Exploring the rural landscape can bring many amazing photographic opportunities.
With its abundance of natural features, random shapes, vibrant colours and diversity of life forms; with its interesting buildings, its animals and wildlife, the countryside has something different around every corner.
Compared to urban landscape photography, with its busy streets, diversity of architecture, and numerous interesting features, many people, when they hear the term rural landscape, think of endless hedges and fields, devoid of people or interesting subjects, without much potential for photography.
But nothing could be further from the truth.
Although I now live in the city, I grew up in the Irish countryside and I have a great love for the rural landscape in all seasons. Whenever I travel into the countryside to visit friends or family, or when I take a vacation in one of the many beautiful rural areas in Ireland, I always bring my camera with me and carve out some time for photography. I have been doing rural landscape photography for many years and I know it has rich potential for making interesting images.
In this post I hope to give you some ideas to improve your own rural landscape photography.
Things to consider:
SUBJECT
I mentioned earlier in this post that some photographers may think of rural photography as being devoid of interesting subjects, particularly when compared to urban landscapes or to more iconic locations with their epic features. Yet when we begin to think of possible subjects in rural landscapes the list is endless.
Here are some examples of what we can photograph:
Rolling hills
Tranquil lakes
Rivers
Bridges
Barns
Abandoned houses
Lone trees
Unique gates and fences
Rural villages – churches, quaint dwellings, old ruins, cemeteries.
Country lanes
People/animals/machinery
Rural landscape photography is not about photographing epic subjects or scenes. It is about seeing photographic potential, even beauty, in the ordinary.
COMPOSITION
As in all types of photography, composition plays a big part in achieving compelling images in rural locations.
I have often stopped at a beautiful scene while travelling, grabbed my camera or phone, and taken a quick image. These photographs may have been nice to look at given the scenic view, but they would not be considered to be good photographs in composition terms.
A good view does not equal a good image so we need to pay attention to composition, sometimes sacrificing the bigger scene and opting for a closer view with a well defined subject and some supporting elements. Including an interesting foreground, a strong leading line, a strategic placement of elements in the frame or a unique perspective are some ways to elevate rural landscape photography beyond simply being images of a pretty scene.
FOCAL LENGTH
Unlike some forms of photography, you do not need expensive cameras and lenses to do photography in rural locations.
Having said that, focal length is significant in rural landscape photography as the range of subjects requires different approaches. For some images a short telephoto or even prime lens may be the lens of choice to capture a closer image or part of a wider scene, while a longer focal length will be required to pick out details in a scene or to focus on distant subjects. Macro lenses will also have their place, so in truth, whatever your preference or style of photography your personal choice of lens can be used in rural landscape photography.
I usually keep my Tamron 18-200mm with me when travelling by car. It’s not the fastest or the sharpest lens but it does give options for all scenarios in rural locations and it is perfect to allow me to experiment and enjoy taking pictures of all sorts of subjects from all perspectives.
STORYTELLING
Many photographers consider storytelling to be an important part of photography. UK photographer James Popsys is a strong advocate for storytelling through photography, emphasizing that photographs should be about something, not merely of something.
I took this photo on the outskirts of Fenagh, an historic rural village in Co. Leitrim, Ireland. It is not a photo of just any church, it is a photo about this church. The church is the ‘new’ (built in 1787) St. Catherine’s Church of Ireland Church. There is a rich history to the area as this church replaced an earlier church that stood on the grounds of Fenagh Abbey, a monastery said to have been built in the 5th century. While photographing the church I was conscious of their historical significance and of the mark of generations of people who entered this historic site. Being at this site also provided an opportunity to reflect on olden times and on the homes and families who were part of this community through the ages.
Photos of old, abandoned buildings which are dotted around the rural landscape also give an opportunity to reflect on the story behind the image. They suggest a story of the people who lived there, of what life was like at the time they lived there, of the reasons for the former home being left to fall into disrepair. These buildings, although no longer in use, are part of our history and were once important features of the rural landscape.
This old house is situated at the side of what is now a busy country road. As I tried to take the image from a difficult viewpoint I wondered who had lived there, what the area had been like when they lived in the house, what their lives had been like and why the house came to be abandoned.
In some ways rural landscape photography may be one of the photography genres that best lends itself to storytelling.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Rural landscapes have a lot to offer photographers. They do have lots of fields and hedges, but they also have people and animals and buildings, rivers and lakes, plants and insects, and of course many opportunities to veer off the beaten path.
Rural landscapes are often home to old ruins, remains of castles, even restored old buildings that have a rich history to tell.
Quaint villages are often part of the fabric of rural landscapes, where you will find an abundance of photographic opportunities, from period architecture to modern amenities.
Shapes and textures can easily be found on walls, gates and buildings, while photographs of everyday life in these rural villages make for great storytelling images.
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I hope this post has given you some ideas to help enhance your rural landscape photography and perhaps to discover photographic potential that you did not know existed.
You might also like this recent YouTube video from landscape photographer Henry Turner:
Although the main topic of the video relates to what can be achieved by using a simple point and shoot camera, the content showcases Henry’s local area and gives examples of the potential which most rural areas offer for landscape photography.
See here for my gallery of rural landscape images.
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