Landscape photography is just as much about creating a plan as it is about being able to change that plan when what you are hoping for simply won’t work. Here’s a simple reminder to get out of your own way when creating art in the field.
Thomas Heaton is exploring Cairngorms National Park in Scotland in his latest video where he is attempting to wrangle a composition in his mind to the natural wooded landscape he has in front of him. Heaton here gives us the rundown of his thinking and photographic process but has to change how he wants to create this woodland image. Unlike painting where the artist places every object, subject, and bit of color into the art a photographer is constantly looking at removing objects, subjects, and color from their composition. This allows only what the creator of the image deems important to be seen and not competed against from any other parts of the frame.
The saying and conundrum hit home for me as I’ve worked to create images through my trips around the USA. One of the biggest obstacles I have consistently faced and still work through is knowing exactly what I’m looking for in a landscape image and ignoring a composition that only get’s me 90 percent of the way there. Whether it’s due to the lighting or the color in the image in front of me I have been known to just not take the photograph as the possible image didn’t resonate with me. I’ve learned to let that go because you can't control nature. You can only forecast for the hurdles in front of you as you adapt to create imagery you'll be proud of.
Heaton, as with all his videos, gives us a great behind the scenes look at how his images come together and the settings to capture each one of his images.
Did any part of Heaton’s video touch on how you create your landscape imagery? If so, please share your thoughts below.
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