Richard is a freelance photographer who is inspired by traditional sail, many of his photographs are taken at the Tall Ship Races as well as other traditional sail regattas. The images are available as wall art, framed open and limited edition giclee prints on paper and canvas. He regularly exhibits at arts and craft shows around the UK.
Traditional Sail
My interest in traditional sail comes from owning and renovating two gaff rigged cutters built by Martin Heard of Mylor. Starting with an 18′ Tosher and working my way up to a 23′ Falmouth Working Boat, a hull designed by the late Percy Dalton and intended for use dredging Oysters under sail.
Photography
From a photographic viewpoint I find water and light a combination that never disappoints, a contrasting world of light and dark where colour seems superfluous, at times an ethereal place where the boats themselves often appear anchored only by their reflections.
Equipment
The images are captured using a Nikon digital camera and lenses. With recent work I have experimented with tone mapping and HDR software, this creates a tonal range far greater than that achievable with a single shot, perhaps something a bit closer to what you see with the minds eye. Although I try to keep the images as realistic as possible I find this technique improves the detail in the sky, rigging and shadows. Very handy when your shooting into the light.
Printing
I like printing on canvas as the texture lends itself to the subject matter and I enjoy using the new ‘Baryta’ papers now available they have the look and feel of the classic bromide papers that we once used in the darkroom. All except one of the black and white images in the limited edition gallery are printed on this. My current printer of choice is an Epson on which I use my own profiles to get the the best out of the camera, ink and paper combinations.
