I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE landscape photography. It’s not that I don’t love portraiture… I do. But there’s something about being outdoors, capturing something that you find beautiful — it makes you feel like you have a place in the world. I think it also has to do with the lighting… at the right time of day, there is nothing more awe-inspiring than natural sunlight shining on you and your subject (which is why I don’t do studio pictures – just not a fan of indoor photography).
And of course, there’s the more obvious reason why landscape is so fun… if I’m trying to get a picture of a flower, I don’t have to beg the flower to stop pouting or to get his finger out of his nose (all you mothers of boys know what I’m talking about!). I don’t have to bribe it with candy, wait for the temper-tantrum to pass or walk it to the bathroom 14 times after it drank half a juice box. I can spend an hour by myself in the breeze waiting for my shot. It’s a kind of meditation without all the strange and disturbing chanting.
I recently took a landscape photography workshop with an AWESOME instructor by the name of Nick Carver (www.nickcarverphotography.com). Nick has also been one of my mentors and teachers… if you live in Southern California I HIGHLY recommend him. Not only is he an unbelievable photographer (his photo was on the cover of Outdoor Photography this past March), he is a truly gifted teacher. Wherever you are in your photography, he can make you better.
This landscape workshop was at Crystal Cove Beach, which is a magnificent place to take pictures. Here are a few of my shots…
