Landscape Photographer of the Year 2010

Another book given to me as a Christmas present. Have worked my way through it over the past couple of days. Immediate impressions are that there is an advantage living or being able to travel to Scotland given the number of selections from that area and that there is a range of images some of which where it is difficult to see the element of 'landscape' (see the image of the wheelchair competitor). As ever in such selections there are those that you are immediately attracted to and think that really is good and those that you just think 'yeah alright' and occasionally the ones where you wonder what the judges saw that you are not seeing.

I went back over them trying to work out why I reacted as I did and whether there was any discernible pattern in my reactions. Perhaps not surprisingly I reacted positively to those that reflected my own views about what makes a great landscape picture and negatively where I was left wondering why it was in a landscape competition. For example I would not question the competence and vision of the image of an 'English Breakfast' in the foreground with our eye taken through the window towards an urban scene including a train but it left me cold (although feeling hungry!). My conclusion is that we are attracted to those images that confirm our view of the world in the same way that we choose the newspaper we read where we look for confirmation of our opinions and taste.  Few of us like to step outside our comfort zone in most aspects of our lives and photography is no different.

These thoughts led me to thinking about what I gained from looking at the work of other photographers. If I am pre-disposed to choosing a particular style of photography that I enjoy and tend to concentrate on is there any real benefit from looking at different styles? Whilst it easy to suggest that one should approach all styles of photography with an open mind it is very rarely the case that this happens.  As I proposed in an earlier blog photography is fashion led and styles move in and out of popularity. Those for whom photography is a way of making a living or are encouraged by their success in exhibitions and competitions know that they have to adjust to the latest dominant fashion in order to be successful. I once attended a talk by a well known landscape photographer who showed his work accumulated over a number of years. His early work was of landscapes of a quality that one could only aspire to. His later work was more 'creative' and less impressive and he told the audience that he had found it necessary to make the change because his work was no longer being accepted for exhibitions  as landscapes were no longer fashionable. I was left wondering why this was the case. The problem was solved for me within a fortnight when a competition judge made the remark "not another one of the Tuscan landscape". From that and subsequent remarks heard at competitions and exhibition selections it became evident that the eye and mind become jaded and alights on something different even if of a inferior quality with a sigh of relief.

I conclude that whilst looking at the work of different artists and photographers may provide me with inspiration it is most likely to do so in an area with which I feel most comfortable. It may suggest a different venue or an area that I have not visited but in improving my work I am less than sure. If I want to be good or better at photographing mountains or urban landscapes the best way for me to do that is go and photograph them. Each time I should be critical of what has been achieved and work out at what I was less successful aiming to improve each time. A second opinion and some 'tricks of the trade' based on my work is one of the reasons I am following this Course. I will only be able to judge my success at the end when I have learnt sufficient to be awarded a degree.

Velvet Water

Got the book  The Landscape Photography Workshop (Ross Hoddinott & Mark Bauer, Photographers Institute Press 2011) in my stocking at Christmas. Lots of useful information about landscape photography and tips for getting it right. As you would expect from a book based on workshop teaching it is overly prescriptive that offers the methodology and approach of the authors with only passing reference to other methods by other photographers that are as equally effective. However it does have the advantage of being well constructed and I was left feeling that I had gained a great deal from it.

My pet hate is 'velvet water' the effect created by a long exposure when photographing moving water. The authors go as far as to add Neutral Density filters to lengthen the exposure. I realise it is all a matter of taste but personally I think it is gimmicky and gives the image a wholly unrealistic look. Granted it works in some situations where the structure and texture of the water is not a key element but in other shots it simply looks ridiculous (for me the best example of the latter is the image on page 102).

My hope is that, in common with all so called 'creative gimmicks', there will be the natural reaction, when something has been flogged to death, of returning to photographing nature as we perceive it. Fortunately or unfortunately photography is fashion dominated (think about landscape photography and its demise) and it requires a great deal of courage to fly in the face of fashion particularly if you wish to be recognised and exhibited so fashions last longer than what one would see as their natural life. It is interesting to go back and follow these fashions through a period trying to identify the trigger that created them (e.g. colour film, digital cameras and the availability of increasingly sophisticated software) and what brought about their demise.

I sometimes think that it would be a useful exercise to give a box brownie to the 'greart' photographers of our present era and ask them to produce a portfolio of say 10 images (no post processing allowed)and see what they come up with. Too often one gets the impression that success lies in the competence and skill of the post processing staff (frequently not the photographer) rather than the image captured in camera. (I personally will continue to use the best camera I can afford and the latest software available!!)

Photographer John Pfahl

One advantage about lousy weather (cold, wet and miserable at the moment) is that you get the chance to study the work of other photographers. I had never heard of John Pfahl so visited his web-site at johnpfahl.com.

The site has examples of many of his works from 1974 onwards. You also have the benefit of the his comments so that you have some idea of the driving force behind his photography. His early work is a reflection of his environmental concerns that are part of all his subsequent work. One of his early series entitled 'Altered Landscape' is, for me, the least impressive. Landscape shots that are 'ordinary' are altered by the addition of such things as representational 'lightning' that have either been placed in the landscape by the photographer or added later in post processing. They presumably are some sort of message but are so contrived as to make the whole image appear artificial. Why Pfahl felt the need to add these artefacts is not clear and although they appear in some later work he lets the landscape speak for itself in the most recent.

There is a series entitled 'Power Places' (1981-1984) where he photographs power plants such as nuclear facilities but places them within the landscape so that they are but a small part. I thought these were very powerful images that, by hinting at the intrusion of something that is almost anti nature in its conception, his message is that much more potent than a simple shot of the facility where it dominates the surrounding area. There are close up images of the grid network that whilst interesting do not have the impact of the others. On a personal level I have photographed nuclear facilities at Sizewell and Dungeness in the UK but these were close ups and I now realise that the impact was much less than if I had stepped back and shown the surrounding landscape.

There are other series such as 'Bali Suite' that is an exercise in the variation of the colour green perhaps taken out of the ordinary by the man made crop patterns and 'Smoke' that is literally what it says - photographs of smoke. I could not decide whether my indifference to this latter series was created by the sameness of too many images presented one after the other or simply disinterest in the subject matter.

If I had to choose a favourite series it would be 'Luminous River'. It is the sort of landscape photography I aspire to. My personal choice would be:

Fisherman at Shamokin Dam  (Aug 2002) - the combination of the soft ethereal light with the buildings and shoreline in silhouette and the placement of a gap in the shoreline that has been placed top left draws the eye into the picture and on to the distant shoreline that is barely visible inviting the viewer to ponder what is there.

Morning light on RailRoad Viaduct (June 2004) - The arches caught by the sun that is low in the sky form a strong diagonal of repeating patterns the effect of which is increased by the reflection in the water. My favourite.

Morning Mist near Owego NY (August 2003) - The quite beautiful light, the threatening sky that provides just a glimpse of the sun, the curve of the river emphasised by the silhouetting of the river banks and the tree that dominates the left side of the image makes for a memorable and striking image.

There is a noticeable difference between his early work that seems contrived and tries too hard to put across a message and his later work where the use of light on the landscape and the relationship between the elements of the image offer a much more subtle but nevertheless powerful message. It is fairly obvious where my preference lies.

Richard Billingham

Bought Richard Billingham's book "Landscapes 2001 - 2003".  I first looked at all the images without reading the introductory essay as I find that being 'told' by someone else what they see in the images impacts upon my impressions. There is an inevitable conflict between what I see and what the writer sees that I find necessary to try to resolve.

My first impression was not positive largely because I was hearing the 'judge's voice' in my head that is probably the outcome of attending too many competitions. I found myself thinking "I would have cropped the sky out because it adds nothing to the overall image" or "It is too fussy there is no 'centre' to the image" and similar phrases so favoured by judges. Recognising the problem I re-visited the images consciously trying to see the whole and the way that the elements combined to produce the overall impact. Although in one or two cases there still remained the questions ( Hollybush 2001 and Hedge 2001 are examples) I found myself having a greater appreciation of the whole image.

The 'flat' landscape is one that I know well living in East Anglia close to the Cambridgeshire Fens and the Norfolk countryside so that the cover image Gates 2002 and Pond 2002 are types of landscape I have photographed often. There is always the the need to resolve the problem of the amount of land and sky in the image, the latter being a dominant element in the flat landscapes of East Anglia. Including the sky can emphasise the 'emptiness' of the area but also can be 'dead space' such as the sky in "Dyke 2003" where it is a featureless mass that occupies almost half of the image and does not, for me, add anything to the image.

The images I had the least liking for were the intimate landscapes such as "Sunflowers 2001", "Tree Boles 2001" and "HollyBush 2001".  I found myself having no emotional response to them and wondered why they had been included.

What will I take away from this book. Certainly an appreciation of another person's approach to a subject that is one of my favourites in photography. There are some images that I would not have dreamed of taking (Storm at Sea 2001) previously that I would now attempt. Perhaps I will also be braver in breaking the rules that I seem to have imbibed by osmosis rather than consciously such as the presence of the sky and other elements. It will be interesting to review my work in a few months time to see what impact my knowledge of this book has had on my approach.

Joe Cornish

Had the opportunity to watch the DVD "With Landscape in Mind - a photographic trip with Joe Cornish".


Not overly impressed although there were some good(i.e. those that I liked) images. Far too much time devoted to getting to the destination and watching and listening to Joe Cornish set up his expensive looking camera. I assume that the end result was worth it (though not evident from the end result on the DVD) but in one particular part of the commentary he mentions the speed with which the light is changing whilst at the same time is trying to get the settings on his camera correct. It occurred to me that the facilities on the camera were getting in the way of getting the image. Sometimes trying to get the perfect shot means that it just passed you by.

Although composition at the end of the day is a matter of personal taste I found his shots of the limestone pavement did not work. In two of the shots the limestone blocks the image and the far landscape and the pavement do not appear to be part of the same scene. Also some of his 'close ups' lacked any meaningful structure (not in the sense of a building but in an awareness of the pattern(s) within the trees and foliage) so that I found my eye failing to find anywhere to settle.

I visited his web site to see other examples of his work. Within the limitations of the size at which the prints could be viewed there were some stunning images and I presume that it is on the basis of these that his reputation is built. I knew of his reputation and this was the reason that I purchased the DVD. Do I think it was worth it? Not really. As a tutorial it lacks real direction and as an example of landscape photography it left much to be desired.

I would stress that this is my personal opinion and it is probable that others will take a different view.

Ansel Adams

I have mixed feelings about the value of studying the work of other photographers. On the one hand you can get a great deal of inspiration from the work of others but at the risk of becoming a copyist rather than a photographer. On the other hand  is the best way to encourage a photographer to take great pictures of Yosemite to tell him to study the work of Ansel Adams or to go to Yosemite and take photographs. There is also a risk that famous photographers reach the point that what ever they take is seen necessarily as 'good' or even 'great'. The images are judged by reference to the photographer rather than there intrinsic qualities.

There is no denying that Ansel Adams produced some stunning images and a trawl through his work finds many examples. I visited the web site www.ansel-adams.com.. There can be seen such images as Yosemite Valley Thunderstorm (1945); White House Ruin (1960); Golden Gate Headlands (1950) and Moon and Half Dome (1960) plus my particular favourite  Jeffrey Pine (1940). All show Adam's sense of composition and drama and his use of the whole range of tones in black and white add an almost magical quality. The 'Jeffrey Pine" is, for me,  the best example of his skills. The texture of the tree in the photograph is such that you feel that you can reach out and feel its roughness and age.

In 1941 the National Park Service commissioned  Adams to create a photo mural for the Department of the Interior Building in Washington, DC. The theme was to be nature as exemplified and protected in the U.S. National Parks. The project was suspended following America's entry into the Second World War but was never resumed. The photographs that Adams did take are in the National Archives and can be seen at www.archives.gov/research/ansel-adams. They include many landscapes from the National Parks but also some close ups of the Boulder Dam and surprisingly, for me anyway, some portraits of Native Americans.


Many of the images are of the high quality that we expect from Adams but others are less impressive and some are poor by modern day standards.  In the first category there is The Tetons - Snake River (archive no 79AAG-1) that is perhaps one of his better known works. Whilst in the latter is Death Valley National Monument (archive no 79AAD-1) and Church Taos Pueblo New Mexico (archive no 79AAQ-2). His portraits suggest that he was more comfortable photographing wide open spaces than humans. The portraits have a woodenness that suggests that there was little rapport between photographer and subject.


What is my personal learning from looking at the work of a great landscape photographer? I am not sure at this stage because I need to think about what I saw. The exceptional element in Adams work is the creation of texture and depth through the use of the whole tonal range and this is something that I would wish to emulate in my own monochromatic work. His composition and use of space is good although sometimes you are left feeling that there was a better shot there somewhere.  Yosemite Valley Thunderstorm, for example, leaves me with a sense of being 'blocked in' by the solidity of the mountains either side and this feeling is not helped by the lighting on the two opposite faces. I feel as though I want to be further away so that the thunderous sky is more dominant in the image and to give a sense of the grandeur of the scene that we are being shown.

Project 13 Throughout the Day

Completed this exercise during Art of Photography See http://cdsherwood.blogspot.com/2010/09/light-through-day.html

Project 12 Contrast and Exposure

The image was captured in RAW and processed in ACR. The shadows cast by the trees were dark although detail was visible  whilst the Church in the background, catching the direct sun, on first examination had very little detail visible. Using the adjustment brush I reduced the exposure on the Church to bring out the detail. I also applied the same settings to the large tree on the left that too light for the balance of the image.

I converted the processed image to black and white using Silver EFex Pro2 using the neutral filter giving the above result.

Again the image was captured in RAW and processed in ACR. Here the contrast was caused by the very bright sunlight at the end of the path. In the RAW version the sky was completely blown out and there was very little detail in the trees in the patch of sunlight. I reduced the exposure for the whole image to emphasise the brighter area so that the eye is led not only by the path but would also be drawn towards the brightest area. I then used the adjustment brush to reduce further the exposure to bring out the detail in the tress that were in the sunlight. There was very little detail in the sky that had been captured so any further reduction in the exposure was fruitless.

The conversion to black and white was achieved in the same way as the first image.

The darkest areas in this image were caused by the ditch one third from the bottom of the image and the large tree to the right. Again shot in camera RAW there was virtually no detail visible in the ditch area. After processing I increased the exposure in the ditch by the use of the adjustment brush. I carried out a second reduction of exposure in the sky area as, although detail was visible t appeared washed out.

The conversion to black and white was achieved in the same way as the first two images.

I am not sure what this exercise achieved. It is probably the case that the use of film that there is reason for comparing the different results. Digitally the processing of the RAW image if carried out properly the 'result' should be when the maximum amount of detail is captured in the final image. The conversion to black and white does not alter the amount of detail captured initially and use of the available software ensures that this becomes visible.

Planning

Spent part of yesterday reading through all the Course material. I had assumed that the projects would have some sort of sequence but had I thought more carefully about it I would have realised that 'opportunity' is one of the key elements. On more careful reading this is evident in the material as it is made fairly clear that each would in some way depend upon the elements. Blindingly obvious I know.

I have decided therefore that whilst I will tackle the Assignments in the order that they are set I will create a set of cards containing the projects key elements so that I can carry them in my camera bag. That means, I hope, that whilst I may set out to meet the demands of a particular project I can quickly scan through and see if I can combine the particular with other projects. My aim will be to complete all the projects by the time that I wish to make my submission for Assessment. To quote "they are all there, not necessarily in the right order" (with apologies to Morecambe and Wise).

Landscape 2 - Assignment 2

Spent the last couple of days getting together my images for Assignment 1. It has been an enjoyable assignment and I am fortunate in so far as having a couple of possible sites reasonably close to home. Used Lightroom to process the RAW files and this was the first time I had used it seriously as opposed to learning about it. Worked well although a bit slow because of my limited knowledge. Seems to be worth the effort.

I have found that one of the problems I face when working on images is that they lose, for me, their freshness and I find myself becoming more and more critical. What was "that came out well" becomes "Yeah its o.k." particularly where I have not been strict about discarding images that are alright but are not some of better work. The lesson learnt here is that having been on a shoot I need to winnow the resulting images down to just one or two over the number needed and even consider going back where I think I have missed out. It is too easy to shoot away without a coherent strategy and I must plan more what it is I need to achieve and the best way to achieve it.

Project 10 - Soft Colours

The first image shows the effect of mist on the colours. The image was taken from a high vantage point overlooking the German border with the Czech Republic looking across into the Czech Republic. Comparing the strength of the colours in the foreground with those in the mid-ground and background demonstrates the differences created by the mist. Interestingly the camera managed to capture more than I remember seeing at the time of taking the photograph.

The second image is of a pond in a forest clearing. It was a bright sunny day and the sun was mainly shining on the area shown in the top right hand quarter of the image making the exposure difficult. The image has been enhanced in Lightroom  using the adjustment brush to reduce exposure in areas that were over-exposed. The difference in the reflected colours is noticeable although not so pronounced as in the 'mist' picture above. I presume this is because the water was very still and the dark bottom of what was a shallow pond meant that the 'mirror' effect was very strong.

The third image is taken in the autumn and the reeds that dominate the image have turned from their summer colour of variations on green to the muted browns that are seen here. The background of trees consists largely of evergreens but they too have lost the brighter colours of new foliage that could be seen during the summer.

Project 9 - Colour Themes

A range of greens in one image. It is not difficult to find a wide range of greens in most landscape shots and indeed within one plant both as the light varies and which part of the plant particularly the leaves are showing. 

This image was shot as the afternoon drew to a close and we were blessed with a deep blue sky and the yellow/orange rays of the setting sun picking out the autumnal colours of the foliage.

The autumnal colour of this tree contrasts strongly with the deep greens of the foliage that is beyond it. It could be argued that the image would be stronger if the yellow foliage in the top left quarter of the image had been cropped out. 

I remember doing this exercise in the Art of Photography and wondering then whether there was any useful reason for doing it. I remain unconvinced although the 2nd of the images benefits from the contrast of the blue of the sky and the orange/yellows of the foliage but the other two seem to me to be artificial constructions where the photograph is not one I would have normally taken as for me they lack interest.

Project 8 - Using Perspective to help composition

In this image the dominant 'perspective element' is the railing posts on the left hand side of the path. Additionally the continuation of the path into the trees (placed centre left) adds to the perspective giving depth to the picture drawing the eye into the image. The image is taken from the top of the path looking downwards and this combined with the railings and the line of the path exaggerate the length of the path. 

In this image the sense of perspective is provided by the two lines of the track that appear to meet at the furthest point aided by the line of the trees either side. Again the eye is drawn into the picture. One criticism I would have purely looking at the image as an example of the use of the perspective is the light parts of the image that tend to draw the eye.

In this image I have used the road as the main element of perspective (the narrowing effect as we look further along the line of the road) but have also used the brightness of the light as we reach the full 'depth' of the image to enhance the effect. It is also possible to see beyond this area of bright sunlight to trees that appear to meet although the assumption would be that this is a continuation of the road.

A different approach using the curve of the road to draw the eye from the right hand bottom corner of the image into the furthest point set off centre to the right. The close proximity of the road in the bottom right exaggerates the perspective effect on the road suggesting a greater depth than was the case in reality.

The image is taken from a high vantage point looking down onto the curve of the river and the surrounding countryside. Perspective effect is given by the different size of the buildings that can be seen along the right hand side of the river and the apparent different size of the vessels that can be seen on the river. There is also the sense of distance given by the hill and dominant butte in the centre of the image and their relationship to the hills in the background.

Here I have tried to give a sense of depth to the image by the relationship between the various elements of the image. The eye is drawn towards the right centre of the image and we assume that this area is further from our viewpoint because of the relationships between the different areas.

These images were taken whilst I was on holiday in eastern Germany.  The first four were taken deliberately to meet the needs of the project hence the use of 'lines' that help the sense of perspective. The last two I selected from the general shots I had taken where I had not deliberately set out to produce images that I could use in this blog. I could not say in all honesty that I saw what I have described and can only assume that the outcome was the product of being attracted to the scene with a probably unconscious awareness (perhaps enhanced by having had to think about perspective) of the relationships between the various elements.

Just for the record the reason that this and other blogs are appearing so soon one after the other is that I took the Course material on holiday with me with the deliberate intent of meeting the needs of the various projects. A bit sad I know but it was a huge improvement on simply providing snapshots for the family album.

Project 6 - framing the view differently

Having decided to use a different location for my '4 seasons' images it gave me the opportunity to re-examine the original images as I had used a range of different views in that initial project.

These first 4 images use a fountain as the focal point of the image. Two are the same shot and all that I have done is turn the camera from landscape to portrait. As can be seen they offer quite different images with the portrait version being more concentrated and leading the eye of the viewer to the building in the far distance. The third shot retains some sense of the positioning of the lake whilst the fourth is a more crowded image offering few clues as to the overall context

The next two are of the same footpath and again I have simply changed the orientation of the camera. In the landscape version the footpath forms a relatively small part of the image whilst additional information is provided by the path that comes in from the left drawing the viewer's eye towards the path that continues into the distance adding another point of interest. In the second image the path is the dominant feature again leading the eye into the image.

Although these two images are in a different orientation in the second one I have drawn back the lens to include more of the footpath in the foreground and to include more of the trees to show their height.

I have included this last pair as they were clearly taken at different times with the portrait one having the benefit of sunlight with accompanying shadows. Here the landscape has not been 'changed' by me moving my position but by the change in the light falling on the scene. On the day that this was taken there was a mix of bright blue sky and the occasional large cloud. Whilst sub-consciously aware of the difference the light made it is only when I viewed these two images that I realised the obvious fact that the biggest change that occurs in a landscape is the different light.  Obvious when stated but sometimes it is easy to forget.

I learnt a lot from this exercise particularly the almost infinite number of different images that can be captured form the one landscape both by taking advantage of the light and the changes it goes through but also by shifting my position and/or the orientation of the camera. Sometimes it takes someone to point out the blindingly obvious before we realise the opportunities that are afforded.

Project 7 - figures in a landscape

In the first image taken across the River Elbe the figures in the image give a sense of the scale of the building that is behind them. I cropped the image so that the building was the dominant feature and to remove other clues as to its actual size.

The second image is of two figures in a field. A sense of the size of the landscape contained within the image is provided by these two figures that look so small by comparison. In the third image I have removed the figures (I found placing my finger over them did not work because all I could see was my finger). Whether this changes the image is difficult to say because of the knowledge gained by not only taking the photograph but also being aware of the image with the figures present. 

The final image stretches the project insofar as the 'point' is provided by the tractor and the dust cloud behind it. It does however provide a strong sense of scale and helps the viewer judge the size of the fields.

Project 5 - interacting subjects

The following images are of the same waterfall viewed from different points. The first is a general shot showing its closeness to a road and the man-made path leading to it from a car park that is not visible. The second is the 'waterfall ' as is the third although from a different angle. The fourth is a side view with a glimpse of some visitors (right centre) whilst the final one is from the top of the waterfall that shows that is man-made and that a natural stream has been diverted and restrained to pour over the rocks. Apart from climbing to the top of the waterfall to take the final view I hardly changed my position at all.

Project 4 - Collage

I decided against creating a collage as there seems to be a suggestion that if you are using a digitsal camera then a panorama can be created using available software. If this is the case then the project is the same as Project 3

Project 3 - Panorama Part 2

This panorama was created from 5 photographs with the camera being hand held. It was of interest that Photoshop took considerably longer to create the panorama and the amount of distortion necessary was considerable. I assume that this was because I held the camera and did not use a tripod. I was also less accurate in the degree of movement between each image so that there was a significant difference in the proportion of the whole each individual contributed.

As one would expect there is a lot of benefit in using a tripod not only in maintaining the horizon line but also ensuring that the individual images provide an equal share to the whole.

Project 3 - Panorama

I declined to cover my camera with black tape as this seemed, in this day and age, an odd way to create a panorama shot. I mounted the camera on a tripod and took a series of photographs (8 in all) through an arc of approximately 270 degrees at round about 35 degree shifts thus ensuring plenty of overlap between the images. I then downloaded the images into Camera Raw and adjusted one of the images and then applied the same changes to all the others. I then transferred the images to Photoshop using Photomerge. I then cropped the image and filled any remaining blank spaces in the sky and foreground with Fill - Content Aware. The result was:

The original size of the image was approx 74 ins in width so I reduced it by using 'Save for Web and Devices' so that I could place it in this Blog. 

The ease of taking panoramic shots, including being able to hand hold the camera has improved dramatically and whilst I use Photoshop CS5 there is other software available that does an equally good job.

As the Course material states panorama shots are better the larger they are because the amount of information and the chance for the viewer to 'enter' the image is increased by the larger image. As is the case with the image above the information is squashed so that it is difficult to get a sense of scale and the distances between individual objects For example the white blob in the middle of the image on the cliff top to the left of the black vehicle is a very large caravan park. In a larger image the individual vans can be distinguished and I found myself looking for obvious signs of use.

Purely as an aside the black vehicle was moving down the roadway as I was taking the shots and I managed to capture it in three separate images. I was somewhat relieved that the software was powerful enough to include it only the once.

Fickle Autumn

A couple of weeks ago I visited a local Country Park to do a recce for taking autumn shots as part of the four seasons exercise. The foliage had some autumnal colours so I decided to take a series of images and made plans to return in the fond hope that there would be some magnificent colours. Yesterday I made the return trip and it was almost a barren landscape (I exaggerate for effect) with most of the foliage on the ground. So much for my plans. Lesson learnt is take the shots that are there and don't assume that 'better' ones will be just round the corner. In amongst those that I took are a number that I like and are suitable for keeping for the project but this was not really part of the planning.

Photography 2 Landscape Project 2: horizontal vs vertical

The first pair of images is of a man- made waterfall (the water is channelled to ensure its path is over the rocks). In the first image the waterfall is but part of the overall scene and whilst providing a focal point for the image it lacks drama. However I like the image because context is provided and some clues are given to the scale of the image. There is a pleasant range of colours in the greens and browns of the surrounding woodland and overall there is a sense of balance.

The second image is of the same spot but this time the camera was held vertically and the waterfall positioned to ensure its dominance in the image. I ensured that there was sufficient surrounding information to provide context. I believe that this works as a vertical image and probably this format would have been my first choice for the image.

The second pair of images are of the same ruined house. In the first of the images the effect of using the horizontal allows for the inclusion of surrounding detail once again providing context. In this scene the point of the image is uncertain because it is an image of derelict buildings within a forestry setting.

In the vertical sample the emphasis is now on the building and the viewer is invited to explore the internal parts of the building whilst the surroundings are evident but less dominant.

The final pair of images is of the River Elbe viewed from the vantage point of Kronesberg Fortress

The dominance of the river in the image and the way that it draws the eye of the viewer along its length seem to make the vertical/horizontal framing almost irrelevant. The horizontal view provides more information about the surrounding countryside but does not, in my view,  add anything of significance.

As expected from the Course material the horizontality of a landscape view tends to be the 'natural' view point. However the successful vertical shots that I managed were where there was an element in the picture that drew the eye upwards (or downwards) thus making the vertical perspective seem natural. Simple countryside landscape shots did not work vertically and seemed to impose an unnatural boundary around the overall image.

Photography 2 Landscape Project 1: the horizon line

Did this project in the Art of Photography but decided to have another go as I feel that it is one if the keys to the successful landscape image.

As I happened to be on holiday in  Germany for a week in some stunning countryside I made several attempts at carrying out the project. I found that what was or was not 'successful' depended to a great extent on the subject matter and the amount of detail in the sky and/or landscape. I was fortunate that every day was a sunny day with a reasonable sky so using as little of a grey featureless sky as possible did not arise. I have chosen just three images

I personally prefer the 3rd image as the centre of interest for me is the detail in the sky. The second drags in too much of the foreground and it is difficult for the eye to travel into the picture as the brightest area is at the bottom of the image. The sense of scale is also lost as the small grassed area occupies as much of the frame as the dark wooded areas on the hills. The first image is acceptable but the horizon line chops the picture in half and there is insufficient detail in the edge lines of the horizon to make it interesting.

This latter point, the interest created by the horizon line, appeared to be one of the keys to a successful image. It requires very little change in the line, say a church spire,  just enough to spark the curiosity of the viewer. 

As stated earlier there was a sequence a warm sunny days with a blue sky and just enough cloud formation to make it (the sky) interesting. A common problem in the UK is the featureless cloudy dull sky where we have to strive to reduce the deadening effect of the monotonous grey. To take the third image as an example one only has to imagine the sky as being a consistent grey to know that the overall impact would be much less. In that case I would have chosen to place the horizon line as close to the top as reasonable and lessened the effect of the bright green at the base of the image by slightly de-saturating and also darkening. Alternatively and probably a better result would be to crop the image to a 'letter box' taking out approximately the bottom third

Photography 2 - Landscape

Just started the Course so have only skipped through the material but it seems a good Course. Emphasis on film seems a bit odd but the fundamentals remain the same whatever the camera being used.

It so happened that just after the Course material arrived I was due to go on a planned holiday to Germany. Lots of opportunities for practice and getting images for the various projects.