Explore how images of nature can be captured to

engage viewers
In this essay a selection of photographers such as Scott Hotaling, Guy Tal, Bob
Horowitz, Hitsuji, Egon Kronschnabel and Roselien Raimond present images of
organic and natural forms. All these photographers have reflected a feel of
untouched and wild beauty that can be discovered in natural environments. This
is a theme that relates to my own portfolio of work, also wish to capture a range
of shoots that highlight organic elements, and leave its viewers with a tone of
untouchable splendour.
I firstly looked at Roselien Raimonds work called Zen Foxes from The
Independent new paper. This image selection applies to my own work most, due
to the balance between natural wildlife and weather shown. The balance of
organic elements in this image is what makes it stand out most as an
uncommon, giving it a tone of purity.

Raimond says, The most beautiful animals are happy animals, and I love them
best when theyre totally at ease. Therefore Raimonds work reflects her
opinions and show images at subjects that are very relaxed, allowing the image
to best reflect a peaceful feel (a tone I would also like to reflect in some of my
own work).
In this image there is a strong contrast between the hues of the background and
foreground. The foreground main subject (fox) displays more vivid reds, browns
and ambers compared to the much grey and duller background. This colour
contrast between the background and foreground allows the viewer to focus their

attention to the subject and become captivated by the happy animal. Also the
majority of shadow and darker hues are consisted in the fox fur, giving a light
and fluffy texture. Furthermore the shadow in the fur of the fox helps to contrast
with the pale tones of the brighter snow, presenting the subject as mysterious
and a sight that cannot be seen regularly, aiding the peaceful and untouchable
splendour of the image. The foxs approach to life, as Raimond sees it, has
influenced how she acts herself when on a shoot. This natural and relaxed
approach that Raimond uses tells me that no effects have been added to this
image, and wide aperture, fast shutter speed and low ISO has been used to
maximise the detail and natural lighting.
This kind of minimalistic images of a completely relaxed, peaceful and natural
environment is something that I would like to install in my own work. Therefore I
would like to imitate Raimonds technique of balancing weather and wildlife and
contrasting vivid colours of creatures with very plain backgrounds to provide a
colour contrast.
Secondly I looked at the work of Scott Hotaling, this image produced by Hotaling
a photographer who likes to capture The natural world and the infinite
combinations of light, dark, rock, plant, water. Therefore his work features many
themes of natural landscapes and forms, giving off peaceful tones that I would
like to in my own work.

Hotaling uses a Macro technique to identify finer details

through the reflection of a water droplet to provide an uncommon view on more

hidden perspectives. This technique gives the impression of an image within an
image, making it a more unique style of nature photography. Although Hotaling
uses a shallow depth of field to bring the viewers attention to the foreground
elements, the background hues are still very vivid. This image is quite

contrasting to Raidmonds since it uses much warmer and bold colours that are
contrast from a vibrant yellow to a softer green. However these more vivid
colours suggest the summery and joyful theme. In addition, this image was taken
in the brighter part of the day due to the evenly exposed natural play of light
that is captured in the shine of the water, causing the viewer to notice this factor
immediately when they discover this photo. There are also a series of contrasting
lines in this image that range from the softer blur of the background to the much
sharper and stronger lines of the foreground. This contrast relaxed and sharp
lines highlight the finer texture of the grass stem, providing a soft and gentle feel
(a texture I would like to experiment with in one of my own shoots). Furthermore
from this image a magnified lens was used to capture the intense detail in the
water reflection, and no synthetic (studio) light has been applied, due to
Hotalings personal preferred of having his kit to be simple. However the hue
and saturations have been manipulated in this image to brighten and bold the
colours, aiding the happy feel. This photo manipulation is evident from the even
coverage of light and lack of shadow shown in this image, although this does
mean that there is a very shallow contrast between light and shadow. I believe
that this image does display a range of texture, ranging between the fluffy
texture of the green stem, to the smoothness of the water and the smoky texture
of the background, which is presented in nature to express personal style. This
image is also framed very directly since the Hotaling has taken this image
straight and not at an angle which allows the viewer a more detailed image, that
isnt a prospective often seen in everyday life. Hotaling selected an angle like
this due to his own personal photographic style, has to to be physically drawn to
a place. Its not uncommon for me to visit a location ten or more times.
Therefore when I am to conduct my own shoot I will adopt this style and carefully
select the optimal environment to reflect the tone I want to present.
This image has inspired me to experiment with macro styles and angles, to
create a perspective that wouldnt commonly be seen in everyday life making
the work more unique. The playful tone of the image and water reflection has
inspired me to look for images that show vibrant yet finer detail and follow
Hotalings advice to Get off the beaten path and shoot what you love.

I also explored the work of Guy Tal, another photographer who has explored
nature (but through extreme weather types)

This image does also use a clouded

foreground to make the background seem hard for the viewer to define; adding
mysterious feel. This is something that Tal and Hotaling both have in common in
their photographic styles, since both photographers have produced images that
have a clouded view, allowing the viewer to attach personal interpretations to
the feel of each image.
Tal features a lack of colour although the image is not in black and white;
providing the colder natural weather and its contrast with wildlife. Although the
washed out and white image it allows very soft and subtle tones to create an
image that presents a hopeful, calm and pleasant tone. This approach to showing
specific feel to an image is due to Tals personal style of creating images that
speak to wilderness and ergo the viewer. Although this image uses a cloudy
and speckled texture to reflect the texture of snow, a wide depth of field is still
shown providing the soft texture. A low ISO was used since there is very little
noise featured, adding to the very natural and calm feel. Furthermore a very fast
shutter speed has been used since movement can be seen in this image, by
bringing the individual specs of snow fall into detail without featuring the blur
that occurs when using a slower shutter speed. In addition a higher aperture has
been used to allow the light into the camera lens, since this image is very evenly
light with very little shadow, showing that only natural light was used. This image
presents a large contrast in line and shapes, considering the very sift lines and
shapes reflected in the snowfall are in direct contrast with the much stronger and
more defined lines of the background subjects such as trees and wildlife. The
contrast can also be seen in the contrast between dark and lighter tones. The
background is much darker so that it can be clearly seen by the viewer, adding
to the natural feel of this image, a feature I wish to capture in my own work.
Tals approach of using a photograph as a means of exploring and expressing
things has lead me to find new ways of showing a particular tone by creating
contrast in image elements. Also the peaceful tone Tal captures is a tone I want
to include in my own work, therefore I will use Tals work as a learning point to
not overly saturate with colour and instead take on a much fresher and cooler
colour field to produce a much calmer image.

I also looked at a photographer called Bob Horowitz; manages to show

movement of urban fire in the high desert southwest.

Horowitzs photograph here explores a different aspect of nature that is not

commonly explored or captured by photographers, as it explores man made fire
in unnatural movements. This image unlike others I have explored shows a flow
of movement by using a slower shutter speed and longer exposure time to leave
an even lighting, contrasting well with the darker background of the image.
For the softer light in the background and the subtle contrast in the blue tones,
only natural lighting was used to give even contrast and was taken towards the
end of a sunset. The natural lighting highlights the movement of the flames
without under exposing the image, and take away from the natural tones. Very
gentle and soft hues are shown this way viewers arent distracted from the
display of movement but still provided a calmer tone to the image; contrasting
with the active movement and more intensive feel of the foreground image.
Furthermore this image has been framed using a straight angle and a tripod has
been used in the capturing of this image, this is to avoid blurring in the
background in the wide depth of field. Although there is no reoccurring pattern in
this image, the movement of the fire does present a spiral design that features
strong and liquid like lines that intrigue the viewer and contrast heavily with the
much softer lines and colours of the rest of the image. To add to this, the flames
shown in the foreground of the image also features much brighter and more
vibrant colours leaving a fierce feel to the image. In addition I can tell that a very
low ISO has been used since the darker hues of the image have little to no noise
in them, adding to the ability to highlight the movement in the image. A large
play of light has been captured in this image by showing the urban light, which
Horowitzs has done to show the elemental forms and lyricism exist as part of a
continuously shifting human landscape.
I think that Horowitz has very unique style compared to the other photographers
I have looked out since he has used a slower shutter speed to capture movement
in nature, whereas others have been very still and posed. Also this photographer
has captured nature during a darker time of day, which is something I would like
to feature in my own work. Therefore Horowitz has shaped and inspired my work
by leading me onto planning shoots reflecting night time and movement.

Furthermore I looked at a Japanese photographer named Hitsuji, who uses a

Macro technique

This Macro technique is also used by Hotaling. Hitsuji brings most of the viewers
attention to the wildlife (butterfly) in foreground by using a shallow depth of field
to blur the background of the image. Furthermore the background of this image
features soft and natural colours that are blended smoothly together, leaving a
wide range of tones that create a subtle and calm tone. The blur of the
background also provides a smooth texture. Furthermore the shallow depth of
field highlights the brighter colours in the butterflys wings, making them seem
more contrasting and vibrant. This is something that Hotaling also uses in his
work to highlight much more vibrant colours in the foreground. However there is
no reoccurring pattern in the background of this image, aiding the more
naturalistic feel of the image and create a tone of untouched nature, this allows
the viewer as though they are part of the image. Furthermore there are no strong
or defend lines in the background of the image but much more subtle and gentle
tones, that suggest the outline of vegetation, which once again is used by Hitsuji
to install a calming and peaceful atmosphere. To add to this, this image uses
much bolder and eye catching colours in the foreground that contrast with the
softer greens of the background, leading the viewer to bring their attention to it.
Hitsuji has domes this since in everyday life it is uncommon to see this wildlife
close up, making this an image that is different from anything seen ordinarily.
Also much bolder and defined lines are used in the foreground of this image
creating much more defined and detailed shapes that is a result of the Macro
technique. To capture this image a Macro lens could have been used to pick up
the finer details of the subject. The subject in the foreground is very detailed
making the image seem slightly more surreal. Furthermore this image was taken
with a low ISO to reduce the amount of noise in the image, making the
background less distracting a feature. This image has also been used with a fast
shutter speed to remove the risk of blurring the image, and a wide aperture in
order to evenly expose the image. Since only natural light has been used in this
image an even exposure is shown and there is no real play of light. Furthermore
the straight framing of this image, engages the viewer to feel as though they are
apart of the image and looking at the real scenery, and provides a prospective
new perspective on the ordinarily overlooked.
Therefore this has inspired my work by showing that the use of macro
photography smaller elements of wildlife can engage the viewer and create a
unique image. Also this image has given me the inspiration to capture images
that reflect the wildlife side of nature, and using contrasting and saturated
colours to highlight the colourfulness in natural settings.

Egon Kronschnabel is another photographer I searched, and his use of a Less is

more approach to photography

Kronschnabel uses a black and white filter effect on this image, a technique
which is not seen in any of the images I have already studied, which is an
interesting contrast, and something I would like to include in my own work. A
wider depth of field is used and the very clever play of light is shown through the
sun beams and branches. This image was taken with a faster shutter speed, low
ISO, and wide aperture to create the individual beams of light without blur. The
image appears very still and calm and the fog creates a smoky texture. A more
baron nature is highlighted through the soft mixture of dark and light tones and
lack of colour, opposed to Hitujis very vibrant image. Although this image does
leave a much more surreal tone, due to the very faint footprints leading up to the
tree, which suggests a presence that cant be seen, something Kronschanbel
may have wanted to suggest creating a mysterious feel. Many of the tones are
featured around and in the shadows on the floor, which again is due to the play
of light that has been captured thanks to the lower camera angle. The low and
tilted angle of the frame makes the elements in the foreground appear to be
much taller and more daunting. At the same time the shadows can be perceived
as more beautiful due to the beams of light descending through them. The light
in this image is natural and was taken during the day, when the sun was
brightest. Although the angle of the framing is at a tilt, it is a unique technique
that isnt seen regularly in photography and builds a surreal effect. This
surrealism is created since it is an angle that a viewer wouldnt adopt in regular
life. Even though there is a wide depth of field used in this image, there is still

nothing to be seen in the background but a smoky grey textures and hues,
preventing any attention being taken away from the main elements in the
foreground, a technique that Tal also uses. There is no repeating pattern in this
image, but the lines featured in the foreground of the trees and shadows are
very strong and defined by the light, creating a highly detailed image.
Kronschanbel uses a much darker colour range and a filtered technique to create
a Concentrated and isolated tone, something I would like to install in my own
work. This in turn will lead me to try and capture beams of natural light in my
work to create a peaceful feel, as well as experiment with black and white filters
and surreal effects.

Conclusion
In conclusion a range of effects can be captured in natural photography from a
peaceful feel, to a mysterious tone. These effects can be achieved by creating a
supernatural feel through the edits of hues and colour tones. I have found that
mysterious and darker effect can be achieved in natural photography by
capturing darker tones and shadows. However a more peaceful, calm, and serine
feel can be achieved through plays of natural beams of light and bright/vivid
colours.

Bibliography
http://www.photopathway.com/interview-with-scott-hotaling/
http://guytal.com/gtp/about/index.jsp
http://bobhorowitz.net/Text_page.cfm?pID=6269
http://www.wallcoo.net/nature/hitsuji_02/index2.html
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