People in Landscapes

It seems that a growing trend in landscape photography is to include people in and amongst the scene. Many times, photographer’s use these sometimes-silhouetted people to show scale, create drama or tell a story. Sometimes adding a person to a shot can give the image a focal point or fill an empty space within the image. Then there are other folks that aspire to capture their landscape images free of any single person. They go to great lengths not to include any hint of mankind. They wait for hours, use extra-long exposures, or hike out to remote locations just to avoid people in their shots.

I was wondering how you feel about including people in your landscape images. Is this something that generally appeals to you or are you of the thought that people ruin the shot? Would love to hear your thoughts. Do the people add or subtract to landscape images. Do you compose your shots looking to put a person in the shot? Or do you wait till everyone is out of the scene before pressing the shutter? Just curious…

“Tiny Dancer”

Paul McKenzie posed with flashlight-Namibia

Bulgaria

During my Dalmatian Pelican workshop in Greece, we spend one morning photographing the Melnik Pyramids in Bulgaria. The pyramids are a unique natural phenomenon, made up of sand that is formed by soil erosion. We must cross the border to get to Bulgaria, but the quaint town is worth the drive. The hike up is only about 3 miles on an easy sloped path to get to these beauties. Sometimes we stay in town for lunch before heading back. I like the old world feel to the town. One year, because of weather, we did not get to go—fingers crossed that I have another chance in 2022. I am hoping for snow covered slopes and colorful skies! In this post are two versions of the same scene, which do you prefer- horizontal or vertical? Remember, there is no right or wrong— just opinions.

As always, please comment below and do not email me your response as my inbox is full. Also, please do not use ALL caps when commenting. Thanks.

I fell the other day and have a nasty bruise and cut on my shin. It throbbed with pain for an entire day. Today the swelling has gone down. I have taken a break from my daily walks but hope to get back out there tomorrow. Ugh… talk about cabin fever.

My eBook holiday sales have spiked, thank you all for your support. The eBooks will be continue to be on sale until December 10th.

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The Namib Desert

This week in New Jersey, the weather has been exceptionally beautiful. Temperatures have been in the high 50’s and 60’s with little to no wind. Talk about gorgeous weather! The weeks before were constant rain—everyday…ugh.

The sun on my back during my walk yesterday, reminded me of the warm Namib desert. Since Covid issues with travel, I have missed my adventures and favorite places. The Namib Desert is one of them. Below are a few images from my Namibia tours that capture that feeling of warmth. I hope that things get back on track soon, as I am having serious withdrawals.

View of Sossusvlei from the air,

One Guanaco, Two Guanaco, Three Guanaco, Four...

Guanacos are camelids that are native to South America. They are closely related to the llama. During mating season the males fight ruthlessly for mating rights over the females and for dominance— they can be fierce. I have seen and photographed them chasing and biting the testicles (to the point of drawing blood) of an opposing male. They get into such a frenzy that they often hump each other when they are not the victor. But most of the time that I have watched them, they are just mock fighting. The BBC video below shows the actions of these males. It’s hard to believe when you see them sitting on top of a mountain with a peaceful look to them.

All of the photos below were captured in Torres del Paine National Park, in Chile’s Patagonia region.

Backlit

Peaceful easy feeling…

The reflection shows another Guanaco on the hill above.

Mock fighting

The chase begins—and you better stay clear of them!

Above shows the male on top of the female with the other male humping the victorious male. The young offspring of the female looks on…

Black-browed Albatross

I photographed these Black-browed Albatross during a stay at “The Rookery” on Saunders Island, Falkland Islands. I visited the colony several times and was enamored by these beautiful sea birds. The slight bit of grey-black color lining their eyes really appealed to me. They were having several disputes over nesting sites and I watched with sheer joy as they scuffled amongst themselves.

I was shooting with a fixed lens and was not able to back away once these large birds came closer. I was perched precariously on a steep ledge and did not want to risk moving. I placed myself far enough away from their nest sites as to not disturb them, yet close enough to capture some head shots. This required slow, cautious moving so that I did not disturb any of the birds, especially those on nests. After lots of patience and a very sore bottom side I was able to capture a few close-ups. Which is your favorite? And why?

Please add your comment below and not via email as my email box is full, thanks. When commenting, be sure not to use ALL capital letters as they take up too much room in the comment section and I will have to delete it, thank you.

A

B

C

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