Landscape Photography

When I first started taking pictures I was intimated by people so I started with landscapes. I took many pictures over and over of gorgeous landscapes, but couldn't seem to get very excited or passionate about landscapes. I think to be a really good landscape photographer you have to invest in good wide angle lenses, carry a tripod around everywhere and really be willing to hike and make the extra effort it takes to get that amazing picture. I just didn't seem to have that type of commitment. I HATE bringing a tripod along with me and my landscapes were never what I wanted them to be. Once I started getting brave enough to photograph people my landscapes were long forgotten.

A couple weekends ago I went on a girls trip to Napa and it was crush season. What that means it that the grapes were full on the vines and it was very very green and gorgeous. This landscape photography is more up my alley. I taste wine, look down below and capture an image. It doesn't take much effort. I do have a couple images I took with the idea of doing some HDR images, but I'll save that for a later date. For now I'll stick with the simple stuff.

The challenge with taking landscapes while I am on vacation is that I don't like to travel with a lot of equipment. I just take along my 50mm lens so I can put it in my purse for freedom and just pull it out when I am inspired or see an exceptionally good portrait. These images are what I can pull off with no tripod and a 50mm lens and a little bit of Lightroom magic.

Then there are the "natural" close ups I was a lot more interested in creating. Give me a shallow depth of field and and an interesting subject and I'll know exactly what my vision is and how I will create it.

I did mention that I bring out my camera for really good portraits or when I have an inspiring background and beautiful subjects. This mother/daughter portrait is probably my favorite from the whole trip.