i sucks at landscapes.

[gsgary]

How long do you look round in an area before you start shooting ? I can be a hour or more, I dont shoot landscapes not in the way you see it, I look for miniature landscapes in the landscape, try going out without a camera and you will see loads to shoot, I also think this is a problem with digital you can shoot and not worry about spending money thats why I shoot 99% film

 

[dannylightning]

Silk purse and sow's ear comes to mind.

First question is, do you feel the photographer in any of these instances simply walked up and took that shot without further thought or preparation?

well i figure a good landscape photographer probably does not put that much though into it, when you good at something in allot of case it just comes natural, i figure at fist you need to put some though into it but after a while ist just second nature.

i figured there would be a few simple rules to follow and stuff like but i am getting bombarded with stuff that's not really making sense to me after i read it. maybe if my brain could remember stuff after i read it it would be different. give me a little bit to read and it usually sinks in. give me a lot to read and it usually does not.

 

[JacaRanda]

I would bet that good or great landscape photographers put way more thought into it than you think. If it was that easy we would all be great landscape photographers. You would not be given all the advice if it was easy.

 

[limr]

Silk purse and sow's ear comes to mind.

First question is, do you feel the photographer in any of these instances simply walked up and took that shot without further thought or preparation?

well i figure a good landscape photographer probably does not put that much though into it, when you good at something in allot of case it just comes natural, i figure at fist you need to put some though into it but after a while ist just second nature.

But it doesn't come "naturally" for most people until after they have put a lot of thought and effort and practice into becoming good. And even then, the thought and effort is there, but it just takes less time for the thinking process to happen.

i figured there would be a few simple rules to follow and stuff like but i am getting bombarded with stuff that's not really making sense to me after i read it. maybe if my brain could remember stuff after i read it it would be different. give me a little bit to read and it usually sinks in. give me a lot to read and it usually does not.

Okay, give yourself just one job, and when you feel like that's getting easier for you, move onto another job. You said you like water and sky. That first shot of the last set of photos you posted has water and sky. Go to that same place and shoot no other landscape shots except for that water and sky. Shoot it from as many different angles as you can. Shoot with different lenses of differing focal length. Shoot it in different light. Be systematic - for example, shoot one scene with the same composition but with different settings to see exactly how that affects the final image. Stop relating shooting to the thoughts or concepts and start relating it to experience and images. Take notes if you have to so if something goes out of your head, you can be reminded by checking your notes. And they don't have to be written notes. With all the fancy stuff we can do with our smart phones these days, just take some audio notes and replay them as you are looking through your pictures at home on the computer.

 

[Designer]

well i figure a good landscape photographer probably does not put that much though into it, when you good at something in allot of case it just comes natural, i figure at fist you need to put some though into it but after a while ist just second nature.

i figured there would be a few simple rules to follow and stuff like but i am getting bombarded with stuff that's not really making sense to me after i read it. maybe if my brain could remember stuff after i read it it would be different. give me a little bit to read and it usually sinks in. give me a lot to read and it usually does not.

1. You might be surprised at how much the pros put into a shot. It would not be unheard of to hear that a very successful landscape photographer (sorry, his name has escaped me ATM) would spend literally hundreds of hours planning for a shot, and spend thousands of dollars getting to the site (with a crew and provisions) just to get that one shot that he will sell for thousands of dollars.

2. I'm certainly not there, and perhaps most of us have difficulty with landscape, but since you have the desire, you can do it. In your case, it might be just looking at lots (NO! I mean; LOTS!) of landscape photographs that are really good. While looking, try to see how the composition is put together, what is in, what is not in, the light, the angle of view, everything. Then try it yourself.

 

[soufiej]

well i figure a good landscape photographer probably does not put that much though into it, when you good at something in allot of case it just comes natural, i figure at fist you need to put some though into it but after a while ist just second nature.

i figured there would be a few simple rules to follow and stuff like but i am getting bombarded with stuff that's not really making sense to me after i read it. maybe if my brain could remember stuff after i read it it would be different. give me a little bit to read and it usually sinks in. give me a lot to read and it usually does not.

First things first ...

" ... one of the best ways to improve is to keep trying. As a famous golfer once said 'The more I practice the luckier I get.' Repetition isn’t just about maximizing your chance of finding the right conditions, it also helps you figure out how you want to capture a certain image. This image from Death Valley took me three visits over the course of about eight years to finally get right. Between my first attempt and this one, somewhere in the back of my mind I toyed with compositions, took inspiration from images taken by other photographers and ultimately decided exactly how I wanted to capture these sand dunes.

Ultimately I ended up with something that appeals to me."

The Power of Previsualization in Photography




You are correct when you say you are becoming confused. That is the danger of forums, too many inputs when your brain simply wants an answer. We all mean well. However, we all go about this somewhat differently depending on our experience and our style of working. You, meanwhile, are still taking your first steps toward your own style of working. Go slowly and you will get there.

I'll boil my input down to its simplest concept, you are too impatient.

It's a very common issue when anyone today approaches a new experience. What can make things worse is when you fill your head with buzzwords and ideas and tricks and techniques which you do not fully understand. You cannot make yourself into a great landscape photographer over night. You cannot grasp the parts which involve symbols and contrasts. You cannot force yourself to see line and color and contrast. So stop trying, you're only frustrating yourself.

Do understand the basic concepts of landscape photography though. Light, shadow, lines, shapes, color and contrast.

(You may want to place those elements in a short note to yourself. When you are viewing a subject, look them over to determine which are best emphasized in your next shot.)

Silk purse = Sweeping, colorful, high dynamic range vistas of majestic beauty and grandeur.

Sow's ear = where you can walk to in a few minutes when you live in Ohio and it's early November. Where is there dynamic range in Ohio in the middle of November? If it's not there, you cannot make it magically appear in your viewfinder.





You have learned enough with your camera through your bird photography to technically be able to, say, scramble an egg for breakfast. Now, you want to instantly be able to cook a five course, Northern Italian/Eastern French inspired meal for fifteen food snobs using ingredients found in the "Foreign Foods" aisle at Walmart. How much distance do you think lies between those two points? How long and hard do you think someone studies and works to cover that territory? How many failures will they have? How many successes? You do have to stop being so negative about your ability and become waaaaay more positive about your potential.

Each bit of information you have received up to this point is nothing more than another tool you may use when it is appropriate. No one uses every tool every time. Quite literally, if you want to prepare excellent pasta, it begins by learning to crack an egg and how to boil water. The depth of preparing pasta is feeling the humidity in the air. You are still dealing with boiling water so don't get ahead of yourself.

Step back and begin with the simplest skills of a photographer.

You have light and shadow as your materials. Those materials define color, line, shape and contrast.

Your camera and lens are the tools you have at your disposal to shape those materials.

That's it, that's all you have. Now you need to make something interesting.



I won't say even a visual personality type finds photography "easy". The advantage a visual personality has is only that they can see the images and patterns in their mind before they snap the shutter as they have already been formulating ideas once they spot a subject. This is nothing more than nature for the visual personality.

Where they may struggle is in the technical application of the camera to achieving that image they have in their head. For some visually oriented people their dominant type is so overwhelming that they have difficulties with the other sides of photography. If you are a tactile type, you probably find the application of technical skills rather easy to accomplish. If you are an auditory type, then you need to carry on a discussion with yourself as to what you see and how to capture it in an image. You can use your smartphone to describe the prevailing conditions and the image you see plus the camera settings. You can detail these items in a journal. You can also use the hybrid nature of most modern DSLR's and include a bit of video/audio taken just before you take the photo. However you achieve the end, slowing yourself down is essential right now.

But, IMO, you first need to identify what your personality type is and then figure out how to apply your type to your photography. If you go shopping for a car, what do you do? Are you attracted by the looks? The shapes? The controls? The features? The sound of the car at work? How you shop is typically your personality type. No one is purely one type, we are all a mix of the three with one being predominant. It is your dominant nature you want to work from. The others will follow that lead.



With that in mind, I am still of the opinion you need to simplify.

Yes, you can go out and shoot water and sky. IMO, that's still a bit more than you need to tackle right now. You decide. But do not become even more impatient. You are learning how to crack an egg, remember? You don't need to prepare an omelet just yet.

My preference would be for you to only look at one object and to study it. Your materials are not the object itself, they are the light and shadows as they are seen falling on and around the object. They are what are making your subject of interest to us, the viewer. How the light sculpts a shape. How the shadows define a line. How color is emphasized or negated. Strong contrasts vs broad sweeps of low key images. Make the object stationary, unlike your bird photography. Show us what you see.

Try a city park. They are naturally designed to have attractive spaces and elements worthy of photographic study. Forget grand, sweeping vistas for now. There are none in the middle of Ohio right now.

Simplify. Show us a few shots of one thing no matter what it is. Take plenty, make yourself take, say, at least twenty or thirty shots of the same location and same subject. Show us five or ten. We can open up your framing in the viewfinder in time. Remember to get down low and go up high and to turn your camera. Moving an inch and saying that's a different view isn't what you're after.

I asked early on and I didn't receive an answer, what have you done to up your composition skills?

 

[dannylightning]

i am gonna have to go over all of these new post tomorrow, thanks everyone.

hopefully i can get it all down one of these days sooner than later but only time will tell..

 

[dannylightning]

You do have to stop being so negative about your ability and become waaaaay more positive about your potential.

I asked early on and I didn't receive an answer, what have you done to up your composition skills?

1. i do not think i am being negative, i think i am being honest. no point to sugar coat it. my landscapes are not very good, i called it like i see it and asked for some advice.

2. make something the star of the photo, visualize the composition, try not to show boring unnecessary things in the photo. try to spend some time thinking about the shot before i start clicking away, try to only shoot things that may actually be interesting. shoot from many angles. stuff like that is what i will be thinking about for right now.. cant work on too many things at once.

 

[soufiej]

2. make something the star of the photo, visualize the composition, try not to show boring unnecessary things in the photo. try to spend some time thinking about the shot before i start clicking away, try to only shoot things that may actually be interesting. shoot from many angles. stuff like that is what i will be thinking about for right now.. cant work on too many things at once.

No, you cannot. Don't even try. Remember, everything you've been given is nothing more than a tool. Do not confuse these subjective tools with the major objective tools of photography; your camera and lens.

Your camera and lens are your tactile tools, they are what you select to use to shape your final image. Your lines, color, texture, etc are those things you begin to see in your mind as you study a subject. What you see (pre-visualization) determines what tool you will use - what lens, what f-stop, what ISO, etc. You cannot reverse the process by deciding you will use a wide angle lens and then force everything to fit into that focal length.

What you are primarily lacking right now, I think we all agree, is the thought process of photography. As you say, you see something and you take a picture.

Slow down. Have that conversation with yourself about what you see, what changes as you change your position or angle. Keep a record of these thoughts as the physical act of keeping a journal will force you to slow down your process.




Here's one thought that I hope won't add to your confusion. When a sculptor looks at a piece of marble they are about to carve, many artists feel what they must do to sculpt, say, a horse and rider is to remove all those parts which are not "horse and rider". In other words, they are beginning to see what can be excluded and leave only what must be included.

So far, most of your images have simply been about taking a picture. I think we all agree you need to slow down and decide what in the image must be included and what can be excluded. If the tree is interesting, then show us the tree. Do not force it into being a landscape where none exists.

Make a short list of the values you see in this thread which you feel you can work with and then, when you approach a subject, study your list. If you do not have a reason for including one value, then don't force that into your shot. Be slow and steady and make decisions. Know what you want the viewer to see and then exclude all the rest.

It all begins, of course, not with the idea you are going to shoot landscapes but with the positive mind set of you are going to find interesting subjects and show the viewer that.