Making Photographs VS Taking Photographs

There is a difference between taking a photograph that records what you are seeing, to making an image that expresses your feelings about a place or subject. Some of the factors that influence how a place feels are:
• The time of day.
• The direction and quality of the light.
• The seasons.
• The weather.
• The subject matter itself.
A landscape photograph is generally a combination of the above factors. A photograph made early in the day will influence the direction and quality of the light as will the seasons and the weather.

Canon EOS R5, EF 85mm F2.5, 1/5000th sec, 250 ISO

The image above was photographed when the sun was behind a thin layer of cloud, it is mid-morning. Clouds can be seen in the background, making the sky more interesting.

The shadows are soft and round allowing me to see into the shadows and capture some texture in there.

The season is late summer (mid-March) and the tiny flowers have dried up.

• F2.5 on an 85mm lens has created a narrow depth of field that pulls the eye to the thin stalks of dark flower stems that stand out against the light sky and the light strands of grass that stand out against the dark rock. This area of interest is then framed by the sensual curve of rock in the background.

• Photographing the scene at ground level is the view point of a rabbit, it is unusual and thought provoking.

Compared this to the photograph below that was photographed in very different lighting conditions. A bright sunny afternoon. The shadows are hard and black that makes the land formations feel strong and solid.

• Here the wider angle lens and deep depth of field (F13) is keeping everything sharp and in focus.

• The flowing foreground rock leads the eye to the background rocks, that look like heads.

• The height of the camera is my standing height. Looking at this image I am sure that you can imagine this is what you would see standing in this spot. Where the first image expresses more about a feeling. I am not saying that one is better than the other, just different . Both are made not just found. I still needed to walk around the scene to find the right place for the lens and composition to work .

Canon EOS R5, EF35mm @ f13, 1/125th sec, 100 ISO

I photographed Castle Hill with the monochrome picture style selected in my camera. This helps me to see my end result as I am shooting and it keeps me connected with my creative thought process.

I choose to shoot a combination of L jpeg + RAW file. That way I can choose to use the jpeg processed by the camera or re-process the RAW in the computer and perhaps make a colour file instead. (Don’t underestimate the value of a jpeg file that is correctly exposed and created by the camera. It is the best thing to bring you back to how you were feeling and thinking at the time).

• The image below is the same subject as the first image but shot with a different lens. 35mm instead of the 85mm. “Change your lens and change your story”. My 35mm lens has a much closer focusing range, allowing me to add emphasis to the dead daisy’s in a different way.

No-matter where you are or what you shoot be prepared to explore your feelings and make images that connect you to being there. Photograph what you love and love to photograph.

Canon EOS R5, EF 35mm, f2, 1/8000th Sec, 250 ISO