Photo of the Day: 'Lambscape' photographer Gary Davies captures an incredible figure in a landscape, with a difference
(Image credit: Gary Davies)
A figure in a landscape is a tried-and-tested method for anchoring a sprawling vista with a clear subject. But we tend to think of a human figure in this instance, not a sheep... When Gary Davies (AKA @justgaz) visited the beautiful landscape surrounding Wastwater – England's deepest lake – with his Nikon Z8 and Z 24-120mm f/4 S, it was never his intention to capture a Herdwick 'photobomber' in the process.
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He told me: "My intention that day was landscape photography. The opportunity to take this shot arose, while I was considering a landscape composition." Gary didn't have much time to think so he captured the image. But what makes this image work so well as a figure in a landscape is that it isn't a photograph of a sheep. It's a landscape with a sheep in it.
"My intention that day was landscape photography. The opportunity to take this shot arose, while I was considering a landscape composition..."
The temptation could have been to zoom or crop into the animal, but Gary chose to frame his woolly sitter within the environment. "The Herdwick ewe was in the right place at the right time," he admits. And so was the light. If the animal's position wasn't enough, the thin avenue of light, breaking through the clouds is highlighting the sheep perfectly, pulling it from its dark and moody surroundings.
Gary's top tip for capturing a figure in a landscape…
Landscape photography is usually about careful planning and coming up with the perfect composition. But when an instance like this presents itself, you've little choice but to be reactive. As Gary puts it: "The only advice I would give is not to worry about bad lighting, just take a chance and take the shot." Once you've got a shot in the bag, so long as the moment hasn't passed, you can always stick around to see if the conditions become more favorable.
Mike is Digital Camera World's How To Editor. He has over a decade of experience, writing for some of the biggest specialist publications including Digital Camera, Digital Photographer and PhotoPlus: The Canon Magazine. Prior to DCW, Mike was Deputy Editor of N-Photo: The Nikon Magazine and Production Editor at Wex Photo Video, where he sharpened his skills in both the stills and videography spheres. While he's an avid motorsport photographer, his skills extend to every genre of photography – making him one of Digital Camera World's top tutors for techniques on cameras, lenses, tripods, filters and other imaging equipment – as well as sharing his expertise on shooting everything from portraits and landscapes to abstracts and architecture to wildlife and, yes, fast things going around race tracks...
