What makes a good landscape

[robski]

A simple non-technical question


Adey had expressed an opinion that most landscape photography in the UK makes it look much better than it really is.

Are some part of the UK more scenic than others and therefore a gift to landscape photographers ?

Is it case of being in the right spot at the time ?

I often look for inspiration in some of the photo mags view points. Some of the places suggested you may know of and I think surely not. Others you trek to and find the scene in question is only a few hundred metres in size.


What are your views, comments and tips ?

[Adey Baker]

I believe the comment I made was something along the lines of: if we only shoot landscapes in 'dramatic' lighting it can give the impression that it's always like that in this country. Ironically, Carl Baggott and I were standing atop Croft Hill here in the middle of the country this morning surveying the vista - or rather, not surveying the vista as yet another grey, murky day followed a run of similar days. We often comment that anyone trying to make money out of photography would be much better off going abroad!

So, does waiting for suitable lighting make for a good landscape or does 'showing it as it really is' fill the bill?

If you're after a shot for a calendar then it's probably got to be dramatic lighting, or at least fluffy clouds in a deep blue sky.

I rather like those little 'vignettes' taken from the overall scene - the 5-bar gate slightly open leading into the corner of a field surrounded by an old hedge and such like. (this is probably because all the overall views around here are spoilt by lines of power cables and pylons, so you have to look for something closer or more limiting in view).

Some of the more 'famous' views have been done too much as far as being reproduced in magazines, etc., are concerned - I'll be quite happy if I never see another shot of Durdle Dor or Buachaille Etive Mor, however attractive they may be!

[Stephen]

Originally Posted by robski

A simple non-techincal question

Non technical yes, simple, you must be joking

I will have to give this more thought, though clearly its difficult to give a definitive answer. I don't think this is a subject you can be prescriptive about. However I think you have touched on something that I firmly believe and that is that to be in the right place at the right time is often paramount in getting the right feel that makes a great photo.

I often refer people to the wonderful work of Scott Dommin
Also the work of the Time Catcher team all stunning Landscape photography.

For me the light is paramount too, it can make or break a shot, but its often luck to be there when the light is at its best. This is amply illustrated by a couple of shots I took in '04 on a trip to New England. The Nuble Light on the coast of Maine is a classic lighthouse, but I managed to catch at sunset, exactly the right time.

[robski]

Originally Posted by Adey Baker

this is probably because all the overall views around here are spoilt by lines of power cables and pylons

I agree with you 100% on this point.

It's starting to come back as to why I stopped taking landscapes.

Scotney Castle just down the road from me is another cliche.

[prostie1200]

Robski

Your question has been simmering in the back of my mind for some time, and the answer is elusive.
If you get two people standing side by side on the brow of a high hill looking out over a beautifully sunlit vista, I would like to bet they both see something different to each other.
Take it one stage further, one has a camera, and frames his view, takes a shot of it, and a week later post processes it, 10 – 1 the other party when shown the scene, probably will not recognize it.

Years ago, nearly 50 to be exact, I took a shot of the bridge over the River Axe at Withy pool on Exmoor. It was meant to record a Dull Overcast Miserable Gray scene completely uninviting and why did we come here sort of thing. When the photos came back from the lab weeks later, the colors of the garden flowers bordering the river and the beautiful pink and white washed thatched cottages along with the rolling varied greens and reds of the fields were amazing. The picture I thought I had taken was in my mind.

Hope this makes some sort of sense.

Brian

[Annette]

I think what prostie is saying is that we are inspired by different things within the landscape. These days I think that landscapes have been done to death and people are sick of "Chocolate box twee" or even light dramatic in some cases. Personally landscapes in general do not inspire me at all. I am very much a colourist and often there is not enough colour in our landscape to excite. Occasionally though I will be drawn to a smaller composition. I think when taking landscapes though just taking the photo often isnt enough. I think sometimes it takes careful editing and cropping to really show just what inspired you in the first place.

[yelvertoft]

What makes a good landscape? Not a simple question by any means. In order to explore this further, I would ask "What is a landscape?". A landscape to me could be described as:
A photo taken outdoors that does not contain a specific, singular, point of interest.
As such, a landscape to me is a topic that has a huge scope of potential. As others have said before, there are some scenes that have been done to death, to me, this lacks imagination. There are times when I lack imagination too and I find it easy to take the picture from the same viewpoint as seen on countless postcard images. I am lazy as charged your honour.

What makes a good landscape is an interpretation of a well known spot that hasn't been seen a thousand times on jigsaw box lids. There are many spots arount the world that have never had their picture published. This doesn't mean they are dull and uninteresting. Every photographer, of whatever experience, has their own style and interpretation of the view in front of them, it is up to each individual to make what they can of the scene.

I'd much rather see an imaginative detail that has previously gone un-noticed than a wide angle vista that I've seen a thousand times before. As for lighting, yes, it plays a big part. Again, I'd rather see imaginative use of light at different times of year, in different weather conditions rather than only thinking of the "golden hour" just before sunset. Yes, it will take more effort to get something presentable but if you can pull something different out of the hat then that's what makes a good landscape to my mind.

Good question in the original post, thank you.

Duncan

[Christine]

I cannot get to grips with "Landscape" shots.In fact I have p/ex 2 good wide angled lenses,'cos the image I saw with my eyes,is not the image I see on the pc screen/printed pic.I cannot seem to produce the full grandeur of the mountains in the distance,esp when they have snow on the tops.I seem to have more success with sunsets across the sea.Much more colour and definition.Perhaps it is because my main interest is wildlife shots,whereby one can pick up clear close up detail.Or more possibly my lack of expertise in understanding cam settings means that I do not obtain the best results for distant shots.

[Gidders]

Originally Posted by Stephen

... For me the light is paramount too, it can make or break a shot...

I agree that this is very important to a good landscape shot and we only have to look at some of arneig's stunning work to see how that can make dramatic landscapes.

Originally Posted by Annette

... I think sometimes it takes careful editing and cropping to really show just what inspired you in the first place.

We had an interesting evening at our club a little while ago that demonstrates this point exactly. One member showed us a shot that he had taken. He had been driving down a lane when he saw a view, reversed up and took the shot only to be quite disappointed when he viewed it at home. He then gave the image to two of our best post processors as a challenge to see what they could make of it (with adding any Jessop's sheep or clouds) The end results were vastly different from the "out of the camera" shot. One had gone for a mono print, the other staying with colour. But the thing that both had done was enhance the subtle shaddows and highlight in the field, brought out the textures & tone in the sky and generally inproved the balance & drama of the shot, to the point where they had brought out what the guy who took the shot had seen. Not really photography some would say, but its no more than good darkroom printers have been doing for years!

Originally Posted by yelvertoft

What makes a good landscape? .... A photo taken outdoors that does not contain a specific, singular, point of interest....

One of our experienced club members always says that a good landscape shot should lead you into and through the picture. I've just had a browse through our own members shots in the rural landscape and there are some great examples of this & I hope they won't mind me linking to them to ilustrate this point.

Adey's Early Spring in The Vosges... - the snow covered wall in the foreground leads the eye to the right and then it is brough back by the road curling into the image towards the house.

Prostie's electric blue - strong diagonals lead the eye in from both sides and up the telegraph pole

Vidler's Findhorn Valley the little stream brings you in and the dark hills on the right stop your eye escaping and lead you back round.

Lifeboatman's Sunset over Llangbedrog the waves braking in the shore lead and then the headland in the distance brings the eye again.

Christine's Winter Sunset - one of my personal fav's - the water leads form left to right, snakes back to the left and finally disappears out to the right where my eye is caught by that glorious sunset.

We have soooooo much talent on this forum we only have to look through the galleries to see what makes a great landscape and, in my view, it comes down to composition & lighting.

[robski]

Some interesting ideas and thoughts on the subject. Of late my general photography style has tended to be a singular point of interest. It won't stop me taking the odd snap of the right place and time sunset or vista. I have long given up hunting these scenes down. What made me think about it again was after chatting to a guy who took backgound shots for the local TV weather spot. Up at all hours chasing dramatic weather, sunrises and sunsets.