Member Profile: Nick Bustin

About me:

Do you consider yourself a Professional/Semi-Pro/Amateur/Beginner photographer?

I’m an amateur photographer, with a keen interest in outdoor photography

Who are you?

I’m from Hockley in Essex (near Southend) and 59 years old. I work as an employment tax director for a firm of accountants based in London. I’m involved with a charity which promotes the health benefit of practicing Taoist Tai Chi. Both photography and tai chi help to provide a great balance in countering a very busy work life.

My wife Lynne and I have two dogs, Freya and Ruby who occasionally come out with me on some of my early morning photography trips.

Your Photography Journey

I’ve always owned a camera, taking snaps but without any appreciation for any real technique. However, it was whilst on safari in South Africa in 2017 that my interest in photography really began. When we got back I invested in a Canon 77D (now upgraded to a Sony A7riii) and started to go out to the Thames Estuary, photographing the boats at low tide.

I came across TSOP through a couple of members at my local camera club (Frank Harley and Dave Amber), who told me about the various online courses. I like Marc’s style, very relaxed but highly informative, plus being an Essex lad too, with a good taste in music, I knew TSOP will be a great place to help me with my photography.

What is the most valuable thing you’ve learned from TSOP?

I like the monthly challenges and seeing how imaginative some people can be with the category, thinking outside the box. Marc’s critique is excellent, offering some helpful comments on how images can be improved upon but also pointing out what a photo is spot on!

It is also the accessibility to some great courses, which I can go through in my own time.

What is your preferred genre?

I think of myself as an outdoor photographer. Whilst living in Essex we don’t have the grand vistas which can be found in the Lake District. However, I spent a fair bit of time visiting local woods and the coast, trying to gain more experience. Through trial and error, I started to get comfortable with the ‘rule of thirds’ and create some balanced compositions. Then the pandemic hit, so I spent my time photographing ‘stuff’ in the garden or my local woods, especially when we were limited to an hour’s exercise each day.

Now, I can often be found walking around the Essex Coast, especially at first light. Often I catch the ‘first train’ into London to photograph the city as it wakes up. I found the TSOP Cities at Night course invaluable, it helped me think about my compositions and how to find good spots to photograph. As I work close to St Paul’s Cathedral, some of the places I like to photograph have been featured in several of Marc’s videos.

I was given some advice when I first started my journey and that was to get familiar with my ‘kit’. The suggestion was made so that when I visited more ‘exotic’ locations I could take my time on my composition and not worry about how to use my camera.

I like using filters and enjoy taking long-exposure photographs but appreciate this is just one technique. I like to work with the conditions, especially light, cloud, or water movement. I occasionally ‘dabble’ in street photography where light and shade help in finding something to photograph.

I see editing my images as an important part of the process and is just as important to me, as researching the area I’m going to photograph and the taking of the image. Whilst editing my images, mainly in Lightroom, I look to see how I could have improved upon the composition. I think it helps to visit a location more than once, maybe at different times of the day or weather conditions, so having a couple of local ‘favourite’ spots can help. Adopting this approach can help to build up my confidence, especially when I’ve been struggling. One location I like to revisit is the Shoebury Anti-Submarine Boom, part of the defense system in place during the Cold War.

However, I love the Lake District, a complete contrast to my local coastline, it can be sunny, windy, and rainy all in the same morning!

What inspires you to create photography?

I think it’s where I am any the time. I love being outdoors whether that is a coastal path, London streets, or the Lake District. Being out before the first light, anticipating the sunrise, and enjoying the world waking up is something special.

I also like to find out about some of the places I’m photographing. The Thames Estuary has a lot of history and I’m only just scratching the surface. I’ve been fortunate to go out on the Broadway Path, allegedly the country’s ‘deadliest’ footpath in the country.

It has an amazing sense of isolation when you are standing on the mudflats. There are the challenges of quicksand, fast tides, and unexploded bombs. However, the rewards of of photographing the sun rising over the North Sea and a wrecked fishing trawler are well worth the effort. I hope to go out there again but it is essential to go with a qualified guide and not something which should be done alone.

Who are some other photographers you’re inspired by?

We have a couple of Ansel Adams photos in our house and I’ve been very lucky to visit a few of the National Parks where he stood. It would have been interesting to see what he thought about mirrorless cameras and processing software. Justin Minns is someone whose work has helped point me in the right direction. I was also very fortunate to spend a day with Stuart McGlennon, a Lake District-based photographer with a great eye for capturing the mood of the moment.

My final choice is Ed Allen, who I think is based in Sussex. I read an article about his work in Outdoor Photographer magazine and like his ‘dark’ style.

Describe the first photo you took during your learning journey.

Capturing an image of a cheetah standing on a termite mound got me excited. Some of my early images taken on the Thames Estuary were pretty crude but helped me to understand the importance that light can play when capturing any image. Once I got home I’d look at the images on my PC and seeing what lessons I could learn.

Over the past couple of months, I have been looking back at some of my early photographs and have re-edited a few of them, mainly as a result of doing the TSOP Lightroom course.

My favourite photograph:

My favourite photo that I’ve taken ©*Nick Bustin*

What is your favourite photograph that you’ve taken?

My favourite images is one is of the Shard, which I captured at first light, with mist rolling down the Thames. I had got into London around 5am and had already taken a couple of images of St Paul’s - one of looking from Bread Street, the second with the famous black telephone box. I was sitting at my desk in work and noticed the mist outside, so I picked up my camera and headed along the embankment to a view point. The side light was golden and the mist helped to add something special. The photograph got me in the final of the Essex Photography Prize 2023.

What’s next for Nick?

The opportunities to learn and enjoy the countryside are never-ending. My Photoshop skills leave something to be desired, so I will be re-working that course again.

I want to try some astrophotography this year, so Ben Bush’s course is on my watch list. I also want to work through Tom Archer’s Pro Landscape course, having access to top-quality material across different topics is fantastic.

The summer is always a challenging time for landscape photography, so I want to dedicate some time to my macro-photography. I am lucky to live near too some local woods with an array of butterflies and other creepy crawlies. I will be checking out the TSOP macro course as well.

I’m also looking forward to visiting the Norfolk Broads in the summer, so hopefully I can capture a kingfisher, followed by a second holiday in Northumberland, and looking forward to trying to photograph some of the coastal castles, maybe even a puffin too. This will be followed by the long trek to Skye and the fantastic rugged landscapes it has to offer.

Conclusion

The journey has been really exciting. It provides me with a creative outlet, something I cannot express with paints that’s for sure! There is nothing like getting up early for sunrise, and wherever that is and I have a camera with me, then I will be a happy man.

Where can people follow you?

Instagram @nickbustin

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