Blowhole Beach - golden peaks

[Creedy]

An early morning trek down to a lovely isolated beach with a stream flowing from the hills down to the shore yielded this humble effort. I'd like to hear from this august audience what I should do to improve my feeble efforts.

thanks,
David

[Bjørn Rørslett]

There is a lovely "echo" in terms of colour of the front rock and the background hills. However, the entire scene appears like the photographer wanted to include everything and thereby literally losing "focus" and viewers' attention.  There are, for example, some ant-sized people in the background to the left. Are they an essential part of the composition and the implied story the picture is aiming to convey?  If not, why are they included? The immediate foreground is quite empty. and so on.

Next time, move in closer and decide what elements are required to be included in the final composition. That would require the photographer to carefully consider the "why" and "when" steps of the picture-taking process.

The truth to be told is landscapes are much more difficult that most users tend to appreciate in the beginning. It is so easy to be overwhelmed by the beauty of the landscape and draw the conclusion that any depiction of the scene in front of your eyes must be equally beautiful. Sadly that is never the case. The photographer must exert her or his control over the scenery and judiciously select what should be communicated to the audience.

[Creedy]

Thank you for your thoughtful reply Bjorn. You've highlighted an issue that I'm aware that I have with many of my landscape photographs, " the entire scene appears like the photographer wanted to include everything and thereby literally losing "focus" and viewers' attention". This epitomizes my landscape photography experience. There are times I feel overwhelmed by the beauty of the vista before me and my focus on critical aspects of the scene are diluted. Is there any advice you can suggest to rectify this or are there any exercises that I could perform to enhance my control? How can I push my photography to the a higher level? Is it just being aware of my short fallings or should I look to external help? I hope I haven't asked  for too much in a small question.
Thanks,
Creedy

[David Paterson]

Is there any advice you can suggest to rectify this or are there any exercises that I could perform to enhance my control? How can I push my photography to the a higher level? Is it just being aware of my short fallings or should I look to external help? I hope I haven't asked  for too much in a small question.
Thanks,
Creedy

I agree with Bjørn's comments, 100%, but I also know how hard it can be to move on. Many decades ago, when I was new to photography, I desperately wanted to improve my skills, especially for landscapes. I had no teacher or mentor I could turn to, so I used to spend every Sat. morning in the reference section of that city's main public library, studying books of landscapes by the greats of the day, trying to learn from their work what made a good or a great landscape photograph. So Ansel Adams, the Westons, Eliot Porter, Paul Strand, Walker Evans, Ernst Haas and so on, were my teachers. I think it worked for me; perhaps a similar approach might be good for you also.

[Bjørn Rørslett]

Well, what comes out of a shooting session is (or should be) up to the individual photographer. It certainly helps snap a few shots immediately when you arrive at the location, just to get out of what I call "rush mode" in my workshops. Then, sit down and initiate a discussion with yourself in a detached manner. Try to come to grips with what emotions and impressions the landscape presented to you, then slowly recast these impressions into photographic projections. Usually that means one needs to concentrate on the elements to include and what internal relationship(s) the composition should encompass. There are no quick shortcuts here. Just take your time. Sometimes one can use the ancient "tree stump trick": literally, sitting down and not thinking of anything. Just relax. sooner or later you start to fell the "presence" of the ambient environment: sounds, smells, lights, shadows, impressions, shapes. At this stage it is time to rise and plan your shots.

Staying away from wide-angle lenses for landscapes is often beneficial, but no rule set in stone. Once in a while even such frequently abused optics can help you get the shot you wish for.

[pluton]

Beautiful color rendering...even on my laptop.  Beyond Bjørn's suggestions, my observations are that the bright illumination of the background hillside and sky draws attention away from the interesting, but more dully-lit rock in the foreground.  Also, with a higher camera position you might have been able to bring the stream more into the composition. 

[David H. Hartman]

I'd cut out all of the sky or better all of the hills too. There is a tall grass that I'd leave and leave a small space above.

Just behind and above the rock in the foreground is an edge between flowing water and an area of river rocks. There is a straight line I think would be better obscured. A slightly lower angle would have hidden it. To me it's an awkward division. If a higher vantage point or maybe slightly closer was possible then the awkward division might have been avoided and less deep background would be included.

Dave Hartman

Long ago in a PR shot there was a plaque on the wall. The inscription was, "Big Guns Salute." There was an outline of the state of Texas. I fit one subject's head perfectly in the Gulf Coast of Texas. I've been looking for such uncomfortable relation ships to avoid them ever since. The picture had to run.