About Chris

Me

I moved to Assynt (north west Scotland) in 2015 from the Midlands, where there are no mountains or beaches.

I'm pretty much self-taught, having got my first camera in 1979; it was a Zenit B. I had it for two years and then part exchanged it for another model which actually had a light-meter! Incredibly, in 2022, I got this very same camera back again, from the person who had looked after it for the intervening 41 years! There is currently a new film in it....

"Before" and "After" shots below!

I've had other models from Pentax, Nikon and Mamiya, finally using the landscapers' favorite film Velvia 50 before it was banned! Using digital since getting a Nikon D70s, whenever that was.

I take mainly outdoor landscape shots; mainly because I like being outdoors where there is a lot of landscape. And I'm particularly interested in the narrative of journey, whether that's one of time or miles. However, I would add that my "journey" is not a road-trip or travel blog; it is far more local, and usually includes walking boots and a coat (*other garments also available). I don't think I need to re-connect to the environment; my umbilical cord has never been cut.

I take photos of people too; preferably "on location", but I have a set of studio lights and a barn if its raining.

The best ones for me: I get the most satisfaction from taking a series of photos and making a story, with our without words. Yes, its always good taking a singular shot, and sometimes that's the appropriate thing to do, but I do prefer a bigger experience.

Inspired by? Influences? A couple of contemporary photographers are head and shoulders above the rest (in my opinion!!!): Ragnar Axelsson (Iceland) and Sandra Bartocha (Germany). But I can say that I am influenced by songs and artists as much as anything, for example Fairport Convention and David Hockney are on my list.

And if you're wondering about the website name "jacksonphotography", its a lot easier to spell "jackson" than "puddephatt"! My Dad's name was Jack, so that makes me Jack son; its actually the way that Icelandic surnames work. The name "Puddephatt" has been in the UK for a very long time; it's suggested that its origin might have been in the north Germany area, and arriving with the winning team in 1066. I can't remember that myself.


The Photos

There's a modest collection of my framed photos on display, and for sale, at the Kylesku Hotel. Most photos on this website are available as prints, except for those of people. See "Prints" page for more.

My Stuff

Current cameras: Sony a7iii, iPhone 14pro, Nikon D750, Nikon D5500

I have lenses from Nikon and Sony, and also Sigma and Samyang. I don't identify myself particularly as a camera/ equipment geek, and I'm not really bothered about fancy functions, but I do appreciate image quality. Yes, I often use manual settings.

The D5500 has now been "converted" to produce Infra-Red images (720nm).

I don't usually publish "camera settings" alongside my photos; they're not confidential, but I also don't see them as particularly relevant. Of course, there are techniques and general rules, but the details on any particular shot are only useful if you stood in the same place as me, at the same time. There are so many compromises, especially up here, that blue sky thinking needs to give way to "the best I can do in the circumstances".

Software

A topic which is often full of opinion..... I use Lightroom, Photoshop and Color Efex.

Using Format