The hard yards of landscape photography

The winning images of a national photography competition or a high price sale of a landscape print, is normally the cue for a frenzy of articles, online discussion and given time the question is asked "What is landscape photography?" November witnessed the annual results of a UK landscape photography competition and the news of a world record image sale. It is fair to say that there was some 'heated' discussion as metaphorical lines were drawn in the sand and views became decidedly polarised.

So, who were the people engaged in publicly discussing what is and isn't landscape photography? It is said that the camera is a window to the photographers soul and curious soul that I am, I wondered what landscapes appeal to those involved in the discussions. Tellingly, there is an imbalance in these discussions. There appears minimal engagement from landscape photographers whose image galleries/portfolios suggest a map was needed and are not averse to traversing the land at very unsociable hours, in all weather and seasons. Those more active in opining what is and isn't landscape photography, show compelling evidence in their landscape image galleries/portfolios that a satnav was relied on in guiding them to their landscape, showed an aversion to losing sight of the car and were more inspired to make images in fair weather. To my mind they are undoubtedly landscape photographers, technically proficient, passionate about the landscape and more than entitled to their view, it is a pity that too many seemed to settle consistently for easy endeavour.

 An American president went some, but not all, of the way of answering for me, What Landscape Photography is, in describing the endeavour of a Landscape photographer in the Field.

'It is not the critic who counts; not the critic who points out how the composition stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the photographer who is actually out in the field, whose boots are stained by mud and scuffed on rock, face marred by sweat, sleet and wind and head torch band; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to make atmospheric images; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends their self in the worthy cause of storm lighting and dawn colour; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if they fail, at least fails while daring greatly, so that their place shall never be with those cold and timid souls on tripod holed ground, who neither know victory nor defeat.'