Winter Landscapes page 2

Above: Edge of day meets edge of land meets edge of season.

Composition
At its most elementary, composition is about organising elements in space to form a pleasing (ie, balanced) arrangement. The rule of thirds serves this purpose well; follow it faithfully and you’ll end up with safe, predictable images. But a thoughtfully-constructed composition can also add to the emotional impact of the picture and hint at something of the character of the subject. The rule of thirds is entirely appropriate for compositions where harmony is the theme (although an even division of space works better for symmetrical subjects). But if theme picture’s theme is marginalisation – a single tree remaining in a deforested landscape, for example, or turmoil – a storm-lashed beach, perhaps -  a balanced composition contributes nothing to the viewer’s understanding of that space and what is going on. So, think about what you want to say about the subject when you decide where it should go in the frame.

The scope for inclusion of many elements and advent of effective stitching applications has seen a resurgence of interest in panoramas. These are perhaps the trickiest compositions to assemble, if relevance and contribution to the whole remain key criteria when selecting the elements to include. Is the scene before you a natural panorama ? Start by looking high above the horizon, then down at your feet. Is there anything you’d want to include in the picture? If not, continue to narrow the band you examine until there are elements that absolutely have to be included. Then do the same exercise, side to side. What’s the shape of the final view ? Many panoramic photographs include parts of a scene that could be shown just as well in a more conventional framing; this routine helps you to identify what is really worth including and what is mere repetition.

Landscape need not necessarily include the sky and by excluding the horizon, you deprive the viewer of the ability easily to construct scale and perspective. In this more more abstract representation of a scene, the aesthetic qualities of the elements become more important than their identity. A telephoto zoom is a great tool in this respect, further distancing subjects from familiarity by flattening perspective.

Conversely, the sky itself may offer up dramatic, albeit transitory, compositions. Without any reference to the land, these too are abstracted images, albeit on a much larger scale. Shoot around dawn and dusk for the most dramatic colours – and the possibility of “crepuscular rays” or “God beams”.

Above: Keep an eye open for subjects whose own colours contrast with their surrounding, and if you are shooting with the light, just watch out for your shadow creeping into view.

The 2-D trick.
When we look at a scene, the things that catch our attention may be of interest only because we are seeing them in three dimensions. Close one eye, to mimic the camera, and what looked like a great shot, may now just look like a muddled mess. You can save a lot of time packing and unpacking the camera by doing this, but more importantly, you’ll soon come to recognise how contrasting forms, shapes and colours can create their own apparent perspective, even in a two dimensional picture.