There is a very beautiful photo which has etched itself into my memory. It was taken in Iceland and showed a black sand beach and a mirror smooth, blue green sea with snow white icebergs looming up out of the water. There were also smaller stranded icebergs on the sand leading down to the water. Two things made the photo so special; first was the incredible depth of field that made it seem to go on forever. Second was the height perspective-it looked as if the photographer had his camera sitting right on the sand when he took the photo. I wish I could show it to you but I saw it only for a moment on a nature show on television. It made such an impression on me that I’ve never forgotten it, and over the last few weeks I’ve tried to re-create it here in New Hampshire, with somewhat disappointing results. It takes a fair amount of thought and planning to create the illusion of three dimensions in a flat, two dimensional space, not to mention the often large amount of time it takes to find the scene in the first place, so I’m going to show them-disappointing or not.
We don’t see too many icebergs here in New Hampshire but we have plenty of rocks, so I tried to show them looming up out of the water like the icebergs in my remembered photo did. It didn’t really work in this river view-the rocks didn’t loom quite the way I wanted them to, even though the camera was almost sitting in the water. Now that I see the photo I think I had the camera too close to them, even though in reality it seemed much farther away.
This didn’t work either. I think it would have worked better if the waterfall wasn’t there, or was farther off in the distance. The idea is to have the horizon stretching off into infinity and the waterfall is too close for that. The rocks were looming a little more though. There was a drunken cedar waxwing sitting on one of them, waiting for me to leave so he could eat some more fermented dogwood berries.
Not really what I was after, but getting a little closer as far as depth of field goes.
In the forest this view seemed to go on and on but there are so many trees that they look more like a wall, rather than converging on a point in the distance as they really were. It’s amazing how the camera can create such a flat scene out of what was a good example of depth perspective. In this case I think if I had raised the camera up off the forest floor a bit it might have worked. It took quite a few tries to find what I thought was the perfect spot, so this one was especially disappointing.
This view of an abandoned road doesn’t work at all. The scene is so distorted you’d think I used a fisheye lens. Something that doesn’t help here is the fact that, though the yellow line was once in the middle of the road, nature has been growing over one side more than the other. If you want to show the yellow line the scene is now skewed, with more open space on the right side of the line than the left.
This shot has depth but the light is far too harsh and the only thing looming is an old dry leaf. Again, a long walk and a lot of time and experimentation for something that isn’t even close to what I was trying for.
Another one with some depth, but again the light was too harsh. I almost fell in getting this one-the rocks I was trying to crouch down on were small and slippery.
The pond weeds in the foreground help this one, but it’s not a very interesting scene.
This was a hard shot to get. Too bad it isn’t what I was hoping for. The camera should have been lower and even though I knew that at the time there was no way to get it there without either going for a dip or crawling around in a patch of poison ivy.
This shot of Mount Monadnock probably comes closest to what I was trying to do but it’s still not quite there, so I’ll have to keep trying. I think a large part of the problem is that the landscape views that I’m seeing aren’t really comparable to the iceberg photo. But, because of this experiment if the view I’m looking for ever presents itself I think I’ll at least know what not to do when I try to get a shot of it.
Landscape photography is the supreme test of the photographer – and often the supreme disappointment. ~Ansel Adams
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[…] been chasing a particular angle of perspective (angle of view of the capture) and in it I showed a photo of yellow lines on an abandoned road. For me the shot was a total failure but I thought I’d show […]
Perfect light, complex landscape with objects near and far, color, so much to try to accomplish in one photo. I have found one blog I like very much; every now and then she posts some of those amazing landscapes. If this is the kind of scene you are looking for, write her and ask how she set up for the shot.
By the way, I really like your attempts here. Keep trying, I would like to see more of what you have done.
I know I’m expecting a lot from the landscape but “that” shot is out there somewhere and I’ll keep looking until I find it.
Thanks for the link. She takes some beautiful photos but she also finds some great scenery. That’s my problem-finding the scene that I’m looking for. Once I do that the technical aspects should fall into place without too much trouble.
Hey, I liked the abandoned road shot! Some good landscape photos here, to my eye anyway!
Thanks! Everybody likes the abandoned road shot. I’m going to have to do an entire post on it again.
The shot with the goldenrods puts me in mind of some of the views along the Navigation. It is strange how something looks so different when you frame it and and take photo but I thought all the scenes were good. Sometimes we are our own worst critics. Charlie, my famous landscape photographer friend says that landscape photography is mostly about waiting for everything to be just right. I wish I could take photos like his, they’re like paintings but maybe I just don’t have the patience.
Thanks. Just as artists are never happy with their work, I guess landscape photographers are the same. Your friend is right-I spent a lot of time waiting for the light to be “just right” for some of these, the last shot in particular. There is a lot of behind the scenes drudgery represented here!
Enjoying sharing your locations in search of this illusive photo. I kinda like them all. In the deserted road shot there were what looked like wires on the right side. If you get back there I would want to try to get the wires more pronounced also leading down the road. Another path for the eye to travel to the distant center. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Grampy. Yes there are wires in that shot and you’re right-maybe instead of cursing them for being there I should have used them for greater affect. I was concentrating on the yellow line at the time, but I can always go back.
You are right, landscape photography is incredibly difficult. I seldom get a shot with which I’m really pleased. I liked the final shot of the series the best too.
Thanks Montucky. I love your landscapes of the high mountains. I’m also aware of all the work and time involved in getting them, and I appreciate your efforts.
I like this post for showing the drudgery of trying very hard to get something right. Landscape photography often seems like it should be so simple, but your process and progress makes it clear that’s far from the case. That being said, I really like the overgrown road shot.
Thank you. I can’t think of any kind of photography that is easy, but landscapes are probably the hardest, at least for me. There is a lot of behind the scenes drudgery too, especially in nature photography. Most of it comes in the form of very long walks while carrying cameras, tripods, backpacks, etc. I’m really amazed that so many people like that shot of the abandoned road. If I had to choose one photo from this post to reject it would be that one, so that shows you what I know!
Love the woodland scene it somehow brings back childhood memories from when I was living in Germany.. I know nothing about photography but all I know is the feeling a picture gives me.. Would love to explore your country side but its quite a long way from the UK… You may be frustrated with not getting the shot you wanted but remember the joy a picture gives to others .. Good luck with getting the shot
Thank you Amanda. I’m certainly surprised by the joy that these photos seem to bring people! And you’re right, I’ll have to try to remember that.
Makes you wonder how long it took the iceberg photographer to get the shot that impressed you so much. I really like your pond shot (second to last). It looks… familiar?
That’s true, they make it look easy on TV, but it might have taken quite a while-especially to find the view.
That pond is in Jaffrey, NH and is called Perkins Pond. It’s a popular place to get shots of the mountain, but I was down the road a ways from the spot where they do that. I might go back and try to get some pond weeds in the foreground and the mountain in the background when the leaves are a little more colorful.
I have often tried to get the sort of thing that you were looking for when walking through woods but never succeeded. What the eye sees and what the camera records are two different kettles of fish but I think that your ‘failure’ show that you were looking at interesting views. Keep trying. I enjoyed the results a lot.
You wouldn’t think that a camera would “see” that much differently but you’re right, they do. Thanks for the encouragement. I’m a long way from giving up.
I am gradually learning not to take pictures of things that look good but which I know the camera won’t like….for lack of contrast or too much contrast or simply things that please the eye but which look dull when frozen. Still it doesn’t stop me from taking many rotten pictures every day.
It’s nice to know that I’m not alone when it comes to taking rotten photos. If we were still in the days of film it could be an expensive endeavor.
Like so many others, I think that you are being too hard on yourself. I like the shots, especially the one with the forest with the tall trees.
Thanks Mike. If I could have done what I set out to do with that forest shot it would have been better, but it isn’t terrible and I don’t really dislike any of these. It’s more frustration at not being able to re-create something, and I think that my rying to re-create something is the problem. Create, don’t re-create.
What you have captured in your photos are sheer poetry. I think the yellow line on the road one, the way you did it, would make a wonderful book cover for something with the content along the line of ..”.a road less travelled “kind of thing. Also, the old dry leaf one is so good. You have captured something along the line of..”to see the world in a grain of sand” message there. I know you were going for the special effect that you had in your mind’s eye but beauty, in this case poetry, is in the “eye of the beholder”.
Thank you. That’s quite a compliment! I like the idea of the old road being a book cover. If only I had a publisher or two knocking on my door! Beauty being in the eye of the beholder has proven very true with this post. It’s virtually impossible to predict what people will like and what they won’t.
Not disappointing at all — your shots are beautiful. One thing the iceberg photo had that you may struggle with was the angle of light, or just the quality of the light that far north, which creates subtle shadows of depth even in the sunshine.
Thank you Laurie. That’s true-I imagine the light might be kind of feeble in an Icelandic winter. I hadn’t thought of that.
I’ll second what Kate said, that your’re so focused on what you wanted that it is getting in the way of you being able to see how good the shots that you got really are. The road shot is excellent, but my favorite is the one that you said was not very interesting, but that’s because I love places like where that was shot.
Keep on practicing, because you’re getting some really good photos even if they’re not the iceberg scene that you’re trying to duplicate.
Thanks! I do have a tendency to ignore my own rules every now and then. It’s much more fun to walk down a trail not knowing (or caring) what you’ll be getting photos of instead of having a plan. I’ll get back to that rule today!
Liked them all but the road shot was my favorite. 🙂
Thank you. I’m being surprised by that shot!
In photography as in other endeavors, the path to achieving your goal is the fun part, often times frustrating, but progressive. I can see this in your photographs. I like the elements in 2 of your photographs and think if you can combine them it would play to some New Hampshire. strong points. Landscape shots need a interesting foreground that leads a viewer’s eye into the photograph. The low angle of the pondweeds does this, particularly if the wind is helping them to point in the direction that you want the viewer’s eye to travel. Include more of it in the frame than you have. If you can have those plants pointing at Mt Monadnock, with a sweeping view over the lake, well then that will be very iconic.
As always enjoy your efforts, photographs, and knowledge.
Jamie
Thank you Jamie. Actually, there is a spot with a pond and pond weeds in front of the mountain but it seems like that view has been photographed to death, so I didn’t bother with it. Now that you say that though, I’ve never seen a shot taken from there with the camera at water level. I’ll have to go up there and see what I can come up with. Thanks for the idea!
I always had the sense you were a meticulous, perfectionist type person and now I know for sure.
Although you were going for a certain image and were somewhat disappointed by the results, your followers might have a completely impression! I’m very “wowed” by every photo here and see no shortcomings!
Yes, you have me pegged, I’m afraid. The trouble with being a perfectionist is it’s impossible to ever achieve perfection. But we keep trying! You’re right-so far everyone seems to like my “rejects.” Thank you for the great comment!
LOL you should see the hundreds of pics I’ve taken that definitely don’t meet my criteria either! If the clarity isn’t exactly what I deem worthy (even when my real life friends say otherwise) I chuck the photo and retake it. It drives them crazy!
I know exactly what you mean. There were hundreds of photos taken just to produce the ten shown here. I had to laugh when you said it drives your friends crazy-it does the same thing on this side of the country!
Thanks for sharing your “disappointments”, I often struggle with capturing that depth of scene in nature as well. (I can’t tell you how many photos I have of walls of trees, that in reality seemed to stretch on forever.) I’m with Laura, though – I also really liked the abandoned road shot, it just has a lovely mood to it.
Thank you. It’s odd to me that the road shot that I like the least seems to be everybody’s favorite. It’s hard for me to see it the same way others do, I suppose. I could clearly see the way I wanted it to come out in my mind and when it didn’t I called it a reject. Maybe if I let go of that picture in my mind I’ll like it more.
I think you are too harsh on your photographs. Not having seen the views they give me a feeling of depth and beauty. I an understand that what you saw is vastly superior and the photograph will never be satisfactory for you. I have a great problem trying to capture the feeling of near us. It is very flat but still beautiful and I cannot capture the feeling on paper.
Thank you. I like a couple of them but, as I had an idea in my mind of how things should be, most were disappointing. As I said in the previous comment, I think it’s best to approach the subject of photography with no preconcieved Ideas or plans and just “let it happen.” The most trouble I have is when I forget that.
The “yellow line in the road” shot is excellent, IMO. The light is fine, there are many converging lines, and it tells a story. The one with the leaf in the road would have hit the mark too, if the leaf had been in sharp focus and the background less so. Sometimes, having an idea of what we want gets in the way of seeing what we actually have.
Thank you for your insight Kate. What you said is very true and I have to keep reminding myself that the times that are most fun, and the best photos I get, are when I have no plan or preconcieved notion of how things “should” be.
“Having an idea of what we want gets in the way of seeing what we actually have” is an excellent way to say it.
I think it is great that you spent so much time and effort into trying to expand your photography repertoire. The photos might not be exactly what you envisioned but there is a learning curve to everything, As you said, you’ll know a lot more about what not to do. I actually like the abandon road shot (the road to Beaver Brook Falls?) One thing about trying to shoot from that perspective, at least to me, it creates a feeling of inviting you into the scene. The road, the trail through the woods and the still waters are inviting to me. They make we want to go there and explore what is further along. Love the shot of Monadnock.
Thanks Laura. That’s the great thing about photography, I think-there is always more to learn and a thousand things to expiriment with. I like landscape photography but I’ve never been that great at it, so I practice. And practice and practice! I’m glad you liked them. I hope all is well.