William Austin-Lobley Photography

A mundane yet compelling scene from the village of Blatherwycke.

This marks a turning point in my shooting and editing style. As of late, I have made considerable effort to slow my shooting and editing process, not rushing for a result but enjoying the creation process from start to finish. It’s been a liberating and calming change, and it’s helping me fall even more deeply in love with the art of photography.

When editing, I have been paying particular attention to the Zone System of the legendary landscape pioneer Ansel Adams. For those who don’t know, the Zone System was designed for black-and-white photography, and it divides light values into 11 zones (0-10).

The method helps control exposure and development for desired final tones, and it allows you to place critical elements in specific zones based on their artistic vision, adjusting exposure and development to achieve the intended results. It was initially for film and took place in the darkroom, but thankfully, the Zone System’s principles can easily be applied to digital photography, hence my adoption.

The result has been brighter, more detailed images that align with my current photographic vision. I look forward to developing my skills in this area.