4 Apr
2011

Posted in: Outdoor Photographer Blog, Patagonia
By Ian Plant    2 Comments

A Sense of Place

My latest post to the Outdoor Photographer blog discusses the importance of creating a Sense of Place within your photos, of telling a story unique to the land you are photographing. The following image is featured in the post, taken during my recent Patagonia trip.

"The Forbidden Kingdom" - Patagonia

The image, of Monte Fitz Roy partially obscured by a raging storm, was made during a three-day backcountry excursion with my workshop group. When we got to our campsite in the afternoon, a massive storm built over Fitz Roy for several hours, at times covering the mountain in clouds, at times revealing it for a few moments. The wind was howling, and the conditions were dramatic. My students, my co-leader Richard Bernabe, and I photographed this scene for over an hour, experimenting with different compositions as conditions constantly changed. Toward the end of our shoot, I noticed a series of wind blasts blowing back-lit snow behind a lone lenga tree, silhouetting it with a halo of white. I yelled over the wind to my students, explaining to them that this presented a unique opportunity. The white glow behind the tree helps separate it from the background, and creates a strong focal point that anchors the composition. I used a moderately high ISO (400) to ensure that the image was sharp despite the strong winds.

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Technical details: Canon 5D Mark II camera, 24-105mm lens (@40mm), ISO 400, f/10, 1/160 second.

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About Ian Plant  (275 Posts)

Ian Plant's photographs and instructional articles have appeared in a number of books, calendars, and magazines, including Outdoor Photographer and Popular Photography. Ian writes a regular blog column for Outdoor Photographer online, and he is the author of numerous instructional eBooks and digital processing tutorials. Ian leads several photo tours each year.