5 Beautiful and Best Loved Landscape Photographs

beautiful-landscape-photos-and-how-they-affect-your-photography-findingnaturesbeauty

 5 of the best loved landscape photographs… and how they can affect your photography.

I got an email today and the sender announced that he had his five best loved landscape photographs of 2019, was going to review them and talk about all the specifics i.e.: lens, camera settings, etc.

I tried to click on the email and it was a video presentation and you needed to register and schedule time and couldn’t actually just READ about the images.  So I backed out of it.

But then it got me to thinking about MY own 5 best loved landscape photographs of 2019 and what would they be if I chose them.

But then I thought, “Why does it have to be mine? Why does it have to be only in 2019?  Why can’t I review the beautiful photographs that have influenced  me throughout the years?”

Images that you have been exposed to over the years DO influence the way you photograph.

Usually there is a thread between the images you’ve seen and loved and been visually impacted by and your own style.  Many other things influence your style as well, but I decided to investigate this particular idea.

My top 5 best loved landscape photographs and the artists behind them are:

1. Ansel Adams

How can I just choose one of Ansel Adams?  His work is iconic and historic.

The one below, Aspen Trees in Northern New Mexico speaks to me.  The pattern of the older trees, the new growth and bright foliage of the young tree, the difference between the leaves on the tree in the foreground and the starkness of just the tree trunks of the older trees in the background… They all combine to make an outstanding image that is photographically superb.

This image also tells a story by mixing young and old, old growth and new life, the light hitting on and spotlighting the new tree and less light on the background, letting it recede.  It all combines to create emotions and visual interest at the same time.

As great as his art is, his life is equally interesting.  I learned much by reading his autobiography, “Ansel Adams: An Autobiography”.  He is a very good writer, at times bringing tears to my eyes reading about his life, especially his youth.

If you love his photography, you should really get his autobiography and learn more about this photographic legend.  You can purchase a hard copy or kindle version by going here.

Ansel Adams-Aspen trees in New Mexico

2. Clyde Butcher

Another black and white photographer, only his subject matter is focused on Florida and the Everglades.  Like Ansel Adams, he championed the region of this wilderness of the Everglades to bring to light the immense beauty and fragility of the area and its need to be protected against developers.

I met him originally at an art show many years ago.

I was showing my infrared photography in St Petersburg, Florida.  At that time, I had no idea that he was so famous and his booth was set up directly behind mine!

We had the love of black and white photography in common and I just loved his work.

I was struck by his warm spirit and kind heart even with the limited interaction we had.  This was over 30 years ago.

I have visited his showroom and dark room in Venice, Fl.  and listened to a lecture by him many years ago.  He prints his images huge so that they have the impact that they deserve and you can just immerse yourself in them.

If you ever have the chance to visit either of his galleries, please make time to do so.  You’ll be glad you did!

In his lecture I remember him saying that he often tried to place a barrier in the front of the image so that the viewer was forced to visually overcome that to actually  “step” into the image and become a part of it.  I have always remembered that, but not really been able to recreate it in my own photography with any degree of success. I will keep trying though!

My favorite image of his is the one below that that captures the smooth water in this lazy river, the great ferns that have grown out of this long dead log and the primitive area that is captured here.

I apologize for the quality of this image.  All of his online images are copyrighted (and rightly so!) and I could only pull a small file for this illustration.  If you want to see a much better version, go here.

LOXAHATCHEE RIVER 1 © 1991 Jupiter, FL
LOXAHATCHEE RIVER 1 © 1991
Jupiter, FL

3. Galen Rowell

From black and white photographers I now jump to a more modern photographer who worked mainly in color.  LOTS of color.  His images are no less stunning than that of his legendary predecessors.

As an adventurer and mountain climber, he understood the landscape and light from being immersed in it for years.  (This seems to be a common thread among great landscape photographers. They take the time to study their surroundings, spend a LOT of time in nature and capture the most exquisite lighting and time of year for their photographs.)

Winter Sunset, Gates of the Valley, Yosemite is one of my favorites.

By using the juxtaposition of the soft snow with the hard edge of the cliffs combined with the late evening fog, he creates a stillness and sense of time.

The hard lighting from the setting sun illuminates the rock face, bringing out the color of the granite and creating a mirror image in the water.  Doing so brings the color of the cliff down into the lower part of the darker, shadowed water area, tying the image together with the duplication of color in multiple parts of the scene.

This much loved image even became a stamp in 2006, included in the Scenic American Landscape Series.

Mountain Light: In Search of the Dynamic Landscape This book makes a great gift for yourself or a photographer friend.

Please DO purchase this in hardback as the images are much more stunning in print. I purchased this 40 years ago and the principles outlined here remain the same. The references to cameras, film and technology are obviously outdated, but a lot can be gleaned from reading this book and being inspired by the photographs.

You can find it here on Amazon. 

beautiful-landscape-photos-and-how-they-affect-your-photography-findingnaturesbeauty

4. Peter Lik

Peter is an Australian born photographer and is well known for his wide format images.  Capturing more of the scene than is normally found by using a wide format camera system, he is able to bring a unique vision to his audience.

Again, very hard to choose a favorite from his collections.

This image spoke to me and I wanted to highlight it here.

A-Morning-in-France-Peter-Lik

His great use of color is amazing.  We have all seen images of the lavender fields in France, but his luck (or planning) on the sunset and the way it mirrors the colors in the fields creates a masterpiece.  Add in the lone tree in the middle of the field and the green hills that separate the horizon from the sky and you have a unique piece.

Peter’s images are found exclusively in galleries around the world or can be found online here. Be aware that you will spend a great deal of time perusing his galleries! I can seriously say it is a feast for your eyes!

5. Franco Fontana

Franco is a landscape photographer born in 1933 in Italy and his images are not all landscapes.  And he is not as well known as the photographers included above. But his use of abstract imagery in his landscape photographs is what draws me to his work.  The fact that he is able to create an abstract work of art from the landscape in front of him is remarkable.

Studying the lines and feel of his pieces is a very good excersize for aspiring landscape photographers.

He is best know for abstract and minimalist style. Franco captures shapes and lines in a way no other photographer does.  Definitely worth it to take a look at his work.

Training your eye to see landscapes in a different way can open up a new body of work for you.

In conclusion, I urge you to contemplate some memorable images you have seen and loved and compare them to your own photography.

Are their similarities?

Do you see major components that you instinctively include?

Are you drawn to a particular subject matter in your favorite photographs?

Or does the subject matter… not matter?

Are you unconsciously recreating a pattern, cropping, lighting or composition?

Do you look for the same subjects over and over again?  A road or pathway, the pattern of seashells, or fences scattered throughout your most loved beautiful landscape photographs?

It is an interesting thing to delve into the way our brains work and what influence other photographic works that we love have on our own beautiful landscape photographs.

If you would like to check out my photographic art, please just click here and you will be taken to my art photography site.  Thanks for looking!

Creating Gorgeous Adventures-logo

What 5 photographs (or photographers) have influenced you the most throughout the years?

I would love to hear! 

Comment below and I will be sure to respond!

6 Easy and Effective Travel Planning Tips

6 Easy travel planning tips

Are you looking for some quick tips on travel planning?

6 easy trip planning tips

Travel can be frustrating or wonderful.  Use these 6 quick tips to plan your next trip and find the vacation that you dream of.

We can’t travel right now, at least not with any freedom like before the quarantine.  But we can plan easily for our next wonderful trip!

Because I want the trip to be enjoyable for all, I always like to do some research and trip planning before I decide on the feasibility of any planned trip.

If you follow these six simple tips to travel planning, you will cover all the bases and have the trip you really dreamed about!

1. Who?

This seems obvious, but write it down.  If you look at who will be going with you and think about what their interests are, your trip will go much smoother.

    • Are you taking the family and need to provide activities for little ones?
    • Teenagers?
    • Older parents?
    • Do you need to factor in some down time for short attention spans for small children?
    • Or will it be a weekend with just the girls outing?
    • A bachelor party weekend trip planned for the guys before the wedding?
    • Just you and your spouse?
    • Or is it a solo trip for some down time just for yourself?

By taking the ages and interests of your travel companions into consideration, it will make a world of difference in how you travel and what you plan to do.

in addition, Be open to allowing family members to pursue different activities, within reason.

Remember, too, that you have the option to do different things.

For instance, when my sister’s family wants to go out adventuring, she is often content to sit at the pool.  She and her family learned a long time ago that it is really OK to do different things and everyone is happy.  They always meet up again and spend plenty of time together afterwards. You don’t always have to be joined at the hip to enjoy your vacation.

2. What?

Consider what type of things you enjoy?

      • If you are more active and adventurous, this will dictate a whole different set of activities than if you want to go to a 5 star hotel, read by the pool and get a massage in the afternoon.
      • Even if you think you know what all the people involved want, it is really a good idea to ask just to make sure.

I went on a trip once with a friend and I thought we were compatible, but I found out she wanted to shop A LOT, and that’s just not me.  Even though we may have been compatible in temperament and friendship, our activity interests did not jive.

Then again, on another trip with girlfriends there were two of us who wanted to walk and explore and the other woman wanted to take a taxi or ride everywhere.  That made for some awkward moments during the trip.

3. Where?

Where is it you are planning your trip? 

    • Be specific.
      • If you say Denver, you can go high in the mountains and camp or in the city and be visiting all the fun little boutiques.  A day skiing in a resort or a day spent backpacking and camping look totally different.  If you sort through the options, there will be a theme that stands out and you can go from there.
    • Also, will you be visiting family or friends while you are there?
      • Will you be staying with them or do you need to stay close by in a hotel?
      • You need to create time in your schedule for them, make sure they are available (they have plans too!) and determine how much time your spouse or kids want to spend with them.  It could be a little or a lot.  Or none at all. You can arrange to let your spouse and teenagers do a little exploring on their own while you visit with your sister to your hearts content!

Taking the time to think these things through before hand is a really good idea for family harmony.

4. Why?

Why are you planning this trip?

Some reasons may be:

      • family outing
      • solo trip
      • honing a skill by taking courses
      • adventure
      • site specific activity:
        • festivals
        • family wedding or graduation
        • seeing a landmark or national monument
        • photography of a specific area

Be sure to take any of these into consideration as to the main purpose of the event.  Schedule in enough time for the main activities so as not to be disappointed during the trip.  Each facet of the above items takes planning drive time, meal breaks, wait times in lines, and timing for getting ready.

Whether it be a leisurely meal in a wonderful restaurant or getting up early to catch the best sunrise photo with your camera, try to anticipate your needs and what is most important to all concerned.

Express your need for help if your spouse or other members of your group have to make adjustments to help while you are getting ready for whatever you have planned.

Other parties in the outing are usually willing to help if asked correctly and they have the expectation that they need to jump in when you may feel stressed or overwhelmed.

Don’t be overwhelmed while you are on vacation. That is not a good feeling and will have an effect on not only you but on the other members of your group as well.

In addition, remember that sometimes when you are on vacation, the responsibilities that you have as a parent are even more stressful than at home.

Especially when you are camping, you still have the meal planning and prep, clean up and making sure that young children are looked after.  Express that concern to your spouse and get a commitment from them to help out.  Plan less elaborate meals, go casual in clothing and plan simpler activities if you feel over the top with care taking.

6 Easy travel planning tips

5. When?

    • Trips we take are often dictated by time available off work and time specific events.  Think about these:

6. How much?

Having a budget make things a lot less stressful.  After you decide what, where, when, why and who, the last thing is the money.  It becomes a lot easier when the first 5 parts of trip planning are done. (or maybe it should be the first thing… you decide)

For instance, if you go during high season, the area will most likely be more crowded and more expensive.  But that may be the price you will need to pay to get what you want.

Be sure to budget for:

    • Meals out, even if you are camping or staying with family.
    •  Hotel or campground fees
    • Events
    • Attractions
    • Amusement parks
    • Regional explorations
    • Museum fees
    • Extra shopping for souvenirs
    • Toiletries – shampoo, sunscreen, over the counter medication
      • (these are much cheaper to get at home where you know the stores, but if you forget or run out, or the shampoo leaks during the plane trip…)
    • Gas
    • Parking
    • Sporting Events
    • Airplane fares and associated fees ( food, tips, etc)
Hopefully these 6 travel planning tips are helpful for you.

We have all had the odd trip where it seemed to be a disappointment and we couldn’t always put our finger on why. Planning ahead and understanding your “why” for going on the trip helps to focus your plans on your ideal vacation or extended trip.

To sum up, if you take these travel planning tips into consideration when you are dreaming about your next trip it will give you a much better handle on your travel plans.

Happy travel planning!
Creating Gorgeous Adventures-logo

Spending Time in Nature to Reduce Stress

spending time in nature reduces stress

Spending time in nature.

Lets face it.  It is pretty stressful right now.  I could go into all the different types of stress that is surrounding all of us at this time, but you know what they are.  And they are different for everyone.  So we need to find a way to naturally de-stress. It is now proven scientifically that spending time in nature, even only 20 minutes, can help lower our stress levels and cortisol

The lucky ones are those who can spend time with nature everyday.  I am blessed to be one of them. Full time RV’ing can do that for you.

I am practicing being happy where I am.

When I started traveling full time last year, I thought I would be on the road and moving often, discovering new things.  And I was.  Every week was a new adventure.  The very idea of this new way of life filled my heart and allowed me to let go of a more traditional way of living.

But now I have been stationary in our little trailer since last November.

6 months.

UGH.

And at least one more month to go.

I had only planned to be here through February.  Stay here in the winter, ride out the winter cold in the balmy weather of central Florida, work with clients during this time and then back on the road.

Then back on the road. That was the plan.

Into Texas to see the Bluebonnets bloom, then on to New Mexico for a month to discover the “Land of Enchantment“.   Or possibly a trip up the Natchez Trace.  But a few lingering health problems pushed the deadline into March and then…Corona virus.

The night that all the state and national campgrounds closed early in March, I extended our stay for two months in a private campground.

This is a very pleasant park; safe, enjoyable, convenient to everything I need and close enough to drive to (previously) work with clients in the Tampa Bay area.  But not very new and exciting.

Perhaps a sense of calm in this time of stress and uncertainty is exactly what is called for.

In the campground, there are a few quiet areas to just sit and contemplate.

This is one of my favorites. A lovely bench overlooks a wooded area filled with Cypress trees.  Hundreds of white Ibis nest in this area every night.  Flapping in all at once to get settled for the night is quite a sight to behold.

Bordered on another side by grazing cows in the lush fields dotted with ancient live oaks dripping in Spanish Moss.

Resurrection fern covers almost every oak in the park, green and luscious this time of year.

As we all deal with the stress and consequences of life with the Corona virus I am grateful for this peaceful area to quarantine in. I am, like all of us, trying to adapt to my circumstances.

 This quote by Viktor Frankl impressed me today:

(download this book, Man’s Search for Happiness, for free here)

When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.

Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.

Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.

I have been, like many, bumping up against my former plans and what I am allowed to do at this time. I am choosing at this time to visit any local area that I am able to and write about it to give you a sense of adventure right near home, if the Tampa Bay area is where you live.(or where you are quarantined at this time!).  Only a short drive from the theme parks in Orlando, but a world away in experience.

Lots of nature, kayaking on the springs of the Crystal River,  exploring the historic homes in Floral City, (by car or foot, not going in) and the nature trail that runs through there-Withlacoochee State Trail , open for biking and walking.

I want to begin where I am.

So today I went for my daily walk around the park and photographed the lovely Florida Iris.

For years I had lamented the lack of traditional spring blooms in Florida.  But Florida has its own beauty, if you know where to look.  Jasmine, with its heavenly smell, gardenia blooms on bushes the size of trees and Florida Iris, just to name a few.

I have always loved the Florida Iris blossoms, partly because they remind me of the traditional iris blooms in the Midwest.  Partly because they have a beauty all their own.

I created the image below to honor the beauty of this particular flower.  If you would care to browse my other artwork please click here or on the image below.

Florida Iris

Find time today to find peace in nature.

Thanks for reading. I hope I expand your view of the world and give you a few tips for creating your own gorgeous images.

 If you would like to see more of my travels and hints for creating better travel pictures, please subscribe to this blog below.

Questions?  Please let me know and I will answer!