Digital photography offers many benefits over the old days of film, but one area where the new technology falls short is the constant need for power. Manual film cameras like the classic Nikon FM and FE2 could be used with no battery at all, but today’s hi-tech devices are just fancy paperweights without a battery. I’m often asked how I manage this challenge when traveling in the wilderness and the answer is the sun!
In addition to bringing a good supply of fully charged lithium-ion batteries (which perform remarkably well in the cold) I have a solar panel made by Brunton that rolls up into a small tube and cranks out a powerful 14 watts. That’s enough juice to power a laptop or sat phone and will even charge batteries on overcast days. So with an unlimited source of power and several large capacity memory cards the sky really is the limit when shooting in the backcountry.
Mont Saint-Michel illuminated at night, Normandy, France
Mont Saint-Michel is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and one of France’s most recognizable landmarks. Known as the “Wonder of the Western World”, this island fortress was built in ancient times and since the 8th century has been the seat of the monastery for which it is named.
Perched on a rocky islet at the mouth of the Couesnon River near Avranches, the island is just 600 meters from shore. This unique location made it accessible at low tide to the many pilgrims to its abbey, but also provided an excellent defense against invasion. Through the ages, the Mont remained unconquered even during the Hundred Years’ War.
During the French Revolution the abbey was closed and converted into a prison, but influential figures including Victor Hugo launched a campaign to restore this national architectural treasure to its former glory. The prison was finally closed in 1863, and the mount was declared a national historic monument in 1874.
Throughout the centuries, the abbey became a renowned centre of learning and attracted some of the greatest minds in Europe. Today Mont Saint-Michel has a population of just 44 permanent residents, but is visited by over 3 million tourists each year.
The winding cobblestone streets and fascinating architecture of this medieval town still lead to the Gothic-style Benedictine abbey dedicated to the archangel St Michael at the islands apex, But the pilgrims now come to enjoy the fine dining and spectacular views of the surrounding countryside, and ponder the rich history within these walls.
Fall color along the Merced River, Yosemite National Park, California
In landscape photography we often previsualize a scene in our mind’s eye prior to arriving at a location in order to achieve the final image. Then, working backwards with our equipment selection and knowledge of the scene, we assess the conditions and create that vision.
At the center of this process, our brain is constantly switching back and forth between two ways of perceiving and processing the reality around us — one verbal and analytic, the other visual and perceptual. While the left brain is logical, rationally using words to describe concepts and able to manipulate abstract ideas, numbers and the concept of time, the right brain, in contrast, takes on a holistic approach, sensing relationships and patterns, and tends to be intuitive, emotional, and irrational with no sense of time – much like a child.
When we photograph it is our left brain that confirms the proper exposure, balances the histogram, levels the horizon, and insists that the rule of thirds be followed at all times. From a creative standpoint, this is where we want the right brain to take over and make a subjective leap of faith. By recognising how our brain functions, we have the ability to tap into our creative side and develop new ways of seeing.
Betty Edward’s treatise “Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain” takes a thoughtful look into the fascinating way that our brain works in tandem to balance our creative and cognitive traits. Based on this premise, that the left and right hemispheres of the brain process information in very different ways, she suggests that we can subjectively stimulate our creative responses to the world around us by suppressing the dominant and calculating left side and focusing on the right. Though the book references artists and drawing in particular, it is equally relevant to any of the visual arts.
So the next time you feel the need to expand your visual horizons, resist the temptation to buy another lens or Lightroom filter (as your left brain would likely suggest), and pick up this book instead. The development of your creative perception is an invaluable tool that will serve you well the rest of your life, and the only requirement is time and practice.
