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Transitions in The Landscape
Transitions in The Landscape
If we are lucky enough to be given the opportunity to engage in landscape photography, then great moments can be captured in terms of transitions and the fleeting moments of time.
the transition between river valleys and the surrounding hills or plains;
the transition from night to day and vice versa during sunrise/ sunset and the boundaries of civil twilight on the fringes of these.
The changing light from a break in a storm - to the emerging light and shadows from approaching or retreating stormfronts
We also have the transition between land & sea; the change of the seasons; landform boundaries (moorland, arable plains, foothills) and the transition between urban & rural land.
Internal transitions
In a broader sense, my own journeys through the landscapes of the South West of England have, consequently, had a transitional effect on my sense of gaining a spiritual connection with these places. Having spent time engaged in extreme sports such as climbing, I have found the experiences to be dynamic, yet meditative; often emotional and at times, profoundly & internally rewarding. Retrospectively, I have come to consider that the light and landscape in which I have pursued these adventures has been one of the free, magical and enchanting ingredients. Photographs, as a medium of artistic expression, have the potential to give the viewer an insight into the photographers personality and experiences as much as to portray the subject in an interesting manner. I make photographs for a variety of reasons that prompt me emotionally or intrinsically, to make a picture about something. In photography, technical mastery can be learnt but if a photograph lacks concept or substance, then its initial interest can rapidly diminish.
In conclusion, an example of such an event, eloquently written by the author Ray Bradbury, is in parallel with my sentiments on the subject of photography:
He stood breathing, and the more he breathed the land in, the more he was filled up with all the details of the land. He was not empty. There was more than enough here to fill him. There would always be more than enough.
(Ray Bradbury, "Fahrenheit 451")
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