Windy days are not often considered to be a good day for outdoor photography, especially if one is shooting landscape, portraits, etc. When capturing photographs of any genre in general, photographers always aim to have the elements and subjects in the frame in sharp focus. But what if you can use the movements in the frame to your advantage to capture some creative photographs?
Here are 21 photos, that will inspire you to capture stunning outdoor photographs on a windy day.
The next time the weather gets windy, do not put your camera away and stay indoors. Some creative long exposure shots of the moving elements or even freezing the movement, can make for great storytelling photographs. Besides this creative idea, if you feel that you are running out of ideas to photograph anything, we recommend you to check out “The Creativity Catalog” by Photzy that will open your mind to the possibilities around you.
Photo by Fer Nando
Photo by John Fowler
Photo by Ksenia Makagonova
Photo by Ivo van Beek
Photo by Randy Fath
Photo by Sinitta Leunen
Photo by Shashank Kumawat
Photo by Regine Tholen
In order for photographers to keep their creativity running, they cannot be always travelling to exotic or new locations to capture new and exciting images. If you wish to come up with your own ideas and projects to kick-start your creativity, we recommend you to check out “The Creativity Catalog” by Photzy. This 209 pages guide covers 20 chapters that include creativity sparking assignments and ideas.
Photo by Andreas Brunn
Photo by Les Anderson
Photo by Terrillo Walls
Photo by Brandon Stoll
Photo by Vera Davidova
Photo by Abi Ismail
Photo by Jamie Street
For photographers, walking through the same neighbourhood or familiar places everyday can seem pretty boring and this may sometimes lead to photographer’s block. Photographers should always be ready to see things differently or from a different perspective in order to capture unique and creative shots everyday. Movements can also be used as a compositional tool. The “The Creativity Catalog” by Photzy comes with assignments that will make you feel inspired and motivated.
My Land Rover pulled up just in time to watch the lions finish their meal. What remained had once been…what? A zebra? It’s sometimes hard to tell. Whatever it was, it’s mostly gone now.
“We’re too late,” I hear someone say. “Nothing to see here.” Maybe it was the voice in my head.
But hang on a moment. In the world of wildlife photography (which this article is not about, so keep reading if you’re into other things), I think there is a difference between a sighting and a scene.
A sighting is, “Look, a leopard!” It might be hidden behind half of the branches in Zambia, but there it is. A leopard. It’s beautiful! But with little else to offer, it’s not really a photograph. The leopard is obscured. The light is harsh. All I can see is the back of the head. A sighting, sure. But not a scene. Yet.
It is OK not to raise your camera to your eye. It’s OK to look at what’s in front of you and think, “That’s just not a photograph.” When you’re looking for a photograph that tells a story or something that really moves you—something with mood and emotion—it’s more often not a photograph. That’s what makes it so wonderful in the moments when it is. When all the pieces do come together. A good photograph is a rare thing.
As you read this, I’m on my way to Kenya for the month of February. A group of photographers will join me for the first nine nights, and we’ll all have many opportunities to figure out if something we’re looking at is a sighting or something more: a scene. If we’re not careful, the mistake we’ll make is to forget just how quickly one can become the other.
Go back to me sitting in the Land Rover with the lions and the erstwhile zebra, and imagine you’re there with me. The moment you think, “Well, nothing to see here,” you should become suspicious. And you should pay attention. Because while this is the time that the lionesses will roll over and sleep (nothing to see here), the cubs will play, and the sighting will become a scene.
The seasoned response to “nothing to see here” isn’t “let’s go!”—it’s “let’s wait.” A mere sighting can become an astonishing scene very quickly.
What often transpires in front of our lens never becomes a photograph. We wait and wait, and the pieces never quite align, the composition never materializes, the light fizzles out, and the moment never happens. Fine.
The dues we pay for the best of our images are often paid in the currency of minutes and hours. And sometimes (often, even), the dues we pay don’t see an immediate return.
You can wait for hours without seeing a wolf. You can sit on a street corner and never see anyone walk into the perfect light you’ve waited years to find. But it’s more likely that you won’t see a wolf without waiting for hours. It’s more likely you won’t see someone walk into that light if you don’t wait around in hopes they do.
There is wisdom in looking at something and saying, “There’s not a photograph here,” before moving on. There’s also wisdom in knowing there’s a chance and sticking around to see what happens.
For me, it comes down to odds. If I’ve got an incredible background, some interesting light (or the promise of it), and know there’s a chance (for example) that the lion cub will swat its sister and then climb on the fallen tree behind them in hopes of some play time, then I’ll wait. It’s harder to find a great background in nice light than it is to find a playful lion cub.
If there’s even a chance that waiting can turn the sighting (yawn) into a scene (OMG!), I’ll wait.
The difference between a sighting and a scene lies in the possibilities, or your ability to recognize them. If there’s truly nothing to work with, move along and find something else. But if what you’re looking at is an “almost” (or it feels like it could be), I’d be inclined to stick it out and wait. Doesn’t matter what you photograph. If you’re at almost, wait it out or shoot through it—because almost is rare.
A good photograph happens at the intersection of light, space, and time. You need all three: the right light, the right stuff in the right part of the frame, and the right moment. Two out of three is often worth waiting for, especially if giving up and moving on only takes you somewhere that gives you one out of three—or none at all.
“Nothing to see here.” We’re so quick to say it. Are you sure?
In a world where photographers can very quickly stand on level ground with each other in their ability to use a camera, what if it’s not upgrading to that better camera or that bigger lens, but the simple ability—or willingness—to wait it out that is the difference between making something astonishing, and making nothing at all?
The difference between a sighting and a scene is often just the word “yet,” but don’t read that lightly because getting to yet is hard. Getting to yet is a risk. Getting to yet, if it comes at all, often comes only after wrestling with the fear of missing out on whatever is happening elsewhere while you sit here. Waiting.
One more thing: what if it’s not so much that nothing’s happening yet as it is that you don’t see it yet. When you resist the urge to quickly move on, you give yourself just a moment or two more, not only for something to happen but for you to see what’s already happening. Or to see the possibility that it might. To notice the light in one direction that you didn’t see while looking in another. To see past your expectations of what you hoped was there and see what is there instead. To see something you haven’t seen. Yet.
So much of photography isn’t about what goes on inside the camera but inside the photographer; it’s how we think, feel, and do.
Have you already read Light, Space & Time? I’d love to hear what you think. You can share that with me in the comments below or by leaving a review wherever you purchased the book. Both would make my day.
For the Love of the Photograph, David
The biggest challenges for most photographers are not technical but creative.They are not so much what goes on in the camera but what goes on in the mind of the person wielding it. Light, Space & Time is a book about thinking and feeling your way through making photographs that are not only good, but truly your own. It would make an amazing gift for the photographer in your life, especially if that’s you. Find out more on Amazon.
As a landscape photographer, you often find yourself drawn to the expansive views and deep sceneries you create. However, even tiny subjects may have a significant influence. Photographs of intimate landscapes may provide stunning pictures alone or enhance the enormous views that draw viewers to your images.
To photograph intimate landscapes, you must incorporate design elements such as lines, textures, patterns, colors, and forms into the frame. Keep an eye out for details that convey a narrative about a subject or provide viewers with background info about it. The type of elements you need to capture while shooting an intimate landscape are present in these “small details.”
Read on to learn tips and a tutorial helpful in navigating an environment with intimate landscape photography.
What Makes an Incredible Intimate Landscape?
This branch of nature photography is deserving of some appreciation. Intimate landscape photos seduce us with delicacy and peaceful invitation, in contrast to the grand landscape, which dazzles us with vivid hues and stunning near-far perspectives. It tempts us to delve deeper into the event captured in the picture.
Making incredible intimate landscapes is all about the little things. Think of landscape photographs as falling into three subgenres: the expansive view, the extreme close-up, or the intimate landscape photography.
It takes more than merely filling the frame with things to create the intimate compositions of a landscape, even while textures, lines, forms, and patterns are essential elements. It recounts a section of the narrative.
Consider what “smaller details” are in every site that provides context for the area. When you have your entire scene, compose it using a visually appealing layout. The mix of pebbles, kelp, and a bird feather at the beach tells a complete story. You may get a sense of the setting from any small scenes.
Choices of Equipment
Many often bring just one lens, for the goal is to capture the subtleties of a larger landscape. To make sure you have everything you need when photographing intimate landscapes, check the list below:
Extra Lenses
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Because you only have one lens, you must focus on selecting a worthwhile subject and creating a better image. By changing lenses, you are losing time on the scene for searching, discovering, and taking pictures.
Without the weight of extra gear, you can move more quickly, trek further, and locate things that you otherwise wouldn’t have been able to. When you are constantly changing lenses, it might be challenging to focus on that.
Mid-Range Zoom Lens
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A mid-range zoom lens is best for capturing an intimate landscape. Wide-angle lenses are often beloved by landscape photographers.
Still, when it comes to a small, intimate scene, wide-angle lenses tend to contain too much backdrop and too many distinct subjects, which detract from all the details that are the primary focus. Although it’s not a strict rule, a mid-range zoom with a fast shutter speed typically works best.
Tripod
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A tripod is yet another crucial gear to capture the intimate details of your intimate landscape. A tripod helps you slow down, even in conditions where you have enough light to work with, and may not require a slow shutter speed.
You may find the distinctive nuances that make a scene unique by spending time and getting to know the area; they are the ideal scene for your intimate landscape.
Compositional Methods
Just because we aren’t taking pictures of grand vistas doesn’t imply we should neglect good compositional techniques. When practicing intimate landscape photography, the same compositional strategies still hold. We may approach this subgenre in many different ways.
Lines are one of the best methods to guide your viewer around a small scene. Using lines from photographing nature is more than just large-scale landscapes.
Even when photographing intimate landscapes, leading lines are an excellent method to show the viewer the image’s main subject.
This strategy allows you to display a larger scene that, at first look, is just a repeat of the same thing. But the beauty of this strategy is that, upon closer examination, the spectator may revel in the variations you often see in nature.
Depiction or Portrayal
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Do you recall attempting to identify shapes in the passing clouds when you were little? The strategy is the same.
Here, finding natural components that mimic something altogether different is the aim. This strategy’s appeal lies in its ability to capture your and the viewer’s imagination.
Separation or Isolation
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Isolation is often found in varied textures and light rather than epic fog when capturing more abstract landscapes. The sudden change in texture in a photo is what provides the whole narrative.
Contrast or Duality
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When capturing more abstract features in the environment, similar to balancing in expansive views, you may examine various components using the this vs. that approach. The notion is practical when two incompatible natural components coexist peacefully in a constrained space.
Simple examples are dark background vs. bright contrast or complementary colors. Or it might be more intricate, as in the resulting photographs showing the distinction between explicit and reflected water waves.
The Framing
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In many facets of photography, but notably in the grand landscape, the idea of framing is helpful. With framing, you make the main subject the center of some vignette form by using a small portion of the surrounding area.
The framing approach requires the photographer to locate anything in the surroundings that pulls the viewer to a particular photo section. It is much like how a frame enhances a photograph or painting by bringing the observer into the center.
The Colors
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All landscape photographers should learn about and become comfortable with the color wheel. When it comes to complementary and similar hues, this is particularly true.
Similar hues create harmony because they are close to one another on the color wheel, while complimentary hues are on opposing sides. You must learn how colors interact with one another.
8 Simple Tips For Better Intimate Landscape Photography
Here are some photography tips to assist you in navigating the intimate landscape photography world.
1. Start Small
One advantage of finding intimate landscapes is that you don’t need to visit parks like Glacier National Park or Zion National Park. You may find it everywhere, in your backyards, surrounding parks, besides the stream, metropolitan museum, or the neighboring forests.
Any time of day, if you take your camera on a stroll, you will come across some intimate landscapes. You will discover that close-up landscapes often lend themselves to various styles.
2. Get Closer and Personal
A telephoto lens is a great lens to use when focusing on small scenes in the most intriguing area. Compress and eliminate distracting elements from the scene using a telephoto zoom lens or fixed lens to frame it closely.
You may use a mid-range lens instead of a telephoto lens if you don’t have one, and then “zoom with your feet” to get closer to your subject.
Consider utilizing your 24-70 mm lens to capture a scene with a mountain and grand vista. Step a few steps forward and start exploring for interesting compositions, or zoom in to the most significant focal lengths on your lens. Your eye will learn to see in smaller details as a result.
3. Eliminate Distractions
Asking oneself, “Is this a significant component of the photo?” is a valuable habit to get into while taking intimate landscape photos. A little shift in perspective may make disturbing components in more intimate compositions disappear.
The sky is one component that often draws attention away from the subject of your shot. Work to remove the sky from your composition as much as you can.
It will distract your viewer from the focal focus of your photograph since it is often the brightest part of your frame. When we eliminate context from our landscape photographs, we allow our viewers to see with their imaginations.
4. Start Wide, Go Narrow
You may take your wide-angle lens out of the bag as you approach that expansive, gorgeous scene. Start focusing on the more compelling compositions that fit within the bigger picture.
Using a wide-angle lens to capture a picture and then using the magnify button on the camera’s rear to browse through the image to look for any small scene. More interesting compositions inside the frame will help you find more intimate photos.
Before you even take the camera out of the bag, you may use a card to frame smaller scenes. A frame card is a little mat board with an opening proportionate to your sensor.
5. Recognize Patterns, Different Textures, Shapes, and Lines
The two dimensions of an image are its limitations. Therefore, there are a few extra tools that you may use to add shallow depth and movement to your composition.
The artist may create an appealing photo using various techniques, including texture, lines, colors, tonal value, and forms.
When you train your eye to recognize the fundamental elements of composition, you will start to see them everywhere — in the texture of grasses, the contrast of colors on the surface of the water, the shapes and lines of sticks, and the forms of rocks.
Make your composition using the colors in nature photography. Develop your two-dimensional vision.
6. Use The Scene With Multiple Shots
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Consider employing intimate landscapes to communicate a more sweeping tale about the setting where you are photographing.
For example, looking inside an abandoned place, you will see several discarded objects that reveal the place had been abandoned and was in a state of disrepair. Combined with other images, it supports a fuller narrative than a snapshot of the place alone.
7. Illustrate The Focal Point
You may see a suitable focal point as the anchor in landscape composition, such as an eye-catching boulder near a canyon’s entrance. Once you’ve captured that composition, experiment using the focal point as a separate composition.
For example in street photography, the grass is a lovely subject, and the water mirrors the sky, providing a little more subtle interest to the photo.
8. Notice Details in Abstract Compositions
Abstract painting has numerous options in this type of landscape. Intimate landscapes can’t depend on spectacular sunrises to draw in viewers. Therefore, composition is crucial in creating an intimate experience.
Consider alternatives to the “rule of thirds,” often used in photographing nature’s smaller scenes. Pay particular attention to how the composition’s lines and forms direct the viewer’s eye and how they may arouse feelings.
For instance, horizontal lines evoke tranquility since everything parallel to the Earth is at rest. Vertical lines provide the impression of strength, size, and force. Diagonal lines produce movement and energy. Furthermore, symmetry suggests stability.
Don’t forget to Have Fun!
It is very refreshing and memorable to see and capture intimate, grand landscapes. Remember to discover humorous images while searching for serious and artistic ones!
Conclusion
A challenging yet worthwhile photographic strategy is intimate landscape photography. Your photos tend to be more original, artistic, and emotional since you are capturing intimate moments.
With this, you may connect with your audience more significantly and profoundly than ever.
