P
hotography, as a medium, sits at
the crossroads between interpretive
art and objective documentary. For
some, it’s too mechanical and literal to
be considered a high art, while for oth-
ers any subjective departure or manip-
ulation on the part of the photographer
borders on nefarious deception. Recently,
during a panel discussion in which I was
a participant, one of the other panelists,
a prominent professional photographer,
was strongly opposed to the repeated sug-
gestion that photographs should be made
with some practical purpose toward the
betterment of the world as their reason
for being, that they should be literal and
factual and not simply something beautiful
for the sake of beauty. The photographer
rejected this assertion, stating that his
prime motivation was simply the joy of
making images.
Certainly there’s room for both per-
spectives. Nature photography has a rich
tradition of serving as a catalyst for the
protection of public lands and wildlife,
for example, and for igniting social andpolitical change. That’s its documen-
tary power at work. But photography
can also be a practice of imagination
and play. “The topic of image manip-
ulation may go down in eternity as the
most hotly debated topic of landscape
photography,” Ted Gore observes. “I
don’t care to engage on the subject these
days because I just don’t see the point
anymore. People should decide where
they lie on the spectrum of how much
manipulation is ‘OK’ and then just put
it to rest and go make some images.” In
our interview “Amongst Giants,” Gore
talks about his work and the techniques
he uses to emphasize color and create
mood in his landscapes. “When I create
my images, it’s never my goal to be disin-
genuous about the location. My personal
‘line in the sand’ is to not alter anything
to the point that it no longer resembles
the location in reality,” he says. But Gore
does not shy away from making alter-
ations to a scene in order to better convey
his experience of the place.
If your sensibilities tend toward moreliteral interpretations, that doesn’t mean
you’re left without creative options. In
his article “Re-Think Your Winter Land-
scapes,” Dave Welling proposes numer-
ous techniques to “work a scene,” to find
a variety of compositions that emphasize
different elements of your surroundings
and move beyond the postcard shot.
“Don’t just return to the same tripod holes
at the same great landscapes,” he advises.
“Re-think your visit. What other features
are around? Put the icons on hold and open
your eyes to new possibilities.” While the
theme of Welling’s article focuses on the
winter season, many of his suggestions
can be used any time of year.
Also in this issue, Gary Hart takes us
along on his adventure in Iceland, “Chas-
ing The Northern Lights.” For many
nature photographers, this is a bucket-list
phenomenon to witness, but as you’ll learn
from his experience, nothing is guaran-
teed, even with extensive planning. Being
properly prepared is the key to success
when conditions do cooperate, and Hart
shares the lessons he learned in the process
to help you plan a trip of your own.
This issue also features the final install-
ment of Jason Bradley’s four-part series
on organizing your photos in Lightroom.
In it, he shows us the power of Lightroom’s
Smart Collections for sorting images using
a variety of criteria such as the stage of
development of each image. Maintaining
an image library isn’t the most exciting
aspect of being a photographer, but with
the right tools and techniques, it can be
a manageable one and ultimately inspire
you to do more with your photography.
“The more organized we are,” Bradley
concludes, “the more we’ve maximized
our potential as we exhibit what we love
and share with others our vision for our
craft—the ultimate reward, indeed.”
–Wes Pitts, EditorGIANANANTS
Landscape photographer Ted Gore circles the globe creating stunning images of the majestic and the mundane
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38 Outdoor Photographer outdoorphotographer.com outdoorphotographer.com December 201 9 39in this issue
contributors
Ted Gore is an award-
winning landscape
photographer and
outdoorsman based in
Southern California. To
see more of his work and learn about his
workshops and video tutorials that
explain his creative approach and
process, visit tedgorecreative.com.Gary Hart is a profes-
sional landscape photog-
rapher and writer based
in Northern California.
Hart leads photo
workshops, sharing his more than four
decades of photography experience
around the U.S. and abroad. See more
of his work at eloquentimages.com.Dave Welling has been
capturing evocative
nature images for over
25 years. He is a charter
member of NANPA and
the author of Sanctuary, a book
celebrating the work of Wildlife
Way station. See more of his work at
strikingnatureimagesbydavewelling.com.12 Outdoor Photographer outdoorphotographer.com