Chapter 9: Landscape Photography
- there was already a tradition of landscape painting when photography was invented in 1839
- Carleton E Watkins wanted to capture the grandeur of the American West
- Ansel Adams was also inspired by the Yosemite Valley
- took some of the most famous pictures of Yosemite in black and white
- composition is one of the most important aspects of landscape photography and viewpoint is the most important part of composition
- value, and image's light and dark areas, is especially important in black and white landscape photography
- images with a wide range of tones can be more dramatic while those with a narrower range seem quieter and more comtemplative
- one goal of good composition is to achieve a balance b/w unity and variety
- unity results when all the individual parts of your image come together and support eachother
- variety refers to all the diverse art elements found in a picture
- such as: light and dark
- big and small
- smooth and rough
- with totaly variety, nothing fits or goes together
- most landscape photography has been characterized by maximum depth of field
- stop down a lens as far as it will go
- choosing small f-stops will result in longer shutter speeds
- a tripod is necessary for sharp, vibration-free images
- just after sunrise and just before sunset
- two times during the day when a landscape photographer should do most of their work
- it's easier to deal with direct lighting for distant subjects than it is for closer subjects.
- in Grand Landscape photographs
- direct lighting creates the highlights and shadows that have no detail.
- detail oriented shots like landscape photographs need to record as much information as possible
- black and white photography is still the look of choice for the type of images Ansel Adams made.
- showcases line, value, shape, texture, and pattern
- landscape photographers prefer to use wide angle lenses that capture more of the scene
- on concentrating on details or areas in the distance:
- some photographers use a telephoto lens
- allows you to capture scenes and objects that you can't get physically close to
- filters are usually a big part of the landscape photographer's bag of tricks
- at least using a yellow filter, just to bring out clouds
- when you combine slow films and small f-stops
- you get slow shutter speeds
- grand landscape: the "big view" for pictures of the great outdoors
- grand landscapes always include a large expanse of the scene, and wide-angle lenses will give you the wider view that you need
- the sky most always figures prominently in photographs of large landscapes
- grand landscape images can be overwhelming
- direct sun in wooded areas (like a park or garden) create difficult lighting conditions for the photographer
- many photographers prefer to shoot in cloudy or overcast conditions
- light meters are designed to create an exposure that makes medium or middle gray out of the scene being metered.
- attracted elements: images composed of lines, shapes, values, and textures
- one of the best ways to get an abstract image is to get really really close to your subject and photograph only a small part of it.
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