A Lucid Exposition of Landscape Photography
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A LUCID EXPOSITION OF LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY RENTHIA OOSTHUIZEN 1998 © Central University of Technology, Free State A LUCID EXPOSITION OF LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY by RENTHIA OOSTHUIZEN Submitted in partial compliance of the requirements for The National Diploma Photography Department of Photography Faculty of Human Sciences Technikon Free State November 1998 © Central University of Technology, Free State I thank God for the talent and guidance He gave me through my course and I wish to express my deep appreciation to my parents who made it possible for me to study ... T\.., , ,\ 7l ,.f Sr, ....," OK is " , ," ',')::::RTY l r i ;:. ," •.. ~\.. \ , ..... .. ~ -.'. '.. lr'~~:: ",.., F ! , ... - 5 W ' 2001 TECHNIKON FREE STATE © Central University of Technology, Free State Summary Through this script, the author aims to show how to find rewarding subjects and compose pictures that capture the beauty, strangeness or grandeur of the natural world in all its forms. This script also contains techniques on photographing sunsets and cityscapes. The master photographer, Ansel Adams' work, the sole inspiration for the author, is also discussed. Excellent photographs, inspired text, an enthusiastic reader: a mixture that will prepare one for the best way ofleaning landscape photography. In other words; a lucid exposition oflandscape photography. © Central University of Technology, Free State TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Summary I Table on contents II List of illustrations IV INTRODUCTION 1 CHAPTER 1 2 LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY - What is a landscape? CHAPTER] 10 READING THE LAND - Composition - Select a view - Focus on clouds - Infrared film CHAPTER 3 20 PHOTOGRAPHING - Sunsets - Cityscapes © Central University of Technology, Free State CHAPTER 4 34 ANSEL ADAMS CHAPTERS 45 THE A UTHORS PORTFOLIO - The Authors approach CONCLUSION 72 - An Afterthought .. BIBLIOGRAPHY 74 II © Central University of Technology, Free State LIST OF ILLUSTRA nONS Page Fig. I YUANL! Untitled 5 Fig. 2 YUANL! Untitled 6 Fig. 3 REFLEJO/SGA Untitled 7 Fig 4 RENTHIA OOSTHUIZEN Wingerd pad, Die Oewer 8 Fig. 5 JOHN HEDGECOE A woodland stream 9 Fig. 6 ROGER E. LINDE Untitled 15 Fig. 7 RENTHIA OOSTHUIZEN Untitled 16 Fig. 8 G.R. ION'S Grasshllts 18 Fig. 9 RENTHIA OOSTHUIZEN Windpomp op Ontgin 19 Fig. 10 MICHAEL BOYS Untitled 25 Fig. II TOM PETRICKA Untitled 26 Fig. 12 RENTHIA OOSTHUIZEN Old ear 27 Fig. 13 JOHN GARRET Untitled 28 Fig. 14 PETER CARMICHAEL Untitled 32 Fig. IS RENTHIA OOSTHUIZEN Sunrise over Hamilton 33 Fig. 16 ANSEL ADAMS Moonrise 40 Fig. 17 ANSEL ADAMS Clearing Winter Storm 41 Fig 18 ANSEL ADAMS On the Heights 42 Fig. 19 ANSEL ADAMS Mirror Lake 43 Fig. 20 ANSEL ADAMS Half Dome 44 Fig. 21 RENTHlA OOSTHUIZEN Tranqu i /Ii ty 49 Fig 22 RENTHIA OOSTHUIZEN Burning Silo 's 51 Fig 23 RENTHIA OOSTHUIZEN Rushing Waters 53 Fig. 24 RENTHIA OOSTHUIZEN Turkoois 55 Fig. 25 RENTHIA OOSTHUIZEN Untitled Sunrise 57 Fig. 26 RENTHIA OOSTHUIZEN UllIitled Sunrise 58 III © Central University of Technology, Free State Page Fig. 27 RENTHIA OOSTHUIZEN Unfitled 60 Fig. 28 RENTHIA OOSTHUIZEN Moonrise, Uithoek 62 Fig. 29 RENTHIA OOSTHUIZEN Sunset from Navalhill 64 Fig. 30 RENTHJA OOSTHUIZEN Ulliitled: Glen 66 Fig. 31 RENTHJA OOSTHUIZEN Water refleclions 1 67 Fig. 32 RENTHJA OOSTHUIZEN Water reflections 2 68 Fig. 33 RENTHIA OOSTHUIZEN Sunset of the Farm 69 Fig. 34 RENTHJA OOSTHUIZEN Red WaleI' Sticks 70 Fig. 35 RENTHIA OOSTHUIZEN Untitled 71 IV © Central University of Technology, Free State "/ wish to be, 1I0t Nature, but parallel to Nature ... " - Puvis de Chavannes ' ~lKO,TATEN J © Central University of Technology, Free State INTRODUCTION "Nature" stands for a primordial force, a creative energy; with God, as Creater , at the top. Then there is "nature" in the form of daisies, rocks, waterfalls, trees, mountains which include the fauna and flora of the world. Each one unique in its own way. LANDSCAPES ARE BY NO MEANS SYNONYMOUS WITH NATURE, BUT LANDSCAPES DO INCLUDE NATURE ... Every one of us have his/hers own beauty in life, beauty that sometimes comes form landscapes. Open your eyes and you will see that you are surrounded by landscapes every day. Beauty in a landscape does not come form the uniqueness of the location, but rather form the viewer' s interpre tation. Photographers have the privilege to photograph Nature, God' s work, in such a way that others will stop to look again. The world is moving at an ever increasing pace, where there is no time to appreciate the beautiful things surrounding us . Through my work and this script, I want people to realize that there is more to life than just the nine-to-five day. It is time to stop and stare at the wonderful and glorious nature that we easily take for granted. 1 © Central University of Technology, Free State CHAPTER 1 LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY "A great photographer is one that fully expresses what one feels, in the deepest sense, ahout what is beillg photographed, alld is, therehy, a true manifestation of what olle feels about life ill its elltirety ... - Ansel Adams 2 © Central University of Technology, Free State LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY - What is a Landscape? When we hear 'Landscape photography' , most of us conjure associations with Ansel Adams' significant monochromatic vistas of Southwest America. Others find the term synonymous with the exotic scenic photographs that fill the pages of glamour travel magazines, or the colourful panoramas of nature in calendars that fill us with envy as we flip through the pages. In one way or the other, all of us are in touch of our own nature: - To look down from a mountain peak, - To stroll through the stillness of a forest or - To watch a bird, building its nest . For photographers, as for painters, landscapes hold a never ending opportunity for work. There are a wide variety of subjects available to the landscape photographer, all the photographers that photograph landscapes should know that nature is not the sole supplier of inspiration, nor does a landscape necessarily have to include land. The most common way of describing a landscape to someone else, is to say that a landscape is a portrait of the specific land that is being photographed. To describe it more accurately, a landscape can be defined as a photograph that describes a particular place at a particular instant, as seen through the eyes of an individual photographer. It is up to the photographer in what way he wants to interpret the scene he/she is going to photograph. It can either be literally or metaphorically. 3 © Central University of Technology, Free State Through Landscape photography, photographers can describe places in their own unique way, with no limitations. The subjects for landscape photography are Sf) varied, that the photographer himself/herself can decide what element in the scenery will make it a gorgeous landscape photograph. When a photographer is 'in love' with nature and its beauty, marvellous landscapes photographs will be taken spontaneously. The pictures on the following five pages (Figures 1-5) show how richly varied nature photography can be, they also show that nature is full of marvels and surprises ... 4 © Central University of Technology, Free State Figure 1 YUAN Ll, Untitled -'"f"J4N1KOH 5 ' ·"~ TATf - --1.. © Central University of Technology, Free State Figure 2 YUAN Ll, Untitled The leaves in the foreground, together with the reflecting trees in the water, creates a pattern, where the tree tops merged to the centre of the water, rather than at the top of the picture frame. 6 © Central University of Technology, Free State Figure 3 REFLEJO/SGA, Untitled 7 © Central University of Technology, Free State Figure 4 RENTIDA OOSTHUIZEN, 'Wingerd pad, Die Oewer' (\996) 8 © Central University of Technology, Free State Figure 5 JOHN HEDGECOE, A woodland Stream The photographer set a very slow shutter speed of 114 to accentuate the rushing movement of the water. ~ - -.--- ~ 'l ;~: ', C KK IS v r" . '; .".,., \~ ,l .p l:::~ ' RT , • r ~ . " . \I • .. ;': TtH: I , . - ? 2001 9 I i'I,:' C h \ '~i:' ON : F ;~EE STATE © Central University of Technology, Free State CHAPTER 2 READING THE LAND "The photographer must have. and keep in him, some oJthe receptiveness oJthe child who looks at the worldJor the/irst time. or oj the traveller who enters a strange COlllltly ... " - Bill Brandt 10 © Central University of Technology, Free State READING THE LAND Landscape photographers' greatest tool, is the ability to read the land and to relate its story. These photographers must be learnt, to see what is before them, and to comprehend what is behind them. Yet, good landscape photographers are rare. Partly because the tendency is to assume that our strong impressions of the scenery will translate themselves onto film effortlessly. However, the secret of taking landscape picture lie in understanding ho a scene will work photographically, instead of just being overwhelmed by the beauty of it all . Landscape photographers have to observe, and not design, their surroundings. After th photographer has read the land he/she is going to photograph, he/she is left with some options like composition, the point of view and the feeling he/she wants to transfer to the viewer. Composition Composition is one of the most crucial factors in a landscape photograph, because it is directly under the landscape photographer' s control. To help the photographer, the Rule of Thirds was formulated. This rule states that the picture should be divided into thirds horizontally and vertically. The centre of the picture' s interest should be placed at one of the intersections of the vertical and horizontal lines. It is not a matter of life and death if the photographer decides to do something new and different, for example; to put the subject in the middle of the frame. As we know: 11 © Central University of Technology, Free State Rules are meant to be broken ..