Most of my landscape photographs include little or no evidence of human presence. But sometimes including a human figure can transform a photograph. (I suggest obscuring the figure with the tip of your finger to see how much it changes things.) The person obviously provides a focal point, but also invites viewers to imagine themselves in the scene.
I did not set out to include people in my photographs of Lake Manly. In fact, I positioned myself at the very edge to the lake so that I could include uninterrupted reflections. But this person walked out on a small peninsula that was barely above the water level. At first I was mildly irritated… but I soon realized that this simply gave me a different sort of photographic opportunity.
Leave a comment or question using the form. (Click the title to see the full article and to comment if you are viewing it on the home page.)
G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him. Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email
All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.