter is the Gitzo 2270M pan and tilt head, and I also have the Really Right Stuff ball head, the only ball head I would be happy to use with my field camera. It is an expensive masterpiece of engineering.
On filters
I have used the Lee Filter system since long before I started endorsing their products seven or eight years ago. A landscape photographer needs absolutely neutral ND grads to control brightness range on colour transparency film, and Lee have always made the most neutral ND grads. They also make by far the best designed of the system filter holders. Not only that, but they are a British company, manufacturing in the UK, they have impeccable quality control standards, and they bend over backwards to help photographers in every way they can. They are among the real good guys of photography.
On digital
Let me get this straight. I think digital technology is amazing, brilliant, spectacular. It has helped revive photography in general, and is now making photography more accessible to everyone. It is a fantastic teaching tool on workshops. The quality of modern cameras is sensational. Trouble is, I am perfectly happy doing what I am doing. For now.
I use digital technology all the time anyway, as I scan my images for publication repro. They can then be altered and manipulated in Photoshop like any digital capture image can. Not that I do that. My aim is to reproduce as perfectly as I can what I saw out there. Where film fails to do that, Photoshop works in the same way as the traditional darkroom to restore imperfect colour and recover dark shadow detail for example. But mostly I aim to simply reproduce the transparency.
Below is a link to Joe Cornish's website with galleries and information about the photographer
Some more images from this fine photographer
Shown below is an extract from the National Trust Website that Joe works for depicting some of his photography. Joe photography of the lake district can be seen on these pages. Not only is is site inspirational for Joe Cornish's photography but it also a great source for Ideas and places to visit to capture some great photography
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Lake District countryside |
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The National Trust has cared for the iconic mountains, fells, and farms of the Lake District for over 100 years. Each valley has a unique character - whether remote or bustling - there's something to inspire every nature lover, adrenalin seeker, literary maestro or archaeology buff...
Borrowdale
 © NTPL / David Noton
This is a spectacular landscape of rugged crags, inviting fells and wooded valleys. Borrowdale includes half of Derwentwater and the well preserved Castlerigg Stone Circle near Keswick. It has been a favourite haunt of artists and writers over the years, including Beatrix Potter.
Buttermere and Ennerdale
 © NTPL / David Noton
This tranquil area of dramatic fells, farms and woodland encompasses three lakes: Buttermere, Crummock and Loweswater. Take a boat out to enjoy the lakes from a different perspective or to see if the fish are biting.
Coniston & Tarn Hows
© NTPL / Mike Williams
Take to the water: one of the best ways to view Coniston Water and its surrounding scenery is to take a ride on the steam yacht Gondola. At the head of Coniston Water, Tarn Hows, with its magnificent views of the mountains, is one of Coniston's favourite beauty spots.
Grasmere and Great Langdale
© NTPL / Leo Mason
You'll find a wide range of walking opportunities, from high fells to lakeside and woodland paths, across this classic Wordsworth countryside. Stay outdoors in the fantastically located National Trust campsite at the head of Great Langdale, a sweeping glaciated valley.
Hawkshead and Claife
 © Cumbria Tourism
Explore Hawkshead, a classic Lakeland village surrounded by beautiful scenery. The village is home to the Beatrix Potter Gallery. You can take a 4-mile walk from the village along the side of Lake Windermere for superb lakeside views and discover hill walks and woodland paths along the way.
Ullswater and Aira Force
 © NTPL / Joe Cornish
Follow in Wordsworth's footsteps as you roam around the site of his famous daffodils. Ullswater is one of the most beautiful lakes in the Lake District, which winds through a glaciated valley. One of the highlights of a visit is the impressive Aira Force waterfall, around which you can follow dramatic walks.
Wasdale, Eskdale and Duddon
 © NTPL/ Joe Cornish
Wasdale is the home of England's highest mountain, Scafell Pike, and deepest lake, Wastwater. This wild area of the Lake District is remote, quiet and dramatic. There are well-marked footpaths which offer access to the fells. Extend your visit by staying at the stunningly located National Trust campsite at Wasdale Head.
Windermere and Troutbeck
 © NTPL / Joe Cornish
You'll discover fine varied walking country around Lake Windermere, at the heart of the Lake District. Hire a boat and take to the lake itself, or use the network of footpaths to reach the best high-level views. There are lots of options for places to visit, including Ambleside Roman Fort and Troutbeck Park, which was once owned by Beatrix Potter. |
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