a two part photo essay

Part One:

The countryside of Kent

This picture was taken towards the beginning of our walk through the countryside. I found myself drawn to the beaten path surrounded by green. I felt that the large trees to the left offset the emptiness to the right quite well. I also appreciated the fact that you could see each individual tree’s personal color. Each tree although mostly seen as a mass seems to have a different hue of green. I also thought the three empty trees in the upper right corner were an interesting contrast as they are mostly bare. Also, the path seems to pull the viewer forward to see what lurks further than what we can see. It is introducing it to what is yet to come.

I have found a fascination with bridges in myself. The way they blend into nature as if they have always belonged in that place is amazing. I loved the arches in this bridge. I appreciated that there were three so we did not see an even number. Each arch is also slightly different whether in color, shape or size.  The trees on each side of the shot somewhat frame the bridge. One downside is the few people on the bridge. With landscape photos you tend to stay away from human life. However these humans almost blend into the background.

On the country walk, one of my main focuses was to play with the horizon line in my pictures. In this particular shot I decided to push the horizon line down a bit and snot more of the sky.  It was a very dim and almost dreary day and the sky did not have many colors to it except gray. I did like the small line of red trees on the right side. This was the main object in my shot. Although the trees are on the edge of the shot they are leaning in towards the center. I also found myself enjoying the way my pictures looks when they weren’t so symmetrical.

In this shot I wanted to use two sets of trees to frame my picture. Although I wish they had been a bit more full I think they serve their purpose. I also played with the horizon line and pulled it down a bit again. I thought the slash of red in the left corner made the photo more interesting and vibrant. I also found that the lines in the grass, although simple gave more texture and depth to the photo. Fitted in the back of the shot is a large section of trees. These trees almost resemble clouds. And although it is difficult to see in this shot the clouds behind the trees were slightly rolling in the same pattern as the trees in the center of the frame.

This next photo is another shot of a bridge. I continuously am attracted to their man made yet nature like structures. I thought this bridge was interesting because it is much taller and further in the distance. I thought that the cluster of trees on the right weighted the rolling hills on the left. I also decided to push the horizon line on this shot up a bit. To me it seemed more difficult to shift the line up because then I often had unwanted paths and unattractive scenery in my shot. This bridge carries the railroad. I thought it was interesting how to seemed to disappear into its surrounds and you only see a section of it. You know it must go on a ways because the train is carried on it but you do not see it. It seems to be a slight element of illusion.

Part Two:

A Stroll Through Regents Park

Due to the poor weather on the country walk I was not about to take as many landscape pictures as I had hoped. Being so, I decided to take advantage of one of the many beautiful parks in London. For this particular essay I chose Regents Park. Upon entering the park we began to walk down a long lane. The road we were talking on was almost completely covered in shade with a few light patches of sun poking though. I found that the colors were beautiful and would make for nice pictures. I came upon this bench along the lane and I wanted to include it somehow in my shot. Keeping it in the bottom corner meant I would be able to show a great deal of the surrounding landscape without showing much of the road in front of it. I was interested in the way you can see various tree trunks and leaves through the background. Also the contrasts between the burnt orange colors of the fallen leaves and the bright green color of the living leaves along with the lighting make this shot very engaging. 

I wanted to include as many trees as I could in this shot. I thought the various tree stumps though the shot gave it texture and showed distance. I also tilted the camera slightly upwards for a number of reasons. First, I wanted to include the leaves of the trees that are barely showing the first signs of fall. Second, I wanted the brightness of the sun and blue of the sky to shine through to the front of the frame. And third, I wanted my horizon line to be right at the base of most of the trees. I enjoy the almost silhouette of the foremost tree on the left with its stems and branches as well as orange coloring, I also enjoy the lush and deep green tree to the left. I feel like both these trees not only compliment each other but frame the shot.

The lighting and shadows on the day of this photo shoot were gorgeous. I was very attracted to the way the sun hit this tree and cast its shadow straight into the dark green trees in the distance. Although because of the lighting the large tree seems to be to focus, the shadow leads the eye towards the back cluster of trees and encourages the viewer to see the numerous trunk’s different hues, varying shapes, and also the bright blue of the sky just above. Although the shape in the foreground has the most stress upon it, those in the background are most interesting and therefore the tree does a fine job leading the eye towards them.

This last shot was somewhat of a personal experiment. As I was walking down that same lane mentioned before I saw a Royal Rubbish Bin. I was drawn to the fact that on the side of this bin were two geometrical openings where you could see through one to the other side. I decided to use this rubbish bin as my own special claude class. The shape of the trash can framed the area so that I could focus on what was directly in front of me and not the entire park. Doing this gave me a whole new view of the scene and made it seem like it was already a photograph laid out before me. I do however wish I could have turned the bin a bit to include less of the path but I still enjoyed the technique.