Lessons 9–10: Jim Richardson—Landscape and Nature

Jim Richardson—Landscape and Nature

Lessons 9–10

A

s long as people have been roaming the earth, we’ve been trying

WRUHDGWKHODQG2XUEUDLQVDUHKDUGZLUHGWRWU\WR¿JXUHRXW

what’s going on in nature. Our senses evolved around taking in

the landscape and making sense of it. For this reason, landscapes speak

to all of us. Landscapes also bring us the joy of being in the moment with

the earth—of seeing the sun pour over a river or watching lightning bolts

shoot out of the sky. When we tell the story of the earth through landscape

photography, we are telling the story of ourselves and our relationship to

our home.

The Stories of Landscapes

Almost all landscapes have wonderful stories to tell—whether it’s the wild,

rugged Hebrides of Scotland or the great, sweeping plains of the American

West. The ancient rocks and swirling mists in Scotland have inspired tales

of witches, and the empty plains in the West evoke hardship and loneliness.

,QVRPHSODFHV\RX¶OO¿QGWKDWWKHJUHDWVFHQHU\VHWVWKHVWDJHIRUWKHVWRU\

you want to tell; in other places, you need to look more closely. But all

landscapes speak to us as humans.

Not surprisingly, landscapes are often sedentary, without much action. But

try to think about your landscape pictures as if you were putting on a play.

In the theater, you would need scenery and lighting for mood and emphasis.

You’d also need actors, a script, dialogue, and a narrative. Look for those

kinds of elements in the landscapes you’re shooting to tell their stories.

One trick to try in landscape photography is to go to the highest spot you can

¿QGLQDORFDWLRQRQFH\RX¶UHWKHUHORRNIRUDZD\WRFDSWXUHHOHPHQWVLQ

the foreground that give viewers some sense of where you’re standing, along

with the wonderful expanse of scenery in the background.

:KHQ \RX¶UH SKRWRJUDSKLQJ ÀRZHUV DQRWKHU VHFUHW LV WR JHW GRZQLQ

WKHPLGGOHRIWKHÀRZHUVRQWKHLUOHYHODQGORRNDFURVVWKHPLQVWHDGRI