The Human Element in Landscape Photography

As a full time roadtripper, I am constantly in search of amazing landscapes with the hopes of adding a unique take on what is most likely an over-photographed scene already. There are several ways to do this, but I am going to suggest one which is rarely discussed but hard to overlook in today’s social media outlets: the human element. Finding a landscape that has not been photographed several hundred or thousand times over is a real challenge in today’s world as the globe has become increasingly interconnected with far-away destinations that are easier to access. As a result, creating a unique shot can be incredibly difficult if your end goal is to market it for advertising purposes or fine art.  

Some of the most obvious ways to differentiate your shot from another’s are as follows:

1. Arrive early, stay late: This goes without saying because the light is simply going to be better at the beginning or end of the day. While it is true that a beautiful photo can be taken mid-day, this should be avoided in my opinion, as these shots often lack emotion and are not what most viewers find appealing. If you are looking to make a memorable shot, get there before the sun comes up and stay long after it has gone down, particularly if you are in a zone with little light pollution. 
2. Visit in the offseason: Yosemite in the spring and summer is a given, as is Yellowstone. Vermont in the fall is no different with its incredible foliage. This is when everyone wants to go and take a picture because it is what they have seen before, and of course, these are some of the best times to visit. However, it is more difficult to imagine most of these places in the winter or during their rainy seasons when the conditions are far harsher and less accessible. Cue an opportunity for striking photography as most do not dare visit at these times, and, better yet, the way a particular scene looked last winter may be far different from the next. 
3. Get off the beaten path: Antelope Canyon with the infamous midday light rays? Check. Half Dome as viewed from Mirror Lake in Yosemite? Done. These are all awesome shots for good reason, and you better believe I intend to have my own take. But it can also be extremely rewarding to scope out an entirely different area at these locations with the intention of taking a new, or at least less-often, photographed perspective. I often hear of a waterfall, lake, or vista at the end of a long hike that is strenuous and probably a pain to get to, especially with gear. While it is highly unlikely a photo has never been taken at that spot, it will at least be one that is less photographed, and who knows, you might even enjoy your time getting there. Sometimes the best photographs are not made by amazing light, but through amazing experiences.   

This brings me to my main point: What exactly is the human element? The human element can be defined as the introduction of a person, persons, or something else which is uniquely human (for example: a hat, shoes, or hiking pack) into a traditional landscape scene. Take a few minutes next time you’re browsing the ads featured in REI, Patagonia, or any adventure retailer to see if something appears similar between them. What you may notice is that while all of these outlets almost exclusively feature landscapes, these images are also filled with people sitting around a campfire, standing on the edge of a canyon at sunrise, or staring into a mountain-filled horizon clad with said outlet’s gear.

This is a growing trend today and something that differentiates the stoic landscape photography of Ansel Adams' for today’s millennial adventure-seekers. Chris Burkard features this in almost all of this imagery and was one of the first photographers I saw doing it exclusively. People of all ages love to see amazing landscapes from around the world, but even more than this, they love the idea of seeing people experiencing them as well. It transports them away from their day-to-day and gives them a sense of adventure that is hard to come by working the grind in a city. Moreover, it provides a sense of scale and perspective to an otherwise vast and complex landscape image that can often be hard to relate to. Finally, it makes the image completely unique in the sense that the same persons can never be there again in the same image, same pose, etc…

At this very moment, I can hear my professor from my Landscape Photography 101 proclaiming that a landscape is not a landscape unless it is devoid of all human elements, including people and architecture. While this may be true in its purest sense, I think it is important to recognize that this argument is exactly what makes art subjective. What one person may consider to be a landscape may not be the same as what another considers as a landscape image. In fact, most would probably consider images of people in the outdoors having a good time to be lifestyle photographs, not landscapes. There is certainly a fine line from one to the other, but this is not what’s important. What is important is creating an image that is unique and captivating to an audience that has virtually seen it all; and I believe this is a technique that, when used effectively, does exactly that. Here are a few examples from my own adventures that I hope will inspire you to get out and make your own.