A Side of Light

Landscape photography in a limited area can occasionally cause you to start sporadically moving around, looking for things you’ve never shot before. On occasion you find something unique that grabs your eye, sometimes you strike out. On this occasion I was lucky, found a very simple composition and worked with it. It’s a single mountain framed against a hazy background of other peaks, fall colors sprouting across. I decided to forego my usual desaturation and let the colors sing a bit, less mood more pop. I decided to leave the sky a bit brighter here, but maybe in the future I’ll work on a darker copy.

Landscape photography is interesting, passion is what sells it. You can tell almost immediately if someone has passion in their landscapes, you can tell if it’s something they enjoy. Even new landscape photographers tend to show it. You can see if they’re willing to put the work in for their shots, or if it’s just another day at the office. Really look next time you glance through someone’s gallery, do you see what drives them? What is that effect, what draws you to their photo? It’s not the same for every photographer, but its absolutely there.

Take time in your own photos, what’s that factor that draws you in to the landscapes? For me, I tend towards a darker moodier landscape at the moment. I like the dark clouds, a valley in shadow with just diffused light from above scratching out the depth. Some photographers I enjoy love pumping their saturation up, but everyone has their own style, and within that style you can find their passion. Take a look, and maybe it will help you guide you to your own unique vision of the world.

Until Next Time!

Aperture: f10
ISO: 160
SS: 1/8th
Focal: 34mm

Fujinon 16-55mm