http://www.digitalcameraworld.com MARCH 2021 DIGITAL CAMERA^39
Benedict Brain uses on-camera flash to
create an otherworldly winter landscape
The art
of seeing
Benedict Brain
http://www.benedictbrain.comCamera: Fujifilm GFX 50R
Lens: Fujinon GF 45mm f/2.8 R WR
Flash: Godox V1F
Exposure: 1 sec at f/5.6, ISO 400T
he magical red of
dogwood twigs is
one of the joys of the
winter landscape for
me. The bare skeletal
structures of trees
and plants in general appeal to my
aesthetic sensibilities: I find their
delicate shapes more interesting
than the lush green foliage of summer.
Perhaps this speaks to my state
of mind. Who knows?
This patch of wild dogwood was
captured on a route along the River
Avon in Bath, near where I live. It’s
a flood zone that is enduringly
fascinating to me, and rich with
photographic potential. It’s alongexposure, I balanced the sky with flash,
lighting the dogwood. Bingo! The
flashgun light accentuated the red
hues of the twigs and captured the
glistening frost with a sparkle. The
harmonious relationship between
the colours of the twilight sky and
the twigs seemed perfect to me.
It’s not typical to use on-camera
flash in landscape photography, but
I’m finding that I’m increasingly drawn
to it. I’m seduced by the otherworldly
rendering of the land and its features
that the artificial light produces, and
perhaps the maverick approach
appeals to my inner rebel.
In a way, this image also reminds
me of an underwater scene: the
combination of the colour palette
and the sea fern-esque shape
of the twigs echo a coral reef.a path that I run down regularly, so even
when I’m without my camera, I delight
in its ever-changing appearance and
make photos in my mind’s eye. On
this particular day in early January, it
was super-cold and, even in the late
afternoon, the frost hadn’t melted
away. I’d never seen it looking quite
so exquisite, so as soon I was home
from my run, I grabbed my kit and
headed out to make photos.
It was twilight by the time I got back
to the location. I made some images
with a tripod, but I wasn’t capturing
the ‘magical’ vibe I was feeling, so
I decided to ditch the tripod and use
an on-camera flash on my medium-
format Fujifilm GFX. Using manual