W
ithsummerjustaroundthe
corner,mostnormalpeople
aregettingexcitedandlooking
forwardtolong,warmevenings
inthesun,sittinginthegardenwithaglass
ofwine,eatingicecreamandspending
weekendsatthebeachwiththefamily.
Landscapephotographers,however,are
different.Theyseemtohavereacheda
consensusofopinionthatthesummer
monthsareawasteoftime,whenthereare
fewopportunitiestogetyourcameraout
andcreatedecentphotographsintheharsh
summersun. As a result, instead of relaxing
and enjoying the summer months like the
rest of the population, they can get a littlegrumpy as they go into a kind of reverse
hibernation: hiding away for the summer
and not resurfacing until the autumn, which
brings with it much more photogenic light.
The usual advice given is to pack away
the camera and catch up on any editing
backlogs you may have, or to devote the
time to research and scouting for locations
that will look good at other times of year.
There is some sense in this: you do need to
make time for these activities and you might
as well do them at times when the light is
less photogenic. But it would be a mistake
to ignore the summer completely, as it is
a season which brings with it some unique
photographic opportunities.Summer reflections
The stillness of summer means
that the surface of lakes and
rivers are undisturbed, with
perfect reflections
All images © Mark Bauer