Photogenic Schiermonnikoog (part 2)

Saturday 24 July 2021, 20:40 by Erik Nevels | 5,182 views | 0 comments

This article was translated from Dutch with the help of AI. Read the original.

'Landscapes may well be the most difficult branch of the sport called nature photography', says Johan van der Wielen, our workshop leader.

» Read also Photogenic Schiermonnikoog (part 1)

I recently spent several days on Schiermonnikoog with a group of enthusiastic photographers, where Johan shared his views on landscape photography with us.

It soon became clear to me that the theory lessons would not immediately lead to beautiful results in practice.

Sunset

It is already late in the evening when the sun unexpectedly shows itself. Will the plan to photograph a sunset over the sea actually work after all?

We decide to go for it and cycle to the beach with the whole group. There, we spread out and I walk across the immensely wide expanse of sand along the low dunes, looking for an interesting landscape.

Footprints are visible in many places and I do not want them in the photo. As well as the beach and the setting sun, I want something in the foreground and preferably something in the middle too. But finding that is not easy for me.

I look around, walk a little way into the dunes and then back onto the beach. Meanwhile, the sun is nearing the horizon and it is high time I made a choice.

Not convinced by the view in front of me, I put down my tripod and attach the camera with wide-angle lens. The marram grass in the foreground and in two places further back lead me more or less through the image towards the sun.

I choose the widest angle on my zoom lens (17mm) and an ISO setting of 100. With a small aperture (f/18), I create a large depth of field and a starburst around the sun. I then set the shutter speed to 1 second.

Finally, I focus on a point just behind the foremost blades of grass because I want the foreground to be sharp in any case. I just finish in time and take photos as the sun rapidly disappears below the horizon.

I am enthusiastic all the same and it leaves me wanting much more. At the same time, I know there is still a lot to improve. When I walk back, the group is already waiting for me.

Sony A7 mark III, 17mm, f/18, shutter speed 1s, ISO 100

Beach

The final workshop day promises good weather. My companion and I decide to take the late afternoon boat back to the mainland. That leaves us many hours to enjoy ourselves on the North Sea beach.

The sun is shining brightly and the wind is cooling, but it also blows the sand around. That is new to me. How do I keep my camera free of sand, and will I dare to change a lens?

That is a worry for later. The first assignment is to look, look and look again. Where can I see an interesting landscape? I walk along the beach, then into the dunes and back onto the beach. I take a few photos from a tripod, close to the ground.

Before long, the first sand starts collecting in the nooks and crannies of my camera. The tripod is not spared either. On top of that, I am not exactly pleased with the photos I have taken so far.

So I look again. I decide to search for structures in the sand and walk close along the dunes. About 100 metres further on, a slope catches my attention. Beautiful patterns with attractive lines are drawn in the sand.

That will be the foreground, with the dunes behind it and the sun as the finishing touch.

I get to work. I zoom out to 17mm, ISO 100, f/20 for a sun star, and a shutter speed of 1/640 second.

I do not overexpose or underexpose because the sand is just as bright as the sky. While waiting for the clouds to be in the right place, I lie on the ground as sand blows into my face. Suddenly, a gull flies above the dunes and into my frame. That is great, but I am too late.

I decide to wait for another gull and after 10 minutes my patience is rewarded. Satisfied, I stand up and shake the sand from my clothes and out of my hair. Even my tripod is crunching.

I look at my watch and search the beach for the final hour of the afternoon. Time flies when you're having fun!

Sony A7 mark III, 17mm, f/20, shutter speed 1/640s, ISO 100

Patterns and lines

The patterns and lines created by the wind in the sand are fascinating. Unfortunately, the sun is already high and there is hardly any sidelight left, which means there are no deeper shadows.

Nevertheless, it is an enjoyable part of a dune landscape and I search for another attractive combination of patterns in the sand, dunes and sky.

Taking care not to walk too quickly and disturb a pattern with my footprints, I discover a nice combination. It will be my final dune photo of the day.

Sony A7 mark III, 17mm, f/16, shutter speed 1/200s, ISO 100

Difficult

Johan is right. Landscapes are a difficult branch of nature photography. It is not a subject like an animal, flower or tree that you can focus on.

The whole photo is the subject, and that is where the difficulty lies. The relationship between all the elements in the photo matters. Being able to perceive the whole and imagine a crop, or composition, while walking through nature takes practice.

Because that is certainly recommended. Practise looking, exploring and imagining which photo you want to make, from which viewpoint and in which weather and lighting conditions.

Come back when those conditions are there. Perhaps only in winter, when there is snow, because that is the image you have in mind.

In any case, photographing natural landscapes is above all challenging and enjoyable, as well as difficult. You do not have to go to Schiermonnikoog for that, although it has to be said that it is a photogenic Wadden island.

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