Do you find you have limited time to head out to do landscape photography? I do, and the times I am able to carve out a few hours, when I get to my chosen location, the light is terrible. And disappointment quickly sets in, because I wanted to create a beautiful image. So now, I’ve changed my approach to landscape photography and focus on looking for a story to tell instead.
I’ve been doing a lot of street photography in recent years, where story is the key ingredient I seek. I’ve found myself looking for a story in all genres of photography, and this is proving particularly useful for landscape photography on dull days.
Chasing The Light
Great light is what excites and drives most landscape photographers, which is why we see so many stunning vistas with dramatic low light on social media and websites. The term "chasing the light" is used all the time. I find I’m seeing the same kind of photos over and over, and they’re becoming—dare I say it—clichéd and boring.
Chasing the light allows us to develop skills to see and communicate beauty. I’ve been asking myself recently, with everyone doing this—often in the pursuit of likes on social media—is this enough?
Chasing The Story
So my approach now is to seek out little stories—interesting scenes that may be more intimate, where lighting is not so important. I’ve found that dull lighting can actually be a rather refreshing change. Of course, if great light presents itself, I’ll embrace it as a nice bonus.
On a recent outing, I gave myself a purpose. A project: to photograph a large granite outcrop, where I had seen a little tree growing out of a crack in it on a previous outing. This was on the edge of a large lake and exposed to very harsh conditions year-round. Yet, despite all the odds stacked against it, this little tree was thriving. I decided to tell its story with a series of photos.
This purposeful approach to my photography was enjoyable. Having a specific intention, I find, makes me work harder to get better compositions. Having one subject, and a few hours to spare, allowed me to explore many options, and I became emotionally connected to my subject as I tried to understand it, which helped greatly. I found I had developed a need to create the feeling I was experiencing by spending time with this little tree, through my photos.
A Revelation
Spending time with the subject in poor light made me realize that beautiful light would make the subject pleasing, but telling a story would make people feel something. A story evokes curiosity and can move people. A story can make people stop and think.
Landscape photographers tend to shoot the same locations over and over, purely because of their beauty. Add beautiful light, and it’s clear why famous honeypot views are photographed over and over. Looking for a story allows us to create photos that stand out from the masses—create something different, even original.
When you chase only light, you narrow your window of opportunity and the time you can spend outside. With story, time of day becomes less relevant. I like that. It’s actually nice not to have to get up in the wee hours of the morning to rush to a location. I can take time having a nice breakfast and spend the entire day outside.
Final Thoughts
On this recent outing, looking for story and not being bothered by the weather conditions, I ended up having one of the most fulfilling landscape photography outings in many years. And I ended up with some of the best photos I believe I’ve ever created. I love the fact that it’s a simple, unassuming view with a story.
A series of images that tell a story can lead to a cohesive body of work and would make a lovely book or exhibit. I believe this is much better than a random collection of pretty pictures.
Most importantly, I find storytelling makes the photography process richer and more fulfilling. I like having a purpose beyond simply capturing aesthetic beauty. As previously mentioned, this mindset has developed from doing street photography.
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Chasing light makes you a good seeker of beauty.
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Chasing story makes you a good author of meaning.
Last of all, it's worth remembering: sometimes the small, simple things make the best subjects.
