Landscape Within
DESCRIPTION
There is no shortage of books on the technical aspects of photography. But, while no photographer would deny the importance of mastering the technicalities of the craft, most would agree that perfect technique is just a means to an end, not an end in itself, and would argue that true satisfaction comes from harnessing technique to realize more profound, creative goals.
In this book, landscape photographer David Ward sets out to investigate what these goals are, or should be, and how they can best be achieved. He asks: why are photographers driven to create their images?; what are the emotions that they feel in response to a landscape, for example, and how do they seek to evoke the same responses on the part of a viewer?; wherein lies the essence of photographic artistry and originality, and can it be fostered and developed?
Ward is concerned, in short, with the nature of creativity as it is experienced and practised by photographers and with the thought processes that go into the making of an image that aspires to be a work of art rather than a mere snapshot of reality. In exploring these issues, with the help of a selection of his own large-format landscape photographs, David Ward has produced a book which goes beyond the limits of the "how to" manual (though it does contain plenty of practical advice) and addresses questions which, though rarely asked, go to the heart of every photographer's ambitions.