Digital photography has forever changed the photography
landscape. Has it changed the way we look at landscape
photography?
In my gallery and on my website, I sell a photograph of a
kangaroo on a beach. I am not the only nature photographer
in Australia to have captured such a subject, so it is not
a unique occurrence; but it is unusual. As such, many
people have never seen such a thing with their own eyes.
Ten years ago, when film was standard, people would often
ask "Where were you lucky enough to find a kangaroo on a
beach?" Fair question.
Today, someone asked me "Did you superimpose that kangaroo
on your computer?" Some people don't ask; they just assume
the photo is a fake. Some even want to argue with me even
after I have told them where, when and how the photo was
taken. People like to transfer their own limitations onto
others. So, if they could not have taken that picture, they
assume that nobody could. Therefore (in their eyes) it must
be fake.
For a nature photographer, the assumption that your nature
photo has been manufactured is the same thing as being
accused of fraud.
The kangaroo on the beach is the most commented-on image in
my collection, but it is by no means the only photo that
invites doubt. These days it seems that any nature photo,
if unique and perfectly captured (and isn't that what we
are all striving for?) is automatically an object of
suspicion.
We have entered an era when technology has become so
advanced, people have begun to doubt their own eyes when it
comes to photography. It is true, some amazing things can
be done with software, and many photographers find
'photoshopping' an image more interesting than taking the
photo in the first place. This is a perfectly legitimate
pursuit and one that is simply a fact of life in the modern
world.
However, problems arise when people start to forget that
good photography, and in particular good nature
photography, existed long before the digital age. The
skills of nature photography are as they have always been.
An ability to read the light, to recognise and capture a
spectacular sky, to simply know the time of day and the
perfect weather to shoot your subject: these are the stock
in trade of the nature photographer. Next comes knowledge
of the camera and photography theory, along with a
practiced sense of balance and composition.
If you get these right (and there are still plenty of
photographers out there who can), you simply don't need to
rely on your computer to create a good image. In fact for
most nature photographers, the whole point of the pursuit
is the joy of capturing a perfect moment using only
patience, skill and timing.
Technology is amazing. It is possible to take a sunset sky
from one photo, superimpose it on a foreground from another
photo, add a few birds in the sky for good measure. In the
case of my photo, perhaps you could add a kangaroo into
your beach photo. The point is, why would you, when there
is so much satisfaction in finding that beach, and being
there to capture the moment for real.
The truly wonderful thing about nature photography is that
it can remind us of all the things we love about nature. It
helps us to appreciate what is at stake as environmental
issues come to the fore, and often (like my kangaroo on the
beach) it allows us to see the natural world from a point
of view that we never knew existed. Old school nature
photographers like me don't want you to look at a photo and
see only the technology that produced it. They want you to
fall in love with nature all over again, and maybe have
some appreciation of timing and artistry of the
photographer.
So the next time you see a great nature photo, show some
respect for the patience and skills that went in to
capturing that image. And if you aspire to one day do the
same, try thinking a little less about your computer and a
little more about nature. It can only make you a better
photographer.
----------------------------------------------------
Andrew Goodall is a professional nature photographer of
over 20 years experience, and has released two ebooks on
the art and skills of nature photography. Find out more at
http://www.naturesimage.com.au Andrew's simple philosophy
is that good photography is not just about technology, but
about skill and sensitivity to nature.
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