Travelling the World with Matthew Williams-Ellis
Written by: cazenove+loyd
Photographer, Matthew Williams-Ellis, has travelled the world capturing extraordinary photographs of the places he visits and the people he meets. Matthew has shared with us his chosen shot of the week and the story behind it along with any insider tips on how to perfect your photography skills.
MAJESTIC COTOPAXI VOLCANO, ECUADOR
“After over two weeks in Ecuador, visiting Cotopaxi National Park twice, and having a number of other opportunities to witness Cotopaxi’s glacier-covered slopes, this was the first time that I had a proper view of the volcano, who’s perfectly conical 5,897m summit would be my challenge just 24 hours later. This photography is also part of a current personal project of six-minute exposures.
Photo Tip: Add some life into a daylight scene by experimenting with long exposure photos. To get exposures this long during the day does require a ‘Hi-Tech’ or ‘Lee’ 10 stop filter, which will set you back about £100, but is a really fun way to create original photos, especially of over-photographed subjects such as Cotopaxi Volcano. The 10 stop filter is essentially just a VERY dark sheet of resin that blocks out a lot of light. In this example, without the filter, the exposure would be been 1/4s.
Photographers info: 6 minutes at f/16.0, ISO 50, 38mm, 10 stop ND filter and 3 stop soft edge graduated ND filter, Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8″
WHAT WE THINK…
A real adventure that clients love is exploring the Cotopaxi National Park on horseback. Here you can fully enjoy the expanse of rolling grasslands – taking advantage of ideal terrain for some seemingly endless canters. Often accompanied by wild horses galloping alongside, riders can journey along part of an old Inca route to see an Inca hilltop fort, this is a truly unforgettable experience with the most mesmerising scenery to drink in all around.
ABOUT MATTHEW WILLIAMS-ELLIS…TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHER
Matthew is a freelance travel, documentary and landscape photographer. He is based in London but spends as much time as possible exploring the world, both on assignment, photographing personal projects and writing his blog. Matthew is passionate about the variety of photographic opportunities that travelling brings, whether it be heading to the top of a volcano for sunrise, or capturing the everyday lives of local people in a market.
+ See more of Matthew’s extraordinary photographs
+ Follow Matthew on his photographic adventures around the world
