Landscape photography

Abstract

In this century landscape photography calls to mind the powerful images of the American West captured by Ansel Adams and Timothy O'Sullivan who exploited new territories by shooting abstract images and overwhelming panoramas of the West. Landscape photographs inspire a deeper appreciation of nature and make people aware of the urgent need for additional environmental protection measures. "Landscape photography makes natural vistas accessible to the masses and helps them realize their responsibility to the land". ( The expressionist landscape, a master photographer's approach, Yuan Li, 1989, p.9) The natural landscape is one of the first subjects most photographers shoot - but the majority of the resulting images are not successful. They appear to lack a connection between the subject and their viewers. The answer to the problem is that a lasting impression has to be created. Most of the pictures are too far removed from the daily lives of most people to be able to produce either an emotional or intellectual response. Landscape photography , however, can and should reveal the bond viewers have with their natural surroundings. The power of a photographic impression lies in the realistic portrayal of what takes place in a split of a second and the inclusion of a deliberate element of design. Landscape photographers have to be sensative enough to perceive an image based on what lies before their eyes and at the same time the photograph must give the impression that the photographer was in full command of the situation while making the image. All photographers - and most viewers - are aware of the difference between reality and an image. In Landscape photography there are specific factors that explain the difference : in a picture there are carefully composed but artificial boundaries which contrast directly with human vision which is limited only by the obstacles present on the land. A photograph's boundaries occasionally create tension in the image that is not present in reality. The boundaries limit what can be included in a photograph and force the viewers to focus on elements in the picture. One of the secrets of taking a good photograph lies in the statement of Helen Manzer:" Before releasing the shutter, ask yourself what excites you in the viewfinder." (Yuan Li, 1989, p.12)