Seeing the World in Constant Beauty
Posted on Aug 6, 2024
Landscape photographer Leah Hennessey reveals her inspiration, images and why she trusts Tamron lenses to bring her visions to life
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Originally hailing from Buckinghamshire, landscape photographer Leah Hennessey first picked up a camera when she was 15, but it wasn’t until many years later that she was inspired to pursue her passion professionally. Hennessey relocated to Lancaster in 2020 and as soon as she saw the stunning local scenery, she knew the direction she wanted to take her art.
“Moving up here to the north-west, I’m right on the edge of the Lake District and the Yorkshire Dales; heaven for landscapes,” Hennessey enthuses.
“I love that photography gives you the ability to get out there into the great outdoors. The images are one thing, but the experiences you have when you’re making them, the new places you explore and the excitement you get when the weather’s amazing – that’s maybe my favourite part.”
A case in point was when she found herself living a dream of hers: in Iceland photographing an erupting volcano.
“Being able to see that was mind-blowing. I remember thinking to myself: ‘Photography has brought me here’.”
Ensuring you’re in the right place at the right time is a large part of creating a great image, and – in landscape photography especially – getting to that perfect spot takes time, effort and an abundance of patience. When the stakes are that high, you need equipment you can rely on.
For Hennessey, that’s Tamron. She has been using the lenses since first beginning to take photography seriously and now has a 17-28mm f/2.8 Di III RXD, a 28-75mm f/2.8 Di III VXD G2 and a 70-300mm f/4.5-6.3 Di III RXD. She combines these with her two Sony A7 III cameras – one standard and one modified for astrophotography.
Hennessey tells us that set-up gives her everything she needs. “I have always loved my Tamron lenses,” she admits, explaining the image quality you get from them speaks for itself. They’re affordable, but they don’t skimp on quality, which is the key thing.
“My favourite has to be the 28-75mm f/2.8 Di III VXD G2. It’s such a great all-rounder! I have the wide angle for general landscape photography and, for astro, I can make the most of the constant f/2.8 aperture, going for a more zoomed in shot to get all the beautiful details of the Milky Way,” she highlights.
While it’s clear to see that her 28-75mm f/2.8 Di III VXD G2 lens is perfectly suited to shooting landscapes and astro, the optic’s capability doesn’t end there.
The fast and precise VXD linear motor AF communicates seamlessly with her Sony’s subject tracking to excel at capturing moving subjects.
“I used it on Skomer Island a few weeks back, and it performed great. Not only was I able to get closer telephoto shots of the puffins but also nice wide-angle frames, which included the landscape of the island in the background; it was fantastic.”
Hennessey concludes by drawing attention to the lens’ durable, dust- and moisture-resistant build – an important feature for landscapers and one she has experienced the benefits of firsthand.
“On my first trip to Iceland, I had the 28-75mm f/2.8 Di III VXD G2 on a tripod ready to shoot a beautiful beach scene, but in a split-second lapse of concentration, I knocked it over and it landed lens-down in the black sand. I was terrified and convinced that was it – the lens is gone! But I picked it up, brushed it down and it was absolutely fine. I still have that lens to this day and use it all the time; it’s perfect!”
This feature was first published in Issue 116 of Photography News.
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