LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY


Eliot Porter Photography

LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY

Making the most out of the weather, I took the medium format camera out to shoot today and left is todays set up.
I went out alone today for the first time with this camera which meant I had to rely only on myself to set the camera up.
Despite hesitating at first, I set the camera up without any problems and was able to shoot 4 sheets of film, as it was a consistently sunny day the camera didn't need much adjusting after I shot my first sheet of film but I used the light meter in order to make sure the exposure is correct on all of them which I will be processing later today.
After going out on my own to take photographs I feel a lot more familiar with this type of camera and a lot more confident about shooting medium format, I found it really effective going out alone and discovering the camera for myself and all its aspects.
I decided to shot some of the film portrait apposed to landscape in order to see the effects of this and experiment so I am excited to see the outcome.

LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY

William Henry Jackson landscape photography

 LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY

One of the most famous english Landscape photographers is John Blakemore, he is known for both his landscapes and his still life photography both of which he used black and white format for and used darkrooms to create his prints, therefore I believe that he is a relevant source to look at whilst creating my own landscape photography using medium format black and white film.
The image left is one of Blakemore's most famous landscapes it consists of rich colours which could only be created with great technique in

 order to gain a perfectly exposed negative and experience and skills in the dark room in order to expose the print perfectly and use the develop, stop and fix correctly as the colours are intense and rich and therefore it is obvious the print has been developed correctly.
In all of Blakemores images, the landscapes are exposed perfectly and the colours are deep which gives the images an over all powering feel which I would like to create in my imagery and I will proceed to do this by ensuring that I time everything properly in the dark room.
The second and third images are full of strong textures which are defined

by the intricate detail and tones created this gives the photographs a real busy feel as there is a lot going on this makes the images interesting as there are no apparent main features and the whole of the print has stuff going on.
After exploring the work of Blakemore I have realised that developing and technique are important in the process of making a print and need to be timed perfectly as rich colours can be created and intricate details.

 LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY

Today, I went out shooting for the first time using a 5x4 medium format film camera, I learn the basics about how to set the camera up and set the exposure, shutter speed and ISO then step by step learned how to shoot my film using this camera.
A medium format camera has similar features to shooting with 35mm such as the way the camera works yet on a much larger more intricate way, the camera is fitted with a ground glass viewing in order to ensure precision and gain dimensions, the benefits of using this type of camera mean that bigger film is used and therefore bigger works can be created without losing detail.
I took both images using a light meter and set the camera at similar settings manually for both, after developing these I was happy with the outcome of the negatives as I believe they were exposed well.

 LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY

Andreas Gursky is a photographer known for his large format landscapes, he is influential to many landscape photographers today and is known for capturing the most expensive photograph in the world which is obviously something to be admired.
The images to the left were taken by Andreas Gursky and show some of Gursky's most famous Landscape works.
The first image by Gursky consists of quite dull colours and the sky is quite dark that gives the setting a dull feel, there is little life in the image without the chickens as the trees have no leaves

 there are no bright features or colours and the place looks quite humanly derelict and that makes the photograph interesting and makes us ask questions about the setting and place.
The second image has a brighter colour scheme due to the bright green colours which add a vibrant feel to the image but the most apparent feel of the image is created by the horizontal lines. The horizontal lines across the image are created by the different sections in the image, the sky, the grass, the water,

the grass in the foreground and the path.
In each of Gurksy's landscapes there is no human life and the image captures the nature of a place he quite often has a background and foreground making his images have layers, this makes the photographs narrate the place intricately and leaves us asking questions about the place and the history around it.

LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY

Landscape photography captures an outside scene and usually doesn't have much human life and instead captures the nature of a place.
One of the most influential landscape photographers is Ansel Adams he created some amazing works in America during the early years of photography using black and white film.

This image left was taken by Ansel Adams and consists of really strong textures which brings the picture to life I think. The main textures are the clouds, the mountains and the trees these make the image have more going on and also add clarity to the picture.
The image follows the rule of thirds as it is divided by the sky, then the mountains and then the path leads us to the foreground of the image. The path in the image is a main feature and really makes the image as it leads us to the mountains and the features at the back of the image.
The image has a high contrast and as there are really rich blacks and the light colours are almost white in                                                                                      places.                                                    

This second image has a really tranquil feel to it as the image doesn't have the dark features like the last one. This image has a lower contrast and the features are more delicate.
The water is really still and has no movement which creates a really calm mood and doesn't create much features with harsh or defined textures, yet the clouds and the sky create soft textures in the background of the image.
After looking at Ansel Adams work, I would like to have the same rich and detailed aspects in my imagery.