Landscape Photos Besides Landscape Paintings

Photo By: Zach Simpson

Compare and contrast a landscape photograph with a landscape painting. Discuss the expressive possibilities of each medium using your examples to illustrate your argument.

I've found a photo of a foggy forest with no sign of life around and a painting of a foggy forest but a wolf's silhouette in the distance. They're both similar by that fact that its in a foggy forest taken at eye level. Although their differences are that the painting has blue shade while the actual photo has a green grey tone.

Hidden Values Within Photos

Photo By: Jacqueline Cioffa

 Find two landscape photographs that question social values or act as a metaphor for personal issues that the photographer is trying to express. Discuss whether the communication is clear or ambiguous and how this communication is conveyed.

I found a landscape photo of a surfboard in front of a oceanside sunset I beileve conveyes someone's innner peaceful place. Doing what they love in a beautiful place with no chaos around. Just nature.

Additionally, I found another landscape photo I believe represents someone's personal issues. They broken road symbolizes hard times and losing their path. After crossing through the
broken road their path is clear but long.

Photo By: Kyler Zeleny

Deeper Meanings Within Photos

Bethlehem, Graveyard and Steel Mill - Walker Evans 1935
Walker Evans Archive, 1994, The Metropolitan Museum

Discuss how effective Walker Evans has been in using a landscape image to communicate a point of view. Can this photograph be considered as Art? Give two reasons to support your answer.

Yes, I believe anything that our minds create with a deeper meaning can be considered art. For example, I believe Walker Evans took hthis photo in black in white to inflict sadness. Moreover he framed the cross tobstone in front of a city/factory to give a meaning of death and downfall.

Subject Depth In Landscapes

Create a landscape utilizing foreground subject matter to create a sense of depth. Discuss how the resulting image is likely to be read by the viewer.

In the photo on the left I frames the subject of matter in front of the landscape scenery to catch your eye using sense of depth.

Open Vs. Closed Landscape Photos

Open Landscape - Landscape Format

Closed Landscape - Landscape Format

Create two photographs in a location with tall buildings or trees using both formats. Create a closed and open landscape at one location. Discuss the different ways we read the resulting images.

In the photo above of Sedona's Red Rocks is a perfect example of open landscape where you can see everything to the landscape. Moreover, in the photo on the right is a closed landscape where you can't see anything past a couple feet.

Great Vs. Shallow Depth Of Field

Great Depth Of Field: In the two photos on the
right the photographer's used a high f-stop
(aperture) in order to have evrything in frame, in
focus and sharp. This is usually used when taking landscape photos.

Shallow Depth Of Field: In the two photos on the left the photographer's used a low f-stop (aperture) to only have what they want to have in focus, and everything else in front or behind the subject of matter is blurred out to make the subject stand out.

Light Sources

Using One Light Source: In the photo on the right
of a woman on the beach was taken using a single
flash to give her face a more natural tone and to
stand out against the darker background.

Using More Than One Light Source: In the photo on the left of a man on the beach was taken using two wireless flashes. If you wanted to give your subject a more toned, defined look and to stand out you would want to use two flashes.

Using Light Meters

Photo By: Jim Zuckerman

Photo By: Jim Zuckerman

These two photo's are solid examples of how to properly use light meters to perfectly capture and expose the light. IN the photo on the right Zuckerman used his meter on Incident mode making the black points dark and the background exposed as much as the kid is.










In this photo of the glacier Zuckerman says he used Reflected mode on his meter making the photo come out brighter than it really is 'fooling' you to think the glacier is bright.

Balance In Photography

Photo By: Katty Wac

Photo By: Inigo Montoya

Center Balance: The photo of the egg in the right taken by Katty Wac is a prefect example of balance in photography. How the egg is placed and framed in the counterpoint of colors combining gives the photo a sense of balance.







Off-Center Balance: The photo in the right of chess is taken with the Queen and pawns, the Queen piece is off center in a rule of thirds point with the asymmetrical pawns in the background on another rule of thirds point.

Rule Of Thirds Examples

Photo By: Jeff Meyer

Photo By: Jeff Meyer

Example 1 Not Using ROT: In the photo on the Left is a plain boring photo because the photographer didn't frame it right not using the rule of thirds.

Example 1 Using ROT: As you can see the second example shows how using the rule of thirds can make a boring subject look interesting by framing the beach chair into one of the 4 points of the third lines.

Photo By: Bryan Peterson

Photo By: Bryan Peterson

Example 2 Not Using ROT: The landscape in the photo on the right of a lone tree in a flower field looks beautiful but it would've looked better if the photographer used rule of thirds by placing the tree and horizon onto the rule of third points and lines.

Example 2 Using ROT: Just by framing the subject the using rule of thirds points and lines Bryan made the photograph 100x better than the example where he didn't care about framing it right.

The Photographer's Eye In Paintings

‘To quote out of context is the essence of the photographer’s craft. His central problem is a simple one: what shall he include, what shall he reject? The line of decision between in and out is the picture’s edge. While the draughtsman starts with the middle of the sheet, the photographer starts with the frame. The photograph’s edge defines content. It isolates unexpected juxtapositions. By surrounding two facts, it creates a relationship. The edge of the photograph dissects familiar forms, and shows their unfamiliar fragment. It creates the shapes that surround objects. The photographer edits the meanings and the patterns of the world through an imaginary frame. This frame is the beginning of his picture’s geometry. It is to the photograph as the cushion is to the billiard table.’

Q. What does John Szarkowski mean when he says that photographers are quoting ‘out of context’ when they make photographic pictures? 

A. When John Szarkowski says that photographers are quoting 'out of context' when they make photographic pictures he means photographers are constantly looking around for subjects and how they want to capture the moment while deciding what to include and exclude.

Q. The frame often ‘dissects familiar forms’. At the end of the last century photography was having a major impact on Art. Impressionist artists such as Degas were influenced by what they saw. Look at these examples of Degas work, which clearly shows the influence of Photography, and explain why the public might have been shocked to see such paintings.

A. I think the public might've been shocked to see Degas' work because he painted each individual in the moment like how you capture a moment in photography. 

Painting By: Georges Seurat

In the painting above by Georges also shows how painting was influenced by Photography caputing the moment at a crowded park.

Frame & Composition

Photo By: Etienne

Fill Your Frame: In these two examples photographer  Etienne sets a good example on how filling your frame  with your subject can make photos more dramatic and
interesting. In the photo on the right a kid lights candles and Etienne removes all surrounding unwanted material
just by filling her frame.

Photo By: Etienne

In the photo on the left the farmer from Asia is working on the field and the frame is also filled with the background out of focus to emphasize the subject. 

Hard Vs Soft Lighting Photography

Hard Lighting: Hard lighting is used when the photographer wants to emphasize tone and physique of their subject. The photo of the fighter on the left is a very good example on how hard lighting can make their subjects tone pop out.

Soft Lighting: Soft lighting is used when the
photographer wants to smoothen out their subjects face and tone for a clean smooth look. The photo on the right is a good example of soft lighting by giving this woman's face soft shadows.