| “English Village in the Cotswolds. No EXIF data due to Photoshop processing.”
Photo: Stephen Felce |
Photography has been a lifelong pursuit for DPReview reader Stephen Felce, known in the forums as keepreal. Over more than seven decades, he has developed a passion for street scenes and beautiful landscapes, moving from black-and-white to color film, and then to digital and mirrorless systems.
“I started photographing at the age of nine, learning to print my own film with guidance from my father. My passion for capturing the world around me has never waned. Photography isn’t just a hobby, it’s a way of seeing and experiencing life more fully.”
Stephen works to bring out the beauty of places like the lochs of the Scottish Highlands and the deserts of the American Southwest, highlighting their unique natural lighting. His approach to post-processing has enabled him to turn complex scenes into images that are quite evocative.
This story is part of our What’s in your bag? community spotlight series. The series showcases the diverse gear and photography of our community, and shares their stories of how that gear helped them to capture the perfect shot.
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| “Piazza in Arezzo, Tuscany, Italy. This is a panorama shot with extensive Photoshop processing to cope with the dynamic range. No EXIF data due to Photoshop processing.”
Photo: Stephen Felce |
Meet Stephen Felce (keepreal)
Home base: Greater London, UK
Favorite camera and lens: Olympus OM-D E-M5 II with Laowa 6mm and 10mm Zero-D lenses. Stephen likes this setup specifically for landscapes and street shots because it delivers the best detail and edge sharpness. The wide-angle lenses let him capture expansive vistas and architectural subtleties with minimal distortion.
What’s in Stephen’s bag
- Primary cameras: Olympus OM-D E-M5 II
- Lenses:
- Support gear: Stephen uses a compact Hama Traveller Mini Pro tripod for most shots and a full-size Velbon Ultra REXi L tripod for larger setups. He also employs custom-made panorama heads, multiple Manfrotto ball heads and quick-release adapters to handle panoramic and detailed landscape compositions with precision.
- Camera bags: He relies on three Crumpler bags – two for camera bodies and lenses, and one for panorama brackets and accessories. For his longest lenses, such as the 75-300mm, he uses a dedicated Nikon lens case.
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| Stephen’s camera bag
Photo: Stephen Felce |
Any other interesting gear you take with you?
“I kept two Nikon SB-26 Speedlights from my Nikon days, which I can fire wirelessly from the small Olympus FL-LM3 flash to get balanced lighting like studio lights. I mostly use a lightweight Hama Traveller Mini Pro Tripod now, though I also have a full-size Velbon Ultra REXi L for heavier setups.”
“I even built my own panorama head from hardwood with sections for horizontal and vertical shots, using Manfrotto quick-release adapters for fast and precise alignment. For printing, I use an Epson Stylus Professional 3880 for prints up to A2 and an Expression Photo XP-8605 for everyday use, both with pigment inks for long-lasting color.”
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| “Near the entrance to Zion National Park, Utah. I was lucky with the light, which, though extremely weak, was better than in other images I have seen of this. My favorite self-took picture, so I made an A2 framed print for my living room. No EXIF data due to extensive Photoshop processing.”
Photo: Stephen Felce |
How has your photography changed since you started?
“When I did my own monochrome photography, I settled upon Kodak Panatomic X and Ilford Pan F exposed at about half the nominal ISO. I also developed in the Beutler formula from raw chemicals to give a long scale with beautiful highlights.”
“I have always gone for pictures from high-dynamic-range scenes, usually against the light. I rarely consciously decide on contre jour; it just happens, being in my element when those lighting conditions present themselves in brilliant sunshine. You cannot get those Beutler tones on digital, possibly because there is no shoulder to the highlights in a digital image, as the slope there is far too high.”
“Still, when I switched to digital, my photography really took off, and somehow I found getting good colors easy, whereas with film I never felt my results were very good.”
“When I switched to digital, my photography really took off, and somehow I found getting good colors easy.”
How do you post-process a less-than-ideal scene?
“One of my picturesque street scenes, Gold Hill in Shaftesbury, Dorset, is familiar to most Brits because of a famous 1973 Hovis Bread advert. I took my picture there on negative color film and processed it myself. Early on in digital, I used to scan my negatives and got a superior result with Gold Hill, partly because of the light in the shot and partly because of the skills I developed with Photoshop Elements 2.”
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“Gold Hill in Shaftesbury, Dorset. No EXIF data due to Photoshop processing.” Photo: Stephen Felce |
“There was a street sign ruining the picture, weeds growing in the gutters of a nearby dwelling and more distractions spoiling the overall effect. I cloned out the distractions, straightened a wall and changed the creamy cottage to blue as the original looked sad against the white cottage two doors down. Next, I filled in the bald sky and sharpened the out-of-focus wall on the left.”
“After two years of digital manipulation and printing, I finally get good results. The photo won me a copy of Photoshop CS2, which I had wanted but cost far too much for my liking.”
Have you taken any particularly memorable trips?
“My best holiday ever was to the Southwestern USA in 2011… from San Francisco to LA, 3,000 miles through Utah and Arizona.
“My best holiday ever was to the Southwestern USA in 2011, driving for three weeks from San Francisco to LA, 3,000 miles through Utah and Arizona, as well as in California. I estimated the distance for my route before I went, and amazingly, it was only a mile out.”
“I loved Zion National Park, where, unusually, you get different kinds of rock, different textures and colors adjacent to one another, creating a remarkable effect. I loved Zion so much that I had to include it again in a 2018 trip of a similar distance from LA to Denver to see other must-see places like Arches National Park, but I actually preferred Dead Horse Point State Park overall.”
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| “Spectacular Rocks in Zion National Park, Utah. Unusual to see such variety in adjacent rocks. No EXIF data due to Photoshop processing.”
Photo: Stephen Felce |
When capturing that perfect shot, what are your preferred techniques?
“I always take a spot reading for exposure on the brightest part of the image, more often than not, the sky, and set exposure adjustment to +3 stops. That way, highlights are never blown out, and it works in every natural-light situation. If the dynamic range demands it, I use bracketed exposures.”
“On the E-M5 II, it is brilliant because I can set the gaps two or three stops apart and simultaneously use exposure adjustment to increase exposure for the deepest shadows, without having to resort to shorter exposures, which is not necessary.”
For eager photographers to capture it all, what would you suggest?
“Most camera buffs feel obliged to take pictures. I don’t, as I take very few even in the best of places. I can quite literally return from a trip with nothing, enjoying the outing no less for that. Some scenes are beautiful, but do not lend themselves to the camera. Instead, they can be quite an experience in real life if you are able and willing to see with insight.”
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| “Ennerdale Water. Lovely clouds making a beautiful scene in the Lake District, northern England. No EXIF data due to Photoshop processing.”
Photo: Stephen Felce |
Stephen really enjoyed writing the content for this spotlight article and would be grateful for you to join him in discussion in the forums. Thanks, Stephen, for being featured!
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