PHOTOGRAPHING THE LANDSCAPE WHATEVER THE WEATHER.- Tony Worobiec

The first thing to appreciate is that landscape photography is an extremely wide-ranging genre. While of course there will always be a place for the “bucolic” scene, we need to appreciate that the “industrial landscape”, “coastal landscape” and of course “urban landscape” are equally worthy subjects. It helps to understand that every location will have its golden moment and it is simply a matter of being in the right place at the right time. Moreover, photographers can often be quite disappointed when visiting a photographic “honey-pot” because it doesn’t appear quite as they had expected. It is only when we appreciate that the defining quality of any landscape is the weather, as it governs the two most important features, notably lighting and mood, are we truly able to master landscape photography. While we have some control over the locations we choose to visit, we have no control of the weather. So, rather than determine where you wish to visit on any given day, it is far better to assess the weather, and then choose the location accordingly.

Illustration 1. “Wrecked Hotel, Central Montana”.

I would like to start this series of blogs by considering what can be achieved on an overcast day. The first thing to understand is that the term “grey skies” covers a multitude of weather conditions ranging from a thick impenetrable cloud to a gentle scattering in an otherwise blue sky. One thing we do need to appreciate when photographing under a thick layer of cloud is that contrast is significantly reduced. Seasoned photographers will often refer to such weather as “the soft-box in the sky”. Should you ever wish to photograph a portrait or a figure out of doors, the result is far more flattering if it is taken in overcast conditions. Another aspect of weather is that it can conjure a distinct mood. This wrecked hotel abandoned on the plains of Montana exudes a certain pathos, which is heightened by the lack of colour. With its very restricted colour palette, the tonal values of the image become much more apparent. On a more technical note, there is one very simple post-camera technique I would like to draw your attention to here – it is the “Clarity” slider, which allows the user to “orchestrate” the tones in a very controlled manner.  This facility is available in a variety of editing software options.

Illustration 2 “A Line Of Grain Silos”.

One of the best opportunities for shooting landscape under a grey sky is at that moment when the sun appears directly behind you. For a very brief moment the foreground will appear wonderfully illuminated, whilst the sky by way of contrast, will seem even darker. On first viewing, this scene looked quite unremarkable, although I was fascinated by the corduroy texture of the field in the foreground; however as I looked at the sky behind me, I spotted a brief gap in the cloud and realised that this otherwise mundane location could be significantly dramatised by the unfolding weather. As I suggested in my introduction, good landscape should be a mixture of location, lighting and weather.

Illustration 3 “Field of Flowers, the Alentejo, Portugal”

It would be easy to assume that I was unlucky not to have had blue skies when taking this shot, but I would suggest the reverse. It is important to consider what was in my mind when I took this shot. Essentially I was smitten by the wonderful interplay between the purple and yellow flora: mindful of the fact that purple and yellow are opposites on the “colour wheel”, I was aware that is was the feature that most contributes to the overall visual impact of this location. Blue is a strong primary colour, so had I had the misfortune to have had a blue sky when taking this photograph, it would have deflected the viewer’s attention away from the beautiful interplay of the purple and yellow. Grey on the other hand is a “neutral” colour, therefore it fails to catch the eye in the same way. Another advantage of shooting this location under a grey sky is that contrast is advantageously subdued. Had I taken this under sunny conditions I would have encountered a scattering of highlights given off by the flower-heads, which would have diminished the overall impact of this photograph.

Illustration 4 “Waterfall at West Burton, Yorkshire”.

In common with the previous image, what I have sought to do here is to take advantage of the slight reduction of contrast one commonly experiences in overcast lighting. Water tumbling over rocks can prove particularly challenging , especially under a clear sky, which is why most seasoned landscape workers opt to take waterfall shots in dull weather. In this example the contrast between the waterfall, which is cradled within a dark amphitheatre, and the flowing water in the foreground, would prove especially difficult had I taken it when the sun was out.

Illustration 5 “Rocks at Spittal, Northumberland”.

In my series of blogs on “The Intimate Landscape”, I frequently make the point that some of the best outcomes are achieved when photographing in overcast light and this example is a good case in point. The main features of this rock are the subtle colours, enhanced by the beautiful curvilinear patterns. Taken under subdued lighting, all the delicate detail that initially caught my eye has been successfully captured. Possibly the most interesting part of this image is where the water has collected in a natural depression in the rock, creating a wonderfully subtle meniscus. Had this been taken in direct sunlight, the contrast would have been so severe that these subtle details would have been lost.

Illustration 6 “Abandoned Pick-up and Church: Cottonwood, Montana”.

Undoubtedly one of the best times to capture the drama of an unfolding cloudy sky is at sunset; the effects can appear quite dramatic. In this example the sun finally appeared at the end of the day, bathing the foreground in a rich golden light. After a long and cloudy period it is quite common for the sky to begin to clear in the early evening, resulting in some quite magnificent skies. In these circumstances make the sky the most important feature of the photograph; in this example it occupies more than two thirds of the picture.