Sunday, September 1, 2019
Saturday, August 31, 2019
Friday, August 30, 2019
I’ll be the very first person to admit that I go to serious extremes when it comes to omitting people from my landscape compositions. It’s not that I don’t like people (I almost couldn’t type that sentence with a straight face). Rather, I have long found that the inclusion of person, or people, in the frame of a landscape composition takes the viewer away from imagination. Instead of enjoying the splendor of the scene, they’re focused on the person. “Who is that person? Why are they there? Would I (the viewer) have included the person in the photo if I was standing there?” All of these questions that a viewer may ask themselves detracts from enjoying the scene itself. Now, that is a blanket statement and I agree that it doesn’t hold true all the time, but it is a worthwhile point to consider.
I’ve come to the conclusion that there are two reasons why I would consider including a person, or people, in my photo. The first is to simply document the experience of photographing a particular location or natural phenomenon. In some cases, it’d almost be criminal not to photograph the conditions of your shoot because it’d be hard to believe without photographic proof. There have been times when I have been literally swarmed by tourists who have no concept of personal space.
Conversely, I’ll take photos of the classic “firing line” of photographers who organize themselves in an orderly way. Both cases make for intriguing landscape photos.
Other times, I will capture friends or fellow photographers while shooting on location because it does a wonderful job of giving viewers a better sense of the experience. We’ve all seen countless photos of those formidable icebergs on the black sand beaches of Iceland, but I think it’s even more interested to illustrate what it’s like to photograph them by including another photographer. Not only does it provide a sense of scale, if you’re prepared, you can also convey the very real and very dangerous challenges that come with shooting such locations. It’s all in the name of sharing and, I suppose, I’m good with that.
See more of Brian Matiash’s work at matiash.com.
The post The Merits Of Including People In Scenic Photos appeared first on Outdoor Photographer.
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Nowadays, when you hear the word “layers” in reference to photography, your first thought likely veers to Adobe Photoshop. So much of what I see online about photography technique focuses more on the post-processing side of things rather than in-camera. In this article, though, I’m referring to the layers within your photographic compositions. Learning to see the landscape in layers is one of the best ways to convey depth in how you frame your shots. After all, if you can give your viewer a relational sense of your primary subject with respect to its surroundings, you have a greater chance of getting them to focus on your photo. And that, my friends, is the ultimate goal when you share a photo.
There are several factors to consider when looking for those lovely layers to include. The first, and most obvious, is whether there are any layers to begin with. If you’re standing in the middle of Nebraska, odds are high that you won’t have many layers to find as the area is famously flat and expansive. You’ll have far better luck if you are in a mountainous or hilly area. Additionally, your position with respect to the hills is important. I always look for the highest possible vantage point and tend to shoot down from there.
Next, it helps to have a primary point of focus to serve as a relational jumping off point for the viewer. If the only thing you present are a bunch of hills without a clear subject, it will be much harder for the viewer to get any special connection. They’ll have no sense of depth or distance, which will defeat the purpose entirely. Also, including a primary subject will allow you to convey a sense of scale, which is a powerful composition technique.
Finally, the time of day when you shoot is important. While we all love the quality of light at sunrise and sunset, it goes far beyond aesthetics here. When the sun is high in the sky, the direction of the light is harsh and doesn’t cast much shadow. When the sun hangs lower, the light travels at a much more pleasing angle and it casts long shadows as it breaks over each layer. These shadows are a critical component to defining shape and contour. By combining all of these elements together, you will end up with a seriously pleasing photo for your viewers, I promise.
The post Finding Layers In Your Landscape Photography appeared first on Outdoor Photographer.
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Thursday, August 29, 2019
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