I am not a landscape guy. But, I do appreciate the world-melting-away moment that one experiences while carefully framing and making the shot of a still scene. There is a sense of fulfillment to be had when I see the shot I visualized minutes before appear on the camera's LCD screen. I won't pretend to know half of what a landscape photographer worth his salt knows, but I find that this therapeutic exercise actively engages my composition skills and forces me to think.
I have also come to realize that in many ways shooting landscapes isn't that much different from shooting people. Allow me to elaborate on that with a few examples.
Example no. 1 - Identify your subject's strong features and highlight them.
There was nothing interesting happening in both the sky and the water. However, I had this concrete pier creating a strong line leading into the horizon, so I chose to use it as the focal point of the image above.
Example no. 2 - Use light to flatter your subject.
Used to working with off-camera flash, I would readily take one out of the bag if I were shooting under the lighting conditions of the scene above. Having not quite yet reached the point where I can 'paint' a landscape with flash successfully, I opted to use a tripod instead. A slower shutter speed allowed me to scrounge for available light and bring out the colors and features of the landscape. I would like to think that save for the inside of a whale at the bottom of the ocean on a moonless night that there is always light to be found — one just has to know how to look for it.
I must admit that I thoroughly enjoyed shooting landscapes. It definitely helped that I rise early to catch daybreak and wait out sunsets until the sky turns black. However, I will always find my home in shooting pictures of people, but I don't see why I can't mix the two together and see what comes out.
