A visual language between contemplation and technique

When I started to imagine Éire i Dubh Agus Bán, I knew I had to find a subtle balance: between the pure emotion in front of the landscape and the technical precision needed to translate that vision into a photographic image.
The Irish landscape, with its changing light and its suspended atmospheres, required respect and a methodical approach. It was not just about being present, but about being ready.
From the beginning I imposed a rule on myself: avoid replicating what the giants who inspired me, Ansel Adams and Sebastião Salgado, had already done, masterfully. I did not want to fall into the risk of “mimicking” their style, but to find my own personal interpretation of the landscape, my way of telling that portion of the world.

The equipment: reliability and flexibility in an essential system

Tackling the south-west coast of Ireland means, first of all, dealing with nature in its most authentic form: wind, rain, fog and light that changes in a matter of minutes.
I needed equipment that was resistant, reliable and capable of delivering very high-quality images, ready to face a demanding post-production process.
• Camera: Nikon D850
I chose a 45.7 megapixel full-frame camera body. Its ability to capture even the smallest details, combined with a wide dynamic range, proved perfect for delivering the depth and complexity of tones required by black and white.

Lenses:

• Nikkor 18-35 f/3.5
• Tamron 28-300mm f/3.5 – 6.3
• Sigma 24mm f/1.8
• Samyang 14mm f/1.8

Three lenses that cover every need, from wide views to the most intimate details of the landscape.

• Tripod: Manfrotto 190XPRO with XPRO ball head
In an environment where the wind can suddenly change, stability is essential. The tripod, often weighed down with my backpack, was a fundamental ally during longer exposures.
• Panoramic micrometric slide
This tool was crucial to creating panoramas. It allowed me to keep the nodal point constant during the rotations of the camera, eliminating any parallax effect that could have compromised the fusion of the images.

Insights into Parallax

Parallax is an effect that occurs when the angle from which we view an object changes in relation to the background. In panoramic photography, this can cause errors when attempting to stitch together multiple images taken from different angles. The result is an inaccurate or distorted stitching of the final image.

A panhead, is a device that mounts on a tripod and allows you to move the camera along an axis (usually back and forth). This movement helps align the camera lens so that the nodal point (or optical center) of the lens remains fixed as you rotate the camera to take the panorama

To eliminate parallax, it is essential that the camera rotates around the nodal point of the lens. This point is where the light rays passing through the lens cross, and keeping it fixed while rotating prevents the foreground and background objects from moving relative to each other between images.

• Filters: ND and Polarizer
The ND filter allowed me to work with long exposures, softening the motion of the waves and restoring that sensation of suspended calm that I was looking for. The polarizer instead improved the contrast in the skies and reduced reflections on the water.

The choice of the panoramic format: a personal imprint

From the very beginning I felt that the panoramic format would be the stylistic figure with which to differentiate my work from that of the masters.
The panorama, in its extension, tells the breadth of the landscape, but also the intensity of the relationship that is established with it.

My images were born from sequences of 4 or 5 shots, both horizontal and vertical, which I then joined in post-production. This approach not only allows you to obtain a final file with very high resolution, but also allows you to control every aspect of the composition, maintaining the technical rigor necessary for a black and white work.

 

The use of the panoramic slide was fundamental in this phase: it guaranteed the necessary precision, avoiding alignment problems and distortions. Each panorama was conceived as a visual story, where each section contributes to building a coherent narrative.

Bracketing and exposure control: rigor and sensitivity

Each section of the panoramas was created using the bracketing technique. I shot sequences of multiple exposures to capture the entire dynamic range of the scene, from the highlights to the deep shadows.
This technique allowed me to work in post-production with a full tonal range, maintaining fidelity to the reality perceived in the field, but also the possibility of conveying the material richness of the places.

I did not want the images to appear artificial or overly processed. The natural tone was a guiding principle: I worked so that each photograph conveyed the sensation of being there, in that moment, under that changing sky.

Post-production: an extension of the experience in the field

Post-production was the phase in which I refined and balanced the entire work.
• In Lightroom, I managed the import, the merging of HDR exposures and the first global corrections.
• In Photoshop, I perfected the union of the panoramas and worked with Dodge & Burn to emphasize the volumes and guide the eye into the composition.

The conversion to black and white was anything but automatic: I manually balanced the color channels to obtain the contrast and depth I wanted, without ever betraying the sensation experienced in the field.

Facing the challenges: adapting to nature

Working in Ireland was physically and mentally demanding.
The constant wind, the sudden rain, the inconsistent light tested my planning skills and patience. But they were also essential elements of the story I wanted to build: a living, changing landscape that demands respect and attention.

Why this method?

The choice of the panoramic format, the use of the micrometric slide, the accurate bracketing and the respectful post-production were tools to tell the landscape without superfluous filters.
I did not want a spectacularized nature, but an invitation to contemplation, to observe and to stop.
Éire i Dubh Agus Bán was an exercise in listening and sincere restitution, through a visual language that was at the same time ancient and current, rigorous and poetic.