Black and White Landscapes

Landscapes are a hard one for me. I love a good landscape and I often come across some breathtaking examples from various photographers whom I follow and admire, but I have trouble capturing my own landscape images in a way that I find satisfactory. Lately I have been trying to be a bit more deliberate about finding the right location for a photograph and controlling my composition. The following are a few examples of some images with which I am quite happy.

These first few were taken on a recent trip with some friends to Arches and Canyonlands National Parks near Moab, UT. This trip was all about location and timing. We hiked in the dark out to some pretty awesome vistas to capture the rocks and valleys at sunrise.

Even mundane fields near home can offer something interesting. I love how the wind mills loom out of the haze in the distance along this snowy dirt road, and the random fire hydrant in the middle of a field on top of some bluffs in Colorado Springs. Also playing a bit with where I put my horizon line.

I often find landscapes more compelling when there are humans or human-made structures to provide a sense of scale and, often, intrude on the serenity of a scene. Following are two shots taken in some crazy weather on top of Pikes Peak during a race event, and two shots taken at the Paint Mines near Colorado Springs.

I would include cityscapes with landscapes. I often have to remind myself that I don't need to go somewhere breathtaking and gorgeous to get interesting images of where I am. Here are a few of my favorites taken outside of coffee shops wherever I happened to be.

I have begun to explore landscapes and cityscapes more as an exercise in composition and finding interest and beauty wherever I am. I will probably post some more blogs on this topic in the future, as well as a few other focused topics that I've been mulling over lately. Keep an eye out!

Tags: #coloradospringsphotographer #coloradophotographer #landscape #landscape_photography #street #blackandwhite #bnw #bw_photography #justgoshoot