Landscape
photography can be a frustrating medium to pursue. There can be days when you get out there and
the light you thought was going to be there just doesn’t eventuate. You can wake up at the crack of dawn full of
anticipation for a glorious and fiery dawn only to get skunked when miserable
grey clouds close in and squash the life outta the sky and your dream photo. Nature can be a very fickle thing, especially
when you are relying on it to provide you with the light and drama you need to
really get a picture that pops and you can be really happy with. For me though that is part of the joy or
challenge.
There are
times, however, when you skunk yourself.
I did that a few days ago when I was out at Karekare hoping to catch a
sunset. Let me set the scene for
you. heading home I was keeping an eye
on the clouds and in the time the journey took I was suitably convinced I
needed to be out on one of the beaches for sunset because it was going to be
immaculate! So I packed up and headed to
Karekare and set about exploring different compositions that you see below.
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| 18mm; ISO 100; f/22; 1/10sec |
Now don’t
get me wrong I am pretty happy with how these have turned out, I think there
are some solid shots here but this is where it gets tricky and when landscape shooting
can be a frustration.
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| 18mm; ISO 100; f/22; 1/10sec |
As the
evening was progressing I was keeping an eye on how the clouds were stacking
out on the horizon line. They were
forming a pretty formidable looking wall and I figured that the chances of
getting the really dramatic sky I had initially hoped for was getting slimmer
by the minute. As the sun dipped in
behind them and out of sight the color drained out of the sky so I packed my
gear and started to head back to the car pretty satisfied I had come away with
some cool shots.
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| 18mm; ISO 100; f/22; 1/3sec |
Now the
car park at Karekare is a good 10 minute walk from the beach, at least with the
route I took, and it was about three quarters of the way back there that I turned
and looked back at where I had been……. my heart dropped. You guessed it, the sky was on fire, the
clouds tinged with deep reds and purples and pinks!!! I couldn’t believe it. Here I was almost at the car and the show I had
turned up to capture was going on all around me.
I learnt a
really valuable lesson that evening.
Landscape photography is all about being out there and giving yourself
the chance to capture that great light on a stunning scene. I had got out there, put myself in the thick
of it and given myself the chance but let it slip by when I called it
wrong. Sure I could say “the clouds
looked like they were there to ruin the show” or something like that, but in
actual fact I should have just stayed out there till the end.
Nature cannot
be predicted, we all know this yet sometimes we think we can call a situation
and know better – sure there are times we may be spot on – but what I do know
now is that if I’m going to get out there and give myself a chance I’m going to
make the most of my time out there and stay to the end.
We live in
such a manic fast paced world and part of what attracts about landscape
photography is it is a slow process where you are afforded the luxury of taking
you time to get prepared for when the good light hits.
Stick it
out till the end, even if it looks like a dud, because you never know what will
happen – I sure was pleasantly surprised when this is how an evening in late April
after looking like a dead fizzer. I need
to remember this day when I’m out there… 10 minutes longer can potentially
result in pure beauty.
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| 18mm; ISO 100; f/22; 1.6sec |
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