Facets of landscape photography: The pictures of the week
Whether peaceful, dystopian or threatening – any mood can be conveyed in landscape photography.
(Image: Thomlange)
- Tom Leon Zacharek
As always in photography, the first step is to choose the location and the subject, even before you pick up the camera. If you want to show more than just a beautiful scene in landscape photography, further planning is required. As we have seen this week, the timing is also crucial to achieving the right mood. The weather and that famous bit of luck also play a decisive role.
Half and half
(Image: Secundannte)
A clear separation between the two seeds can be seen in the picture Half and Half by Mario Meßer (Secundannte). The clouds on the right reinforce the resulting two worlds. They seem to come from a forest fire in the background. The mood cannot be clearly defined, as the two sides form opposites, radiating calm on the right and drama on the left.
"The idea was actually only to photograph the right-hand side, the purple field. Chance helped me with a thunderstorm and on the way back by bike I came to this spot, where there was this great transition in combination with these wonderful clouds. I didn't have to think twice to get back down and take this picture," he wrote to us.
Wreck
(Image: Mauritz (1))
"The picture was taken on the south coast of Iceland. To reach the plane that crashed in the 1970s, I had to walk for 1.5 hours across a soft lava field – and back again after the shoot – which took a lot of energy. Standing alone in front of the wreckage, I kept asking: how did it happen? It was an eerie atmosphere. I wanted to express this with the picture," Mauritz (1) reflects on the creation of his photo Wreck.
The focal length of eleven millimetres and the low perspective make the remains of the plane appear overpowering. The missing cockpit and the destroyed windows reinforce the dystopian mood.
Dark clouds
(Image: Mike_FJ)
"On my forays through Upper Franconia, I am always on the lookout for unusual motifs for my private photo project "Fotoregion Oberfranken". Curious, I set off to explore this mysterious place. The external conditions were perfect: a gloomy sky with low-hanging clouds created a mystical atmosphere that made the place even more fascinating. I wandered around the stone formations and tried to capture the unique atmosphere with my camera. The Stonehenge in Tiefenpölz is not as well known as the famous Stonehenge in England, but it has its own charm," says Mike Schwalbach (Mike_FJ) about what makes his picture Dark Clouds so special.
Zingster Reflections
(Image: Thomlange)
Thomas Lange (Thomlange) took his picture Zingster Reflektionen during the Horizonte environmental photo festival, which he attends almost every year. "As Saturday promised good weather late in the evening and the possibility of a classic sunset, I took my photographic equipment to the beach. The long exposure against the light required a strong gray filter, including a 4.5 Big Stopper. This resulted in a small experimental series. The great effect of the split beam only really came into its own when I looked at it later on the screen," he recalls.
The sun and the soft surface of the water create a calming atmosphere that can only be created on a beach in the evening.
Moonrise
(Image: camera66)
Volker Lampe (camera66) chose a different approach for his moonrise photo. "On a mountain range on the upper part of which there are spruces or fir trees. I can observe the moonrise almost directly, as my position is around 50 m lower and the rising moon is therefore increasingly visible. The treetops create clear lines and divide up the image nicely. [...] I liked the shot best when the full moon had just reached the treetops and formed a beautiful aura of light," he says.
The scene radiates an incredible calm and at the same time has something oppressive about it. This is due to the darkness surrounding the small point of light.
Sunset in the Alps
(Image: holysh0t)
Gallery photographer holysh0t uses the warm side light that hits the snow-covered rocks of the mountains in his picture "Sunset in the Alps". The contrast between the gray rocks and the sunlight almost makes you feel the warmth. The water in the foreground also adds extra dynamism to the composition thanks to the slightly longer exposure time.
Waterfall
(Image: Uschi Hermann)
Pure drama can be found in the picture Waterfall by Uschi Hermann. The roaring waves seem to be about to sweep away the person on the rock at any moment. At first glance, the scene looks like an ocean surf in stormy weather. In fact, however, it is the Rhine Falls where this dramatic photo was taken. It is one of the three largest waterfalls in Europe.
(tlz)
