TED french
"Take only photographs, leave only footprints"
- Anon
Thirty years ago in the UK, I picked up my first camera so I could document the festivities being held to honour my parents’ 50th wedding anniversary, and I’ve never looked back. Interest piqued, My wife Trish and I embarked on a journey of learning that took us to a weeklong course at Fern Howe in Braithwaite, Cumbria, Trish having the camera one day and me the next. Now firmly committed, we decided to take photography further and enrolled on a six year ‘Intensive Black and White’ course at Missenden Abbey Adult Learning Centre.
Trish and I share a lifelong love of nature and the beauty all around us. The more I photographed her, the more I saw that Nature lends herself to Infrared photography which is now my favourite medium. We love UK locations as much as overseas ones, and spend a lot of our time out and about photographing everything from what’s right on our doorsteps to the majesty of the Lake District and Scotland and the splendour of Scandinavia. We support The National Trust, English Heritage and RSPB and anything we do we ensure that we don’t adversely affect the environment.
The River Derwent starts at Sprinkling Tarn under Scafell Pike and meanders along through the Lake District to Workington where it enters the Irish Sea. Made on a lovely, calm, mild day when the trees were in full greenery, this in another scene which just called out to be captured in infrared. There are numerous car parks along the river particularly around Borrowdale and several walks ranging from easy to hard.
Artist: Ted French
Infrared
Archival pigment print
Image Size: 42cm x 59.7cm
Edition 1 of 25
Blea Tarn in the English Lake District sits on Little Langdale and is easily accessed by car. Ted was standing knee-deep in the freezing water to capture this bucolic scene looking out towards the Langdalse. The chlorophyll in the grasses and trees respond particularly well to infrared photography, appearing light and bright. It’s an easy 2 mile walk around the tarn; you can find a map of the walk here.
Artist: Ted French
Infrared image
Image Size: 42cm x 59.7cm
Edition 1 of 25
The normally bare, rocky Lofoten coastline is transformed into a tropical scene by the hardy grasses growing out of the snow and enfolding the bases of the tree trunks. It was a cold day when Ted captured this digital infrared image.
Artist: Ted French
Infrared
Archival pigment print
Image Size: 42cm x 59.7cm
Edition 1 of 25
This image of the sand dunes on the Isle of Harris in Scotland really brings out the best of infrared characteristics. The dark sky, with a small wisp of cloud in the corner, makes the light grasses look luminous. The soft, wavy textures of the sand stand in contrast to the sharp arc of the foliage. Can you imagine yourself walking through these remote, lonely dunes? Curious about infrared photography? Read about it in our blog post here.
Artist: Ted French
Infrared image
Archival pigment print
Image Size: 42cm x 59.7cm
Edition 1 of 25
This was an experimental image at the time it was made; Ted wanted to see how the submerged leaves would look in an infrared image, and was most pleased with the slightly ghostly result. These water lilies can be found at the hamlet of Watendlath, which sits high between the Borrowdale and Thirlmere valleys in the Lake District in England.
Artist: Ted French
Infrared image
Image Size: 42cm x 59.7cm
Edition 1 of 25
Dark and majestic, Lake Buttermere in the English Lake District rises out of the still water into the stormy clouds in this infrared image. The combination of lakes (meres) and mountains makes Buttermere a popular place to visit.
Artist: Ted French
Infrared image
Archival pigment print
Image Size: 42cm x 59.7cm
Edition 1 of 25
This is the epitome of an image made on the artist’s doorstep: Harpenden Pond is barely two miles from Ted’s home. The scene, in the typical English commuter town of Harpenden, invites you to wander through the grasses from the bridge to the bench on your way to the house in the distance. The use of infrared has rendered the grasses light and eye-catching even at dusk. Curious about infrared photography? Read about it in our blog post here.
Artist: Ted French
Infrared image
Archival pigment print
Image Size: 42cm x 59.7cm
Edition 2 of 25
Slow shutter speeds offer a lot of scope for creative expression, particularly for photographers looking to produce minimalist, moody images. Even through the minimalism, though, there is a richness of light and textures in the scene. You can almost feel the roughness of the tops of the rocks where the water hasn’t reached to polish them smooth.
Artist: Ted French
Infrared image
Archival pigment print
Image Size: 42cm x 59.7cm
Edition 1 of 25
The use of infrared has really made the green of the grasses and the trees stand out against the darkness of the water. Yew Tree Tarn can be found in the Lake District in England, on the way down to the Langdales. It’s an easy half mile walk around the tarn, well worth the effort.
Artist: Ted French
Infrared image
Image Size: 42cm x 59.7cm
Edition 1 of 25
This dramatic image of a river on the Isle of Lewis in Scotland shows why some photographers are willing to make the effort to get to the northwestern corner of Scotland where you’ll find the Outer Hebrides. The dark sky gives a sense of drama to the scene of a river winding its down from the mountains.
Artist: Ted French
Infrared image
Archival pigment print
Image Size: 42cm x 59.7cm
Edition 1 of 25
Death Valley, the hottest, driest and lowest national park in the US, can be found in eastern California. Despite all appearances, there is a surprising amount of life in these dunes, where temperatures reach a scorching 45 degrees Centigrade just after sunrise. Getting to good photographic vantage points can be very challenging in that heat! Ted was really drawn to this landscape’s textures and shapes – particularly the half-moon in the back left of the frame. The early morning light cast long shadows in the sand.
Artist: Ted French
Infrared image
Archival pigment print
Image Size: 42cm x 59.7cm
Edition 1 of 25
Death Valley, the hottest, driest and lowest national park in the US, can be found in eastern California. Despite all appearances, there is a surprising amount of life in these dunes, where temperatures reach a scorching 45 degrees Centigrade just after sunrise. Getting to good photographic vantage points can be very challenging in that heat! Ted was really drawn to this landscape’s textures and shapes – particularly the half-moon in the back left of the frame. The early morning light cast long shadows in the sand.
Artist: Ted French
Infrared image
Archival pigment print
Image Size: 42cm x 59.7cm
Edition 1 of 25
The light in the north of England can be spectacular and this scene in the Yorkshire moors really shows that.
Artist: Ted French
Infrared
Archival pigment print
Image Size: 59.4cm x 84.1cm
Edition 2 of 25