holmes Posted August 4, 2009 Share #1 Posted August 4, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) Every time I return to the forum I see what I generally can call some great, nice, or interesting photos. What strikes me is that most seem to have been shot in Europe. If I'm wrong I'll hear about it. But I see a decidedly European influence. Now I have to admit that I have not submitted any photo from here in the US. I suppose it's because I see so much use of light and shadow on B & W. Having traveled extensively in Europe I'm familiar with their light, both summer and winter. I live in southern New Mexico down near the boarder. Right now the sky is so blue that any shadows are sharp. No softness. Cut and dried. I think of the softening in Munch and the country side. The fabulous light and shadow of Saltzburg, again, in both summer and winter. The ancient streets of Trieste and Venice without saying. Most fortunate. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted August 4, 2009 Posted August 4, 2009 Hi holmes, Take a look here Is it me or my imagination?. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
andybarton Posted August 4, 2009 Share #2 Posted August 4, 2009 I think you're right. European light ( when we get some... ) is very special. The further North you go, the better it gets, in my experience. The UK is especially "blessed". Had lovely light here this evening - just when I was too busy to take advantage Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff S Posted August 5, 2009 Share #3 Posted August 5, 2009 Your imagination...gone wild. Artists have sought out New Mexico for ages because of the wonderful light. The Paul Strand photo hanging on my wall disputes your claim conclusively. And, I lived there for 5 years, so I know magical light when I see it. The challenge, as with any art, is to execute your vision. Jeff Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
vdb Posted August 5, 2009 Share #4 Posted August 5, 2009 Jeff, I know what you mean about light. I have a little adobe in northern NM purely for the joy of light. I crave it as I live in Indiana:( Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
NZDavid Posted August 5, 2009 Share #5 Posted August 5, 2009 Here in New Zealand our light is probably very similar: very bright, strong shadows, even in midwinter, which is now. (http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/landscape-travel/93471-hoar-frost.html) Using Velvia would be overkill. I have found English light is very soft. Lovely pastel colors. There's no such thing as "European" light. Scandinavia is similar to New Zealand: sharp and clear. Southern France and Italy are similar but not as intense. Greece is very bright. I haven't been to your part of the US but get Arizona Highways which has stunning landscapes. Please post some images from your neighborhood! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andybarton Posted August 5, 2009 Share #6 Posted August 5, 2009 I should have qualified my term "European light" with the word "Northern" My apologies. British rain is the problem this year Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wizard Posted August 5, 2009 Share #7 Posted August 5, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) Andy, although I second your remarks about light in Northern Europe, as I was lucky enough to experience it myself in England, Sweden and Norway, I strongly feel that the light in the Mediterranean is very special, too. The Provence in France and most parts of Greece, notably the Aegean Islands, come to my mind as offering spectacular light for us photographers. Cheers, Andy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wildlightphoto Posted August 5, 2009 Share #8 Posted August 5, 2009 I should have qualified my term "European light" with the word "Northern" I've found Alaskan light to be much easier to work with for many more hours each day than California's harsh blue-sky, overhead light. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
scaryink Posted August 5, 2009 Share #9 Posted August 5, 2009 Here in New Zealand our light is probably very similar: very bright, strong shadows, even in midwinter, which is now. (http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/landscape-travel/93471-hoar-frost.html) Using Velvia would be overkill. I have found English light is very soft. Lovely pastel colors. There's no such thing as "European" light. Scandinavia is similar to New Zealand: sharp and clear. Southern France and Italy are similar but not as intense. Greece is very bright. I haven't been to your part of the US but get Arizona Highways which has stunning landscapes. Please post some images from your neighborhood! I have found the light on your lovely south island to be unique due to its total absence of pollution - except for a few of those villages that still burn coal. Those towns possess a haze that must be very similar to England in the days of Dickens. The other problem with shooting on the south Island of NZ is that everything is so beautiful and unique that it is easy to overlook the great shots that literally are around every corner. Its funny but the lord of the rings movies were dim comparisons to the real thing. I have visited NZ on numerous trips and love the countryside. The challenge of shutter clicking or art is to see and recognize the uniqueness of where you are. I live in Scottsdale AZ which is in the desert and is typical southwestern. Capturing the starkness and often blinding light is a wonderful and beautiful task. It is extremely difficult with the M8 due to its narrow dynamic range. I prefer film for the summer and monsoon seasons - there is simply more room for error both with positive but especially negative film. Perhaps the OP experience may be a bit of "grass is greener" sympathies. I have no doubt that there are very fine equally competent shutter clickers among all peoples. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest flatfour Posted August 6, 2009 Share #10 Posted August 6, 2009 Days of Dickens ? It wasn't haze it was pea soup fog. Even in the 1960s I recall returning from work near London having to walk in front of the car driven by a friend as you couldn't see the curbs or the turnings. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andybarton Posted August 6, 2009 Share #11 Posted August 6, 2009 That was the drink, Tony Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest flatfour Posted August 6, 2009 Share #12 Posted August 6, 2009 I wish Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
StS Posted August 6, 2009 Share #13 Posted August 6, 2009 According to an old wisdom it is impossible to make a bad photo in Norway. Having soft light under a flat angle certainly helps. On the other hand, a lot of painters moved to the Cote d'Azur, where the light at noon can be pretty harsh. To me, southern France is about colours. And the food and wine, of course Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
NZDavid Posted August 6, 2009 Share #14 Posted August 6, 2009 "No such thing as European light". Wasn't meaning to be critical, Andy, but from about 60N (Scandinavia) to 35N (southern France) there's huge variation: in light, landscape, and culture. That's why Europe is such a delight to visit. You are so lucky to have it all there on your doorstep. We're certainly lucky in NZ, too, and glad you enjoyed visiting, Scaryink. You're right about pollution. Just because we have some pristine landscapes left doesn't mean we're "clean and green" in everything we do, especially energy-efficient houses and vehicle exhaust emissions. That question of dynamic range is interesting. I think some scenes are just beyond the range of either film or digital. But I haven't observed any huge improvement with digital. Color slides can still look gloriously sharp and brilliant. IMHO some of the finest ever landscape pictures were by Ansel Adams, shot in the American Midwest, in B+W. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stunsworth Posted August 7, 2009 Share #15 Posted August 7, 2009 I've just come back from central France - I'm on the ferry at the moment. The light was bright and harsh at the middle of the day. I seem to be returning to some of that wonderful soft light in the UK - and some rain. Can I have a bit more harsh please? I was shooting at a sheep fair on Tuesday. The sheep were under some trees and getting a reasonable exposure was a nightmare. I still prefer it to rain though. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest aurora_borealis Posted August 7, 2009 Share #16 Posted August 7, 2009 If you want to see a huge variation in light conditions I recommend that you come and visit me in Greenland. When it is a clear sunny day you are able to see very far and distances become hard to calculate. And when the fog enters from the sea it is like a ghost town and everything in a distance of 50 meters from you is all gray. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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