subject: Landscape Photography: Let The Picture Come To You [print this page] There is nothing quite like looking at a majestic scene and seeing a photo opportunity just waiting to happen. Many times this is the reason that persons will get involved with landscape photography. They see a picture that is just waiting to happen and know the right time to snap the perfect photo for a memory that will be treasured.
The types of photos that you can get from landscape photography are those that come from a picturesque scene of everyday life in the natural world. Imagine for a moment a scene set in a remote mountain town, the bustle of the streets as the population awakens and begins to make their way through the fresh fallen snow. This is the type of picture that you can get from this type of photography. A moment in time when nature and humanity interact. Of course this scene would still be powerful without the human component, this would then be an example of truly fundamental landscape photography.
While anyone can be a good photographer, it takes a special eye to see the world in a unique perspective, such as a picture of a small town with a fresh blanket of snow that has fallen. This can be a picture that will be remembered for a long time in the future.
You don't have to have an eye for what is going to be appealing to the audience. Instead, you need to have an eye for what moves you. This is the most basic principle of landscape work. Being prepared to let the camera guide you and not being afraid to feel the picture when it happens. In this type of photography, you must be able to connect with your heart, mind and soul and let them all talk to you and to the camera.
Being able to break yourself of the what-looks-good habit is one of the hardest things that you will ever have to do. But it is essential if you are to produce landscape work that is moving and effective for you. There is no such thing as good or bad landscape picture work; there is only effective and un-effective. The effective work gets the viewer to feel, to think and to be drawn into the picture as they see it. They are transported to the same spot, the same moment in time that the photographer was when he or she clicked the shutter. Un-effective work is the stuff that you find on the wall in a corporate office or sell to an ad agency for an email campaign.
If you are willing to let them happen, you can get a lot of beautiful scenes and powerful moments captured with your camera. The key is to let your eyes, heart and soul enter into the moment and keep your brain out of it (except to turn the dials). You need to be able to let the camera do its job without interfering with it. This is how you get to be an effective landscape photographer.
There is a lot of fun that can be experienced when it comes to landscape photography. When you let the camera direct you to the picture, then many times the best pictures will come to life with little or no effort. In this type of photography, a lot of times its more about the moment than the intention, and that what true artistic photography has always been about.
