How to engage others with your landscape photographs
For this blog post, I wanted to try and put into words why people react to particular photographs over others. A recent post saw my Instagram following double in three days, so I wondered how I might get the same reaction from future images. Below is the photograph in question which was re-posted several times by other accounts.
When I composed the photograph, I wanted to lead the viewer through the image, so I decided to frame it with the grass verges on either side, the cliffs above and the subject central. It was early morning, so the light was warm and comforting. The hint of frost and leafless tree shows that its winter, giving it a sense of place.
Many of the people who reacted to the image might have liked it for the light and the location. However in my opinion, without the dog walker or dog, the photograph wouldn't have been half as strong.
I noticed that many people might have seen the location in recent films or reacted because they could picture walking there with their dog and camera.
As I had around 400 followers at the time, I was delighted to receive such a great reaction
The test was now to take a new set of photographs, intending to gain a similar reaction.
I wanted to focus on familiar subjects such as animals and well-known locations and kept searching for great light and unique angles.
I've been on overdrive ever since that first drop of snow at the weekend, desperate to make the most of the snowy conditions. The first place I returned to was Seaford Head, as I've always wanted to see it coated it white. As it was so quiet, I had to wait for a long time before someone entered what I thought was an interesting composition. I was thrilled when this robin landed a few feet away, hopping about on the snow. As you can see, my subjects are quite central, with the background also drawing some of the attention.
My son Rowan enjoyed his first proper taste of snow at Nymans on Sunday and I couldn't resist taking a photograph of him. The falling snow added so much to this simple photograph. Again, I decided to place my subject in the centre of the frame.
I visited this tree tunnel in Berwick next to where I live, as a project I am working on is to have an image of it in all four seasons. Finally, I noticed a dog walker in the park beside it and asked her if she would be so kind as to walk down the path. I've since thought about removing her from the photograph, as I feel it draws attention away from the subject.
The one image I felt was on par to the previous Instagram post, was this photograph of Beachy Head Lighthouse. The main thing which stands out for me is the golden light hitting the water and streaming out of the clouds. I waited for an age before the sun finally hit the lighthouse, creating this bright warmth. I wanted to lead the viewer's attention from the bottom corner using the cliff's edge and lighthouse out to sea, to the setting sun.
If I had the opportunity to re-take this image, I would love to have the same shot using a wider lens, so that I could crop it to square or portrait. As you can see from my other landscape images, they are all taken in portrait format; this is because if I decide to share the image on social media, the image will take up the whole screen, rather than a portion.
I also wanted to search for quintessentially British scenes. So on my way through local villages, I kept a lookout for red phone boxes, letterboxes, flags, village shops, pretty homes and spring flowers. Below are a few from the past week.
Outcome: I feel as though I get the most engagement with my photography when others can relate to them (perhaps the subject is a dog or family member or the location is familiar) and when the light is all golden and warm or dramatic. Others also love to see unique angles and unusual perspectives. I’ve yet to completely test the outcome of how sharable a post is, but I'm beginning to test the waters and the robin picture is getting a lot of great feedback.
Tips: I would always recommend heading out to take photographs early morning and around sunset as the light is warm and attractive and can add so much to an image. If you have the option, turn on your grid in the camera to help you compose the shot. Use the landscape to lead the viewer to the subject or to frame the point of focus. If you are using the image on social media, consider taking the photograph in portrait format.
