categoryis simple:buywhatcan
beaffordedfortheintendedusage,
becometotallyconversantwith
equipment,havesomeback-up
andkeeproutinessimple.Some
peopleprefertoworkwithlarger
formats,toconcentrateonthe
utmostdetail,whileothersare
contentwithsmallercamerasfor
quickimpressions.
Technicalmatterscanbe
explained,butthebusinessof
picturepotentialor‘seeing’cannot.
In myyearstutoringwiththeWEA
(SydneyUniversity) and SCEGGS
RedlandsEvening College, I
focusedonoutlining the history of
photographyand the presentation
anddiscussion of the work of
prominentphotographers, the
goalbeingtopresent students
witha plethora of references,
supportingthem in finding their
owndirections.
Todaywehave the Internet as
anelectroniclibrary to explore, but
it generallyneeds to be regarded
asbroadandshallow, meaning
it canbedifficult to sort out the
goodbits.The in-depth YouTube
presentations On Landscape – A
MeetingOfMinds 2016 and 2018
remainamong my favourite finds.
In thecommercial world of
landscapephotography the terms
“fine-art”,“award-winning” and
“master”are to be expected,
butin theend people make
theirownresponses and are
generallyaware that good
photographyis one aspect and
goodpromotion another.
It is intriguing to appreciate
thedifferences between faithful,
pictoriallandscape capture and
moresubjective interpretation
(searchMichael Kenna and
RichardWoldendorp as prime
examples).Indeed, why not be
versatileenough to respond to
differentencounters as the mood
mightinvite?Of course, it can berewarding to capture spectacular
countryside in favourable lighting,
yet so much more satisfying to
extract something meaningful
from a mundane landscape in the
middle of the day.
My landscape photography
journeys are undertaken as a
personal challenge – a kind of
contest between the land and
the camera. So much depends on
the circumstances encountered.
All that planning, research and
timing can result in next to nothing
when a target area turns out to
be disappointing because the
conditions are not appropriate.
Invariably, it’s the surprises that
often produce the best results and
they come with a ‘buzz’. You just
know you have nailed it and savour
the ‘re-play’ when it comes up on
screen for adjustment.
On every journey there will
usually be at least one situation
where everything comes together
and satisfies the ‘right time, right
place’ criteria. The problem is you
never know when that will occur,
so it is important to be in position
to react promptly. More often
than not, the best landscapes
are captured during the worst
conditions – like a desert storm
on a 45-degrees-Celsius day or a
seaside study in drizzling rain.
Familiarity with locations can be
a distinct advantage and I certainlyhave my favourites. Lake Eyre has
been visited more times than I can
remember and has resulted in a
collection acquired by the National
Library Of Australia. Lake Gairdner
and Lake Everard in South Australia
have also been targeted many
times, while documentation of
the Oodnadatta Track has been
on-going since 1976.Collections
Working to themes can be an
ideal way to keep the eye ever
observant. For example, in New
Zealand we ended up with
hundreds of unusual letterboxes
covering the entire country. Alas,
the market for hard-cover books
declined when digital technology
arrived. That collection now exists
in portfolio boxes and a D-I-Y
photo book. In Australia my current
collections are Faces, Road Show
and Tanks A Lot.
Collections don’t need to be
limited to prize-winners, but
everything still needs to relate,
and as time goes by initial first-rateAbove: Coober Pedy storm –
a threatening storm in the Moon
Plain and only a patch of spinifex
to work with.
Below: Lake Ferry, New Zealand- massive wave overflow into
the lagoon.
“More often
than not, the
best landscapes
are captured
during the worst
conditions – like
a desert storm
on a 45-degrees-
Celsius day or a
seaside study in
drizzling rain.”
LakeEyrepanorama– stilland
silent,andjustwonderfultobethere.
CAMERA 4O
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ANNIVERSARY