CHRIS TUFF

The art of being in the right place at the right time

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CHRIS TUFF

The art of being in the right place at the right time

For me, landscape photography is about revealing, evoking the spirit, or capturing the mood and moment of a place; its power, drama, beauty or serenity, whatever emotions it stirs in me.

Equally, it can be influenced by my own mood and state of mind, but It is always about my emotional relationship to the landscape and, in particular, the ocean.

I have always felt a primal, spiritual connection to the sea and moved to the Lizard Peninsula in Cornwall, UK, almost twenty years ago to live closer to it. Being on a beach where shore, sea, and sky meet and meld presents an infinite range of creative possibilities. Being exposed to the elements, the wind's feeling on your face, and the soporific sound and movement of the ocean is meditative. In this sense, my images are a visceral reaction to the landscape, resulting from sensory immersion in the elements.

The sea can reflect the whole gamut of human emotion. It can be angry, melancholy, threatening, calm, tranquil or joyful, and every subtle shade between. This inevitably influences how I see it and how I choose to shoot it. Whether traditional black and white or more meditative color photographic artworks reduce the seascape to its basic elements.

During the winter months, the primeval, Cornish coast is subjected to the raw, elemental forces of the wind and waves. There is a dark, tempestuous beauty and drama about the landscape, enhanced by the capricious nature of the ever-changing light.