When I say Cambodia, what comes to mind? Angkor Wat? Monks? While we will be feature photos of that nature in this post, there is more to the country to be explored. The coast, the people the quiet moments of religion.

Follow along with these DPS readers who submitted their images for another view of Cambodia. Maybe you’ve seen all this before, maybe you will find something new. The readers have also graciously offered tips if you are planning a trip to Cambodia to capture your own magic.

This is the seventh country we are covering in the reader fueled DPS Travel Photography Inspiration Project.

If you would like to be involved in the next country’s post, drop me a line here.

Girl on a boat in the stilt village of Kompong Klong by Kirsty Larmour

Tip: Always have your camera ready to snap – 2 seconds later and we were past her, and on the way back she’d disappeared.

Monk at Siem Reap by Danielle L Goldstein

The saffron cloaked monks are ubiquitous at the temples….less so in the town of Siem Reap….even less so carrying an umbrella! This was a lucky shot.

 Worshippers, Angkor Wat by Sarah Ball

Description: The devout give offerings and prayer to a Buddha at Angkor Wat.

Tip: Only a small part of the photo is properly exposed, but the darkness enhances to the mystery of the scene. A touch of Fill Light in Lightroom brings in a little detail on the worshippers's faces without adding noise.

On the Tonle Sap river, near Battambang, 2003 by Alexandre Ayer

The Tonle Sap lake is the heart of Cambodia’s biodiversity. During the monsoon, the Tonle Sap river reverses it’s flow and the lake increases tenfold, creating South East Asia’s largest floodplain.

The trip from Siem Reap (where Angkor is) to Battambang can be done by boat. It is slow but beautiful. There are many floating villages and daily life on the river can be very photogenic.

Father and Son Fishing by Kelly Irving

Another telephoto photo from a photographer who prefers not to use one. But in this instance it allowed me to stay on the beach and  achieve a selective depth of field, blurring the boat so the figures stand out against it. Taken on Rabbit Island, my favourite island paradise in Cambodia.

The Killing Fields by Vicki Stewart

The Killing Fields of Cheung Ek near Phnom Penh is where 17,000 civilians were killed and buried in mass graves, and is a chilling reminder of the brutalities of the genocidal Khmer Rouge regime (not advisable for the faint hearted). This photo is from the 17 story glass memorial in the middle of the Killing Fields area which houses 8000 skulls exhumed from mass graves, and was taken at a low angle to emphasize the seemingly never-ending layer of skulls.

Untitled by Jon Sanwell 

These two monks were sitting in the doorway to a stilt house, while I was at ground level below them.  I wanted to get the whole of the doorway in the frame, so I used a wide angle.  I usually try to be at eye level with people when I take their picture, but in this case, I quite like the way they are peering down at the viewer.

Petrol Station by Kirsty Larmour

Tip: You see so much life happening right by the roadside. Take photos of the every day stuff that’s so different from what you see back home.

Peaceful Afternoon, Sihanoukville by Sarah Ball

Description: A fishing boat is moored on Otres Beach, Sihanoukville.Tip: With travel photography you often have to capture a moment by nailing the shot in one or two frames. Take advantage of the quiet moments when you can take time to align and compose a little more thoughtfully.

Sanctuary, Angkor Wat, 2003 by Alexandre Ayer

The ancient city of Angkor offers countless photo opportunities. It’s most famous temple is Angkor Wat. Try to avoid the postcard shot and look for something a little different. In this case, a touch of color, symmetry, and patience (I had to wait almost 15 minutes for the frame to be empty of people and the monk to pass by).

Faces by Kelly Irving

One of my techniques for street photography is to obviously be taking a photo of something, in this case the torn faces on the wall, and wait for someone to walk into the frame. Later, while cataloging my images, I noticed the word ‘sex’ scrawled on the wall, which just added to the oddness of the image. Phnom Penh is a city of textures with lots of decay, contrasting with the modern building boom.

Cigarette lady, Phnom Penh by Jon Sanwell

I often use a 50mm lens for taking people pictures in cities.  You can get close to the subject and hopefully create some intimacy, and still include plenty of background to show some context.

Kids exploring around Angkor Wat/Bayon by Kirsty Larmour

Tip: Make sure you remember to capture your own family exploring the country too – you don’t always have to take the posed typical tourist photos to show that they were enjoying themselves and taking it all in.

At Dawn, Angkor Wat by Sarah Ball 

Description: A pony grazes at Angkor Wat while visitors watch the sun rise over the temple.

Tip: Be careful around animals when you're traveling, many societies don't touch animals with affection so your approach will often be seen as hostile.

Stairway to Nirvana, Angkor Wat, 2003 by Alexandre Ayer

The steep stairway that leads to the heart of the Angkor Wat temple (the sanctuary) is extremely steep, in order to symbolize the difficulty of accessing Nirvana (Buddhist heaven). Getting up is easy, but be careful on the way down !

Bokor Boys by Kelly Irving

Bokor Hill Station is an old French resort sitting on a high plateau in southern Cambodia. At New Years they opened the new road, still under construction, so that Cambodians could drive up for a holiday picnic. I framed the room and waited. The lads walked directly towards me, the one fellow tugging on his friend’s sleeve to alert him to my presence. I desaturated the colour to emphasize the other-worldliness of the scene.

Krama Wisdom by Vicki Stewart

A “krama” is the checkered scarf which distinctly separates the Khmer (Cambodians) from their SE Asian neighbours, and can make for some very colourful photographs. This photo was taken in Kampong Thom, a small village between Siem Reap and Phnom Pehn. Respectfully taken using a wide aperture at a distance (with her permission), you can’t help wondering what Cambodians of her generation have lived through.

Untitled by Jon Sanwell

I got down low to take this picture, as I wanted to get the tower lined up behind the statue.  This was taken near Kompong Cham, on the Mekong river.  If you have the time, I recommend getting away from Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, and seeing some more of the country; Kompong Cham and Kratie in the east and Battambang in the west are all well worth a visit.

Carvings at the Terrace of the Leper King by Kirsty Larmour

Tip: Change your angle of view, maybe take from the corner instead of straight on, but watch the light to see that it’s reasonably even on both sides to avoid blowing one side out.

Afternoon Light, Siem Reap

Description: I'm always struck by how different the light looks when traveling from place to place, and the first thing I noticed arriving in Siem Reap was the ethereal quality of the afternoon light.

Tip: Even though the subject isn't that exciting, I love this photo because it tells you about the place with light, color, and texture. When you look back at your photos years later, it's shots like these that will bring you back to the time and place you shot it.

Thoughtful by Kelly Irving

One of my favourite portraits. The morning light was excellent, highlighting the monkey’s eyes. He was still, so the detail in his fur is amazing. It’s best to use a telephoto for photographing monkeys; if you get too close they’ll be all over you, trying to snatch whatever they can.

Monk(ey)ing Around by Vicki Stewart

Most young men in Cambodia, especially if they are from the countryside, are expected to study the teachings of Buddha as novice monks. They are conspicuous in their orange robes throughout the temples of Angkor, and are generally happy to smile for a photo and to talk with you, depending on what vows they have taken. Here, I gave a friendly wave from a distance and was given permission with a smile to take a photo – the two monks on either side were sharing a joke and oblivious to me.

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A whole niche seems to have appeared in digi compacts: Sony has one, as has Canon, Panasonic and others. I speak of compacts with a 20x zoom. These are indeed remarkably powerful beasts and word of mouth has it that they fill a long felt need out there in the marketplace.

In the case of this camera from Fujifilm it appears the game has gone a bit further: not only does the camera offer Program AE, shutter or aperture priority and manual exposure modes but, I think I’m right in saying, it is the only 2x camera that offers file saving in RAW as well as JPEG. Plus Full HD 1920×1080 video capture and a whole array of panoramic modes, from 1624×3840 to 1624×11,520 pixels.

The camera is pleasingly shaped with an array of curves and useful finger grips. Controls are clearly picked out in white against an overall matte black body and mostly grouped at right on top and at the rear of the body; a nice touch is the mode dial’s angling towards the operator. Even better is the positive feel this dial has; some camera’s mode dials tend to slip off the setting after some use but not this one.

The 16 megapixel EXR CMOS captures a maximum image size of 4608×3456 pixels, leading to a print size of 39x29cm.

There are some nice extras: using the mode dial’s EXR setting you can optimise settings like:

EXR Auto: the camera auto selects the scene and EXR mode. And: resolution priority, high ISO range and low noise, D-range priority.

An Fn button on the camera’s top surface and an F button at the rear take you quickly into options such as ISO, image size and quality, etc.

GPS is built in: the Route Log feature makes an on screen map showing your travels, while Photo Navigation shows distance to and distance from a previous location. Recording and editing of favourite places is accessed in the My Landmark function; Landmark Navigator indicates nearby landmarks and the distance you are away from them.

Continuous shooting is exceptionally well provided for: in one mode you can shoot 40 frames with only the last few frames being actually recorded as you withdraw your finger from the shutter button; a total of 16 frames can be shot at speeds up to 11fps if you’re happy with the 3264×2448 pixel size.

Movies

In movie shooting, focus, exposure and white balance are continually adjusted. You can also select two focus actions: one where the camera focuses on the subject in centre frame; in the other focus at the near centre of frame is continually adjusted.

Stills while you shoot movies? You can choose to interrupt the movie while the still shot is taken or you can opt not to interrupt the movie while catching a still.

I found the stabiliser worked well both while walking and when handholding.

Distortion

Neither the wide or tele ends of the zoom appeared to show any distortion.

Startup

The camera is ready to go about two seconds after startup; follow on shots are nearly as fast as your finger hits the button.

Fujifilm F770EXR ISO Tests

By ISO 3200 the noise was very visible. At ISO 12800 it was so bad it was even visible on the camera’s 7.6cm LCD screen! Don’t go there!

Fujifilm F770EXR Verdict

Quality: about average.

Why you’d buy the F770EXR: you want 20x shooting; you want to shoot movies and stills concurrently; you want RAW capture.

Why you wouldn’t: cannot think of a good reason not to buy it!

IMHO this is the best 20x zoom camera on the market. Bar none!

Fujifilm F770EXR Specifications

Image Sensor: 16 million effective pixels.
Lens: Fujinon f3.5-5.3/4.6-92 mm (25-500mm as 35 SLR equivalent).
Effective Sensor Size: 12.7 mm EXR CMOS.
Metering: multi, spot, average.
Exposure Modes: Auto, Program AE, shutter and aperture priority, manual.
Shutter Speed: 8-1/2000 second.
Continuous Shooting: 3-200 fps.
Memory: SD/SDHC/SDXC cards plus 30MB internal memory.
Image Sizes (pixels): Stills: 4608×3456 to 1920×1080.
Movies: 1920x1080p, 1280x720p, 640×480, 320×240, 320×112.
Viewfinder: 7.6cm LCD screen (460,000 pixels).
File Formats: RAW, JPEG, RAW+JPEG, MPEG4, MPO 3D.
ISO Sensitivity: Auto, 100 to 6400.
Interface: USB 2.0, AV, HDMI mini.
Power: Rechargeable lithium ion battery, DC input.
Dimensions: 105.1×63.3×36 WHDmm.
Weight: 234 g (inc battery and card).
Price: Get a price on the Fujifilm F770EXR at Amazon.

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Introduction

This tutorial has been transcribed from the SLR Lounge Lightroom 4 Workshop on DVD, a 14 hour Lightroom 4 A – Z guide with over 130 tutorials for mastering Lightroom from start to finish. The Digital download can be purchased from SLR Lounge while the physical copy is available through Amazon Prime.

Overview

In Part I of the Portrait Retouch on a Male Subject Series, we went over basic color correction on our image. I produced the image with a darker, more dramatic stylized look. However, grading and color stylization is all subjective. Retouch on the other hand is a bit less subjective. There are definite do’s and don’t when it comes to retouch. In this article, we will take our color graded portrait and use strictly Lightroom 4 to do some more advanced portrait retouching.

As we mentioned in the last article, Lightroom can be a very efficient tool when retouching portraits.  Lightroom does not have all of the tools and capabilities as  Photoshop. However, we find that for most of our retouching needs it is quite sufficient. We also save time by editing directly from Lightroom and not having to take each image into Photoshop. So in this Part II of our three-part series we will show you how to remove blemishes as well as apply a skin softening mask right within Lightroom.

Using the Spot Removal Tool to Remove Blemishes

We use the Spot Removal Tool to remove various small objects such as dust or unattractive details from our images. However, we can also use it effectively to remove blemishes. This subject does not have many blemishes, however, he does have quite of few freckles. Now of course we do not want to remove all of the freckles because these are distinguishing marks individual to him. We have a general rule when it comes to removing blemishes vs actual facial details. When it comes to removing blemishes, you can remove them all without a care. However we want to be very cautious when it comes to things like freckles, beauty marks, or other identifying facial traits. Removing such items will actually make the person cease to look like themselves. For this image, we will however remove a few freckles in order to present a bit of a cleaner look. Mainly we are looking to remove freckles that are distracting, and not identifying features.

We do this by selecting our Spot Removal Tool by hitting “Q” on the keyboard or by selecting it on the Adjustment Tool Bar above the Basic Panel. We will then zoom in to 100% on our image by simply clicking on it. To use the spot removal tool, adjust your brush size to the smallest possible brush that will completely cover what you are trying to remove. The second circle, which is the sampling area, will appear and Lightroom will try and guess an area of the image that matches what you are attempting to remove. If Lightroom does not correctly place the sampling area, select an area of the image that most resembles the area you are trying to clone or replace.

Use your judgement on what you would like to remove. Of course blemishes such as acne is something we will always remove. If a client or model has a strong facial trait that is being somewhat distracting, a tip would be to diminish but not to remove it. To diminish, simply bring down the opacity on the Spot Removal Tool so that it only has a softening effect. The Opacity slider controls transparency of the brush and is located in the drop down panel of the Spot Removal Tool.

Here is our image after cleaning up some of the freckles. Notice how left the few freckles right on his cheek and a couple above his eye brows because those are strong identifying freckles.

Using Adjustment Brushes to Soften Skin

Next we will will apply a subtle skin-softening mask. With portraits of men we always keep this effect pretty understated. This is because men do not usually want to look like they have baby soft skin, so we like to keep a little bit of ruggedness to their portraits. To create and apply our mask we will select the Adjustment Brush Tool by hitting “K” on the keyboard or selecting it from the Adjustment Tool Bar above the Basic Panel. You can reset the current brush settings by holding down “alt” on a PC and ”opt” on a Mac and clicking the word “Reset” on the upper left corner of the Adjustment Brush drop down panel.

Then we bring down our clarity and sharpening settings. Reducing the sharpening and clarity has a softening effect similar to Gaussian blur in Photoshop. Once again, we keep this effect very minimalistic for men. For now we will start with -15 for the Clarity and -15 for Sharpness. We can always come back and adjust these settings after applying the mask.

Now we will adjust our brush size to a large brush and paint all of the skin showing in the image. You can show your mask overlay by hitting “O” on your keyboard. This will show what you have painted on your image in red.

Once you have completely covered the area that you would like to soften, we will go back in and refine the mask. We can do this by holding “alt” on a PC and “opt” on a Mac while you have the brush over the image. By holding down “alt”, your brush will remove the mask you had applied. We are going to refine the edges, as well as remove the softening effect from his lips, eyes, and eye brows. Always make sure to completely remove the softening mask from these areas. If it is not fully removed there can be quite a strange effect to your portrait.

You will notice we are not being extremely careful when removing this mask. This is because the mask is so subtle that there is no need to spend the extra time making sure it is perfect. However, if your softening settings are very powerful, you do want to make sure you spend the time making a perfect mask. Once you have your mask where you would like, you can remove the overlay but hitting “O” again. Now we have a finished retouched portrait. Hit “” to see your before/after versions.

The SLR Lounge Lightroom 4 DVD Guide

Stay tuned for Part 3 of the Advanced Portrait Retouch Series where we will go over how to enhance and brighten a subjects eyes, as well as enhance detail and contrast in hair and other parts of the image! If you enjoyed this tutorial then we know you will love the SLR Lounge Lightroom 4 Workshop on DVD featuring 130 tutorials and nearly 14 hours of training covering Lightroom 4 from A – Z, nearly half of which is devoted strictly to image processing techniques.

eDVD Digital Download available at SLR Lounge

Physical DVD available for purchase at Amazon Prime

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A Guest Post by Piper Mackay from www.pipermackayphotography.com.

1. Do your Research

Taking an international trip to an exotic location, especially if you are going solo, can be a large investment. Whether you choose to go solo or join a group you need to take proper time to do your research. There are many area’s that I have researched for well over a year prior to committing to the expedition. What is the best time to come, are there events or festivals at certain times of the year, is it the rainy/dry season, how does that effect the roads and the environment that you are shooting in, how far are the accommodations from the subject you are photographing? Take the proper time to ask all the important questions and learn all the details to maximize your photographic opportunities.

2. Find the Right Guide

YOUR GUID WILL MAKE OR BREAK YOUR TRIP This is critical so either team up with someone who has been there or do your research.

Search for guides on google, in travel and photography forums, and through sites like flicker. Try to get to know your guide by email first. Once in the country meet for tea or coffee and test their knowledge and experience. Have they worked with photographers before? How flexible are they and can they take you to where you want to go and get you there on time? Do you feel safe with this person, can you trust them with your life? Take time to negotiate a price with them, in most cultures this is part of the relationship building process.

3. Know your Outcome

Just going to enjoy taking photographs would be the most fun but if you are doing this professionally then you need to manage your expectations by knowing in advance what your expected outcome is. Are you taking stock travel shots, editorial, fine art, or all three? Create a shot list in advance so that you can check from time to time to make you are covering everything. Include the simple basics such as Vertical, horizontal, cover, wide angle…. this is to help you, not hinder you. When you get to an exotic location the excitement and the adrenalin is rush you don’t want to come and home and say – why didn’t I shoot more verticals, cover shots, opening shoots, food, etc.

4. Get Organised

Don’t spend all your time frantically searching for stuff and miss out on photo opps. Organize your photo bag so everything has a place/pocket and always put it back in the same place. However that does not always happen so decided on ONE convenient go to place in your photo bag, side duffle pouch, a separate bag, an area that can be with you everyday and when you are in too much of a hurry throw it in there but then put it back where it goes before heading off for sleep. Items that are not in your photo bag, categorize and put in separate bags. I have different color bags; one holds chargers, one holds audio, one holds cell and internet accessories… I think you get the picture…. I always know were everything is right when I need it.

5. Back Up

Have a back up workflow and stick to it. Download in the evening, lunch, twice a day, whatever works best for you, but do it consistently the same way/time everyday. Make a minimum of two copies and three if possible. Keep one copy on you and one copy in a separate bag or with your guide, just like off site storage. When flying keep one copy on you and one under the belly. If something were to happen and a bag is stolen then you would have another copy somewhere else. Bring back up batteries, camera body, card reader and the likes. *Bring a power bar with the electrical outlet of the country or buy one right when you arrive.

6. Slow Down

When you arrive in the big city, if possible, drive to your remote location and use the time to slow down, decompress from modern life, let go of your preconceived idea’s, and get into the rhythm of the culture and place. Plan to arrive at midday when the light is harsh, leave the camera in the car and just wonder about getting a sense of place. If you are photographing people take the time to meet them, have tea, show interest in them and their lifestyle.

7. Participate

You will create more compelling images when you experience what you are photographing. If you are going to an event or festival put down the camera, participate, experience the moment and then photograph the experience. If you are photographing indigenous cultures, sit and have a meal with them, immerse yourself into their lives and culture and your images will be more powerful because of the connection you have with your subject.

8. Work the Light

Use different light sources to create an extraordinary photograph of an extraordinary subject or place. Use reflectors to bounce golden light or diffusers to soften shadows. Use fill flash or even better take that flash off camera. Try underexposing the background and using off camera flash with jells to light your subject for a very dramatic image. Paint with light, even in a remote location. Photographers tend to want to pack light and leave these type accessory items behind, but these are exactly the items that can add drama to your images and make your travel images stand out from the crowd.

9. Look

Don’t forget to look behind you as that maybe where the best shot is. When photographing people I have deliberately set up shots against the light anticipating the behavior that may occur behind me and then turned around and grabbed a great natural moment. Lie on the ground and shoot up, climb a tree and shoot down, change your perspective and change the outcome.

10. Remember

Remember more than a photograph is the experience. A great photo does not have to be new, it has to be you; your vision and your experience.

Piper Mackay is a professional travel and wildlife photographer whose work is heavily based in Eastern Africa. She is currently leading both wildlife and cultural safaris in Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and Ethiopia. Her work is represented by Getty images and she is and instructor for the Travel and Editorial track at Calumet. View her work at www.pipermackayphotography.com.

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Photographer Thomas David recently published a beautiful series of images on Flickr by the title of Dust and Dance where he shot a dancer in action – with the action enhanced with Dust spraying off her. Here’s an example (used with permission).

He also created this short behind the scenes video that shows how it was done.

Check out the full series of Thomas’s shots on his Flickr account here including the setup for his shoot here.

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A Guest Post by Todd Sisson from www.sisson.co.nz.

As a landscape photographer I am constantly seeking that next X-factor shot – an image that leaps from the screen or page and demands the viewer’s attention – preferably attention of the favourable variety.

If you spend an hour or two on a photosharing site like Flickr viewing landscape images in un- curated groups you will note that a very small percentage of the total image population stands out from the crowd.

However, if you view a carefully curated collection of top-shelf landscape images you will probably start to notice some themes appearing. Certain visual cues and devices appear across multiple images – there will often be subtle commonalities between these attention hogging photos.

In many instances these images will possess the qualities of what I consider a dynamic landscape image.

What is a Dynamic Landscape Image?

Summer Storm, Queenstown New Zealand. An example of a dynamic landscape image. To maximise the number of dynamic elements in this image I locked this composition off in the field and shot multiple images. The best of about five wave-action frames were then blended together to form the final image.

There is no dictionary entry that defines a Dynamic Landscape Image* – heck, there’s not even a Wikipedia entry – so it is a somewhat personal interpretation.

To my mind, a dynamic landscape image is one that in some way conveys the energy and scale of the natural world. Dynamic images also often seek to breach the confines of their 2D medium by inferring a sense of depth – many truly dynamic image have an almost 3D quality about them.

*As far as I am aware, the term Dynamic Landscape was first popularised by the late Galen Rowell – one of the most influential American landscape photographers of his generation. Rowell used the term to demarcate his work from the somewhat literal colour landscape photography that dominated the early 1970′s. Although he was certainly not the only photographer employing these principles in his work, he appears to have been an excellent self-promoter and the term is somewhat synonymous with his name.

Dynamic Composition

Composition is the backbone of all great photos – dynamic or otherwise – but it is essential in the creation of a truly strong landscape image.

I feel that the goal of a successful composition is to draw the eye into image and hold it there for as long as possible – which is seemingly, a maximum 15 milliseconds these days*. The following image is an example of an image that I feel achieves this objective.

Sunrise Over The Moeraki Boulders, Otago New Zealand. Seascapes lend themselves to the creation of dynamic landscape images.

This image combines all of the elements that I feel comprise a Dynamic Landscape Image:

• Leading or converging lines
• Interesting perspective
• Visually interesting foreground elements
• Visually interesting mid-ground background elements
• Vivid colour or incredible light
• Vision-locking tonal control
• Suggestion of movement

It is important to note that not all dynamic landscape images possess all of these factors. In fact, it is depressingly rare to have it all come together in one moment. It must also be stated that what follows is not a recipe for creating great images. Photography can only be practised as an art when personal interpretation is injected into the process – only use this information as a guideline for evolving your own images.

So let’s have a very quick look at each of these Dynamic Landscape factors.

Leading Lines Converging Lines

One of the simplest ways to draw a viewer’s attention into an image is to use converging or leading lines. Converging lines have been used by painters for centuries to create the illusion of depth within a 2 dimensional medium.

This is why photos of wharves, roads, and rivers make such successful photographic subjects. Although many consider such subjects to be cliches, I strongly council my workshop students to shoot them heavily to build an awareness of the power of a line in an image.

Leading lines not only draw attention into the image, they can also help to hold the eye within the confines of the image.

Check out the crudely overlaid wharf image below combines the strong converging lines of the wharf with secondary supporting lines in the water, hills and clouds.

Look for these lines whenever you are shooting – they are almost everywhere.

The Wharf at Frankton, Queenstown New Zealand. Shoot ‘cliched’ subjects like wharves and roads until it hurts a little. The pain is just your visual muscles growing stronger. Shooting man-made lines will teach you to look for more subtle lines in nature.

Although the wharf is the primary leading line device in this image there are a number of leading lines present in the water, hills and clouds. The darker reflected lines in the water help hold the eye in the central region of the frame.

Interesting Perspective

As a photographer you are an artist not a forensic documentarian. You get paid the mega-bucks and live the champagne lifestyle to show your audience something a little different – that is your raison d’être.

Hence I rarely find myself shooting at my natural standing position. For some reason, compositions seem to get more dynamic the closer you are to the ground/mud/ snow/ice-encrusted cow turd – it’s just the way it is.

This is especially apparent when using an ultra-wide lens. Subject matter becomes incredibly diminutive and interesting leading lines really lose their visual power when viewed from 5 or 6 feet high – so try getting uncomfortably close and low.

Aim high also. Look for ways to gain elevation to find that privileged viewpoint – I find that this often works really well when shooting telephoto lengths for some reason. Try scrambling up banks, standing on cars and sitting on your wife’s/husband’s shoulders (sans tripod) in an effort to find an interesting perspective.

Paddock Bay, Lake Wanaka New Zealand. Getting uncomfortably low in this instance dramatically altered the perceived form of the rock on the lower right of the frame. B y moving about I was able to create the satisfying impression of the rock ‘interlocking’ with the reflection. Note the strong leading line formed here also.

Foreground Elements

I believe that a dynamic image almost always possesses a strong foreground element, or elements, that complement the greater scene.

Take a sunset/sunrise for example. Sure, spectacular light makes for great images, but personally photos that contain nothing but vast expanses of super-saucy red clouds do little to engage me as a viewer.

The best dynamic images typically have a strong point of interest in the lower half, or foreground. This is your visual entree into an image. If your foreground element happens to include leading lines you are quite possibly onto the much vaunted money-shot.

Lupin(e)s, Fiordland New Zealand. Yeah, this is cheating – foreground elements don’t come much easier than this. That aside, keen observers will note the subtle converging lines formed out of the lupin pattern. This was accentuated by deliberately placing a bloom in each corner and leaving a little empty space at the bottom of the frame. Sunstars make an exceptional background element (segues niftily to my next point)

Visually interesting Background Elements

I often compose back to front. Firstly I will find the subject of my image, say a spectacular sunset playing out on mountains, and then I will run around like a deranged prison escapee in search of a foreground element to complement the background.

It is very much a balancing act – defining who or what element gets to play the lead role in your composition. Ideally the background is where the eye should gravitate to and the foreground should pick up a gong for best supporting actor.

Milford Sound, Fiordland New Zealand. The star of this image is the dramatic light playing out in the clouds over the eye- catching form of Mitre Peak – the foreground mid ground elements are critical supporting parts of the whole composition but don’t hog the lime-light.

Unusually, I didn’t scramble to find a foreground element for this image – I staggered. Four minutes earlier I had been happily sleeping in the back of my truck – my alarm went off and I saw this – panic ensued….

Vivid Colour or Incredible Light

By now it should be obvious that I have some un-checked colour-dependancy issues. I love colour*, especially natural light shows. However, I feel that vivid colour needs to be kept in balance and be a part of the overall composition. Too often I see images that rely solely upon dollops of super- saturated colour.

For a dynamic landscape image to work, balance must prevail. Hence I attempt to avoid filling the frame with too much colour (yes, there is such a thing – see below).

*I am even partial to the American version – colour.

Sunrise from Mt Taranaki / Egmont, New Zealand. In this image the main act was the rapidly dissipating beams of sunrise goodness and the rich colour in the clouds. Lens choice and composition mean that the sunrise colour is just one component of the image. I often like to keep dark forms in my images (anathema to the HDR readers amongst you) as a counterpoint to the extreme lightness of a sunset/sunrise. I find the dark hills here quite mysterious in contrast to the sunstar and clouds.

Too much colour. This was one of the most intense sunrises that I have ever witnessed. I should have just sat and enjoyed it – this is just too much colour for my tastes – it looks un-realistic. This shot has actually been partially de-saturated in an effort to tame the colour.

Vision-locking Tonal Control

I am tempted to trademark this term – it sounds like a mind-control experiment deployed by shady branches of the US intelligence community.

Basically all I am referring to is the phenomenon of vignetting.

The eye is drawn towards lightness within an image, particularly near the centre of frame. Furthermore, the eye is restrained by darkness at the edges of the frame.

When employed deftly, the viewer’s eye is gently drawn into the image by lightness and held there by the darker edges of the image.

Look at all of the images above and you will see this technique in use. Often this happens in- camera just by virtue of the composition and through use of ND grad filters. However, I will often darken the top edge of an image in post and even add a subtle vignette as the last thing I do. Weird Cloud formation Road to Nowhere. Alexandra New Zealand. In order to achieve vision-lock here I painted in a brighter layer near the central portion of the image. A little vignetting was added to further enhance the effect.

Suggested Motion

Suggested motion, by way of blur or frozen motion is not always an achievable, or desirable, element to utilise within an image – but it can add another layer of dynamism to a composition.

Don’t just get locked into shooting long exposures either – frozen, or partially-frozen motion can convey movement just as well as a long exposure in some circumstances (see the first image, Summer Storm, for an example of this).

Moeraki Boulder, Otago New Zealand. Long Exposure motion blur creates a dynamic tension between the static boulder and the relentless sea. Note the other dynamic ingredients added to this image – interesting perspective, use of colour, vision-lock, foreground/background interest.

Can Dynamic Landscape Images be BW?

Absolutely. There are many thousands of truly incredible BW dynamic landscape images. No style renders texture and contrast better than BW – at it’s best it is magnificent.

In order to compensate for their ‘lost’ colour Black Whiters will often apply industrial grade quantities of Vision Locking Tonal Control (that’s why vignette sliders to go -100) and rely heavily upon strong graphical elements such as leading lines (you will find a lot of BW photos of wharves and sewerage pipes heading out to sea).

I would show you an example of this, but I am mono-challenged. If you want to see BW Dynamic landscapes at their best check out the work of Mitch Dobrowner Hengki Koentjoro.

So Are All Good Landscape Images ‘Dynamic’?

Not at all. Stunning images can be made by avoiding almost all of the techniques that I have just espoused in this essay. Dynamic Landscape composition is just one style of landscape photography.

In fact, many of my favourite images by others are beautifully composed static, flat compositions. These ‘static’ images respectfully comply with the two dimensional constraints of the photographic medium and rely upon a separate set of visual devices in order to ‘succeed’.

If they will have me back here at DPS, these static landscapes will be the topic of my next blog post.

Todd Sarah Sisson are full-time landscape photographers based in Central Otago New Zealand.

Their work can be found as fine art prints canvas prints at www.sisson.co.nz Todd also offers private and group photographic tuition. They can be found on facebook, Google Plus and twitter.

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