The Golden Hour

The color of the light is the reason the period after sunrise and before sunset is called the Golden Hour . The low angle of the suns rays to the surface of the earth are dispersed by the atmosphere creating a brilliant golden glow .This effect is pleasing to everyone and landscape photographers are no exception . Look at any  website dedicated to landscape photography and notice that many of the images are captured in this type of light .

 

However , a famous photographer once  said , " the best light for taking photographs is available light " .  This statement is worth considering because as photographers we just want to take pictures . The reality is that we don't walk around and see everything bathed in a golden glow all the time . Sometimes the light is diffuse and lacking direction .

This diffuse light occurs on those days when the sky is overcast and the suns rays appear to be shining through a large white umbrella . Coincidentally this is the best light to photograph waterfalls because the low contrast preserves detail in the water which is so easily lost in bright sunshine .

Other times the light may be reflected off of a colored surface such as the sky and this color will appear in the image . There are many lighting situations that can all be used to advantage . The landscape has so much to offer that may be revealed at anytime . The point is don't wait for the golden hour at the expense of missing other opportunities throughout the day . So much to see and never enough time .                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

Beyond the Garden Gate

Beyond the garden gate is really about how far I didn't go to take these pictures. I gave myself an exercise that would force me to stand in one place and take a series of photographs . The idea is not a new one and it is always good practice , something we all do a variation on when we work on a subject...look at it from different angles and changing lens perspective .

The first thing I noticed was how the light was behind the grasses and was creating a beautiful luminous glow.                                                                            

As I started to work with this idea simply changing camera orientation presented a different view .

Choosing a shorter focal length gave me a wider perspective , all without changing my position .

Then I rotated my body 45 degrees and from the same spot took this picture .

Another small rotation revealed this image .

                                                                                                                           

Finally , a rotation in the other direction offered this view . Both of these pictures are the same subject just using a different focal length .
So from this exercise , standing in one spot and using the tools at hand many different pictures were possible.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

Less is More

So you're probably wondering how this expression applies to photography , what does it mean . It's always a good practice to walk around your subject if possible . Changing angle of view or perspective will present alternatives to choose from in the editing process . Of course it is best to have an idea to begin with rather than realize your vision through the viewfinder but moving around the subject helps to develop an idea . When the first impression is too much detail , working the subject will usually help to create a more distinct picture . Quite often the scene can be reduced to  a few lines or shapes or color and the image becomes stronger . This sequence of pictures will help to explain this idea .

When I saw this landscape I knew there was a picture here , I just had to find it . I was drawn to the powerful triangular design created by the mud slide and the strong horizontal line  of the rock face .

Changing the orientation of the camera seemed to weaken the overall design but there was something that kept me interested .

Then I saw a small plant growing that I knew could add foreground interest to the picture .

                                                                                 
Getting closer to the small plant made it larger in the foreground and gave the image a base to sit on.Finally I had my picture but I knew that I could make the image more dramatic in post process . So this was the final result .

                                                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                           

The Language of Light

Although the ancient Greeks did not know that light could be captured and stored in a box they did understand something about the nature of light . There was a great deal of thought put into understanding the physical properties and I suppose that much consideration was given to the ephemeral qualities as well . I want to focus on the language of light . All that is required , like any language is to follow the cadence and the rhythm . This will not give you a literal translation but it will open the mind and allow for interpretation , an excursion through the landscape . When I start to think and visualize in this way it doesn't matter where I am because the language is familiar and the subject becomes the light .

             
 I'm not referring to the qualities of source or direction or colour although these do have an influence on the interpretation . I suppose pattern is appropriate because  that is what cadence and rhythm means to me and ultimately becomes an integral part of the message .

See the light and open a door to another way to interpret the world as we walk through this life .                                                                                                        

Keeping it Real

Recently I was reading about documentary versus interpretive photography . My sense is that this topic is misleading because whatever is framed within the viewfinder is real unless the subject has been manipulated in some way .

This picture is real or documentary in nature but my interpretation is strictly visual . As the sun was setting over the Pacific Ocean and from my vantage point ( the car )  I saw a series of lines and bands of colour . The summer temperatures and humidity cause immense fog banks to form over the open water . What you are looking at is an illustration of this natural phenomenon portrayed in a way to take advantage of a receding tide which leaves rivulets of water along the shoreline . I think of this as documenting a landscape in an interpretive manner .

Looking and Seeing

Quite often I leave home without my camera , it could be a trip to the store or maybe to walk the dog and this has never bothered me . I'm not obsessed with shooting everything that I see because I like to take the time to be aware of surroundings . I mean that looking at the world thru the viewfinder becomes self limiting and narrows my vision , like tunnel vision . So I spend more time looking at what catches my eye and more time thinking about why it does that . In other words i'm still composing these pictures in my minds eye and as long as I continue to see images that are eye catching the world is in balance .

It was the background that caught my eye in this picture , reflections off a building and the interesting pattern that I saw . Urban landscapes lend themselves to some wonderful juxtapositions with the natural world , it's probably endless .

Another pattern was created by this fountain spray into a lily pond . Easy to miss if I was intent on looking at the world thru my viewfinder . I practice looking and seeing photographically all the time so when I do have a camera with me there is no doubt about what I want to shoot . Sometimes I just get lucky .

Ancient Landscapes of Vancouver Island

There is an area near where I live called Avatar Grove , it is a special place to visit because the trees are some of the oldest in the world . Here I am standing in front of the oldest sitka spruce tree in Canada , this tree was already hundreds of years old when Columbus discovered this continent . 

 These trees are a valuable resource for everyone and must be protected . Without these natural areas to replenish our weary souls our society becomes dis -eased and loses the natural balance that holds the world together .

Visit  http://www.ancientforestalliance.org/ for more information...