Mark Lucock 

Fine Art Nature & Landscape Photography


Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House, Australia © Mark Lucock


 

Background

Mark Lucock was born in 1958 and grew up in Suffolk. After graduating from University with a degree in Applied Biology, he obtained his PhD in 1991 and is an elected Fellow of the Institute of Biology and a Chartered Biologist. Mark moved from the UK to the New South Wales Central Coast in 2003.

Whenever he gets the opportunity, he is out photographing the natural world. His work features a range of destinations – including the UK, India, SE Asia, Australia, North America and much of Europe, and reflects the broad spectrum of nature and landscapes from around the world.

Mark has had many publications in the popular press. His first book Photography for the Naturalist was published by GMC Publications in February 2002. This book, which is lavishly illustrated, covers the technicalities and aesthetics of shooting all kinds of animal, plant and landscape images. Mark's second book was released in February 2003 and is titled Professional Landscape and Environmental Photography: From 35mm to Large Format. This book again deals with technicalities and aesthetics, but looks at photography in all manner of environments, from steamy rainforests and dry deserts to bustling cityscapes at night. His third book was released in October 2004, and is titled: Succeed in Landscape Photography. This book is published by RotoVision SA. His latest book out in October 2007, examines issues associated with digital photography such as workflow, image editing, marketing, web design and of course camera craft. The book, Digital Nature and Landscape Photography, is again published by GMC.   

Brisbane Water Nat Park, NSW © Mark Lucock Delicate Arch, Utah © Mark Lucock

Personal Perspective

No matter how nice it is to have your images published, there is little to beat seeing a huge professional gallery print depicting the best of your work. Successful prints require good cameras that produce medium or large format transparencies. Pictures that work should draw you into the scene, providing a ‘virtual’ portal to the place that the picture was originally taken.

Today, with improved equipment and sharp colour emulsions such as Fuji Velvia and the relatively new Kodak Ektachrome E100VS, many famous landscape photographers are doing much to raise the status of natural wilderness. In the US in particular, their images have helped to preserve pristine areas of nature from exploitation. Their products are beautiful large format photographic art that keeps the spirit of our landscapes alive, and maintains a place for wilderness within the hearts and souls of people from many nations across the globe. This, above all else, is why I believe the art of creative nature and landscape photography is important. The power of a beautiful image should never be underestimated. I hope that my efforts can, in some small way, make a similar contribution.

For clarity and tonal range, I shoot landscapes primarily on a large format Ebony View Camera, while the smaller 35mm format is used for close-ups and action, and is confined mainly to editorial work. However, these days I'm pretty much giving up on 35mm film, and adopting digital capture instead. I seldom use the 35mm format for gallery prints. Most of the images shown here were taken on Fuji Velvia, the finest transparency film for landscape work that is currently available.

When you buy one of my  prints, you are buying an original piece of art that will last a very long time. A lot of thought goes into the process of creating these images, and I'm constantly assessing different ways of outputting images. When you hang one of my large prints, you will be bringing a precious part of our natural world into your home – an experience I hope you will enjoy for many years to come.

The Lambda output prints that I sell have been produced from digitally mastered images using fibreoptic-LED technology exposing directly onto continuous tone photographic silver halide material. The prints represent the ultimate in fidelity, colour, clarity and tonal range available on any photographic paper. 

Today, there are many options open to buyers of photographic art - prints are available on a range of premiere media, often using special chemistries or ink sets. These include Fuji Crystal Archive, Ilfochrome, Kodak Endura Colour Metallic, Ultrachrome  or UltraChrome Hi-Gloss prints. You can expect many years to elapse before any noticeable fade occurs on Crystal Archive media, and Ilfochrome prints. The latest generation of Epson large format inkjet printers offer even better archival qualities.  However, at the present time, my prints are exclusively available on Kodak Professional Endura Metallic Paper. This paper has only been available since 2003, but has become my favourite medium to print on. It has a superb glossy finish, but also has a metallic sheen that creates exceptional visual interest and depth. Colours have an enhanced gamut, are rich and vibrant, with the final print offering a truly unique product. In fact, by using a proprietary combination of laminated film layers, images have a striking three-dimensional effect which, in this humble photographers opinion, makes this product stand out from most of the alternative photographic chemistries that are available today. Best of all, the longevity of this product is an outstanding 100 years for typical home use. Such archival characteristics are extremely important if you are looking to make a significant financial investment in photographic art.

All prints are available as open editions, and can be shipped to you free of charge.

North Avoca, NSW © Mark Lucock

 

Bryce Canyon, Utah © Mark Lucock Carpet of Bluebells, UK © Mark Lucock

 

Tuggerah Lake, NSW © Mark Lucock Emerald pool and rainforest cascade © Mark Lucock