My friend Ed and I spent a few days up on the North Fork of the Coeur d’ Alene river fly fishing. I didn’t catch many fish but I didn’t care because I had my camera with me and I had a good time watching the fish feed and the king fisher’s fly along the river and the dance of American Dippers. We saw Moose, Elk, and deer too. I am not an animal photographer so I don’t really have any photos to show, especially since my focus system died on my camera! I still have the images in my mind.
As I made a couple of portfolio prints of these scenes I was struck with a profound observation about landscape photography. I realized that great landscape photography is really about the testimony of a photographer who has put themself in a special place on the planet. It seems absurdly simple, but what I really was thinking about is how landscape photography at it’s best is not about photography. I think it’s about the reasons you are out in the landscape. In this case my interest in fly fishing and adventure motorcycle riding has caused me to spend a great amount of time in the Coeur d’ Alene mountains the past two years and because of this I am learning this landscape and becoming able to interpret that knowledge into graphic images. Landscape is about having intimate knowledge of place and being their for extended periods of time that enables you to bear witness to magical moments.
My frustration with landscape photography has always been associated with the idea of a photo safari where you go to a place with the sole expectation of making a great image. These excursions are ususally a drive by trip rather than a multi-day exploration. It doesn’t matter whether you have a tour guide to help you pick a vista location to photograph. The weather and light is almost never what he aspired for in a great image. I have always said the best images are made in your own back yard because you are actually there often enough to have a sliver of a chance to catch a scene when the combination of light, weather, and subject matter come together in a way that would make for a great painting.
Three days of traveling up and down the river has given me ideas for future expeditions. These will need to be multi day affairs that allow me to experience the place at a deeper level. The great 19th and 20th century American landscape photographers often spent months out in the field. I have never really given myself permission to do this. However fly fishing has caused me to learn about stream flows, flora and fauna in a way that is shaping how I see the landscape. Now, when I see rain in the forecast I know that I will want to head up into the mountains to be there because I know that the inflection point between rain and sunshine is a magical time to make a sweeping landscape image that expresses the awe and wonder I feel. In that, I am following in the tradition of the romantics and transcendentalist, and coming closer to making better photographs.
