How to make the most of crappy landscapes?

[Markus Jais]

I love beautiful landscapes like the Scottish Highlands, Yellowstone NP or Corbett NP and I've been to all those places but where I live (close to Munich) the landscape is not very beautiful. Many streets, houses, industrialized agriculture, electric pylons, etc.
During the weekends I can travel farther - when I have a full day - to places like the Bavarian Alps. But during the week I only have 2-4 hours in the evening for landscape shots and sometimes it is frustrating as it is just no really beautiful.
But I won't give up and am currently trying to make something out of this like focusing on smaller parts of the landscape or try to include lot's of clouds, e.g. before a storm.
Sometimes trails, road, etc can be included but it is - for me - much harder to find something beautiful then it is for example in Yellowstone or the Alps.

How do you approach landscapes like this and how to you find interesting scenes and compositions?

Of course this is a learning process and I am getting better but it would be interesting to learn from your experiences.

Markus

[Doug West]

When I photograph a landscape, I'll try B&W or maybe infrared. Its amazing
what you notice when trying something other than color.

I'll also do a zoom blur here and there (just pulling/pushing on the zoom lens
during a longer shutter speed).

Doug

[Markus Jais]

Thanks, Doug. I've recently started doing B&W. It also helps with shots in the Alps when light is not perfect for color pictures.

Markus

[Roger Clark]

Hello Markus,

How about trying night sky images with your landscapes? A tree in a field with the Milky Way arching over the sky can be stunning. Or the Bavarian Alps from a distance. I've driven from Munich to the Alps a couple of times but do not remember how long it took. If I remember correctly, one could get out of Munich a ways and get nice views of the Alps in the distance in a pretty short time. A night image with stars to add interest could be stunning. And add a thin crescent moon in the west to add a little light to the mountains to the south could be beautiful. You need some nice fast wide angle lenses. and clear skies.
.
Roger

[Evgeny Kuzmenko]

Hello Marcus,

I wrote a long post that you are not obliged to look for “super wide angle shoots with high mountains and dramatic sky above” and may find beauty around you. After that I realized that you came to this conclusion already.

So, my shortened advice is: read two books by David Ward called “Landscape Beyond” and “Landscape Within”. This is excellent literature and I am confident you will enjoy it. David discusses a lot the “intimate landscape” issue, which you are interested in.

Good luck with your photography.

[Jay Gould]

Hi, you have asked a very interesting question because there is an entire "other" field of landscape photography which is probably the exact opposite of what you enjoy shooting when you capture the "beautiful landscapes like the Scottish Highlands, Yellowstone NP or Corbett NP". I too love the grand vistas; the wide angle images.

The other side of the coin is the Intimate Landscape; and, one of the Masters of Intimate Landscape was Eliot Porter. These links should give you a broad picture to consider; of course you too can Google Eliot Porter.

http://www.johnpaulcaponigro.com/blog/8991/environmental-activismadvocacy-through-the-arts-eliot-porter/

http://lightscapesphotography.wordpress.com/2012/03/19/the-intimate-landscape/

And, while this may be an off the wall suggestion, I am a great fan of The Complete Works of Sherlock Holmes. By the time I finished reading The Complete Works you start to look at the world through a telephoto lens instead of only a wide angle lens.

Finally, consider one of my favorite photographers: http://oopoomoo.com/2012/07/contemplative-photography-letting-the-place-speak-to-you/


Cheers, Mate