I grew up with landscapes as part of my background. I'm originally from Poland and so the pastoral countryside which I now try to photograph is something that I experienced as a child. However, I've always wondered why it is that so many love landscape photography. What is it about the landscape that makes a photograph into fine art, prints into masterpieces and what is after-all just a pretty scene into something people will be excited to own.
First, we need to understand that there are two ways to look at landscape photographs:
How many times have you gone to a hotel and noticed a generic painting which has some rolling hills or photos of some trees or waterfalls? You don't think twice about such things, do you? And yet, we seem to see them all the time. Clearly, the hotels have a reason for putting up that kind of artwork or else they'd put something else in – some modern art, some squares, somebody's 3rd grade macaroni art, anything to grab attention. And yet we still see landscape photographs and paintings all the time. Why landscapes? What is so special about landscapes?
Before I answer that question, there is also another way to see landscape photography. Look at some of the photos available as fine art prints on my web site. What do you notice about them? Do they tend to look different from other landscape pictures you've seen? What's the difference? Is it the depth? The colour? The saturation? Take a look specifically for example at Beech Avenue and consider the photo carefully. It's more than just your standard hotel style photograph. It's a whole new world inviting you inside, but more about that in a moment.
Beech Avenue,Kingston Lacy Estate,Dorset,England.
As I was saying, it turns out that we as a species have a special love for landscapes and landscape photographs because it reconnects us with nature. It used to be that most people wouldn't wake up looking at a cityscape, but instead would wake up and look out their window at a farm. This is simple logic – our species made its living on the land for most of the time we existed. The idea of modern cities where most people live today is something fairly recent and even though we may feel comfortable in our cities, there is a part of us that wants, needs to be with nature.It's that part of us that makes us want to stare at a beautiful fine art prints and see the trees or the water or the hills. We're simply returning, instinctively to our roots as a species. In fact, studies have shown that people who look at fine art prints of landscapes in the morning tend to be more relaxed throughout their day, precisely because they are giving their bodies what they need – a sense of peace and nature.
However, that only explains part of the puzzle. That will explain the prevalence of landscapes in hotels, but why does my work inspire an extra level of love and desire? Let's take another look at Beech Avenue. Yes, it has all the elements that would make for a pastoral setting and would look good in a hotel, but what sets my work apart is that you are able to imagine yourself inside the scene.
Instead of simply looking at nature and sighing, you can see an entire path, leading you in. What's at the end of the path? Is there a little house perhaps? Maybe some kindly old couple who would offer you some home-made soup on a cold day. Perhaps the path ends with a rabbit's hole which leads to a world of talking Giant Hares and Mad Hatters. Whatever it is you wish to imagine is down that path, that's the extra little something I offer – not just the pastoral setting of a landscape photograph, but also a chance at an entire story to be told anew each time you look.
