A Look Back at Some Highlights and Hidden Gems
Tim Parkin
Amateur Photographer who plays with big cameras and film when in between digital photographs.
When I originally proposed the idea of On Landscape to my wife Charlotte over fourteen years ago, I would never have thought that it would have lasted as long as it has. On this 300th issue, I decided to take a look back at all of those previous issues to pick out some highlights for you to revisit (if you haven’t already). I’ve chosen a range of styles and genres of article, please let me know if you have any particular favourites in the comments.
Issue 3
Creativity in Landscape Photography by Rob Hudson
An early article about creativity from Rob Hudson which talks about the superficiality of landscape photography driven by aesthetics only and how seeking deeper meaning in his work and “thinking like a poet” can provide deeper connections for the artist and the viewer.
Also in Issue Three was a popular article looking at some of the idiosyncrasies of the bayer sensor in “Where have all the berries gone” and part one of Joe Cornish’s series on “Aspect Ratios”
Issue 15
The Psychology of Saturation - Tim Parkin
Here's an article I put together after seeing some research on colour perception. It's a look into how we remember colour and how it affects our perception of saturation and purity of colour.
Also in Issue Fifteen is an article on “Wilderness and the Mind of the Photographer” by Malcolm MacGregor and an article on “Photographing Trees” from myself and Dav Thomas.
Issue 24
Gustave Le Gray - Master Photographer
One of the pleasures of writing articles for On Landscape is diving deep into different topics. I’ve written a few “Master Photographers,” but one of my favourites was Gustav Le Gray. It was also an excuse to buy a couple of fantastic books.
In the same issue, one of our readers wrote an article about an “Iceland Photo Tour”. In a nearby issue, Dav Thomas wrote an excellent article entitled “Hello, nice to meet you” on the pleasure of seeing your photos for the first time and a range of photographers comment on Gursky’s record breaking photography sale.
Issue 40
Giving Beauty a Bad Name - David Ward
One of the best writers on landscape photography has contributed some amazing articles for On Landscape, and this seminal essay on beauty is a great example. I highly recommend following the links to other articles by David.
In this issue we also have Joe Cornish writing on the subject of “Do you Manipulate Your Images”
Issue 53
An Interview with Hans Strand by Tim Parkin
With a digital magazine, there’s the opportunity to go into depth, especially with interviews. For our fifty-third issue, we had a very long and fascinating discussion with Hans Strand that covered a whole range of topics. The second part can be found here.
This issue also featured the third instalment of our “readers' questions” discussion with Joe Cornish, which is well worth checking out. Here's a link to parts one and two.
Issue 74
Minor White, and End frame by Joseph Wright
Our very first Endrame from Joseph Wright and what a classic! One of my favourite Minor White photographs.
In the same issue we had a short discussion on Harry Callahan’s less well known landscape work and we also sat Joe Cornish and David Ward down to discuss each others favourite images.
Issue 118
Chromatic Scales, a Meeting of Minds talk by David Ward
In one of those “if nobody else is going to do it, I suppose we’ll have to” moments, On Landscape organised a landscape photography conference at a wonderful venue in the Lake District, UK featuring some amazing photographers including David Ward, whose talk “Chromatic Scales” is featured in this issue. You can follow the YouTube link here to watch all of the conference talks.
Also, in this issue, Rafael Rojas talks about “Oriental Philosophy and Photography” and looks at how mystery is important and we have an interview with Nick White, a photographer who spans the gap between contemporary and classical photography.
Issue 132
Photography on the Trail by Alex Roddie
Alex Roddie writes about how longer trips into the landscape force you to adapt to the adventure, not taking pictures, an approach that changes your creative outlook.
Also in this issue, Guy Tal writes an intimate account of why he takes pictures in “Photography and the Wonder of Life” and in a nearby issue I look at the photographic genius that is Josef Sudek.
Issue 149
The Myth of Control by Tim Parkin
We’re huge fans of Peter Dombroskis and the publication of a new book and exhibition was an opportunity to take a deep dive into his work. While researching for the issue, I was particularly interested in the wide variety of versions of his most famous photograph and fell down an interesting rabbit hole about how much control we have over our own work when/if it ever becomes famous.
One of our readers interviewed Les Walkling who was preparing the artwork for the book and exhibition and another reader visited the exhibition and wrote a review of it. It's a shame the book wasn't what we could have hoped for but the discussions around the release and exhibition were interesting.
Issue 182
Multiple Exposures, Textures and Layers by Cheryl Hamer & Glenys Garnett
We have regularly featured artists who look at and work with the landscape in different ways and this issue included an article by a group of artists who work with multiple-exposures, ICM, textures and layers. In the same issue, Kas Stone looks at how words, titles or captions, etc, relate to pictures in “A Thousand Words” and we also had one part of the mammoth look at graduated filters I undertook.
Issue 208
Landscape and the Philosophers of Photography by Keith Beven
Keith Beven has written some in depth articles about various aspects of philosophy, creativity and science in On Landscape, and this issue includes part two of a two part essay on photography’s relation with reality (part one here).
Also in this issue, we featured Al Brydon’s creative and emotive project “Graveyard Bins” and a feature from one of our favourite photographers, Trym Ivar Bergsmo, about working in the long arctic night, “Shooting in the Dark”
Issue 227
Grounded, an interview with Gill Moon
We tend not to feature too many book reviews in On Landscape and when we do it’s because the book is either just spectacular or we can talk to the photographer about the story behind the book. Sometimes its a bit of both and this was the case with Gill Moon’s article around her “Grounded” book project.
Also in this issue we interviewed Melanie Friend and discussed her projects and in particular “The Plain” and how she brought narrative elements together in a photographic project.
Issue 258
Past Masters, Expressive Photography part Two by Francesco Carovillano
One of the pleasures I’ve had editing and writing for On Landscape is the deeper dives into the peripheral elements of art and photography. I’ve written some articles on the history of landscape painting and its relevance to photography, and in this issue, we have Francesco Carovillano writing the second part of a fantastic series on the impressionists. For more about the history of art, I've intermittently written a series with the first instalment here.
Also, in this issue, we have one of our regular writers, Theo Bosboom, writing about wildlife photography - well, almost. It’s actually writing about photographing the Atlantic coastlines less mobile inhabitants, “Limpets in the Landscape” but as always with Theo, his project work and writing make this so engaging.
As a bonus in a nearby issue, we had special featured photographer installment but instead of Michala Griffith interviewing someone else, she’s talking about her own work in “Michela Griffith Revisited”. Well worth reading to find out more about the On Landscape team!