The Simple Yet Elegant Black and White Landscape; An Element of Style

They can be quite complex in nature, very subtle in their beauty, and even bold and dynamic...Landscapes. Sometimes as a photographer I try to go beyond what is considered the norm, to push the boundaries to some degree, yet remain within the accepted confines of what makes a great landscape. To do so requires changing how to view the norm and look for pathways that lead toward something excitingly familiar, yet different.

Most of us have an idea of what the perfect landscape photograph should look like and with some justification, most of us are probably correct in that assessment because we do tend to follow conventional rules on building effective Landscapes. However, the simple yet elegant landscape fills the gap between creating something familiar, like always staying within and coloring inside the lines rule, and venturing beyond to explore another way by coloring outside the lines to break the rules. In both cases, the lines are still there, we just view and use them in a unique way not allowing a predetermined set of boundaries to define what we want to create...it becomes an Element of Style.

Landscapes by definition tend to be horizontal in configuration. It's only natural for one to be created that way, but a landscape can also be vertical. It just depends on what defines the most effective use of composition.  When thinking in terms of creating a simple yet elegant landscape photograph I will often reduce the image down to its simplest form...that would be black and white with a strong contrast ranging in tones from white, thru middle values, to completely black (remember the Zone System).

By doing so the visual competition created by the various natural colors is removed and the eye just sees the essence of what is there.

It takes a trained eye to look beyond the natural environment in which we view the world to grasp the concept of how a subject will look as a black and white image, but not just any black and white. On occasion rendering the image with a grainy finish or a ting of sepia can and will propel the image deeper into the realm of elegance. It comes with practice and experimentation along with some creative post processing...and sometimes just plain old luck.

The idea then is to leap beyond the cliche and capture your subject in such a way as to see it as something familiar yet unique, simple, yet elegant.

What you capture initially may not look anything at all like the finished product, yet it contains within it all the elements required to transform it into the work of art you want to create. In a black and white image, clutter is removed and the elegance of nature is revealed thus allowing us as an artist to discover another avenue of creative style. Style then, as in writing, defines the author, or in this case, the photographer.

Capturing Time and Place

All photographs capture some kind of subject matter. Things like people, locations, events, and even abstract art all are part of the general nature of photographs. But, what about Time and Place ? How do you capture those two elusive elements in a photograph?

Time and place require two main elements; something familiar and something new, both blended together to create a single instant frozen in time. Time and place work together. You rarely find one without the other. If you do, then the photograph misses something in its ability to connect to the viewer. Time and place are elements that bring life and structure to an image. They also add purpose, mystery, and closure in the sense the viewer wants to understand what is there and feel as though they know this place, this moment.

A capture of time and place creates the feeling of having been there, nostalgia you might call it, but simply put they inspire the viewer to remember moments from their past so they can project their feelings and emotions into the image. For instance, take the above photograph of the lightning strike. Most everyone has experienced such events. A capture such as this freezes a microsecond in time in such a way as to allow the viewer to ponder at length everything they can remember about experiencing weather events like this one. There is something familiar here, and there is something new because no two lightning events are the same. You can almost hear the clap of thunder and feel the electricity in the air. It is a specific moment of instance captured at a specific place...although with a bit of mystery surrounding it.

Another image that captures time and place well is the one above taken during the wheat harvest in Kentucky. Again something familiar to most everyone having probably witnessed such events either through video programs or films or possibly in person, yet with something new added...the angle of the lighting, the twists and turns of the wheat stubble rows, the dust flying in the background helping to separate the combine and tractor. Many of us have at one time or another stood next to a wheat stubble field. Places such as those harbor a distinctive aroma, sort of a dusty musty aroma. An image that captures time and place effectively can by its very nature trigger memories of aromas in nature. Time: A well-underway Wheat harvest - Place: Rolling Wheat field.

If you enjoy the outdoors and fishing in particular you will understand the time and place impact of the above image of the fellow fly fishing in a rustic looking creek. Time and place are relatively easy to identify here. Time is set with the fall colors reflection in the water, Place of course is on the creek. Most anyone who has gone fishing can readily identify with this image and again a small creek such as this one carries with it a fragrance unique to a location like that. You can practically hear the whirl of the fishing line, the subtle plop of the lure, and feel the strike of the fish. Combined with the remembrance of a wonderful day afield, we too often overlook Time and Place in our daily lives.

Time and place are not exclusive to what we see and experience here on this planet. They can also be projected into the starry night sky. Time, when invoked here, reflects events that happened a very long time ago...in this case thousands of years in the past as the image is simply a capture of the light that has taken that long to reach us because the distances are so great. Place of course is the Milky Way that spreads across the night sky most visible during a summer evening. How many of us growing up ever lay on blanket in the backyard and watched fireflies light up against the night sky, maybe even catching a glimpse of a shooting star meteor as it streaked across ebony flavor realm of the night. Yeah...me too. Even without the light gathering ability of the camera, on a clear summer evening away from the light pollution of the city, you can see with great clarity the arch of the Milky Way as it stretches across the sky. A time and a place most of us can remember.

Then there are the seasons...what better examples of time and place do we have to photograph.

Capturing Time and Place is certainly an element of photography most of us rarely think much about. In most cases it just happens, but, a photographer can purposely identify and capture these two elements to create a uniquely identifiable yet interestingly new vision of common moments. By doing so, we bring back to life special elements from the past to rekindle memories maybe lying dormant from long ago. A photograph provides a powerful description of the day to day events of our lives. During those times, Time and Place become embedded within our history, and it is remembering our history that makes the photographs worth saving.

The Offset Foreground vs A Centered Foreground

In almost any landscape photograph the foreground is just as important as the main visual background. A lot of photographers, including myself, will often neglect the foreground when shooting landscapes. Unfortunately, it is easy to forget about this important element as we tend to get caught up in the grandeur of what we are observing and overlook this often simple, yet vital part of what makes a landscape work.

Foregrounds can be subtle or prominent, and they can even be dominant especially when what is there is intended to become the main theme of the image. Take for instance this image of the bow of a canoe pointing toward a sunrise.

In this case the canoe, which is in the foreground, is the dominant subject with the background serving to provide the element of time and place. The placement of the canoe in the center of the image serves to create that sense of being there at the moment and points the viewer toward the rising sun. There is a sense of mystery along with a serene calmness. Without the placement of the canoe dead center and upfront in the dominant position, the image becomes ordinary.

Sometimes a more subtle approach works well like this black and white image of a late winter Kentucky landscape. On the left you find a weathered old stump in the foreground with the background fading off into the mist. That old stump serves to anchor the composition and provide an element of rustic charm to the image. Without the stump, the image would rapidly fall off the interest scale.  By placing it offset to one side, the stump also serves to balance the image with the darker clump of trees on the right. Also, the open side of the stump faces into the image, much like allowing room in the composition for an object like a person or critter to move into the scene...an effective framing or layering of the foreground, middle ground, and background.

Here's another example of a bold foreground blending well with the background. This image, taken on the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve in Oklahoma, demonstrates again the importance of placement for the foreground, which is upfront and center.

Here the jagged, immovable texture of the rocky outcropping contrasts strongly with the softer, flowing element of the sky and prairie far behind in the background. Again it serves as a solid anchor for the composition and provides an ancient, enduring element against the ever changing texture of the sky. Without the foreground rocky outcropping this becomes just another photo of a field and sky.

One final example demonstrates how a long lens can contribute to the success of a photograph.

In this image of an ordinary Meadow Lark you see how the main subject is isolated against a soft foreground and background at the same time. Using a long 500mm lens and some selective cropping both elements were compressed into a natural looking blurred composition with the main subject remaining in sharp focus.

This provides a feeling of distance and isolation one where the Meadow Lark is viewed in its natural environment without the environment interfering with the focus element of the composition.

There is also a sense of a three dimensional depth to the image by including a soft foreground without any sharp elements interfering with the subject and the soft background provides a natural looking mat against and within which the Meadow Lark floats.

Effective use and placement of the foreground can provide that extra element a landscape image requires to create a composition that is not only pleasing but well balanced with a natural appeal. When shooting landscapes look for that extra piece of the puzzle that creates a strong appeal. It can be subtle, bold, offset, or upfront and centered. Which ever is used, experiment with all of them during the same shoot. One is sure to work.