Do You Like Landscape Photography and if so Color or B&W

[Early Riser]

I like landscape, preferably B&W.

[David Henderson]

I like antiques and I like modern painting. By which I mean that amongst a mass of uninteresting and downright unpleasant material there is a small proportion of items that I enjoy greatly. It's the same with landscape photography. Most examples have little or a sharply transient appeal, but sometimes I see photographs that excite and inspire me. They can be in colour or b&w, but either way they are likely to be an imaginative and individual way of treating a subject rather than a piece of national park in nice light. They are as likely to be an urban scene as a wilderness.

I'm finding it increasingly difficult to become enthused by simply capturing an attractive place in good light- whether I've done it or its someone else's work. The application of imagination and/or some element of personal style is now much more important to me than the accurate, natural rendition of a scene as it appears to the eye.

[bjorke]

df, I liked your shot and the fact that it was neither stock golden-hour beach nor a post-Adams brutalised landscape but something at once contemporary in feel and beautiful.

Originally Posted by Arnold Shoenberg

there is a great deal more to be said in the key of C major.

[bjorke]

As to the original question I'd say B&W because I dislike dealing with labs. My current project is making me rethink that (and unlike most of my recent-years color work, I don't want to do it in digital).

[roteague]

I've avoided answer this question, because in my case the answer would be quite obvious, and because I wanted to provide more depth in my reasons.

Yes, I like landscapes, and I only do them in color. I see nothing wrong or limiting in B&W, but B&W fails to meet my vision. When I walk around during the day, I constantly amazed at the vibrant color I see around me, simple things like the color of the sky, the water, even cars and buildings.

Color is part of our natural world. It impacts even how we feel about ourselves and the world around us, and can impart a sense of "moment". When I am out photographing, this sense of "moment" is what I am striving to capture. For example, in the following image:



In this image, the moment includes the movement of the wave as it crashes on the shore, it includes the hightlight of the sun on the plants in the foreground, it includes the reflection of the sun on the sand. This is a moment that has happened, and will never happen again.

I know a lot of people, including some here, want to dismiss the idea of color landscapes as simply "trite" or "colorful calendar" art, but to do so, IMO, shows a lack of awareness of what can be seen in the natural world. Some people see their photography as a means of expressing the "art" within them, but I see my photography as a means of expressing the glory of the world that we live in. We live in an ugly world, my images are my attempt to bring about a sense of beauty.

[Dinesh]

Great image, and an even better explanation of your choice.

[bjorke]

Originally Posted by roteague

We live in an ugly world, my images are my attempt to bring about a sense of beauty.

And that's certainly a pretty pic and illustrative of your desire for a 'moment' (exactly what I thought about even before reading your description).

Given that we do live in a world that contains so many postcards and calendars, are there ways to excercise your sense of beauty beyond the obvious sources (I've spent plenty of time on the windward beaches too -- and know well that they are beutiful without having to do much extra work)? I think your desire for a 'moment' is a step in that direction

[jimcollum]

I'll go either way, depending on the scene and the impact. when shooting film, i'd ususally carry both color and b/w holders.




or



either could have worked with the other's film.. i felt the most impact emotionally with the way there were captured.

[roteague]

Love that top image, Jim. I can feel the cold all the way over here in Hawaii.

[roteague]

Originally Posted by bjorke

And that's certainly a pretty pic and illustrative of your desire for a 'moment' (exactly what I thought about even before reading your description).

Thanks bjorke. Moment is what made HCB the renowned photographer he was.