Better landscape

Even from my initial readings and reflections I'm starting to see that there is a more honest way to capture landscapes than those photos which I've taken and have aspired to take. What's more by not trying to beautify the landscape and simply finding within it simple graphical form, the photographer is in a better position to put their own style upon it.

These are a few things I've found.


In "The Genius of Photography", Gerrye Badger, there is photo called "Cape Horn near Celilo" by Carleton Watkins. I find this composition to be really compelling. The train track leads the eye into the photo where the viewer is almost presented with a choice - on one hand the open landscape, on the other the implausible challenge of the rock face. But somehow this image is balanced. And the pure white, blank sky is one which would usually lead me to believe it wasn't worth taking any photos, however despite the fact that it occupies probably 50% of the photo it still works better because of the openness in it, the lack of detail just stops the eye being distracted from the other 50%.

(Note - I can include the above image as Carleton Watkins has been dead for more than 75 years. However, I won't be able to include any images below as the photographers referenced are more contemporary).

I also read about a photographer called Joe Deal in the magazine Aperture (Issue 199, Summer 2010). The article focusses on an exhibition of his work in the American plains. This seemingly landscape  would appear to offer nothing of interest for the typical landscape photographer. But nevertheless Joe Deal is able to create framed portions of the plains which have great interest and sense of place. http://www.risdmuseum.org/exhibition.aspx?type=past&id=2147484113, http://www.robertmann.com/exhibitions/2010/deal/thumbnails_01.html . These photos break many of the "rules" of foreground interest, rule of thirds and leading lines and instead far more graphical and tonal in nature.


The third photographer that has really interested me in terms of their approach to landscape photography is Lee Friedlander in his series "America by Car". These really ignore typical landscape photography rules. The presence of the photographer (in the car), is really felt. As such the photographs feel almost forcefully honest.  But for me, the framing provided by the car really works. http://whitney.org/Exhibitions/LeeFriedlander/Images