I was surprised to discover that Luminous Landscape had announced and transitioned to a subscription model in response to a falling revenue from advertising and merchandise. The site was once a primary landscape photography resource on the internet, but that was a long time ago when competition wasn't around and it is now a shadow of its former self, the number of inspiring articles and images, have declined steadily over time. IF adequate subscription revenues are raised and reinvested to commission quality landscape photography articles, LL might regain its mojo again, but the haste with which the move to a subscription model has been implemented suggests a different agenda.
My experiences with subscription websites has not been a positive one, a few year back I subscribed to three websites, all of which were subsequently unsubscribed from. Diglloyd, Reidreviews and Onlandscape magazine, each also gave access to an archive, which merely confirmed that inspiring and interesting articles were the exception, rather than the rule. In each case I reached the point of not even bothering to read articles well before the subscription expired. The problem for commercial photography websites is that the information is out there on photography forums, communities, vlogs and blogs. After the disappointment of subscription websites, I do make a point of donating to websites when their material provides genuine interest, it is telling that Luminous Landscape didn't employ a donate button, before transitioning to the subscription model.
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