What is a landscape? At one time, in search of an answer to this question, I leafed through a lot of photographic literature and pages of the Internet, but I did not find a unambiguous answer. There are many definitions for “landscape. Despite the abundance of definitions, landscape in general means much more than the classification below… True landscape photography, apart from representing nature in one form or another, should be able to convey mood, feelings, carry with it some idea or thought the author wants to share with the audience. Now I am beginning to realize that, for me, landscape has become one of the states of mind.
Alexander Nesterovsky. A pier in milk Simeiz, Crimea, Ukraine
Canon EOS 450D
, 17mm, f/6.3, 110s, ISO 100, neutral filter ND 1000.
Using slow shutter speeds turned the sea waves into milk, and the rocks and the old wharf into enigmatic messengers of time. The laconic composition and the square format of the picture perfectly match each other.
What a portrait? I’m all about the scenery…
Here are a few examples of the definition of landscape, taken from various sources:
– a view of some kind of terrain
– artistic representation of nature
– The rest is now taken over by keen amateurs and photographers who earn their money elsewhere. p.
– part of the surrounding area. In addition to natural elements such as mountains and trees, fields and hedges, a landscape may include water rivers, lakes, waterfalls , as well as subjects typical of the countryside – such as a village church, cottages, hotels, farms this also includes various agricultural work: plowing, harvesting, etc. d.
The apparent simplicity and accessibility of this genre is deceptive: landscape is the most complex and yet the most beautiful genre of photography. To make a good picture, apart from theoretical knowledge and practical shooting skills, you need a favorable combination of many circumstances: weather, time of shooting, lighting, appropriate mood and often just plain luck.
Types of landscape
Landscape as a genre of photography can be subdivided into many types both by the content of the image and by the nature of the landscape depicted on it. There is no need to dwell on this in detail, for example, we will highlight only a few of the most popular branches:
– architectural architectural ensembles inscribed into the surrounding landscape
– industrial general types of industry in all its manifestations
– urban urban views
– rural rural views
– nautical pictures of the sea, ocean, coast, etc. . d.
– mountain views of mountains
– animate containing images of people or animals that fit harmoniously into the landscape view, but are not the protagonists
– Directly landscape fields, forests, rivers, etc. . d. and many others.
We can also make a conventional classification of landscape photos according to their purpose:
– documentary landscape with a complete and authentic recognizable fixation of the terrain and the state of nature
– landscape to memory billions of images filling free space in the memory of computers and network servers
– Artistic landscape a view of a landscape photograph from the point of view of a painting .
The infinite division of landscape into different kinds and subtypes can be continued by the time of taking pictures night, sunset, etc. . d. , seasons, weather and… It’s high time to put a dotted line here and move on to the next section, but I want to add a little comment: sometimes it’s almost impossible to classify a landscape and not only picture precisely.
Fundamentals of landscape image composition
The basics of compositional construction of the image have already been repeatedly covered in the magazine, so I will touch only the main issues most commonly encountered in landscape photography. Human perception of the image largely depends on the location of the elements in the frame in relation to each other and to the frame boundaries .
Looking at a picture with a good composition, an unsophisticated viewer is unlikely to give much thought to the construction of the frame, as his attention will be focused on the subject, color and the nuances of lighting sunset, sunrise, sunrays, etc. . d. , t. e. on the “shell” of the photograph, its appearance.
The composition is the “framework” of the picture, and not everybody can judge it correctly perhaps a professional critic with an eye for X-rays . Suppose you have a beautiful photo with a wrong “frame”, t. e. having any compositional flaws.
In this case, the thoughts instinctively arise in the head: “Eh, beautiful, if only more …” or “mmm … something is missing. You can draw a direct parallel with the perception of human beauty: a beautiful face, but the nose a little bit, or: a beautiful figure, but the legs… and so on. d. So we come to the conclusion that in photography, it’s not just the outer shell that’s important, but also the geometric foundation that the image is based on.
Here are some of the most common compositional solutions in a landscape:
1. Using the golden ratio rule.
2. Observing the rule of thirds try not to divide the frame in half unless it was your intention, for example, for photos based on the symmetry of the object and its reflection .
3. Including lines in the frame: diagonal lines to create dynamics in the frame a diagonal composition from the lower left corner to the upper right corner is calmer, a composition built from the upper left corner to the lower right corner is more dynamic , vertical lines to convey height, horizontal lines to create a calmer mood, curved lines to emphasize more graceful and flowing compositions .
4. The lines in the frame should not as a rule leave the frame excluding the horizon line in seascapes, etc. . p. .
5. A place in the frame for creating an imaginary dynamic scene e.g. stretching tree branches, a leaning trunk, a sagging building .
6. Creating a balanced composition when the edges do not “outweigh” each other .
7. The center of the frame should be lighter, if possible, than the edges.
8. To emphasize the main compositional elements when secondary elements are given the role of a background .
9. Framing the frame e.g. overhanging branches, leaves .
10. choose the geometry of the frame vertical, horizontal, and square, or arbitrary cropping of the photo during processing .
11. Inclusion of an odd number of the same compositional elements objects into the frame.
12. If possible the compositional elements should not be arranged chaotically try to line them up into one of the simple geometrical figures: triangle, circle, oval, etc. . d. .
13. The right or interesting angle for taking pictures you can take pictures not only from eye level – quite interesting shots may turn out if, for example, you climb a tree or step waist-deep into icy water .
14. Position the important element to the right of the picture.
15. Creating an arrangement of objects, lines, plans, so that when you look at the picture viewer does not go beyond the frame.
If you want to get serious about landscape photography, knowing and understanding the laws of composition is a must. Here a small digression: nobody forbids you to violate these so-called laws, but you have to do it consciously, with sufficient knowledge of theory.
Subsequently, the best assistant in determining the right composition is likely to be your own perception of the image, the so-called internal sense of composition.
In essence, the techniques of composition mentioned above are not dogma, they all were obtained empirically. If you can reduce all the laws of composition to one, it would mean something like this.
Landscapes from our planet
Yury Golub. The Road Askania Nova Nature Reserve, Ukraine
Nikon D50, Nikkor AF-S
18-70 mm f/3.5-4.5G ED, f/13, gradient and neutral ND×8 filters.
The road leading to the horizon, the lonely tree and the sky rising directly draw the viewer into the depths of the frame, and the use of black and white technology removes unnecessary information, leaving us alone with the Ukrainian steppe.
Michael Reifman, Saga of the Icelandic Night, Reynisfjara beach, Seastacks Reynisdrangar, Iceland .
Nikon D3x
, 17 mm, f/13, 1.3 c, ISO 200.
Carefully chosen shutter speed creates the effect of moving water that animates the scattered rocks crawling towards the parent rock. According to an Icelandic legend, Reinisdrangar is none other than trolls who were frozen in the first sunrays and could not hide their three-masted ship under the cover of darkness.
Mikhail Reifman, Bryce Canyon after snowfall, Utah, USA
Nikon D3x
, f/14, 1/125 c, ISO 100.
An amazing combination of a unique place and no less unique weather: snow, freezing -25 degrees, fog and warm bright color of rocks – isn’t that what any photographer dreams of? The panoramic format of the shot emphasizes the grandeur of the canyon, and each of the rocks resembles a fairy tale character you can clearly see a female silhouette and a figure hiding her hands in her fur sleeves .
In our next article we will talk about how to frame a landscape photo and achieve a 3D effect in a flat photo
What are some tips for capturing the essence of nature through landscapes in photography?