Attraction

As you can see from the variety of galleries at NPN there are many areas of nature photography that we can enjoy. But many of us tend to stay, primarily, with one area. For myself it is landscapes and I post mostly in the ESS or the M&N Galleries.

What attracts you to the area of photography that you frequent more than any other? Wether your preference is landscapes, flora, fauna, close-ups and macro, or avian, what draws you to that area of photography?

Thank you for your replies.

Will
Edmonton, Alberta
Canada

I like people. That statement pretty much runs my life. They're a perpetual source of frustration, fascination and delight. Mix in nature and their interaction with it, and I'm hopeless. When shooting folks using nature, I'm also tuned to nature. When shooting nature, I'm also tuned to the people using it. It results in a very eclectic mix of all sorts of nature subjects, but linking most of them are the people also there, whether as subjects or the lure that brought me along.

I look at everything and will comment on any forum if I like the work. I'd guess that I've commented on ES&S the most because of two reasons. The most obvious is that it's most closely in line with what I like. The other reason is that more photos are posted in that forum that any of the others.

Probably 85% of what I shoot is landscape, and a little M&N and wildlife thrown in to make up the other 15%. I don't know that I actually have a reason. Actually, it surprised me that I shoot mostly landscapes because I always thought I wanted to shoot mainly wildlife, but one day years ago I sat down and actually looked at what I shot and it was primarily landscapes. Surprised me!

Will: If I had my druthers I'druther shoot landscapes but there's not much inspiration in my part of southeast Texas. So I shoot flowers 85% of the time and butterflies and bugs most of the rest. I've come to enjoy flora for the variety of subjects and the fact that most of what I shoot is within walking distance. About the only thing I don't put much effort into is birds and wildlife because I can't justify the expense of the requisite long lenses. I don't shoot a lot of things that can talk back. >=))>

I started out shooting birds. I live in a great place to do that. I moved into macro for a while and was quite avid about it. But I haven't done much macro work in quite awhile. I have a good macro lens, but it is my least used lens. I dunno why. For the longest time, I didn't even have a wide angle lens, but eventually I started shooting landscapes.

Now my interest is mostly in landscapes, and I seem to be drifting towards cityscapes. Often I will shoot landscapes at sunrise, and then if conditions are right for birds, I'll be at the gate at Ding Darling when it opens.

I'd like to learn to do architecturals. I admire florals, but with a couple of exceptions, I just don't shoot florals.

I think in each area of photography, I feel challenged to outdo my best. When I stop improving, reach a plateau, my interest wanders into other areas. New challenges arise.

I wish I could make better bird pictures, but with birds, I may have reached my personal limit. The pictures I'm making today aren't appreciably better than they were a couple of years ago - but I do love it so.

So for me, now, its landscapes and birds, macro once in a while maybe. A couple of years from now, who knows? It evolves, doesn't it.

Will, I tend to align with Bill. By virtue of my location (Kansas) there are limited scenic grand vistas to shoot that will hold anyone's attention longer than a casual look. Because of that I started looking at more intimate landscapes and then refined that even more to begin shooting flora and its almost limitless possibilities. It's accessable, astetically pleasing and people respond to flora's inherent beauty.

I will qualify my answer though, if I weren't still working full time and had the opportunity to travel extensively I think I'd be shooting more landscapes than anything. For now, I just enjoy the magnificent work put up by all the talented photographers on ES&S and dream!

I'm a birder through and through. This last year I made about a dozen landscape images, 1/2 dozen macro images, about 100 dragonfly images, and nearly 12,000 bird images. Yup, I like dem birds.

Hank, I did a search for Kodiak to see what the place is like. Kind of reminds me of Prince Rupert with a little Hinton, Alberta mixed in. Kodiak gives me the impression of a close-knit community (a compliment) and it lies a very scenic area. I was not aware until now that Kodiak was on an island of the same name.

Bill Chambers, I do not know if I have a reason why I shoot landscapes either. Most likely because I have an inherited desire for exploring and I live within a day's travel to almost 12 of our national parks, many of them mountainous. Looking at your website you appear to be living in a very scenic area or have quick access to those areas.

Bill Fach you excell at floral photography. You may have gotten into that field because it is more accessible but looking at your work in "within walking distance" and your website you have a natural aptitude (talent) for floral photography. And the butterfly series is stunning.

Buck, you certainly capture some beautiful landscapes. The combination of the dramatic skies and water is awesome Looking at your bird images, even if you have reached the uppermost plateau in that area I hope you keep it up. They not only show the birds well composed but there is a certain mood to the image as well.

Wayne, I recognize a couple of images of yours from the Nature Photographer magazine. I remember the article. Kansas is much like Alberta with wide gently rolling hills of agricultural land. Not immediately apparent as being photogenic but I find there is a challenge in these so called "mundane" places and coming up with good images from there is as rewarding, if not more so, than getting good shots in more dramatic areas like the Rockies in Alberta.

Tom, your bird photography soars

Thanks to all.

Will
Edmonton, Alberta
Canada

I started out in photography as a way to capture the things I saw on my daily travels as a salesrep in Kansas and Missouri and show them to my wife. That approach really hasn't changed any. I will pretty much photo anything. There is a general theme to what I photo though, "life on the Northern Plains 2000 AD +/- 20 years. I love country churches, trains, abandoned farms, country vegetable stands, small towns, quirky charecters, and whatever catches my eye. Yesterday I spent the day with my 10 yr. old taking photos at the state fair. State fairs have been one of my favorite subjects over the years. I mean you have everything right there--proud horses, giant pumpkins, a Ferris Wheel, squealing pigs, the latest tractors, and pretty girls lining up to be chosen as Honey Queen. The past several years I've been taking photos at night just as easily as during the day. Life doesn't stop when the sun goes down, after all.

Four of the best state fairs are Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, and Missouri. They are always in mid to late August. If you want something different and a bit exotic, might check one out next year. They are worth the trip.

Wayne--
Kansas has plenty of beauty, you just have to look. Go look for an old stone church near Wamego/Wabaunsee for a start. The area just west of Council Grove is as pretty as anywhere, too. Especially in Spring, but Fall isn't too shabby either.


Kent in SD

I got hooked on photography at the age of ten when I made a B&W contact print. It seemed like pure alchemy! It was not until I was thirty that I was able to afford a good camera. I definitly gravitate towards landscapes although I also enjoy photographing people. I particularly enjoy streams and high key winter photographs follwed by grand vistas. I try to avoid things I have seen done before so I don't have a lot of iconic work in my portfolio
John in CO.

A well composed landscape in great light has the most aesthetic appeal to me. I was always an observer of nature - it started as a child and my plans regarding my profession were to become a ranger, a biologist, a veterinarean , something that deals with life and nature. I ended up becoming a chemist/technician, in the closer sense, a bit remote from my passions, but that fits nicely since first of all it is a "natural"-science ( ) , and it is a creative field that deals a lot with the creation of a product - and I am an analyzer/producer-kind of person. (However a secret plan B is still do study medicine, biology etc, as it simply itches to do so, but since I am on a different path since years now it is hard to put that into action)
I like being in the outdoors, breathing clean fresh air, watching outdoor-phenomena is just what I like the most.
I do like people, and I have a very good memory for faces, I remember and recognize faces very easily, but I do not have a burning passion to capture them in the form of portrait-photography. Maybe because I never did it and hence never got addicted.
Since I am most impressed by landscape-photo's - it is what I like to create as well - an impressive nature/landscape-photo. This is what keeps me going - to create "the" landscape-photo. I have not achieved it yet, nor will I ever achieve it - there is always someting to improve.

All the stated motivations also puts me into the position to appreciate and evaluate the works of others more. And that's also the reason why I am mainly posting in the ESS-gallery so far. I will eventually post and comment in the man and nature and maybe flowers. However for the time being I only look at the ESS-galleries. That's also to keep posting- and commenting-time to a restricted level.
Dietrich

Will, my passion is the Great Outdoors. I love rivers and creeks and lakes. But since I'll not likely ever get to The Grand Canyon or Colorado (did I spell the right?) or Washington or Oregon I've had to be an opportunist and I've had to learn to bloom where I'm planted, do the very best I can with what I've got to work with and not complain about the percieved greener grass elsewhere. I'll photograph whatever my land gives me be it big or small. I'll break the rules and I'll experiment. I've shot a windblown lake at 3PM on a sunny day with 3 stacked ND .9 filters and a polarizer at 30 seconds exposure just to see what would happen. A lot of what turns me on would not fly here because it would completely fail expectations but I'm having fun and our local images are popular among the locals who know the landscape and know the places I photograph. What more do I want?

Bob

It is interesting to read what drives others.

Photography is a retreat for me. I can be alone and enjoy the solitude. It is also a way to retreat into childhood, to look at things again with a fresh eye and a bit of that early life wonderment.

I decided that I would spend three years trying to capture life along Lost Creek. This is my cathedral, it gives me sustenance both literally and figuratively, and it provides whatever spiritual nourishment I am capable of absorbing. There are a thousand small scenes that play out here every day. I hope I can develop the talent to see them and then capture them in such a way as to convey the impact they have on me.

I am only in the early stages of the project I set for myself but I already know that whatever the end result, the journey will be a rewarding one for me.
Peter

I'll photograph buildings and people, but I do not find them as appealing as I find nature, my passion lies in our natural surroundings.

I am unable to limit my self to one area because as I am walking along with camera in hand nature unfolds before me, offering me wide sweeping vistas for landscapes, and up pops a small intimate view that I just have to shoot. Or if I am out looking for birds, a snake slithers into view that I just have to capture on an image. If conditions are not right for one kind of photography, they are generally right for some thing else. So I carry a few more lenses.

We live on such a diverse and amazing planet that I am passionately attempting to be as diverse as I am able in the images I capture.

I just read my earlier post. I think I am even a worse writer than I am photographer. It reads like drivel.

How about: I like seeing stuff and trying to get a picture that makes me react the way the whatever I saw made me react.

Peter, I thought your previous post was well expressed and I am easily able to identify with your approach. I especially admire the idea of a "self assignment". I've done that a couple of times and it's very rewarding. One year I self assigned myself to photograph a Maple sugar bush and syrup making operation. This year it's a 2 year project to cover Frontenac wilderness park all 4 seasons and maybe see about turning it into a book.

Cheers
Bob

About 95% of what I shoot falls into the landscape category; 4.9% (approximately ) would be described as macro/close-up. 0.1% is "everything else." I've tried--probably utterly unsuccessfully--to explain my interest in landscapes on the "profile" part of my portfolio and in a statement on my Web site...but the truth is, I'm not sure I completely understand the "whys" of it myself. It's just something I greatly enjoy.

I enjoy all the replies and thank you for taking the time to write. I will respond to each one individually as soon as I have time.

Will
Edmonton, Alberta
Canada

Richard, I missed including you in the replies the first time around. Sorry. I frequent the ESS gallery more than any other for the same reasons as you.

Kent, I would like to see more images of country churches, abandoned farms, vegetable stands, country villages nestled in valleys and landscapes that include trains in the M&N gallery. Such shots have tremendous appeal to me.

Country fairs have that special atmosphere that is enjoyable.

John, I had to wait forever to get my first good camera too, although I was content with each one I had along the way. I too seldom pass up photographing a stream if I have the chance. As for iconic scenes, like the Morraine Lake view from the rock pile, I would not hesitate to shoot my own version. Sometimes there is a shot that stands above the others waiting for the right photographer in those locations.

To be continued....

Will
Edmonton, Alberta
Canada

Dietrich, I doubt there is such a thing as the perfect landscape photo but we keep trying to accomplish that anyway. When we keep setting the bar higher we get better each time.

Bob, I am attracted to water elements, like rivers and lakes, as well. Actually to the point where I had to "challenge" myself to shoot landscapes without any water in it at all. Still, I will go right ahead and include all the water in the scene I want.

I like your attitude that you do not need to travel far to the more "known" places like the Grand Canyon. I think it is the make of a good landscape photographer to create great work in "unknown" places. And if you can get good shots from ordinary places, although I find ordinary places often as beautiful as the iconic locations, think what you could do if you ever find yourself facing an icon.

Peter, all the best with your Lost Creek project. I think giving ourselves a project or assignment like that is an excellent idea. There is a marsh near our home and over the last few years the changes in to that marsh have been profound.

Lia, it is a good idea to be ready to capture on image what catches your eyes. I too like to be alert for those spontaneous shots. Even when I have something specific in mind I will pause for those unexpected scenes, unless time is limited and the light is fleeting. Sometimes it pays to stay focused on one shot. Sometimes it causes a missed opportunity.

Kerry, probably few can explain clearly why they enjoy their area of nature photography. In fact I have a hard time answering my own question

Thanks again to all.

Will
Edmonton, Alberta
Canada