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The Appalachian Mountains have always
served as a source of inspiration for me. Born and raised in
the remote recesses of southern West Virginia, these ancient
mountains became my mentors as I explored their steep
slopes, razor-thin ridges, and narrow valleys. Once I became
smitten with nature photography, the Appalachians became my
favorite location to explore through a viewfinder.
Instead of sweeping vistas at every bend of the road, the
Appalachians are a bit more subtle in displaying their
personality and beauty. The photographer truly has to see
the forest for the trees. The Appalachian landscape nudges
the photographer to get closer to the subject, offering an
invitation to explore the intricacies of its forests. So to
capture a true Appalachian sense of place, the wide-angle
lens isn’t always going to be the focal length of choice.
This is where isolated scenics prove to be an invaluable
technique.
Isolated scenics are simply a landscape composition created
by using a longer focal length. Isolated scenics accentuate
the composition by selecting only a portion of the
landscape. Here are some suggestions for adding this
technique to your tool kit for the upcoming autumn season:
From One Scene, Learn To See Many
The key to creating an effective
composition is to explore the scene first. But before
pulling out the wide-angle, determine if portions of the
scene can be “isolated” to create a more dynamic image. You
may discover that several portions of the overall
composition can be optically extracted from the typical
wide-angle composition. Although we may not know it at the
time, our eyes and brain are capable of segregating a scene
into several segments. We do this subconsciously as our
visual intellect breaks up the scene into several views,
each emphasizing a few strong elements. Remember to explore
first, isolate second.
Isolate
After discovering several sub-scenes,
determine which one or ones to emphasize. While wide-angle
focal lengths open up a scene, emphasizing its vastness,
longer focal lengths compress the elements, resulting in an
image with a more intimate feeling. With their narrower
fields of view, focal lengths of 80mm and longer transform
the complex and busy into the simple and selective. Longer
focal lengths separate significant visual elements from the
entire view, often helping to fashion a more well-defined
composition.
Define and Simplify the
Composition
The next step is to include
only those elements needed to craft a compelling
image. Telephotos separate strong visual elements
from the entire view, creating a more selective
arrangement. Remember the KISS doctrine: “Keep it
simple, sweetie.” Make order out of chaos by
simplifying the composition. Focus on the dominant
features and limit the visual elements to strong
details, especially in dramatic or moody lighting.
Use nature’s designs — shapes, forms, lines, and
patterns — to guide the viewer through the scene.
Decide arrangement and
position of primary and secondary elements
After determining the point of
interest and focal length, decide the arrangement of the
primary and secondary elements. You want the viewer to take
a trip through the image, so placement of these elements in
the composition becomes important. With the exception of a
strong vertical composition, centering the primary point of
interest frequently fails to create a powerful image. The
viewer immediately discovers the point of interest, but may
not notice other important elements. Placing the point of
interest off-center may entice the viewer to take a visual
journey through the image, discovering the composition’s
secondary, supporting elements. Background colors become
important secondary elements to the composition, so make
sure they are complimentary to the primary element.
Telephoto Zoom: An Isolated
Scenic's Best Friend
With today’s quality telephoto zoom
lenses, fine-tuning an isolated scenic composition becomes
even easier. Zooms provide quick cropping and are great in
situations where movement is restricted. I rely primarily on an 80mm-200mm zoom for
composing isolated scenics. Other zooms in focal lengths of
70mm-210mm, 35mm-300mm, and 100mm-300mm are excellent
choices to consider as well. Zooms can, however, lull us
into staying put at one spot when photographing. The tripod
can do the same, too. Move around and try different angles
for composing the image. Avoid having the tripod dictate
where you will photograph. Better yet, take the camera off
the tripod and explore the possibilities. Then put your
tripod to work for you.
Welcome Inclement
Weather
For photographing isolated scenics,
inclement weather becomes an asset, not a liability. Light
overcast skies act as a giant diffuser, reducing or
eliminating contrast. Fog adds mystery to the composition,
while a light drizzle can boost the color saturation of the
vegetation, especially autumn leaves. Set your white balance
to cloudy or shade for an extra boost. For saturating colors
and reducing reflections with either film or digital
cameras, use a polarizer. When photographing a forest scene
under these conditions, exclude the sky from the final
composition. Shoot straight into the forest; otherwise the
overcast sky might fool your meter, causing the image to
become underexposed.
Isolate Backlit Scenes
Autumn’s magnificent reds, yellows,
and golds make great subjects for creating backlit isolated
scenics. Select a colorful tree such as a sugar maple and
use backlighting to create a composition that highlights the
yellow leaves and yields the branches as silhouettes.
Adjustment to the camera’s exposure reading may be necessary
since the direct light hitting the camera’s meter will fool
it into making a darker image.
With a clear theme, isolated scenics
yield simple, yet appealing compositions, which convey an
invitation to the viewer to explore the beauty of the
natural world. Be sure to add this technique to your
toolbox. You’ll be happy you did.
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