We are excited to share our conversation with inspiring photographer Stian Klo. Stian Klo is a professional and award winning fine art landscape photographer from Harstad in Northern Norway, where he was born in 1980. He’s always been the creative type, and fascinated with nature and photography ever since he was a little boy. Exploring and travelling is therapy for him, which is why he’s often found camping up in the mountains by himself. Growing up in Northern Norway has its advantages in terms of esthetic and dramatic landscapes and light, and this is what he tries to capture on his numerous adventures. His work has been published in highly esteemed magazines such as National Geographic, Outdoor Photographer Magazine, Landscape Photography Magazine, N-Photo and more. He’s also licensed images to international ad and marketing campaigns for none other than Apple.
"I'm a 35 year old professional fine art landscape photographer based in Harstad, Norway. I'm the managing director of the popular Lofoten Tours company. My style, that's a good question - I like to think my style is a true representation of life above the Arctic circle. I really prefer winter and cold images, and I hope that preference shines through when looking through my portfolio."
When did you start taking photos and what got you inspired?
I've been photographing ever since I was about 20 years old, but back then it was just for fun - It wasn't until about 4 years ago I started to take it more seriously, and I've been professional (meaning it's my main income) since June 2014 - so exactly 12 months. It's incredibly fun, hard work and discipline - but I'm having the time of my life.
Do you have a favorite photo and why?
I don't actually, I have lots of favorites but none that really sticks out. The image that kickstarted my career is without a doubt the "Høyvika Beach" image which was used by Apple on both the iMac 5K and new Macbook, as well as being featured as a double spread in National Geographic. I wouldn't say it's my favorite tho, but it's an image that I'm particularily proud of.
Can you share how you processed this photo?
First I import the RAW file to Lightroom, where I correct lens profile and remove chromatic aberration, the horizon line and correct the whitebalance. Then I import it as DNG to Adobe CC and open in it ACR (Camera Raw), which is where most of the work is done in my workflow. I clean up dust spots, balance highlights and shadows, add contrast to make the image pop, remove noise, add a slight vignette to draw the viewers into where I really want them to look first. At the very end I boost colors by playing around with the HSL - I might do the yellows more green, the oranges more red etc - it's all subjective in the end. Then I save all changes, and if needed ...I'll dodge and burn (sometimes with color) to really make the image pop even more, before I resize it for web, normally 1280px, using a great script by Andreas Resch.
Can you share your top 7 tips to improve landscape photography?
1. Be a selective shooter. Quality over quantity is vital.
2. Stick to one category. Decide what kind of photographer you would like to be. It's impossible (atleast incredibly hard) to be good at everything.
3. Never stop studying. Look at others for inspiration and keep on training your mind and brain. It’s an endless creative journey.
4. Patience is key. You can’t predict the light and weather. I always try and be on location 2 hours prior to the sunrise and sunset. And if I don’t get it right, I’ll return until I get it.
5. Pre-plan and pre-visualize the scene you intend to shoot. Which direction will the sun or moon be in? What’s the weather forecast? If it’s a seascape, when is low or high tide?
6. It’s vital that your camera, lenses, and filters are clean. Why spend unnecessary amount of time in post-processing, editing stuff out, when you can wash your gear prior to going out? I always keep at least one cloth in every jacket in case I need to clean anything on the road. Storing everything in a water-resistant backpack is also very handy.
7. Always shoot in RAW.
Oh can I do 8? Always use a sturdy tripod. Personally I use a Really Right Stuff TVC-34L with a BH-55 LR ballhead and D810 L-plate.
What is your favorite time of the day to shoot and season in the year?
That one is easy - dusk/dawn and night photography is very intriguing. As previously mentioned, I'm a huge fan of winter photography - but also autumn because of the impressive color display.
Follow Stian on ViewBug | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Google+
