ePHOTOzine Chats To Gary King

Image © Gary King

Gary King is a professional photographer based in Devon. After making the leap to digital cameras in the early 2000s, he has been committed to landscape photography ever since. 

These days, he runs landscape workshops across Devon and Cornwall and is passionate about the Samsung NX1 camera he uses. "From a landscape photographer's perspective, the Samsung NX1 is a lightweight, professional camera with an intuitive user interface," he says. "This combined with the i-Function feature on the S lens allows me to quickly make adjustments to a multitude of settings, including the shutter speed and aperture, essential when the light is changing quickly."

Gary feels lucky to be able to reach both the South Hampshire coast and Dartmoor National park, which are both just a short 15-minute drive from where he lives and it's this rugged and beautiful terrain that drew him to landscape photography in the first place. 

This familiarity with the landscape is important he says, for enabling him to take great images. "When I arrive at my chosen location I already have a composition(s) in mind. I always use a tripod and set up my composition before I consider any of the actual shot settings. I focus manually and always set the camera in full manual mode as I like to be in control. The final element of my workflow is to meter the light and decide which or how many neutral density graduated filters I will use in order to correctly expose the image in one shot," he explains. 

Of course, the Samsung NX1 he uses has a contributing factor to the overall quality of his images. "I'm really impressed with the 3-inch tilting FVGA Super AMOLED touchscreen, which produces a vibrant image that is visible even in the brightest of weather conditions. The image quality and depth is superb from its innovative 28 MP sensor, with exceptionally low noise, allowing me to crop images and print them without losing any image quality, which is essential in today's photography industry."

It's the ease of use and intuitive user interface that enable Gary to very quickly adjust settings in-camera so he can correctly expose an image, even in rapidly changing light. 

Image © Gary King

This is especially true considering that he loves to shoot around sunrise and sunset, when the light can change dramatically very quickly. "The light at this time is softer and provides a rich glow to the landscape. The key to good landscape imagery is a combination of a really strong composition and of course, atmospheric light," he says. 

Image © Gary King

As well as the NX1 camera body, good lenses are also of paramount importance. "The S lenses which I am using are superior in terms of image quality to other leading brands that I have used throughout my career," Gary enthuses. 

Gary King's 3 top tips for aspiring landscape photographers:

• Research your location, do your homework and where possible, visit beforehand to help plan your shoot.
• Work on your composition and take the time to frame your shot. This could be the difference between a mediocre and outstanding photograph.
• Read the light, be patient and wait for the light to come. If it doesn't, don't feel obliged to take a photo. Keep your standards high.

Take a look at Gary King's website for more information on him and his work. 

Find out more about the Samsung NX1 on the Samsung website, and take a look at ePHOTOzine's review.