Alex Wise is a young photographer specializing in long exposure dreamscape photography. You can find more of his work in his website or follow him on twitter.
Victor: Hi Alex, could you tell us a little bit of your photography background. Did you undergo proper education or just learning by yourself?
Al: Hi Victor,
I’m a 23 year-old male from Tasmania, Australia. A beautiful and diverse island off the mainland of Australia.
My photography is all self taught and has grown through being constantly inspired by others such as Peter Dombrovskis, Kah Kit Yoong and Galen Rowell.
Victor: Oh, that’s wonderful. Many great photographer started up self-taught as well. Can you recall the first photo you took that made you go WOW! and set your path on the world of photography?
Al: I can actually. It was a long exposure from an overpass capturing the passing traffic with a Nikon film camera. The photo was pretty average but I was hooked by the way a long exposure can change a scene.
Victor: So since then, you have been addicted with long exposure photograph? Have you tried other type of photography like sport or portraiture before choosing your niche in long exposure, or was it the gut feeling that says this is your niche?
AL: I spend a fair bit of time by the sea with family and friends who are interested in surfing. On big days when it’s too big for me I’d just pull the camera out and go for a wander.
In the past, I have tried to tag along with people when shooting urban scenes but never seem to get the same enjoyment I get from shooting a wild sea or gushing waterfall. It took me some time to realize that seascapes were my niche but I think that’s part of the fun in trying to work out what style of photography is you.
Recently I purchased some Alien Bee strobes hoping to mix things up a little with some portraits. It’s all rather intimidating as I’m so used to just arriving at a beach on my own and taking photos. Now with portraits I actually have to engage with people and pose them. It is a bit of a shock to what I’m used to but is great to experiment with something new.
Victor: Thats great, and many people find posing model very different with landscapes. Based on your personal taste and experience, what makes a beautiful photograph? is it the technical aspect, or the story telling, or the mystery, or something else?
Al: Technical aspects. The weather plays such a large role in my photographs with getting the right swell and clouds to get that ‘beautiful photograph’. If there is a torrential downpour in Hobart, you can count on me to be in the car racing to some local waterfalls and streams to grab some shots. Or the same if there is a big swell pattern on the way to shoot some locations that otherwise wouldn’t normally have any water movement.
Victor: Ah, I think we all agree that the weather is one the main attraction of your work. Do you have recommendation on how to catch great cloud and atmosphere like that? Is there a particular time of the day or season that you prefer?
Al: It is a mystery for me too! I sometimes use tools such as http://www.golden-hour.com/ http://stephentrainor.com/tools which are really helpful if you’re shooting somewhere unfamiliar.
I also use websites like Swellnet which gives you a daily swell report of various surf beaches http://swellnet.com.au/
I exclusively shoot sunrise or sunset. The golden hour light before the sunset and after the sunrise is just beautiful. I avoid shooting during the day due to the light being too harsh.
Victor: That’s some great tips for the readers. What equipments do you think that will help photographers capture those magnificent waterscape? I know that you need a tripod 
Al: Haha yeah.
Don’t get too strung up on needing an expensive DSLR like a Canon 5D Mark II. Most of the time you’re shooting at the lowest ISO possible to get a long exposure and reduce noise. An old gen DSLR like a Canon 350D or 20D is more then suitable for the job. Partner this with a wide angle lens (which you’ve discussed nicely in your blog guide) and you are away.
Purchasing graduated neutral density filters and a hard stop (B+W 10 stop filter) were some of the best purchases I’ve made. The graduated filters are great as they allow you to bring out the exposure on your foreground without over exposing the sky.
Check out Alex’s guide to daytime long exposure and my recommendation on lenses.
Victor: Agreed, you don’t really need the high ISO performance of high-end camera for this anyway. Alright, we are nearing the end of the interview. Where do you see your photography is going? Is it going to be a full time job, or just a hobby? Where do you see yourself in 10 years time?
Al: Thanks Victor for having me.
I’d love to become a full-time shooter but unfortunately it’s a tough market to crack. I love the enjoyment that photography brings and would be worried that through becoming a professional it would take the fun out of it. For this reason I’m happy just to keep it as a hobby on the side.
10 years… Scary! Possibly clutching a 25 terapixel camera? I’d hope I’m doing much the same and just learning new things and enjoying photography without taking it too serious.
Victor: Alright, thanks for being with us for today Alex and for the wonderful tips.
Al: No worries, keep up the great work Victor!
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