Artists of Waterscape Photography: Glenn-Crouch

Sep 23, 201611 min read

Deviation Actions

Published: Sep 23, 2016

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Hello and welcome to an interview series that will introduce the artists of our monthly themed categories at AnimalsPlantsNature group! September is Waterscape Photography month and so we're excited to be bringing you an interview with a talented scenery photographer to get a closer look at their artwork and their thoughts behind the pieces they submits to the DeviantArt community... Glenn-Crouch!

Introducing Glenn-Crouch!

Who is Glenn-Crouch? Tell us a bit about yourself!

My name is Glenn and I call myself a serious hobbyist photographer. That is, I'm not a professional and I'm not trying to make money out of my photography (I'm lucky if I sell 1 or 2 prints a year). Photography has always been an interest in my life, from when I was about 8 years old and I was given a little instamatic film camera for my birthday. With the advent of digital I bought my first DSLR (Nikon D80) about 5 years ago and haven't looked back. I work in the Government sector which funds my hobby and allows me to get a new camera body every 3-4 years (seascaping is very hard on gear). I've been a member of DA for 8 years, I'm a big art lover and DA allows me to view all forms of art in one place.

What attracts you to Animals, Plants, & Nature photography?

Ever since I was a kid I've always enjoyed the beach and being outside, and now getting out every weekend to the coast and being near the ocean is my form of meditation and recharging my batteries.

What do you find to be the most challenging part of Waterscape Photography?

Trying to interpret the arcane art of weather forecasting!

What does a typical shoot consist of for you?

I start looking at the weather forecast on Thursday. What I'm looking for is cloud. I hate clear skies and don't shoot them, so I rely on 2 or 3 different weather forecast sites to give me a picture of what the cloud cover will be like on the Australian east coast. I also look at ocean conditions, tide & swell size etc. This will help me decide on a location, as some locations can only be shot at low tide and/or low swell. By Friday night I'll have decided on a location and will prep my gear, check batteries, clean filters etc. I normally shoot with at least one other person as some of the locations I go to are quite remote. Safety is key.

What is the most exciting (or scary even!) thing that has happened to you during a photoshoot?

Most exciting thing I've seen recently was while I was shooting sunrise at a place called Little Bay, near Albany on the far south west corner of Western Australia. We had some really nice light and we were standing on a rocky hill overlooking the beach when a pod of humpback whales cruised past the shoreline, not more than 150 metres away. As the sun came up we stood and watched the whales cruise around the bay for 20 minutes before they resumed their migration north. A magical morning !

What kind of camera gear do you own/use the most when shooting waterscape photographs? What software do you use for post processing and what sort of editing do you normally do?

My primary setup is my Nikon D810 and Nikkor 16-35mm lens. I love shooting wide for landscapes. I do sometimes alternate with my Nikkor 14-24mm for low light stuff but the filters can be problematic in handling. I use a combination of slide in and screw on filters depending on conditions. I use Lee soft neutral density filters and Formatt & Breakthrough screw on filters.

I use Photoshop CC for all my editing. Naturally I shoot in RAW and generally will have between 5 - 15 layers in the file by the time I'm finished editing the final image.

How do you improve your skill as a photographer? Are you self-taught or are you professionally trained, etc?

A combination of self taught by downloading numerous tutorial videos by professional landscape photographers and attending a few local workshops run by Sydney based photographers. Swapping tips and tricks with people I shoot with also helps.

You photograph a lot of long-exposures. What is it about long-exposure photography that appeals to you?

I have always like long exposure photography before I even knew what it was. It's the aesthetic of smooth water and streaky clouds that appeals to me artistically and naturally as soon as I learnt how to take long exposures I was hooked.

Can you tell us how you captured and finished this photo?

This was Turimetta beach in Sydney which is renowned as a seascape photographer's mecca. I've always loved the combination of sand and rocks on this beach and this morning in particular the swell & tide was pushing up the sand. I liked the back flow against the rock and took a few frames until I got the desired effect I was after. For water flow like this I normally shoot a fairly short shutter speed, around 1/3 sec so there's enough movement in the water but not so much as the water smoothes out. In Ps I enhanced the contrast to define the textures in the water and dialed up the colours to bring out the browns & greens.

What is one thing you know now that you wish you had known when first starting out?

Not to buy cheap filters! I went through 2 sets before realising I had to invest in some good quality filters that didn't have a horrible colour cast.

What is your advice for aspiring waterscape photographers?

Take the time to develop your own style, shoot what makes you happy and pursue whatever vision makes you happy. Don't fall into the trap of shooting for what you think people will like. The landscape photography community is huge and someone will like your work regardless of what the detractors say.