retinax
Well-known
This has been an important thing for my photography. I often try to capture the mood of a place. But does it work? Hard to tell for myself because the picture might just bring back memories I have of the place.
Here's an example of a photograph of mine that gives me a strong sense of the place, even though it otherwise isn't a good photo - but that might help us isolate what helps the sense of place.
I suspect what works here is the brooding clouds and the precarious, floating position of the camera that the viewer is put in, which reflects the inhospitable nature of the place where there seems to be little space for humans between the steep mountainside and the ocean. The flat light in this cloud situation is typical of the place, not sure what it brings to someone who hasn't been there or in a a similar place. But maybe I'm spouting nonsense, it's just my memory and none of this comes across in the picture.
The impressionists already knew that light has a strong emotional impact - they mostly painted scenes with special light and put great emphasis on conveying the light. The quality of the light is certainly an important point. But how does it work? Do we simply recall the quality of light in a situation we were in, the emotional impact it had, or is there something more to it, something common to us all, beyond individual experience?
Please share your own pictures where you think you succeeded or failed, or just accidentally managed to capture the genius loci! And if you feel like it, let's discuss what the places feel like to us, and why it works or doesn't.
Here's an example of a photograph of mine that gives me a strong sense of the place, even though it otherwise isn't a good photo - but that might help us isolate what helps the sense of place.
I suspect what works here is the brooding clouds and the precarious, floating position of the camera that the viewer is put in, which reflects the inhospitable nature of the place where there seems to be little space for humans between the steep mountainside and the ocean. The flat light in this cloud situation is typical of the place, not sure what it brings to someone who hasn't been there or in a a similar place. But maybe I'm spouting nonsense, it's just my memory and none of this comes across in the picture.
The impressionists already knew that light has a strong emotional impact - they mostly painted scenes with special light and put great emphasis on conveying the light. The quality of the light is certainly an important point. But how does it work? Do we simply recall the quality of light in a situation we were in, the emotional impact it had, or is there something more to it, something common to us all, beyond individual experience?
Please share your own pictures where you think you succeeded or failed, or just accidentally managed to capture the genius loci! And if you feel like it, let's discuss what the places feel like to us, and why it works or doesn't.
