In one of my recent classes for <apogeephoto.com>, I had a student who submitted some really interesting landscapes, but when I tried to evaluate and explain what I feel makes landscapes good, I had difficulty.  That brought up the question of what qualities does a landscape photograph have to have to make it really special, and how should a photographer approach a landscape?  As always, when I’m troubled, have questions, or just need a bit of inspiration, I go back to the older books and some of the master photographers whose work I admire.

 

One of my treasured books is The Glory of Nature’s Form.  It features the photography of Willis Peterson and was first printed by Beautiful America Publishing Company in Beaverton, Oregon, in 1979.   As he explains his work, Peterson talks about seeing the essence of what’s there.  In my own experience, it’s sometimes difficult to narrow down my vision--to distill what I have in front of me--into the essence of what’s there.   When I’m driving along, I sometimes see something that makes me stop.  I always shoot the first image I see, but time has shown me that the first image should be only the beginning of my exploration.

 

After I take my first image, the work begins.  I try to identify exactly what it was about the scene that drew my attention.  Then, I try to simplify it, so my images become exact.  Was it the mood of the clouds that caused me to stop?  Was it the golden leaves of the aspen forest?  Was it the light reflecting on the lake?  Once I can identify the essence of the scene and of the moment, then I can explore how to best photograph it.

 

As I investigate how to photograph my scene, I need to make a number of compositional decisions.  Should I photograph from a higher angle or a lower one?  Should I include the tree or cut it out of the image?  Is there a repetition of pattern or shape?  If I put a large shape there, should I balance it with another shape here?  I’ve discovered a need to continually assess what’s being included in the image, how the elements of the composition are being arranged, and what can be omitted without the loss of that essential “ah-hah!” factor.

 

Another book in my collection is a brilliant book called Landscape Photography: the Art and Techniques of Eight Modern Masters (published in 1984 by Amphoto.  In this book, photographers Franco Fontana, Yuan Li, Angelo Lomeo, Shinzo Maeda, Harald Sund, Sonja Bullaty, John Chang McCurdy and Steven C. Wilson share their thoughts on shooting landscapes.

 

Franco Fontana approaches his landscapes by viewing the scene as something that must be “sculpted” into his personal reality.  While his approach is minimal, it isn’t abstract.   Harold Sund looks for the drama in the landscape--the bolt of lightning or the glacier breaking up--the dynamic action of the moment.  Yuan Li’s work is stark and simple in design and approach.  Shinzo Maeda photographs the delicate and quiet beauty of Japan.  Steven C. Wilson shows how man and animals live in the landscape.  Sonja Bullaty captures the varying effects of climate, weather, and season in her landscape work, while her husband Angelo Lomeo includes the touch or sign of people who live on the land.  John Chang McCurdy chooses the details in the landscape carefully and portrays a mysterious world of peace and serenity.

 

If I were to list the unique characteristics of their combined approaches, the list would look something like this:  minimal, drama, simple, stark, delicate, quiet, details, variety, human presence, peace and serenity.  Pulling out keywords that describe an image frequently helps define the essence of what we see and the essence of our approach.

 

Copyright © Noella Ballenger   Jackson Lake, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming Being able to break down a scene into simple parts is not always easy but driving by this lake in the late afternoon I saw the light on the lake as it began to drop behind the mountains.  For me, the light was the subject and I took my light reading from a light area just to the side of the brightest spot.  I didn’t care how dark the rest of the image would be, but I wanted some detail in the light areas.  By using your exposure controls effectively, you can also emphasize or de-emphasize parts of the image.

Copyright © Noella Ballenger   Inyo Mountains, California Ridges of mountains are typical of the basin-and-range areas of California/Nevada high desert areas.  Being aware of the vistas at the right time of day can give you interesting images of the repetition of color and pattern.

NB:  Anything you might like to add about landscape or nature photography?

 

GA:  I was at an interesting photo show just yesterday.  The judge had an obvious bias toward black-and-white images and toward anything that was unusual or off-beat.  It's sad when someone feels they have to "improve" on nature.  Many of those photos wouldn't have even been keepers for me.  Why is different so often seen as better?  What's wrong with doing conventional photography but in an excellent way? 

 

NB:  Those are excellent questions, as well, and I don’t really have answers    for you.  One of the joys of photography is that there is room for many approaches and visions.  But there are also common threads that can be found in each of the works of the masters.

 

Copyright © Noella Ballenger   Lone Pine Peak, California Early in the morning after a rain storm, the peaks in the Sierra Nevada Mountains were fantastic.  One of the areas that drew my attention was the side ridges of Lone Pine Peak.  I waited until the light emphasized the diagonal of the land form.  This is an example of how you can use a design element as the subject of an image.

What did I learn about landscape from the hours I spent with fascinating books and talking with Gary Anthes?  In looking at the many beautiful images, I first saw flexibility in the viewpoints represented.  There are many ways of looking and approaching the landscape. 

 

My second question was what do these wonderful artists have in common?  They took the complex and worked until the idea became simple.  They narrowed the subject down to one dominant idea.  They used the light effectively to emphasize.  They contrasted a main subject with a smaller object to show size and scale.  They emphasized shapes, textures, colors, and other basic elements of design to make their point.  They photographed the common in uncommon ways and did it beautifully.