Woodland Photography Thoughts: Contrast
As I think about and explore the topic of woodland photography I naturally stumble onto other work and material that I think could clarify a vision. In this article I want to draw attention to two people I follow in one way or another and that now I find have something to say about my woodland work.
The first is a Spaniard by the name of Adrian I found on YouTube. His channel is called AOWS. He does some very nice distinctive work. His videos are engaging and welcoming. He shoots film with a Bronica and I only recently learned about him. I was listening to a video called “why and how to add contrast to your images”. At first I wasn’t sure I even wanted to listen as I know how to add contrast to images. It was the why I suppose that drew me to the video especially in the context of his work.
Adrian thanks of contrast not just as the technical definition of light parts of an image vs dark and the range of those values. Adrian views this in a more artistic sense of differences and differentiation of parts of the image. His images are often high contrast in the technical sense but he also allows for other techniques to separate the central subject or to remove distraction and clutter. So this hit me as an important part of the challenge of woodland photography of removing visual complexity. So far my search for subjects has been for ones that are nicely differentiated or have inherent simplicity. However Adrian opens up other techniques. Use of focus like depth of field or long exposures to blur parts of the image. He is also a big fan of shooting in fog to help isolate subjects and create the simple image he is after. His photos are for sale on his website. Below are examples I think illustrate the concept.
And this and the use of fog in particular brought to mind Wolfgang Moersch who I know originally as the source of my favorite paper developer. He is also a keen photographer and prints using a number of alternative processes. He is active off Flickr and he produces some really stunning prints won’t his chemical wizardry. He has recently had some woodland scenes that appeal and they seem to emphasize many of the same ideas as Adrian. Some examples below.
The first is a Spaniard by the name of Adrian I found on YouTube. His channel is called AOWS. He does some very nice distinctive work. His videos are engaging and welcoming. He shoots film with a Bronica and I only recently learned about him. I was listening to a video called “why and how to add contrast to your images”. At first I wasn’t sure I even wanted to listen as I know how to add contrast to images. It was the why I suppose that drew me to the video especially in the context of his work.
Adrian thanks of contrast not just as the technical definition of light parts of an image vs dark and the range of those values. Adrian views this in a more artistic sense of differences and differentiation of parts of the image. His images are often high contrast in the technical sense but he also allows for other techniques to separate the central subject or to remove distraction and clutter. So this hit me as an important part of the challenge of woodland photography of removing visual complexity. So far my search for subjects has been for ones that are nicely differentiated or have inherent simplicity. However Adrian opens up other techniques. Use of focus like depth of field or long exposures to blur parts of the image. He is also a big fan of shooting in fog to help isolate subjects and create the simple image he is after. His photos are for sale on his website. Below are examples I think illustrate the concept.
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| Credit Adrian - AOWS |
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| Credit Adrian - AOWS |
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| Credit Adrian - AOWS |
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| Credit Adrian - AOWS |
And this and the use of fog in particular brought to mind Wolfgang Moersch who I know originally as the source of my favorite paper developer. He is also a keen photographer and prints using a number of alternative processes. He is active off Flickr and he produces some really stunning prints won’t his chemical wizardry. He has recently had some woodland scenes that appeal and they seem to emphasize many of the same ideas as Adrian. Some examples below.
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| Vandyke Blue credit Wolfgang Moersch |
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| November-Wood credit Wolfgang Moersch |
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| Foggy Morning credit Wolfgang Moersch |
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