Don McCullin was a photographer’s assistant in the RAF during 1956. He failed the written theory test to become a photographer in the RAF and spent his service in the darkroom. This was when he bought his first camera for £30 but on returning to Britain he had to pawn it.

In 1958 he took a photograph of a London gang called The Guvnors in a bombed out building. He was encouraged by his colleges to submit his photo to The Observer and they published it. This began McCullin on his life of being a photographer.

Between 1966 and 1984 he worked as a photographer overseas for Sunday Times recording catastrophes such as war and the victims of the Africa AIDS epidemic. His work in the Vietnam war is very well renowned and honored by many photographers.

In 1968 McCullin’s Nikon stopped a bullet intended for him but this did not effect his passion for recording in these dangerous areas. In 1982 the British Government refused to grant McCullin a press pass to cover the Falklands war claiming the boat was full. He believed it was because the Thatcher Government felt the images might be too disturbing politically. He was also invited to photograph The Beatles at the height of their fame which was an easier and more trendy assignment.

Later in his life McCullin has turned to Landscape photography. With much of work being presented in exhibitions throughout England. He was named as the ‘Photo London Master of Photography’ in 2016.

Quotes:

“Digital photography can be a totally lying experience – you can move what you want, the whole thing can’t be trusted really “

 “I have risked my life endless times, and ended up in hospital with all kinds of burns and shell wounds. I have those reptile eyes that see behind and in front of me. I’m constantly trying to stay alive. I’m aware of warfare, of hidden mines.”

“Landscape photography shows spaces within the world, sometimes vast and unending, but other times microscopic. Landscape photographs typically capture the presence of nature but can also focus on man-made features or disturbances of landscapes. Landscape photography is done for a variety of reasons” – Wikipedia

Landscape photography explores places in the world that are usually seen as continuous and never ending by implementing sublime, detailed landscapes in conjunction with beautiful skies that set a mood with a phenomenon known as pathetic fallacy. Some photos may have dark, dull and high contrast skies made up of dark blues, grays and blacks to set a negative mood/tone, whereas others may be brighter and happier in tone with the implementation of natural sunlight, often being used at dawn or dusk when the light is less harsh and makes for cooler, more vivid colours with hints of yellow, orange, red, pinks and purples adding to the photos colour palatte. This makes it possible to tell stories through landscape photography, often having many underlying meanings for the observer to decipher.

Most of the time, this type of photography is meant to show the presents of nature, but it can also contain man-made features that have disturbed the nature such as city skylines.

However, landscape photography doesn’t normally show much human movement and mostly focuses on the pure signs of nature and extreme weather. Photographers are inspired and challenged by the beauty of nature ever since the begging of the landscape photography up to this day.

WHAT IS ROMANTICISM?

The Romantic era was an artistic, musical and intellectual movement in Europe towards the end of the 18th century. Romantic era lasted approximately from 1800 to 1850. The movement of art/intelligence showed intense emotions such as terror and fear. All of those emotions were shown by the perfection and the beauty of nature.

Ansel was born on the 20th February 1902, he died on the 22nd april 1984. He was an amazing photographer who based many photos on the american west. He helped create the group f/64. A group of photographers that preferred sharp focus and a range of tonal colors.

Landscape photography presents the worlds natural areas and open spaces, often from far away, but can close in on specific corners of an environment. They are typically used to display wildly natural scenes but can also include features of man-made structures

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