There is a commonly held view amongst landscape photographers that it is better to have no expectations or pre-conceived ideas when they head out into the field. Instead, the focus should be on going out and responding to whatever conditions nature provides.
However, in my previous newsletters detailing my trip to Mount Buffalo (see Part 1 and Part 2), I describe the challenge of balancing the need to let go of expectations as conditions change and the need to be persistent in chasing the shot. In this newsletter, I consider how this balance may be struck.
An approach of limiting expectations makes sense given that nature and landscape (and other documentary) photographers cannot control the light, the scene or the subject. Having expectations of certain conditions, in pursuit of a particular image, will often lead to disappointment and frustration. It may also mean that other images will be missed in pursuit of that one image.
There is also a strong emphasis in landscape photography of being outdoors and simply enjoying nature rather than chasing trophies. As one example, Will Patino wisely advised on his YouTube channel:
“I recommend trying not to pre-visualise too much. You’ve got to have an open mind with photography. Do some pre-visualising about where I am going to go, what type of weather do I like. ….. I think it makes so much more sense to get somewhere nice and just see what speaks to you. Let the inspiration come to you, it will find you.”1
I believe that the vast majority of all landscape photography, including my own practice, is about capturing what it was like to be there. As described in the quote above, it is about immersing yourself in the landscape and seeing what is there. There is a real skill in telling a story about the authentic landscape, which is incredibly important to make people aware of the wonders of the natural world and the importance of protecting it.
The approach of getting out often, see what’s there and make the best images possible is a beautiful and rewarding practice that for many people will provide a lifetime of enjoyment. It is probably the way to go if maximising your enjoyment of landscape photography is the main objective.
However, are there times when expectations are a good thing? What else, beyond managing expectations, might help in building a strong body of work?
The value of expectations
Humans are built to have hopes and dreams, to make plans and seek to communicate and engage with their fellow humans.
In truth, I doubt it is possible to have no expectations of a photography session. Before we head out the door, we have made a lot of decisions based on the hope of certain types of images. We have chosen the location, the time of day and year, and the equipment we bring, all in the expectation of a certain type of image. Almost always we will have some idea of what kind of landscape to expect.
These kinds of expectations prepare us for the session ahead and start to get us in the head space to find new scenes – so long as expectations don’t lock us into a specific image.
These expectations are also motivating to get out and take photos and should be aligned with why we take photographs. All planning requires the expectation of a particular result, and expectation is the basis of hope – and without hope it would be hard to consistently get out to photograph, especially at the cost of sleep and comfort.
So having some expectations is important – at least when focussed on the trip rather than the image.
Going beyond expectation
As I read about the approach of artists I admire, I feel they bring something more than a finely honed ability to respond to the conditions in front of them. And that – closely related to expectation – is intention.
Intention is more than a high level why I take photographs. My website says “I am …. passionate about using photography to explore our remaining wild places and connect with nature”. Many landscape photographers would say something similar. As discussed above, this informs where and when I go, my equipment, and my expectations.
The intention I am referring to here is being clear about why I want to photograph this specific scene in front of me. It requires intentionally making images that communicate a concept or idea. While there is much discussion on the definition of art, I believe that it is intention that lifts a craftsperson to an artist – it demands the artist intentionally seek to connect with the viewer.
“It is not what you see that is art; art is the gap.”
Marcel Duchamp “Eros Crest la vie” 1975
A well-crafted landscape photograph puts the scene at the centre, with the aim to transport the viewer into that landscape (the photographer is largely invisible to the viewer). But a stronger intention seeks to communicate a concept or idea or view of the world between the photographer and the viewer, revealing much more of the artist.
Many photographic artists are very explicit about why they made a body of images. In contrast to the popular landscape approach of getting out often, these artists construct the scene to visually represent what they want to say – either by staging key elements (for example, using models and lights), waiting for the right conditions or post-processing. As the well-known Australian photographer Bill Hanson, with a career spanning decades, said:
“It is rare for me to pick up the camera – it takes a lot for me to pick up the camera. It happens when I have no choice but to make the photograph. It’s a long, solitary process where I’m alone with my ideas before going out into the world to take pictures. Then once alone with the results of the shoot I’m trying to extract something interesting and it takes time. It might be six months or a year to realise what I have in front of me.” 2
Increasingly my aim is to photograph with more intention. I am looking to challenge myself to develop specific ideas around which I can build a body of work that communicates something about the world that may provoke a response from the viewer beyond the place being photographed (within the constraints of photography, as opposed to digital art).
This is landscape photography that is less about a specific place and more about our place in the world. At its most successful, these images don’t just show the viewer what is there but suggest a different way to see the world. Success produces the most sublime of landscape photography that stays with you for a long time.
Where landscape photographers do bring intention is through projects such as exhibitions and books. I am working on getting better at bringing intention to my photography, at least some of the time.
There are three opportunities to bring more intention into my photography. Firstly, there is being more intentional before I press the shutter button. What is the story that I can tell with the scene in front of me? Does it fit any themes or bodies of work I am already working on? I have found that slowing down and trying to (out loud) articulate that story forces a critical review of the image before the photo is taken.
The next level is being more proactive in seeking out images for bodies of work around an idea or message. I am doing this more and more, although with landscape photography, building these bodies of work can take a long time. Some techniques, like the abstracts included in this newsletter, offer more control.
Finally, and I am speculating somewhat, I expect that over time being more intentional will help develop a style that will define me as an artist and how I see the world. Ask me in 10 years! This certainly seems the case with many artists – after decades of work, Bill Hanson, for example, is perfectly described as:
a visionary explorer of twilight zones, between nature and civilization, youth and adulthood, male and female. His photographs are painterly tableaux that continue the traditions of romantic literature and painting.3
Landscape photographers cannot go out and create a photograph the way a studio photographer or a digital artist can. We can’t control the light, the subject or the scene. The answer to this is to get out as often as possible, be prepared to respond when good conditions do occur, and with the openness to finding something to photograph. Mostly this means we respond to what’s there, sometimes it means we are chasing an image to tell a preconceived story.
While this approach is common in many genres of photography, it seems to me that being more intentional in my landscape photography is the way to build bodies of work that may, with work and luck, make a lasting contribution to how we see the world.
I would love to hear your thoughts – do you bring intention into your photography? How do you do this? What benefits have you seen?
I definitely have ideas and expectations of what I want to photograph whenever I go out, but then must remain flexible based on conditions at the time. I suppose the geography and location are the foundation, but the structure's exact shape are determined by the building material available - light, atmosphere, weather etc.
Now that I think about it, I tend to approach each photo as a stand alone creation. I would like to work more intentionally towards a cohesive body of work.