Video: 12 images in 12 hours and about 25 miles of hiking

 

 

I think that landscape photography is difficult enough as it is. But photographer Thomas Heaton is always up for new and exciting challenges. Heaton met up with his friend Higgy whom he met at university. Every so often, Higgy invites Heaton along for a physically-taxing undertaking. This time, it was the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge.

The challenge has participants tackle the three tallest peaks in Yorkshire, England, in under 12 hours. It's 24 miles (38.6 kilometers) of hiking with 5,200 feet (1,585 meters) of ascent. It's an awful long hike. Heaton gave it a photography twist by challenging himself to capture a dozen photos along the hike while still trying to finish the Three Peaks Challenge in under 12 hours. Heaton writes on YouTube, "The photographs are not all keepers, but the point of this exercise was to exercise my body and my creative muscles." He brought along his Fujifilm X-T4 camera.

"These are the days to come out walking with your camera because it's so dynamic," Heaton said. "This is cool. This is what I like. Getting out, walking with a camera on a windy, cloudy and sunny day. Yeah, it's good." There's plenty of value in carefully planning your landscape photos, but it's sometimes nice to be spontaneous and just go out and explore with your camera.

"My love for landscape photography was born from my love of hiking and the outdoors. And I remember my life changed when I discovered photography and the art of landscape photography because all of a sudden, with a camera in my hand, my walks had so much more purpose," Heaton said. "But when doing a hike or a challenge like this, it's important to remember that it's not a landscape photography shoot. I'm not going out to craft an image. Instead, I'll be opportunistic and use my skills as a landscape photographer to take advantage of a scene, should it present itself." Is every image a keeper? No, but that's not the point. It's about spending time with a good friend, challenging himself and exercising creative muscles.

To see more from Thomas Heaton, visit his website and YouTube channel. You can also follow him on Instagram.

(Via Thomas Heaton)