Introduction
Why bother getting up at stupid o’clock, hiking in the dark and waiting for good light that may never come? Why bother spending countless hours in post production, wondering if it’s good enough? Why bother spending thousands on gear when most people only see your work 1080px wide on Instagram?
The harsh truth is that most people don’t care about my or your work and that’s OK.
The value of a photograph lies mainly within the process of making it. It’s about the adventure we take upon while being immersed in the landscape. It’s the healthy escape it provides and nature herself teaching us how to see. The image itself acts like a memory vault, safely preserving that moment in time.
I’m always hoping that the images I publish will translate the value of the moment that took place. In this post I bring you along a 5 day photography trip where I share my thoughts behind the images and hope to spark your creative quest.
Image number 1
It was a dull and rainy 3h drive towards the south of Belgium, the foliage was at peak autumn but there was no good light to be had. Upon arrival I went to explore the area and found this scene overlooking one of its many valleys.
My attention was caught by the rain falling out of the low hanging clouds in the distance and the occlusion providing a leading line towards the woodland. Using a 180mm focal length compressed all elements together, creating more depth in the final black & white image.
Shot at 1/5s, F14, ISO100, I found it to be a good start of the trip.
Image number 2
Believe it or not, I got this image thanks to a sore knee. As we jumped already too day 3 of the trip, I had about 50km of hiking done and my tendons were not feeling it today. Being forced to slow down and stop frequently allowed me to spot and compose this scene.
In my opinion, the most important part when composing an image is about what you leave out. It’s seeking a way to tell a story with as little words as possible. It’s to create order in the chaos, reducing the complexity of the scene.
This rather minimalistic image was shot at 1/250s, F6.3, ISO100, 70mm focal length and one hour of patience, allowing the birds to cross my frame.
Image number 3
We are now at the end of the hike at day 3 and I just made it in time at my evening location. You never know for sure -when, where or if- the light will kick off. It’s a matter of educated guesswork, weather apps and a lot of failed attempts. I visited this spot many times before without good conditions, but when you finally get that light, patience gets rewarded and cloud 9 is the place to be.
This final image is a -9 image, stitched- panorama at 77mm, shot at 2/5s, F7.1, ISO100 , resulting in a 20438×9708 panorama.
The images that didn't make the portfolio
Coming home with 3 decent images over a 5 day -fully dedicated- photography trip is a great success. More often I don’t find them good enough. Underneath you’ll find out why following images didn’t make the portfolio.
Image number 1
It is now day four of my trip and I do not dislike this image, but what it doesn’t show you is the white egret that flew trough my composition just above the waterline. Why? You may ask. Well, The 5 second timer was still active when I pressed the shutter release, missing the moment entirely. Knowing what the image could have been makes it difficult for me to see it as good enough.
Image number 2
I’s now the last day of my photography trip. I got up early to capture the morning light over one of the best views Belgium has to offer. A great view however does not guarantee a good image. As by the time the sun got above the mountain on the left, the light illuminating the scene became too harsh and the sky turned clear blue, not delivering what the scene deserves.
Furthermore, when I look at the image, I feel confused, not knowing where to look. It could use some atmosphere in the sky or fog in the valley, guiding the viewer across the scene.
Nevertheless, watching the sun rise over the landscape, enjoying the silence and smelling the outdoors is what makes me healthy and wealthy. I’ve only been here a couple of times, so I hope one day I’ll capture this view with conditions more suitable for the scene.
Image number 3
Finding a good composition can be challenging to say the least, but for this image, miss autumn showed off her “landscaping” skills and provided a center stage for this beauty.
Although I like the composition, I’m still not sure about the (lack of) light and atmosphere. It’s one of those images that need more time to assess properly.
Final thoughts
This 5 day trip brought home 3 or 4 “worthy” images, which is more than I could wish for. Solitude, silence and an empty agenda are amongst the essentials, enabling this creative quest. Therefore, gratitude is well deserved towards my wife, holding down the fort while I’m out in the field.
Thank you for reading!
Click -> here <- to view the instagram stories created during this trip.
Note: the link only works on mobile devices with an Instagram account.