John Hooton Images

Landscape Photography is at the same time one of the easiest and most difficult subjects to approach. It is easy because landscapes are so familiar and accessible -they are all around us, and now most of the obvious scenic views are cataloged tourist attractions with established viewpoints. In addition, landscapes are permanent; they don't move, and so all that is necessary is to get there with a camera. Finally, for the simplest shot, there are no extreme technical difficulties.

Despite this, there is an outstanding difference between the ordinary "postcard" views and the finest creative landscape photographs. Manny casually-conceived photographs of intersting views that stimulate the photographer turn out to be disappointing, failing to capture the essence of the scene. This is precisely because landscapes are such farmiliar, accessible subjects. Many photographers do not put a great deal of effort into a shot, yet to lift a landscape photograph out of the ordinary requires consiterable perception and technique.