JASON LOWE'S WORK IN ITALY: SEA TO SKY

ITALY: SEA TO SKY was written by Ursula Ferrigno and published by Mitchell Beazley in Great Britain in 2003. The photography throughout the book was produced by Jason Lowe.

Italy:Sea to Sky Cover page shows use of Focal Plane techniques
Image by Jason Lowe

In looking at Lowe's work throughout it is clear that he has managed to transport the viewer through use of Advanced Capture Techniques into the heart and soul of the book.

Image by Jason Lowe; Italy: Sea to Sky, 2003

The contents page of the book don't read like a recipe book with the traditional Starters, Mains , Deserts etc., instead they are entitled MOUNTAINS, FORESTS & WOODS, COASTS, PLAINS, LAKES & RIVERS, ISLANDS and so on. Lowes's interpretation of the mood and message become clear.
The image, above shows an Olive branch only, leading your imagination to the olive grove itself, even though the grove itself is completely out of focus.

The Humble Chilli, by Helen Neylan Copyright 2011
Nikon D80 SLR, lens focal length 105mm, f5.6, 1/3 sec
Radial Blur filter Photoshop CS5 & Vignette

Use of Magic Hour Lighting
Image by Helen Neylan Copyright 2009

In my image above of the Chilli plant, I have used a similar depth of field technique as Lowe, blurring out all but that which I want the viewer to completely focus on. Here I also used other post capture techniques such as filters in Adobe Photoshop CS5 to further enhance the effect and draw the eye to the subject.

Further,more Lowe uses available LIGHTING to enhance his work, as seen here, by the use of MAGIC HOUR  lighting, which is the time just before sunset or just at sunrise when the sun is very low in the sky,  and AERIAL PERSPECTIVE, which causes a haziness across the various perspective depths of the image.

Forests & Fields Image using Magic Hour Lighting
 by Jason Lowe

Image by Jason Lowe displaying
the use of Aerial Perspective

Use of Aerial Perspective for effect.
Image by Helen Neylan Copyright 2010

To view more of Jason Lowe's work, visit the following link:
http://www.jamiestephen.com/photographers/jason-lowe/

Images (above), Jason Lowe, Italy: Sea to Sky

Lowe also uses OBJECTS & PROPS, which are almost always connected to the subject matter to make his point. For example here where he uses two images side by side for the Lakes & Rivers section of the book. He employs fantastic detail using both macro photography as well as a shallow depth of field to get the full rope crystal sharp across all the central focal plain. He also uses the TEXTURE & DETAIL in both images of the sea shore and the rope to transport us to the setting and put the message in context.

Pine Cone in Forest & Woods, Jason Lowe, Italy: Sea to Sky

The image above uses both Shallow depth of field and Macro to enhance the detail of this pine cone, which although inedible to human kind, takes the mid into a forest setting.

Pine Cone, Helen Neylan Copyright 2009
Image taken demonstrates Macro and Shallow depth of Field technique.

Decisive moment combined with Slow shutter speed
Image by Jason Lowe, Italy:Sea to Sky

Lowe uses SHUTTER SPEED alongside the use of Henry Bresson Cartier's DECISIVE MOMENT to illustrate perfectly the action of real bread/pastry making, choosing a slow shutter speed to capture the action, and he chooses his exact moment of capture to convey the mood and sense of the work going on. (right). To avoid camera shake either use an image stabilising lens or a tripod for this type of work.

Chilli Composition, Jason Lowe, Italy:Sea to Sky

 COMPOSITION is another Advanced Capture Technique use by Lowe, as here (above). The chilli's are composed against a contrasting background to make them stand out.

I have taken various styling techniques and influences from Lowe's work, including styling my image (below centre) of a chilli, using Composition, Colour Contrast and the use of NEGATIVE SPACES to illustrate the subject.

Green Chilli. Helen Neylan,
 The Very Ordinary Organic Cookbook, Copyright 2011