Developing a Photographic Vision
Every landscape photographer needs to find a place they can visit often to learn, practice and improve their skills. This place should be relatively close to home, perhaps within an hour's drive. A benefit of having such a place is that it is easy to visit — this opens up a whole range of creative opportunities, like taking similar shots at different times of the day or even in different seasons. This exercise also enables you to develop a creative vision that you can work towards through experimentation, repetition and patience. It is also possible that you will find supplementary compositions along the way.
First look, pre-development of a vision
I came across such a place for myself, while I still lived in the United Arab Emirates. It was a long backwater beach, located in Mamzar, Sharjah. Looking at the scene, I was most drawn to the docked boats and the backdrop of residential buildings. From the moment I first saw it, I knew this place held at least one keeper.
My first visit to Mamzar, Sharjan was in the late evening in the summer of 2017. Although I would have preferred to capture a long exposure (a style of shot that I was particularly into at the time), the presence of zig-zagging jet skiers meant that I would have to come at another time — perhaps an early morning.
Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, Ef 24-70mm f/2.8l, f/6.3, ISO 100, 10 sec exposure
After a few attempts and a bruised ego (it was tough having to put away my 6-stop and 10-stop lens filters), I produced the above shot. The only filter I used was a LEE Polarizer. Looking through the LCD monitor, I didn’t like this image at the time, but there is a saying: do not judge a shot by looking at the camera's LCD. When I went home and loaded all the images on Darktable, this shot was by far my favorite. I loved the monotonous color in the image, the subtle reflection, the lights, the calm and the silent docks.
Developing a vision
Looking at the photograph, I realized that this photo would look better if shot early in the morning, using a long exposure technique. At this point in my photography journey, I had already bought every possible LEE filter for the 100mm system and so I had a large arsenal to choose from. I envisioned a photograph that captured the beautiful teal of the water, as well as an amplified blue sky. The exposure also needed to be long enough that the water would appear silky and motionless.
I knew I couldn’t count on a cloudy sky, but it would be an added bonus that would make the image even more dynamic. If not, a clear sky would contribute to a minimalist picture with a 3D look: nothing but smooth water, a calm dock and far away buildings. Either way, my goal with the photograph was to give it an artistic look, closer to a painting than a photograph. As a beginner photographer, it was not easy to visualize the photo I wanted to take. My instinct was to keep shooting and think later, but I knew that mindset wasn’t helping me improve my photography.
Returning to the spot
A few weeks later, I went to the same spot at sunrise. After wandering around the place and taking a few shots on my Google Pixel, I returned home. I looked at the images and identified the location I wanted to shoot from during my next visit. As a result of this planning, I was able to take the picture below.
Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, EF 24-70mm f/2.8 @ f/5.6, 1/25
For this shot, I once again compromised on my vision and didn’t take a long exposure. Instead, I went for a 1/25 shutter speed with the LEE Polarizer and Sunset Orange filters. I liked the backdrop of the blurred buildings with pronounced docks at the foreground. I was able to keep the docks in focus, while using the buildings to give the image a layered,3D effect. However, it did not realize the vision I had in my mind and so, I knew I would have to return.
Realizing the vision
Looking back at the pictures I had taken so far (including some from many other visits, not referenced in this article), I decided to shoot a long exposure from the other side of the dock. WIth this revision, I went to the spot, spent some time taking different pictures and then moved to the position, confirming the view that is in front of me was the one I wanted to capture. Loading up my LEE Little Stopper and LEE Mahogany 1 filters, I tried various exposure times before I settled with the picture below.
Original picture with minor adjustments such as lens distortion, chromatic aberration and white balance adjusted.
I liked this picture in general, however, I thought it would be great if I could add some more “pop” to its colors and eliminate unnecessary objects like the blue slipper strap in the water. Using Darktable, my then post processing software, I made many adjustments, but ultimately, I wasn’t satisfied with the picture.
It was more than 18 months later when I revisited the picture. I had moved to Canada and had also migrated to Capture One Pro for post processing. I decided to give editing the image to give it that painting-like quality another shot. After taking not more than an hour, with some cropping and other adjustments to the exposure, contrast and colour, I came very close to realizing my initial vision.
Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, EF 24-70mm f/2.8, f/10, 40.5 sec
The above picture took me more than two years to realize. As I mentioned above, I would have loved to capture clouds in this scene, but the dust in the sky often obscured them. And so, I’ve settled on the above as my best version of this scene.
Conclusion
If you’re a landscape photographer, having a few locations close to home will help you to practice crafting and realizing a creative vision. Landscape photography requires a photographer to combine skills, and the right gear with relentlessness and persistence. I hope you can take inspiration from my experience and apply this technique to your own photography.