About Thorvald

What is a "good" photo? What do I want to convey with my photos?

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To me, photography is a multi-storey building. The foundation is the technical implementation. How to master the settings on the camera. How to get sharp focus in different situations. Which shutter speed and aperture fit in different settings? Should I use zoom or wide angle lens? How do I process the photos afterwards?

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All these are things I have thrown myself over the last few months, with countless hours of Youtube videos, online articles and not least trial and error on my own. The result of this is that I now, more often than before, are able to produce a photograph that is reasonably well exposed and with a reasonably sharp focus. I am still a newbie, but the effort I have put in means that I now know enough to avoid the worst mistakes and can start to shift some focus from the purely technical to what I want my photos to convey.

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If the foundation of the "building" is how to produce the best possible image within a given frame, then the next floor is how to place the frame. Here are many exciting topics, such as light, composition, geography, etc. Where should I go to take pictures? When is the best light? And not least, what should I take a picture of when I get there? The nature around us gives endless possible answers to this. And even if there is no correct answer, it is still the case that of two technically perfect images from the same location, one of them can often be considered better than the other, based on composition, light and other factors. Mastering the aesthetics of an image is an art that I believe only time and experience can teach you. But when I look at photos from professional landscape photographers that I admire and look up to, it gives me faith that it is possible.

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The next and perhaps top floor of the photographic building is about story and communication. A perfectly exposed photo with perfect composition and light will undeniably be beautiful. But does it tell a story? How can I use my photos to create something that is both beautiful, but also resonates and communicates with the viewer? In landscape photography, this is an extra challenge because the images often lack people to tell the story. I still believe that the story is there, and for every photo I take, I will try to find new ways to tell it.

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In addition to all this, landscape photography for me is just as much about simply being outside in nature and living in the present. A photo is an added bonus and a reason for me to get out, but the experience of being outside in the fresh air either alone or with family or friends is rewarding enough in itself!