And there's a cafe, just around the corner...

 

First up I must note with respect to my comments in the last post (about the quality of my photos recently on this blog) that typepad have always quickly resolved any issues I have had when I have submitted a help ticket. I just haven't done that yet. I thought I would take some time to read a bit more in their FAQ and see what else I could find out first...Today I was thinking about what Michele said about compression and I thought I would save at 800 pixels long and upload at 800 to see what it looked like. So this is going to be one helluva page load if you're on a slower connection, sorry about that (Mum). It may help if you just click on the titles and load one post at a time. But on with the landscape...Also this post is unusually self reflective...

So landscape... people who know me know I don't do a lot of this. I sort of feel more comfortable when a picture is put into context by the addition of people.. but actually I can see that this genre of photography could become very addictive.

What always worried me about landscape is some of the stuff you see. You know- the calendars or post cards where the scene is ok, maybe even pretty. But it's blah. and we know it's blah! In my case I didn't know how to avoid blah, yes I knew how to set the exposure etc, but I was worried, probably even terrified of blah...how do you get the amazing emotion the best landscape photographers have in their work? The sort of picture that is not just pretty, but compelling?

The first requirement seems to be early morning/freezing cold, or preferably both. I wonder if that masochistic element reminds the photographer to add feeling to their compositions? All I can say is I am very lucky to have a sister who went to Antarctica and bought some of the gear back with her! So it seems you all cluster around a hillside in the dark waiting... waiting for the moment...

So I find myself in the predawn standing on a hill. The sun starts to peek through and light up various sections of the scene like the spotlight in nature's auditorium. My fellow photogs start exclaiming and clicking. I stand there feeling confused. It's so huge. What have they picked out that they are capturing? The sun starts to ripple across the valley and the grass lights up, hypnotising me with its promise of warmth and life. My favourite type of photography is enviromental portraits, documentary; so I have no fear of turning straight into the light, no preconceived notions of "how" a landscape photo should be done... 

I'm enjoying myself now, and shooting for my own experimentation with no regard for what anyone else will think. So what if it's all wrong? After all we'll only have to hand over 3-6 for review, and probably I'll shoot 8gig today unless we get rained out (I'm bound to have something there to hand over). Shooting into the sunrise is tricky though, my lens hood isn't dealing with the flare, so I hold my hand above to try and block out a bit more...

OOps! A woolly glove vignette! I go and get a magazine out of the truck. It looks warm and inviting actually, but I have seen some curves in the soft haze of the dawn I just want to capture...

I'm feeling a little more at ease by the time we head into one of the local small towns for coffee. I spot the windows with their reflections in the frosty morning. Fascinating! It took me 3 hours to download my pics on the first day, but today I'm going to try my brand new mac book, so I just keep shooting... The next day we're up at dawn on a hill again. I'm hanging in there, I can see St Bathans and I know there's a cafe there. I see more curves. I like curves. I don't like mirror slap. This one was shot at 1/20s and has appalling mirror slap. Jackie warned me and Jackie was right... Tony writes about it too. I wonder if I'm not anal pedantic enough for this?

When I flag I'm encouraged to keep going. I'm pretty sure what Chris is saying to me here is something like if I keep going he'll lend me his 80-200 f/2.8 lens again! Everyone was so nice...Lucky I have a really fun 10-20mm to return the favour.

That's not Barney the dinosaur in the background, that's Anne. Don't laugh, she's not only a wonderful photographer, she's warm. So we were standing there watching the light filter across the land and its effects, and this morning there was LOTS of colour. What does everyone think of colour? is it too twee? too chocolate box? 

I loved the way this cloud was picked out...but is it just cheap to use sunrise colour this way?

I have the same conundrum in the evening above Fall's dam. There's chocolate box sunset everywhere. I'm stuck with my same old problem of everything being too big and pretty and I'm struggling to make meaningful captures. The sun is just spilling into the mountains. I decide that when it's this cold (yes that lake is frozen, and where do I live? Fiji where it hasn't been colder than 19C since we moved here) any capture is worthy. That makes me feel better, that and that there's a wonderful new laptop waiting for me after a scrumptious dinner and pinot gris at the Wedderburn pub...

Look! I shot two in portrait orientation!

I was quite fascinated by that rock so I clambered down the vertical rock banks to look closer. I didn't take my tripod (ahem! Tony's tripod, I left mine in the car in Fiji). But the other Chris did. It is handy to be an accomplished mountaineer if you want to do great landscape photography it seems (another thing I learned).

At the end of the day I found it extremely intriguing, and I can see the appeal that makes a person want to drag their tripod and other gear out and stand out in the elements waiting for that moment. I spent a lot of time standing overwhelmed and confused, dropped into a situation all  the technical know how in the world doesn't prepare you for. But then I am terrified of mediocrity in my own work (besides it's not a cheap hobby! I need to do it right!)... 

You stand out there and everyone else is shooting away and ... noticing things. I look around and just in the one valley there's so many different textures, and one moment the light is soft and diffuse, then it's picking stuff out... I decide I just have to surrender, and enjoy the beauty, and maybe that will help with the learning too...

It's a pretty place huh? and of course huge...

Looks cold? Yes is cold...

Despite the remoteness of this region there are the coolest cafes dotted all over the countryside, St Bathans, Ranfurly, Naseby (not forgetting Middlemarch on the drive up). The window at the start of this post is just round the corner from the one in Naseby; and it was just across the road from there I remembered... I like shooting people best...

Disclaimer: Tony teaches with a wonderful combination of practical experience, critique, and theory lectures... and most of his participants do not wander around the countryside dazed and looking for caffeine hits like me! A big thanks especially to fellow participants Anne, Tim, Chris and Chris, Ian and Linda for their help and for putting up with me (and my endless tissues)!

Comments

[cyndi]

Meg, WOW! These are all just so gorgeous! You did so a beautiful with these images, makes you want to be there and see the beauty (even if it is cold, lol).

[cyndi]

Duh, I really can spell and make sense. It was supposed to say "You did so beautiful with these images". Darn I couldn't go back and edit, so now you get two posts from me :)

[meg]

2 comments Cyndi! cool! thanks!

[Natasha Whiteley]

absolutely breathtakingly beautiful!

[meg]

Thanks Tash!

[Elma]

I like people best too :) You did get some cool shots here!

[meg]

Thanks Elma!

[nzm]

Your apprehension in your words does not reflect in the imagery which is fantastic! Awesome images.

Did you go out with Jackie and Mike? They're awesome people.

[nzm]

BTW - the moodiness in your images is exactly what I wanted to get in Iceland, but it was simply the wrong time of year as the midnight sun doesn't really give off the light for sunrises and sunsets. It was very frustrating!