Ian Middleton Photography

February Newsletter

By Ian Middleton

Disclosure:

This website and its articles contain links and adverts. The adverts and some links, but not all, are affiliate links. This means that if you click and buy something I will receive a small percentage of money, but at no extra cost to you. The price remains the same if you buy.

The Snow is back!


View from Rantovše hill across to Sveti Tomaz nad Praprotnim (church of Saint Thomas) with the Kamnik Alps behind in the Skofja Loka hills, Slovenia.
View from Rantovše hill across to Sveti Tomaz nad Praprotnim (church of Saint Thomas) with the Kamnik Alps behind in the Skofja Loka hills, Slovenia.

Well it wasn’t much of a white Christmas this year, but lots of rain in Slovenia did at least dump some nice snow on the mountains. Just before Christmas eve I was finally able to get out to a location I’ve been trying to shoot at sunrise for a long time.

All about timing

The Church of Saint Thomas in Slovenia is an iconic view and popular among photographers. I’d seen the photos, and was also asked by a potential customer about running a workshop there. So I asked a fellow Slovene photographer, Luka Esenko, who is the co founder of Snapp Guides (a brilliant app that helps photographers find great locations to photograph) and he graciously sent me the co-ordinates.

I visited the location several times throughout the year, mostly late morning as I hadn’t been able to get there earlier, and got some great photographs. The location is stunning even beyond the golden hour. But I still wanted that early morning classic misty shot. In winter, when the sun moves south, it first hits the church, hilltop and mountaintops as it rises. It’s an amazing moment, and makes you wonder if the early missionaries were inspired to build the churches here upon seeing this.

Timing is critical. You need the right conditions for this kind of shot. Many times when I had the opportunity to go out at dawn, the weather wasn’t right. But the morning before Christmas eve the weather forecast looked favourable, I got out there at dawn, and was rewarded for my efforts. Below are some of my favourites.

Snow is here, a little late, but here at last

Well, after an unseasonably warm January, it seems that winter has finally arrived and is here to stay for February. It’s snowing in Slovenia as I write this, and is forecast to continue. So here is a selection of my favourite snowy photos from years past. I hope to get some more over the coming weeks.

Winter photos

More here

Winter view of the church of saint John as the snow falls, Brnik, near the Ljubljana airport, Slovenia. To the left is a farmer’s hut and to the right is a Kozolec, a wooden rack for drying hay in the summer.
Winter view of a little chapel in Vodice, Gorenjska, Slovenia.
Lone tree on a snow covered hill in prezganje in the Jance hills to the east of Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Trees on a snow covered hill in prezganje in the Jance hills to the east of Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Sunset winter view across a hill in prezganje in the Jance hills to the east of Ljubljana, Slovenia. Footprints are leading up to a shrine. The shrine is to Jesus Christ, built to commemorate the first visit of Pope John Paul the second to Slovenia in 1996.
Winter scene of the church of Saint Marjeta in Prezganje in the Jance hills to the east of Ljubljana, Slovenia. Shot in the evening as the sun went down.

Lake Bohinj winter workshops

Lake Bohinj in Winter, Slovenia

Lake Bohinj is a magical place when it snows. February will also be a good time for a winter workshop in Bohinj, so if you are interested sign up to one of my private 1-1 sessions.
More info here:

View across to the church of Saint John (Sveti Janez), Lake Bohinj in Winter, Slovenia
Wooden house in the snow at Stara Fuzina, near Lake Bohinj in Winter, Slovenia

Church of Saint Thomas

Come and photograph this great view with me on my Distant Landscapes 1-1 workshop.

More info here:

View at sunrise in winter from Rantovše hill across to Sveti Tomaz nad Praprotnim (church of Saint Thomas) and the Kamnik Alps, Slovenia.
View at sunrise in winter from Rantovše hill across to Sveti Tomaz nad Praprotnim (church of Saint Thomas) and the Kamnik Alps, Slovenia.
View at sunrise in winter from Rantovše hill across to Sveti Tomaz nad Praprotnim (church of Saint Thomas) and the Kamnik Alps, Slovenia.
View at sunrise in winter from Rantovše hill across to Sveti Tomaz nad Praprotnim (church of Saint Thomas) and the Kamnik Alps, Slovenia.
View at sunrise in winter from Rantovše hill across to Sveti Tomaz nad Praprotnim (church of Saint Thomas) and the Kamnik Alps, Slovenia.
View at dawn in winter from Rantovše hill across to Sveti Tomaz nad Praprotnim (church of Saint Thomas) and the Kamnik Alps, Slovenia.
View from Rantovše hill across to Sveti Tomaz nad Praprotnim (church of Saint Thomas) in the Skofja Loka hills, Slovenia.
View from Rantovše hill across to Sveti Tomaz nad Praprotnim (church of Saint Thomas) in the Skofja Loka hills, Slovenia.

Spring Weekend Workshop in Slovenia

Spaces are starting to fill up for my Spring Workshop in Slovenia, so book now if you are interested. After all this snow the scenery will be stunning in April.

More info here:

Jamnik church of Saints Primus and Felician at sunrise, perched on a hill on the Jelovica Plateau with the kamnik alps and storzic mountain in the background, Slovenia.

Latest news

A practical Guide to PhotographyIf you haven’t already, don’t forget that you can download my ebook guide to photography for free here

A new version of the book is and will be available. These versions are not free, but will include some extra features that are not in the free version.

Kindle:

I have just released a new version on Kindle, which you can buy on amazon here

Paperback:

A paperback version will also be released in the new year, so keep watch


New Blog Posts

Favourite Photos of 2017

My personal favourite photos of 2017 2017 was a fairly good year with some great workshops and erratic weather bringing with it some wonderful moments of light. So here I’ve put together a selection of my personal favourites: Sveti Tomaz (The Church of Saint Thomas) Situated in the hills of Northern Slovenia, Sveti Tomaz is one of the country’s iconic …

Read more.


Be patient, wait for the light……………

Lighthouse at Portland Bill and the old boat winch in the early morning sun, near Weymouth, Jurassic Coast, Dorset, England.

It’s all about the light and not just about Photoshop…. While many believe that Photoshop is some kind of magic tool for photographers, it isn’t. The light is our magic tool. It determines from the very start how our image will look. These two photos were taken one after another and are unedited, straight from the RAW file. You can …

Read more.


 

Disclosure:

This website and its articles contain links and adverts. The adverts and some links, but not all, are affiliate links. This means that if you click and buy something I will receive a small percentage of money, but at no extra cost to you. The price remains the same if you buy.

“As an Amazon affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases”

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