I have an obsession with taking photographs of people in landscapes, usually on beaches. There are multiple things at play here - the liminality between sea, shore and sky, the emphasis on space, scale and the refinement of humanity to its merest form, and the fact that I just like taking photos of people. On beaches. In the distance.
Shore/sea-scapes can be amazing complex and dynamic scenes, full of power and passion or as tranquil as as a summer’s eve. Whilst I shoot them all, my preference is the reduction of the scene to minimalism, composing for an almost graphic image all whilst capturing the human figure in such a way as to emphasise space and scale. These scenes can be surprisingly rare and often difficult to compose.
They are there, if you look closely enough…
Part of the challenge is not just trying to capture a person or persons within a landscape but to tell a story. What are they doing? What is their mood? How are they moving? What is their relationship to the space around them? All of these can be implied by placement within the landscape, positioning with the frame and by the action they are undertaking, and if there are more than one person, the dynamic between the individuals.
In truth, this process isn’t actively considered - it is 4 parts instinct to 3 parts ‘that looks interesting’ to 2 parts ‘that’s a nice composition’. It is instinct that evolves over time and is invariably opportunistic, with a touch of luck and a smidgeon of compositional experience. Regardless, it is the type of photograph that I like to make.