Are You an Image Taker or an Image Maker?

Moonset Over Big Sur Coast, Garrapata State Beach, California.
Sony a7RII, Sony 70-200mm, f/16, 2 seconds, ISO 200, Singh-Ray LB Neutral Polarizer, Singh-Ray 3 Stop GND.

People often point out to me that when I talk about photography and capturing images, I will use the term, making an image, as opposed to taking an image. This is because as a visual artist, I do believe in I creating images as opposed to just recording what I see. In my opinion, the term taking images refers to a literal capture of the scene. Literal captures makes us nothing more than a robotic button pusher with no emotional connection to the scene – a snapshooter if you will – click – here’s an image of Big Sur!

I strongly believe that the art of landscape photography is really a three-step process: Step 1 – Finding the scene and the light; Step 2 – capturing the scene creatively; and Step 3 – processing the image – crafting the image. Let’s take a closer look at all three steps as I’ll discuss my thought-process on creating images.

Finding the Scene and the Light

Galen Rowell once wrote, my first thought is always of light. I was a big fan of Rowell’s work and it has influenced immensely my style of photography. So yes, my first thought is about light – quality light – the type of light one finds around the fringes of the day or the soft light that fog, clouds, or indirect light can provide. Rarely do I think about the subject first, but if I do, then I anticipate when the best light might arrive for my scene. If I have dawn, sunrise, sunset or dusk light to play with, then that will provide my color for the scene. If I am shooting under dawn light (as I was with the image above), then I have to wait until the light on the moon (lit by sunlight) matches the light on the landscape. I leave the harsh sunlight to the tourists – the snapshooters.

But finding the light is really just the starting point. I had calculated this moonset a full year back from the actual date using software. The next step was to find my composition. I took my workshop group to Garrapata State Beach for this shoot because I knew at this time of year, there would be these beautiful exposed black rocks that we c0uld use for foreground elements. These same rocks would be buried under tons of sand during the summer months!

Capturing the Scene

We have so many choices once we find a scene and a potential composition. What is the best lens? What perspective do I want to take? Does the contrast range of the light match the dynamic range of my sensor? Do I need grads? Do I need a polarizer? Are there wind issues to deal with? What about depth-of-field?

If you are really locked-in to making your image, at this point of the creative process your mind is racing – addressing all if not more of the questions that I list above. This is where the craft-side of photography takes over. There is really no substitute here for experience. Let me tell you the answers I arrived at during this Q&A session that I had with myself before setting up to capture this image:

What is the best lens: for this scene, my 70-200mm worked best as it compressed the moon with the foreground rocks. The scene itself created plenty of depth from foreground to background. I think a lot about depth – adding layers of interest to my scene. Remember, we are dealing with a two-dimensional medium; thus, the more depth (layers of interest) we can add to our image, the better.

What perspective do I want to take: I often think we (myself included) don’t pay enough attention to this question. I challenge myself to get the camera off the tripod if I am not sure. Tripods can lock us up if we simply extend the legs fully. Don’t fall into this trap; it’s easy to get too lazy here. Find your perspective by moving around then bring the tripod in to support what you have found.

Does the contrast range of the light match the dynamic range of my sensor: Tough question to answer if you don’t know the dynamic range of you camera’s sensor. How can you tell? Here is a blog I wrote about this topic: Determining Your Camera’s Real Dynamic Capture Range.

Do I need grads: That is going to be based on your camera’s dynamic capture range vs. the scene’s contrast range. For example, if you determine that your camera sensor’s dynamic capture range is 7 stops of light, and you meter your scene from the darkest shadows that you wish to retain detail to the brightest highlights that you wish to retain detail and it is 8 or more stops of light, then you have three options: expose for the highlights and let the shadows turn opaque, grad the scene, or bracket exposures and blend in post using layers and masks or Merge to HDR in Lightroom or a dedicated HDR program. Knowledge is power – I strongly advise that you determine your camera sensor’s dynamic range with your tests (using the method provided in the link above), not some test you read on the internet!

Do I need a polarizer: Simple answer for this one – yes. For most landscape scenes (except shooting straight at the sun or night scenes) a polarizer is invaluable – You cannot replicate the affects of a polarizer in post-production.

Are there any wind issues to deal with: Crucial question because we are generally using long shutters at the ends of the day. For this image, wind was not a concern and there was none – it was very calm.

What about depth-of-field: Another critical question and one that works together with shutter and ISO. It’s imperative to know how high an ISO you can get away with for your camera (again, tests will give you the correct answer). Then it is playing the exposure game. You need two more stops of depth, then you have to either raise the ISO or lower the shutter or a combination of the two. Again, knowledge is power! I advise having a Hyperfocal App on your smartphone.

Processing the Image

The old Ansel Adams line that the capture is the score and the processing is the performance still rings true today in the digital era. Again, our we trying to produce a literal scene or an artistic scene? Pros can argue this one to death. My line of thinking is that it is my image and I control the complete process. I do draw the line personally at adding elements to the scene that were not there. I also won’t move elements within a scene. I will clone out an annoying branch or clone a line that will lead my viewer’s eye out of a scene but other than that, I leave the scene alone as captured. I will also dodge and burn within the scene to help guide the viewer’s eye. Yet, if I paid careful attention to the capture process, my post-processing should not require much work beyond basic luminosity and color adjustments (and sharpening).

I know pros who will drop in a completely different sky or add a moon (I did it once and will never do it again). At this point, are we photographers or digital specialists? My pleasure comes from finding an interesting scene with quality light and capturing that. If it moves me enough to put a camera to my eye, chance are it will move someone else. My processing is limited to getting the most out of my RAW file.

So as you can tell, I really do see myself as more of an image maker rather than an image taker. How about you?

If you would like to learn more about becoming an image maker, please consider taking one of my workshops listed below, or contact me about taking a private lesson.

Would Love to Hear Your Thoughts!

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.