The famous American photographer Ansel Adams, who became famous throughout the world for his black-and-white landscape photographs, once said: “Landscape photography is the main test for a photographer and often his main disappointment.” And this is, perhaps, the honest truth. How often do we, noticing a beautiful view, think that all we have to do is simply press the shutter button, capture what we see - and the result will be a masterpiece. However, a masterpiece most often does not work out, because for a landscape photographer it is not enough to just be a mirror for nature, he must learn to express himself through the landscape.
Photographer Declan O'Neill shared his 10 secrets for creating expressive landscape photographs.
1. What can you say about the landscape through photography?
It takes time to read and understand the landscape. You just have to stand and watch how the light changes contours and shapes. As the sun moves, forests and rivers are illuminated every minute in a completely new way and sometimes completely transformed. Light creates its own mood and emotion in the landscape. The landscape can be compared to a huge canvas on which light paints its own complex and amazing picture.
In this case, photography is about capturing how light transforms a landscape. Therefore, the decision about what to photograph and what composition to build should be dictated by the question: “Does this photograph say something about the light and landscape?” This simple question helps you reject many unsuccessful and empty compositions and choose the one that is ideal.
2. Learn to get up early!
If I have a choice between sunrise and sunset, I always choose sunrise. I have nothing against sunset photos, but I think it's hard to add something new and original to the thousands of sunset photos I've already seen. Dawn light, on the contrary, always brings surprises! It is very difficult to predict exactly what you will get while you stand and wait in the pre-dawn darkness.
It's a bit like photographing wild animals - because you're equally likely to get the shot you've always wanted or get nothing. Dawn light can be completely different - from smoky pink to warm yellow.
Keep an eye on the weather forecasts - because if you're lucky enough to live in areas with cold nights and clear skies, you can sometimes catch some amazing cloud and haze effects that are sure to clear by the time the rest of the world wakes up.
3. Imperfection is good.
One of the main challenges of landscape photography is that you have to deal with huge dynamic range. At the same time, it becomes very difficult to control the balance of lighting in the frame. ND filters sometimes help, but are often inconvenient or inappropriate for a particular place and time. Sometimes you have to give up shooting altogether because the dynamic range is too large.
You can, of course, use HDR technologies, but they most often give themselves away and can violate the integrity and honesty of the photo. Many photographs can be light balanced when processed on a computer. However, sometimes a photograph benefits from the inability to capture the full dynamic range. Most likely, such a photograph will not be accepted for participation in various competitions, and there will most likely be areas in it from which it will be impossible to isolate at least some details. Perhaps technically the photograph will turn out to be very poor, but a black silhouette against a light background very often attracts attention in an unimaginable way and seems to invite you to take a closer look at yourself. Sometimes you have to give up the opportunity to capture a perfectly lit photo in order to draw attention to the potential of the subject itself.
4. Look back!
It’s so easy to see a winning shot and forget to look around. When watching a sunset or sunrise, people usually point their lenses towards the sun and again take thousands of pictures, millions of which they have already seen from their friends or on the Internet. However, often it is enough just to look back to see something completely new and missed by everyone! After all, instead of photographing the rising or setting sun, you can capture what it illuminates at that moment.
The obvious shot is not always the best one. Learn to look more carefully.
5. Use software for planning.
There are many programs that can help you with outdoor photography. Perhaps one of the most useful of them is The Photographers Ephemeris. In short, it allows you to select any location on the planet - and shows you where the sun will be on any given day at any given time. This way, you can choose the best day and time to shoot in a certain location and choose a specific shooting location with the best lighting. If you're serious about landscape photography, this is a must-have tool.
Another tool that can help you a lot is a terrain map. A good map will help you predict what the landscape will look like and give you some idea of what's in your field of vision. The ability to understand these detailed topographic maps will help you save a lot of time and not drive around looking for the one - ideal point shooting!
6. Equipment is not that important.
The best equipment doesn't guarantee you the best photos, any more than the best pen will automatically allow you to write that great novel you've always dreamed of. Equipment is just a device that allows you to convey to others what is in your head. If you have your own opinion and if you have something to say (see point 1) - then you can use anything, from a smartphone to Nikon D800.
Remember that you are the one who builds the composition of your future photo, and the camera just captures it. More megapixels or a faster lens will never help you create a more expressive and full composition.
7. Don't try to "paint" the landscape with your camera.
On the Internet, photographs that have undergone extreme post-processing or were created using ND filters that make water look like smooth silk have become increasingly fashionable lately. Why not let nature express itself naturally? Believe me, she can do this perfectly without using any filters. The same goes for post-processing. If used in moderation, it helps to emphasize the natural beauty of nature, if overdone, we are already beginning to change the landscape and paint it completely different from what it really was.
Real photographs always leave their mark on our consciousness and subconscious. This is why heavily photoshopped, idealized images of landscapes often leave us indifferent. They tell a fictional story, not real story. We immediately notice the falseness of the orange sky and the oversaturated color of the grass. Photographs can be metaphors, but they must be metaphors that appear in the viewer's head, not in the photographer's imagination.
If you still want to convey your vision of what the landscape looked like, perhaps you should try your hand at drawing?
8. Bad weather is good weather.
Clouds and rain are not the most inspiring weather conditions, but they bring with them opportunities far more interesting than any cloudless day. It takes patience and optimism to walk around with a camera in the rain all day, but more often than not, you will be rewarded. If you look around carefully, you will certainly find amazing shots created by clouds and rain!
Landscape painting, also known as landscape art, is an image of nature in all its manifestations. These are mainly mountains, valleys, trees, rivers and forests. The main feature is the presence of a wide view, as well as its elements located in a coherent composition. Exist different types landscapes, including rural and urban, sea and river, religious and futuristic.
Types of landscape: the essence
The most popular element of any landscape is the sky. The weather in all its manifestations is also included in the composition. Landscape views in art can be completely imaginary (imaginary) or copied from reality with varying degrees of accuracy. If the main purpose of the image is to represent an actual, specific location, especially buildings, then it will be called a topographical (realistic) view.
The concept of "landscape"
In the visual arts, the term "landscape" comes from the Dutch word landchap(a piece of land) and describes any painting or drawing the main subject of which is the depiction of a picturesque view. Examples include grasslands, hills, mountains, valleys, trees, rivers, forests, coastal views and seas. The painting may be a depiction of a real place, or it may be an imaginary or idealized scene.
The recognition of nature and its choice as a specific subject of art is a relatively recent phenomenon. Until the 17th century, the landscape was limited to backgrounds of portraits or paintings devoted primarily to religious, mythological or historical illustrations. Today, the beautiful view of the landscape continues to be a major theme in art.
Landscape through the centuries
In the work of 17th century artists Claude Lorraine and Nicolas Poussin, the landscape background began to dominate the display of historical events. However, their interpretation of the landscape was somewhat stylized or artificial. They tried to adopt the landscape views of Greece and Rome, and their work became known as the classical landscape. At the same time, some Dutch artists, such as Jacob van Ruisad, were developing a much more naturalistic form of painting based on what they saw around them.
When the arts were classified by the French Academy in the seventeenth century, landscape was placed fourth in importance among the five genres. Nevertheless, landscape painting became increasingly popular in the 18th century, despite the predominance of classical motifs.
Landscape and its position in the hierarchy of genres
Landscape was an established genre in Chinese art by the fourth century AD, but in Western art, landscape painting dates back to the era of Renaissance art in the sixteenth century. Of course, many artists from Roman times and earlier included picturesque landscapes and natural scenes in their paintings, but they were auxiliary elements of the main theme of the painting. The main problem with the landscape was that it was very low in the academic distribution of genres.
The hierarchy of types of fine art during the Renaissance was as follows:
- Historical painting.
- Portrait art.
- Painting, that is, scenes from Everyday life.
- Scenery.
- Still life.
These rankings were finally set out in 1669 by the secretary of the French Academy, André Félibien. Thus, the art world, including its patrons, teachers and artists, did not take landscape painting seriously and assigned greater value to historical works, portraits and genre pictures. Neoclassical and academic schools followed Greek art in giving primacy to the human body, especially the nude.
The Boom of Naturalistic Landscape Design
The nineteenth century saw a veritable surge in naturalistic landscape design, driven partly by the idea that nature was a direct manifestation of God, and partly by the growing alienation of many people from nature due to increasing industrialization and urbanization. As a result, the traditional hierarchy of genres collapsed.
Landscape artists of the 19th century entered into the widespread Romantic movement, and it was at this time that landscape painting finally became a worthy genre in the art academies of Europe and became widespread throughout the world. In the second half of the twentieth century, the definition of landscape was questioned. The genre expanded to urban and industrial landscapes, and artists began to use less traditional means when creating landscape works.
Three types of landscape art
A painting or photograph that depicts nature is called landscape art. Although each artist has his own style, the genre is usually grouped into three broad categories:
- Representational landscape art is the most basic genre. No special colors or filters are used in the details to create an unrealistic effect. In contrast, representational landscape art focuses on the natural beauty of nature and paints a realistic picture of the subject.
- Impressionist landscape art focuses on depicting a realistic scene in an almost unrealistic light. This is achieved through several techniques, including separating the foreground from the background using soft focus, using unusual lighting techniques, or incorporating saturated, bright, or unnatural colors. Impressionist landscape art largely responds to the artist's or photographer's eye and ability to create a stunning natural image.
- Abstract landscape art relies less on environment landscape and more on the representation of the main subject of the image. In an abstract piece, the landscape may be the background, and the foreground may be the focus on one component, such as a tree branch unusual shape or the shadow of a large object.
Each style has its own characteristics, varying colors, lighting and props. In landscape paintings, as a rule, additional elements are added besides the landscape itself. Traditionally these are animals and people. The purpose of a landscape piece is to showcase the natural beauty of nature, whether it be soothing, brutal, or surreal.
Natural landscapes
Landscape painting refers to a work of art in which the main emphasis is on the depiction of nature (mountains, forests, rocks, trees, rivers, valleys, etc.). The earth is a wondrous creation, from barren deserts to lush tropical forests, from endless oceans to cloudy skies. Throughout history, artists have found inspiration in the mysterious beauty of nature and the majesty of the Earth's varied landscapes.
Cityscape: types of cityscape
Landscape paintings are not limited to images of land and nature. For example, they may also include images of buildings, streets, bridges. This type of landscape is called urban. His sketches may include various historical or modern objects. The views of the cityscape are determined according to what is depicted in the painting. Some of the most attractive are images of palaces and castles, religious monuments, as well as residential buildings of the 17th-19th centuries.
Rural and park landscape
When the nature and results of conscious human activity meet together, a certain dissonance is bound to arise. But there is an environment where these two conflicting parties are able to come to an agreement among themselves and achieve relative balance. First of all this countryside and landscape parks, where nature is complemented by architectural elements. The rural landscape has been one of the most popular landscape themes at all times. Artists depicted a house on a hill or near a pond, green meadows with grazing sheep, country roads, and so on.
Topographic landscapes
Flat objects differ from three-dimensional three-dimensional objects, which have length, width and height. One of the options for depicting a landscape is that the image is given a more or less clearly defined relief. This type of landscape is called topographical or sculptural.
Documentary landscapes
Another type of landscape painting is documentary landscapes, which depict scenes from everyday life. The included human figures deserve as much attention as the trees or houses. On the one hand, they add life to the composition, on the other hand, they emphasize the size of the surrounding space in comparison with a person.
Landscapes with animals
A distinctive feature of the landscape is that with their help a feeling of peace, contentment and harmony is created. However, living nature is a continuous movement. Trees, plants, rain, wind - these are all dynamic and changeable factors; in this regard, it is quite natural to place animals among them as an integral component of all living nature.
The views can be very different: the mood landscape symbolizes the lyrical coloring of feelings, the architectural one is very reminiscent of the city, sea (marina) and river show the endless beauty of the water landscape. The historical and heroic types are associated with great warriors, mythical heroes and gods. The decorative landscape serves as an excellent interior decoration. There is no specific number of species. Depending on the artist’s vision, industrial (city views), epic, romantic or even cosmic landscapes are distinguished.
The main feature of this genre of fine art is that the main subject of the image is nature in its original form or transformed by man.
Nature... Beautiful in all seasons, enchanting the eye with its extraordinary views. She gives us beautiful landscapes that even on the gloomiest day can lift our spirits and make us smile.
It’s joyful to look at everything - snow-white winter pictures, the freshness of spring greenery, bright summer colors, shimmer. After all, it has long been known that “nature has no bad weather.”
It’s incredibly nice to see sunsets, endless fields, mountain peaks, bottomless oceans, and a radiant sky. Pictures of wild animals, unusual birds, and rare fish evoke tenderness. The versatility of natural landscapes is simply immense!
All this causes incredible pride in the nature of not only Mother Russia, but the whole world! Makes us understand how wonderful the reality around us is and how magnificent our planet is. Today you will see high-resolution photographs of nature, conveying its charms in the smallest detail.
Thanks to professional photographers and when shooting in good quality, everything on them seems alive. Looking at Beautiful places, collected from all corners of the world and you feel unity with them, as if you had just been there yourself. You feel the coolness of a rainy autumn day, hear the waves of the sea surf, and inhale the floral aroma.
Natural landscapes evoke unusual and very joyful emotions in people! To be constantly connected with nature, just download photos to your computer. Choosing something from such a wide variety is certainly not easy. After all, all the images are uniquely interesting, it is impossible to compare them, and it is difficult to settle on one moment, since each one is beautiful in some way and is especially sweet.
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This collection combines what is in real life you can never comprehend in one moment. There is no place here that separates the majestic rocks from the plains, a sunny spring day from a forest strewn with fallen leaves, a sultry desert from icy ridges. For the first time, you can grasp the immensity with one glance.
Take a break from worries, household chores, and fuss for a while and plunge into the secrets of the nature of your native Russia, business Europe, hospitable Asia, and the distant North Pole. Watch the life of animals, explore magical places around the world. Don’t forget to download them for free to your phone and desktop to create a special charm on your screen and always be on the same wavelength with beauty.
