Photography trips outside of Newcastle are important to broaden one’s horizons and explore different territory and techniques, so Artist Serena Korda and I travelled with our cameras and recording equipment to Kielder Reservoir to photograph and record both natural and man-made beauty amongst the trees, water and dark dark skies.

Located in Northumberland Kielder is the largest artificial lake in the UK by volume and was awarded Gold Tier Dark Sky Park status by the International Dark Skies Association (IDA) in December 2013, making it one of the darkest places in the UK so for anyone into Astrophotography it really is a gem. The surrounding forests and wildlife also serve as amazing photography opportunities for Landscape photographers and birdwatchers alike.

It was the first time I’d ever got much out of my ND filter as in the past I’ve always just shot with a bare lens on my camera. I’m not sure how I managed to be a landscape photographer for so long without one but maybe I just like to make life difficult for myself.

The results were really pleasing as I was able to keep the shutter open for much longer and therefore flattened out the water of the lake much like you see in really cheesy Ikea crop landscape photographs that you buy ready framed for £20.

I also stuck on the 50mm 1.8 to my camera and shot some Brenizer Method (Bokehrama) of Serena as she was sat recording the ambient sounds of nature. This is a favourable technique when out on a photography story as it really puts focus on the subject while letting the bokeh and the surrounding beauty really intertwine. It produces amazingly large file portraits where human and nature really merge. If you’d like to do more with your portraits then I’d definitely recommend learning this powerful photography hack.

For the whole Photography series visit my Portfolio website here for photographs of Newcastle and other places Worldwide.

Chris Egon Searle