Landscape Photography | Russ Bishop Photography

July 10, 2017July 11, 2017

Joshua Tree National Park

Joshua Tree National Park in the southern California high desert east of Palm Springs is an exotic arid playground that stimulates the imagination and rejuvenates the spirit.

As a world-class rock climbing mecca, its multitude of quality climbs and ideal off-season temperatures attract athletes from around the globe. And then there’s the landscape – a surreal mix of granite boulders strewn across the park like a giant’s marbles, and the namesake Joshua Trees with their whimsical spiny branches that conjure images of Dr. Seuss characters. From a photographic standpoint it’s a paradise of grand proportions, and when the sun goes down the night sky puts on a show of its own.

At the junction of two ecosystems, Joshua Tree National Park is host to both the Mojave Desert to the north in the higher elevations, and the Colorado Desert to the south. The Joshua Trees thrive in the slightly cooler Mojave Desert in the western part of the park, while the lower Colorado portion plays host to a multitude of spring wildflowers, a cholla cactus garden and the lush Cottonwood oasis near the southern entrance.

Summer temperatures can be unbearably hot, but the rest of the year is ideal for photography, climbing, hiking or just soaking up the visual experience in this otherworldly landscape.

January 12, 2017July 12, 2018

That Extra Something

Mount Rushmore and fall color, Mount Rushmore National Memorial, South Dakota

I always strive to find the unique angle or foreground subject in my landscape and travel photography, and most of the time this is simply a matter of scouting the location before the sweet light arrives to find that special element. But sometimes the options are limited and even the subject itself has really only one angle. Mount Rushmore is a classic example.

The sculpture created by Gutzon Borglum in the 1930s is an icon of Americana, and has probably been photographed more times than Old Faithful or Yosemite Falls. Of course I too had to capture my version, but with limited access to the monument my choice of lens was about the only option. Tight telephoto images are captivating and show the skill and detail that went into Borglum’s creation, but in the end it was a simple splash of fall color and a wide field of view that captured the essence of what I felt and gave the image that extra something.

So the next time you find your vision is hampered by the limitations of your surroundings go long or go wide, but try to include something unique within the frame that imparts a sense of time or place – and sets your image apart from the crowd.

October 1, 2015April 18, 2018

Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain

Fall color along the Merced River, Yosemite National Park, California

In landscape photography we often previsualize a scene in our mind’s eye prior to arriving at a location in order to achieve the final image. Then, working backwards with our equipment selection and knowledge of the scene, we assess the conditions and create that vision.

At the center of this process, our brain is constantly switching back and forth between two ways of perceiving and processing the reality around us — one verbal and analytic, the other visual and perceptual. While the left brain is logical, rationally using words to describe concepts and able to manipulate abstract ideas, numbers and the concept of time, the right brain, in contrast, takes on a holistic approach, sensing relationships and patterns, and tends to be intuitive, emotional, and irrational with no sense of time – much like a child.

When we photograph it is our left brain that confirms the proper exposure, balances the histogram, levels the horizon, and insists that the rule of thirds be followed at all times. From a creative standpoint, this is where we want the right brain to take over and make a subjective leap of faith. By recognising how our brain functions, we have the ability to tap into our creative side and develop new ways of seeing.

Betty Edward’s treatise “Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain” takes a thoughtful look into the fascinating way that our brain works in tandem to balance our creative and cognitive traits. Based on this premise, that the left and right hemispheres of the brain process information in very different ways, she suggests that we can subjectively stimulate our creative responses to the world around us by suppressing the dominant and calculating left side and focusing on the right. Though the book references artists and drawing in particular, it is equally relevant to any of the visual arts.

So the next time you feel the need to expand your visual horizons, resist the temptation to buy another lens or Lightroom filter (as your left brain would likely suggest), and pick up this book instead. The development of your creative perception is an invaluable tool that will serve you well the rest of your life, and the only requirement is time and practice.