Marc's Axioms on Landscape Photography

I have been trying to start capturing and organizing some of my thoughts about the craft of landscape photography. Reducing photography to lists and rules, is of course, very problematic, but nevertheless I have tried to do just that. I have avoided the technical details, not because they are unimportant but because I think they are well covered elsewhere and need to be balanced with attitudinal and behavioral skills for good photography. I think I will scream If I have to listen to one more person tell me "that if I only had a better gizmo X, my photography would move to the next level." I am trying to balance that tendency without going to the absurdities that Ken Rockwell does

Top Ten Trailpixie Rules of Post Processing and Printing

I have also provided some basic guidance on getting started with post-processing. I haven't taken the approach of giving instructions or tutorials for these tasks, but I may link each line to other websites containing well-written instructions. There are soo many people out there explaining levels, or curves, or layer masking. I am not convinced that my voice added to the din would add value.

Any comments on these two entries would be appreciated.

Hey =)
My brain is really fried right now, I'm surfing while running data analysis so I may read my comments tomorrow and be ??!!??!! (just a heads up)

I found the first page simple, concise and to the point. Nothing new, but definitely good tips, especially about constantly practicing. It's the go out and try it mentality that tends to prepare us for the best when it happens. I'd mention not disturbing animals, although you say things don't always go as planned, weather and such, but I hate it when people try and tease an animal into a pose.

Second page required a certain level of pondering that is unfortunately beyond me in my current state.

Good idea to post it though =)

"Don’t fixate on one subject that you think is perfect. Take a bunch of shots from a few angles and at a few different exposures. Move on to something else."

I do not fully agree with this. Sometimes you have to stay until you get what you want.

In my first draft, I wrote "Move on to something else and come back later." I was torn on this, but I have often come back with a pile of pics of one thing I thought were going to be awesome but instead were average. I find that diversity is my path to quality.

To balance out that appeal towards photgraphic diversity, I did include number 10.



I figured that by saying that, I had covered the idea to focus on understanding a subject. But, on a particular day, I find it best not to fixate.

Thanks for the comments. I am not sure whether to interpret the general lack of comments as agreement or apathy.

I simply haven't had the time to contemplate them properly. #4 just struck me because I've been thinking about that recently.

Very thoughtful lists, both of them. As for the tension between #4 and #10, I've experienced both issues.

Re: #4 -- Early in my career I would sometimes happen on a really great image, and take it. Then, I would often waste hours trying to recreate the same feeling. At least I learned something from the effort.

Re: #10 -- These days I often find my best shots are taken in places that I have photographed many times. Sufficient familiarity with a place seems to encourage looking somewhat deeper at what's there.

Thanks for posting these.

-Eric

Thanks for the comments everyone. I have been trying to start writing more about the craft of landscape photography and less about the technology...actually not so much to avoid the technology, because it is integral to the craft, but perhaps I am trying to come at it from the point of view of the process or output--one might call it the photpgrapher's Habit of Mind.


What do we do to get good results and how do we think to get good results?

Hmm...."Photographer's Habit of Mind." I might need to use this as the title of my list.

Good lists. Here are two more to consider for the first list that really help me:

1) Photograph what you love- forget the rest. If it doesn't move you, why bother?

2) Does absolutely everything in the frame matter to this shot?


Edit: #1 should read: Photograph what moves you. If it doesn't, then why bother?

John

John

I kind of like #1. I'll have to see if I can work it in somehow. But, for some reason, I don't think that #2 fits in this list. It is a good concrete bit of advice, but it seems to specifically prescriptive for my fairly abstract list of "The Landscape Photographer's Habits of Mind." I'll need to make note of item #2 for my "Thoughts About Composition" entry. As I said, I am trying to avoid being highly prescriptive because I want to leave the reader open to develop in their own way.

One of the nicest part of doing Landscape Photography is that most of the locations are unpopulated. I spend a lot of time at a location before I take out my gear, I will sit and listen and look around. If you give it time nature will "speak" to you. My goal is to bring the viewer of my photograph to "My Spot", so by drawing on my own senses/emotional reactions to my surroundings I set out to capture that feeling with pixels. Sometimes it takes several visits to a spot before you get it right. This my Zen of Photography (so what if I did a lot of drugs when I was younger?)Click to view attachment