Scenery photographers have more than scenery to take pictures of:

What in the world am I talking about?  Not too long ago, I had a special article for macro photographers, and trying to find things different to take pictures of for their macro work other than flowers, and bugs.  It seemed like that was the majority of things we see in macro photography work.  And then I introduced the photography world to a whole bundle of different ideas of things to take pictures of, that are really as interesting, but different than the normal.

As I was thinking about the Landscape Photographers, and the many things that they miss as they are out taking their beautiful landscape photos.  Not to take away from their landscape photos, but, are there some other photo opportunities that are missed just because you are there.   And this is what this article is about:  let’s see some of the other opportunities that are there, because you are there as you take landscape photos.

To me, this is one of the most beautiful landscape photos you will ever see.  The beautiful lake, the beautiful mountains,  and that beautiful meadow in the foreground, make this a dynamic photo.  Wouldn’t it be nice to have a macro lens to get a close up of some of the flowers that may be out in the meadow, or details of the shoreline, that we are not noticing in a broad view.  Now, I know that previously I have mentioned that flower photography can be boring after a while, but, as a landscape artist, you probably can get a different angle on your flower photography to make it uniquely different.

There is a new twist you could do on flowers while you are out doing your landscape photos.  Do you have a macro lens, or close-up filters or some type of device to do close up photos while you are out doing your landscape photos?  You should have something.  This will certainly add to your portfolio that not a lot of landscape photographers have.

Let’s take a look at some ideas that you can add to your list as you are out doing landscape photography:

1.  Flowers, in the landscape:

I just talked about how there are so many flowers, usually, as  you take photos in your landscape shots.  Look for them. Come up with different ideas or ways to take your flower photos so that you have different flower photos than the usual macro photographer.  As you display those photos amongst your landscape photos, you will definitely win some points with your customers.

2-  Wildlife photography:

As you go out to take your landscape photos, you may not always have wildlife around you.  Or do you?  Are you just not looking for it.  Is it there, and you are just choosing to ignore it because you are caught up in your landscape photos?  What if the best photo you can get is some bird?

When you are out in the wild, you may get the surprise of a lifetime.  I always look at a photo this way:  what if this photo is the one photo someone has been looking for, and would be willing to spend some big money on it, just because it is their favorite bird, or animal.  I better take my time and make this photo real good.

3-  Tree or shrubs or foliage:

Most of the time, we are taking pictures of trees in our landscape.  Have you ever looked close at some of these trees?  Sometimes there are some very interesting trees, whether it be their bark, their pine cones, their berries, or the way humans have caused them to be.   So, add that to your collection as well.

4- Water in your photos:

Sometimes the streams coming into the lakes are often just as beautiful as the lake you are taking pictures of.  Do a little walking and check it out.

5- People in your landscape:

Nothing gives dimension to a photograph until you put something in it that you can relate it to.  And a person is the perfect thing.  With a person in the photo, you now know how big those mountains are.  How far away they are, and how big that lake is.  Adding a person into the picture is one thing professionals have done for a long time to give a sense of depth, and majesty to a photo.

Now, I hope this has helped you in your landscape photos.  Hopefully, it has helped you in adding more to your photography portfolio.  Broadening your horizons is certainly a good thing.

COMING SOON:  IMAGINE WRITING ALL THESE BLOGS AND ALSO TEACHING THESE KIND OF PHOTO TRAINING COURSES.  THESE IDEAS SHOULD BE PUT INTO A BOOK, DON’T YOU THINK?  WELL THEY SOON WILL BE AND YOU WILL HAVE ACCESS TO THEM SOON.  THIS WEBSITE WILL BE UPDATED AS WELL AS A BOOK ON KINDLE WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR SALE, AND ON THE NEW WEBSITE BY SEPTEMBER.  LOOK TO THOSE GREAT NEW ADDITIONS.  123PHOTOGO WILL BE THERE TO HELP YOU WITH YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY.  ALL THE WAY.

article written by:  lanny cottrell for 123photogo.

Seeing the image as an “Artist”

Living in this digital world, we are really spoiled with what we have available to us.  We have the abundance of equipment.  We have lenses, new equipment coming at least once a year from the manufactures.  We have computers and software to help us fine tune our photos.  We are equipped with a vast amount of equipment to make our photos near perfect.  We especially have a vast amount of information from the web.  This is so much different from the age of the film era.

OR IS IT?

Whatever our equipment—film or digital, professional quality or entry level. Whatever our experience. The key to photography is our vision of the world and how we decide to interpret it and to capture it with whatever equipment we have—film camera, cell phone, SLR, mirrorless, compact, whatever.

As photographers we tend to love technical details about equipment, about technique, about post-processing. However, without the vision to ‘see’ the image it can all be in vain, and we can land up with a multitude of pretty, boring images.

The digital age has brought the ability to mindlessly produce images of an acceptable quality. Photography has become a global flood of freeze-frames; millions of images are uploaded every minute.

We need to make sure that we enjoy the effort of adding our own vision and creativity.

Good pictures demand care—even with digital. And really good pictures are hard to make. The camera doesn’t do it all for you! You need your own personal vision.

“A camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera.” –Dorothea Lange

“Photography is an art of observation. It has very little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them.” –Elliot Erwitt

It also reminds me of another major thought:  That we need to see the world like a child.  A child sees things with fresh eyes.  Everything with a sense of wonder.  Have you ever noticed when you have a child, say at the zoo, that they notice things that you may not notice yourself.

It often reminds of a song from an old rock band:  The Moody Blues.  They wrote a song called “The Eyes of a Child”.

With the eyes of a child
You must come out and see
That your world’s spinning ’round
And through life you will be

A small part of a hope
Of a love that exists
In the eyes of a child you will see

“A child’s world is fresh and new and beautiful, full of wonder and excitement. It is our misfortune that for most of us that clear-eyed vision, that true instinct for what is beautiful and awe-inspiring, is dimmed and even lost before we reach adulthood.” –

Rachel Carson

“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.”

–Pablo Picasso

Now let’s take a standard photographic debate:

DO WE WANT TO HAVE A PICTURE OF RUINS WITHOUT PEOPLE?

OR WITH PEOPLE:

BUT THE REAL QUESTION IS, OF ALL THAT IS GOING ON, DID ANYONE NOTICE THE BEAUTIFUL FLOWERS ALONG THE WALKWAY?

Photography should be an enjoyable life enhancing journey and not just a destination.   Enjoy the journey, have a fresh outlook on this life of photography, maybe think a bit more like a child and look around at the details that are around you.   Perhaps photography will be more joyful with every shot you take.

COMING SOON:  IMAGINE WRITING ALL THESE BLOGS AND ALSO TEACHING THESE KIND OF PHOTO TRAINING COURSES.  THESE IDEAS SHOULD BE PUT INTO A BOOK, DON’T YOU THINK?  WELL THEY SOON WILL BE AND YOU WILL HAVE ACCESS TO THEM SOON.  THIS WEBSITE WILL BE UPDATED AS WELL AS A BOOK ON KINDLE WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR SALE, AND ON THE NEW WEBSITE BY SEPTEMBER.  LOOK TO THOSE GREAT NEW ADDITIONS.  123PHOTOGO WILL BE THERE TO HELP YOU WITH YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY.  ALL THE WAY.