Stephen took this photograph of a long-forgotten boathouse during a visit to Anglesey in Wales. "When I saw that boathouse, I was drawn to the grain and the detail on the doors, and the contrast with the very dark seaweed at the bottom. There are so many shades of grey, then I could envision the whites appearing in the clouds above it," he says. Taken on a Canon EOS R6 with a Canon Mount Adapter EF-EOS R and a Canon EF 16-35mm f/4L IS USM lens at 16mm, 4 sec, f/7.1 and ISO100. © Stephen McNally
Stephen McNally has mastered black and white long exposure photography, having multiple exhibitions under his belt, and his appetite for the genre has only grown over the years. Working as a hairdresser, his photography forces him to get outside, to seek out new locations, to see familiar places with fresh eyes, and gives him enormous satisfaction.
Many choose black and white photography for the way it can emphasise drama through contrast and tone. The absence of colour makes you look at a photo differently and focus on composition, subject and shape. Pair black and white with long exposure and there's an additional layer of intrigue. As Stephen says: "Long exposure photography creates an ethereal world that the eye can't see, but the camera can capture.
Here, we find out how Stephen's work has evolved in terms of process and kit – and why he's so enthusiastic about the technique.