Sweeping

I find that some types of photography are easier than others; for example, I feel that macro shots are my strong point- however, when it comes to landscape photography, my skills leave a lot to be desired. I have seen images in magazines of sculpted fields, with ridges running down one side and trees that seemed to have been placed as props for that specific photograph. Until now, I very foolishly assumed that these images had been the victim of a very heavy-handed approach to Photoshop, and that in fact, you would never find these sweeping landscapes with rolling clouds and perfectly placed shrubs- I was wrong.

I visited a photography exhibition on the second floor of a university, situated opposite a country park. The intention of the visit was to inspire my own work, but the visit ended with me at the window with my trusty Olympus in hand! While in one of the rooms, I noticed ridges in the ground that I had never seen from the road, with these idyllically placed trees. It is rare that I have such a chance, so made the most of it and took the photo from a range of angles. While doing so, 3 deer appeared almost from thin air. I only had my wide-angle lens with me, but this appeared to be a blessing in disguise as it made me think more carefully about composition.

I achieved the effect that I was looking for, but it was a gloomy day, and the image felt washed out. I darkened the shadows to make the tones of the clouds more prominent, then increased the contrast and decreased the brightness of the whole image. I decided that I preferred almost completely de-saturating the image, as it gave the effect of an old photo. To play on this idea further, I over-sharpened the picture, and added noise. I’m pleased to have finally taken a decent landscape shot! Practice really does make perfect.

Bex

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