What to photograph in rural areas ?

GTG

GTG

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Completely stuck for subjects in rural south west wales where I live.

Really dull and ugly landscape despite the beautiful adverts for wales.

I have lived here all my life and not in the tourist spots that are actually very nice in good weather to be fair.

There are miles and miles of winding B or worse roads with high hedges and typically empty unremarkable fields,

Nothing seems photogenic or interesting if you know what I mean.....
 
Churches and graveyards are good starters, especially for moody B&W images.

Maybe look for winding roads where you can a long road with plenty of depth to the shot.

Mat be a bit cliched but it's a start
 
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There are a few reservoirs about, most with walks along the shore.
They can make interesting shots at sunrise and sunset.
 
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mickledore said:
Don't shoot big. Shoot small. Gate hinges. Stiles. Gravestones or parts thereof. Masonry details.
Close ups make people think about what you haven't captured.
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Good thinking, thanks
 
Long lens, pick out details. I do mostly Landscapes and my most used lens is 70-200 by quite some margin, widest is a 35.

I think that wide angle shots of the landscape are much harder to pull off.
 
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Start with the absence of the city? :coat:
 
Kodiak Qc said:
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Start with the absence of the city? :coat:
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That is one thing there is plenty of.

I am surrounded by dull miss-shaped fields, ugly buildings and high hedges.

capeli1.jpg
 
GTG said:
Nothing seems photogenic or interesting if you know what I mean.....
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So why are you doing photography? All image making is inside your head. If there are no images in your head, you cannot be a photographer (or painter, sculptor,).
 
john.margetts said:
So why are you doing photography? All image making is inside your head. If there are no images in your head, you cannot be a photographer (or painter, sculptor,).
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I don`t understand, many people go walk about with no plans and see opportunities and make a snap decision to photograph things that present themself
 
There's a good takeaway there!

Passed through there when we stayed at Llangrannog.

You're pretty close to amazing coastline there!

Get out and walk is a good plan. I bet in those dull mis shaped fields there have some great lone trees in them, or old stone walls, or fields that are susceptible to flooding that at sunrise/sunset will look fantastic.

Check Google maps as well in terrain and satellite view. It's a great resource for finding hidden pools of water, outcrops of trees etc. There are online resources as well as apps for planning sunrise/sunset times and directions also to help plan once you've found a composition.

If all else fails, head for the coast!
 
GTG said:
I don`t understand, many people go walk about with no plans and see opportunities and make a snap decision to photograph things that present themself
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Exactly - artists see opportunities. When Van Gogh was at his lowest, he painted his boots - do you not have boots? If you are in your house and can see no subjects, no one can point them out to you. If you leave your house and cannot see the hedges, no one can point them out to you. The fields between the hedges, do they have nothing in them? You could spend the rest of your life photographing cows and never exhaust the possibilities.

Skies frequently have clouds in them, trees have leaves on them. For me, it is impossible to have my eyes open and not see images. If you have no images, photography is not for you.
 
You're only about an hour away from snowdonia (add 15 mins maybe on the Welsh roads) a lot of landscapers would kill to live that close to somewhere like that.
 
Craigus said:
You're only about an hour away from snowdonia (add 15 mins maybe on the Welsh roads) a lot of landscapers would kill to live that close to somewhere like that.
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2 1/2 hours each way, 5 hours round trip. Worse if stuck behind lorry
 
Isn't Gigrin farm near you, red kite feeding station?
Or Brecon beacons?
Matt
 
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GTG said:
Give it a break
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I'm pretty sure that what Johns saying is more "open your mind" rather than "sell up your kit"... It seems to me he's possibly trying to remind you WHY you started photographing things in the first place...

Sometimes it's just getting into the right frame of mind to see things - years ago, I did a photo-365 - a single photo every day, that acted as a photo-diary of an entire year. Boy did I struggle in the early weeks... then I did all the "tricks" that others have mentioned - looking small, thinking isolating details, seeing the beauty in abstract things - the discipline of forcing myself to "see" something every day basically made me open my mind to other possibilities. Before I'd always shot pretty traditional landscape-ey stuff - so, pretty much just shooting at away-day weekends or holidays, but to get something that summed up my day on a wet rainy thursday in february... that took a little more thought.

I'll confess that at the moment I'm in a bit of a photography black hole - I've lots of other stuff in my life that's sapping my enthusiasm for...well... pretty much anything other than eating, riding my bike and sleeping - haven't picked up a proper camera in more months than I care to think about. And, because I'm not "thinking images" I'm not seeing them. But, my "other stuff" will subside as soon as I get a job where I don't just go to and try and avoid throwing 3 out of 4 of my colleagues out of the nearest window, and I'll come back to photography, and get my mojo back again. Until then, I'm pretty much content to keep the camera kit in good nick, and wait for a respite...

But when I do get started, I know I'll have to work at it to get my "eye in" for seeing the hidden photograph - the thing that only becomes an image when I put a frame around it.
 
TheBigYin said:
I'm pretty sure that what Johns saying is more "open your mind" rather than "sell up your kit"... It seems to me he's possibly trying to remind you WHY you started photographing things in the first place...

Sometimes it's just getting into the right frame of mind to see things - years ago, I did a photo-365 - a single photo every day, that acted as a photo-diary of an entire year. Boy did I struggle in the early weeks... then I did all the "tricks" that others have mentioned - looking small, thinking isolating details, seeing the beauty in abstract things - the discipline of forcing myself to "see" something every day basically made me open my mind to other possibilities. Before I'd always shot pretty traditional landscape-ey stuff - so, pretty much just shooting at away-day weekends or holidays, but to get something that summed up my day on a wet rainy thursday in february... that took a little more thought.

I'll confess that at the moment I'm in a bit of a photography black hole - I've lots of other stuff in my life that's sapping my enthusiasm for...well... pretty much anything other than eating, riding my bike and sleeping - haven't picked up a proper camera in more months than I care to think about. And, because I'm not "thinking images" I'm not seeing them. But, my "other stuff" will subside as soon as I get a job where I don't just go to and try and avoid throwing 3 out of 4 of my colleagues out of the nearest window, and I'll come back to photography, and get my mojo back again. Until then, I'm pretty much content to keep the camera kit in good nick, and wait for a respite...

But when I do get started, I know I'll have to work at it to get my "eye in" for seeing the hidden photograph - the thing that only becomes an image when I put a frame around it.
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Yes it was late at night and I was just tired. His comments are welcome....
 
What I would give to have your coastline on my doorstep. All these winter storms must give opportunities. Waves and weather and rocky headlands. All those boats going into Fishguard and Milford Haven.
You'll have to prepare for bad weather. Don't be a fair weather tog or you'll get nothing done.
 
I would be getting into those woods in your image above to look for interesting branch formations, flowers, leaves, fungi, roots, drainage ruts and also abandoned items/kids dens etc. Not to mention wildlife...
 
I’m going to have to say it but anyone can take a pretty picture. Stick yourself in front of an interesting scene and it’s not difficult to come away with a pretty picture.

Why do you think there are so many ‘copy cat’ images/scenes of famous landmarks or ‘that’ pier/jetty in the Lake District. Looking for tripod holes in the ground will only get you so far.

The real artistry comes from finding interest in the mundane, creating images that are spectacular yet most people would not ‘see’.
 
Hi @GTG

I'm in Surrey, an area devoid of mountains, coastline and pretty much anything dramatic. But I have a love for landscape photography. So I decided to get creative and see what I could do with a 1sq mile area of fairly dull heathland not far from where I live. Being close by (5 min drive) means I can get there easily, and get to know the place well. Also, if there were interesting conditions (e.g. a heavy frost, thunder shower etc) I could get there very quickly to take advantage. I decided to use "unconventional" landscape photography methods i.e. a long lens with a very wide aperture, and see what I could get.

I started this little project back in 2014 and it's kept me entertained and engaged throughout.

I wrote about it, and included a bunch of sample images, here. Take a look. Perhaps you can try something similar near where you are.
 
GTG said:
2 1/2 hours each way, 5 hours round trip. Worse if stuck behind lorry
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Mansel Davies has got a lot to answer for.........

Explore your local area using an OS map. Get to know the local footpaths. You'll never see much just driving around. Necastle Emlyn may not be the most scenic part of Wales but it isn't far to Llangranog for land/sea scapes; Teifi Marshes (Cilgerran) for wildlife; the north Pembs coast is spectacular; I think you're being really negative actually..........
 
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GTG said:
Not far from Newcastle emlyn but really out in the sticks.
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I lived Just outside Boncath on a farm in my teens. Place around you are beautiful. The Teifi runs within walking distance of you and the villages along it banks are lovely.
And when you run out of places ( if that is possible) you have the people. and rural life. to photograph.
I think you have a very Jaded view of west Wales. And it hardly takes any time to visit the coast with all it has to offer.
I used to walk all the way from near Rhos-hill, the other side of Boncath, to Cenarth to see my then girl friend.
With in a similar walking distance you have loads of things to see.
 
Terrywoodenpic said:
I lived Just outside Boncath on a farm in my teens. Place around you are beautiful. The Teifi runs within walking distance of you and the villages along it banks are lovely.
And when you run out of places ( if that is possible) you have the people. and rural life. to photograph.
I think you have a very Jaded view of west Wales. And it hardly takes any time to visit the coast with all it has to offer.
I used to walk all the way from near Rhos-hill, the other side of Boncath, to Cenarth to see my then girl friend.
With in a similar walking distance you have loads of things to see.
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Yes I know what you are saying, I guess I'm so used to it that it looks incredibly boring to me but others would think its heaven...
 
GTG said:
I guess I'm so used to it that it looks incredibly boring to me but others would think its heaven...
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That's the same for everyone, wherever they live.
You get so used to seeing the same things that it becomes commonplace.
I know a guy who has lived in the Lakes all his life. He's fed up with it. It's very nice looking up the Wasdale valley when the peaks are bathed in sun, snow, rain. But after 30 years he's seen it all, and never drives up there anymore.
That's when you either have to travel, or take a different persepctive.
 
mickledore said:
That's the same for everyone, wherever they live.
You get so used to seeing the same things that it becomes commonplace.
I know a guy who has lived in the Lakes all his life. He's fed up with it. It's very nice looking up the Wasdale valley when the peaks are bathed in sun, snow, rain. But after 30 years he's seen it all, and never drives up there anymore.
That's when you either have to travel, or take a different persepctive.
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Yes like when I see a beach its nothing to me, I spent 33 years about 3 miles from a beach.
But to someone else its a dream to be able to walk about a beach with a camera
 
Maybe look elsewhere for inspiration not just landscapes. Look at the communities and life in the country. Farmers, fetes, barn dances etc...

Or perhaps a project on where new meets old. Lots of online businesses are cottage industries based in the countryside.
 
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GTG said:
Yes like when I see a beach its nothing to me, I spent 33 years about 3 miles from a beach.
But to someone else its a dream to be able to walk about a beach with a camera
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On a cold rainy afternoon the beach I frequently shoot can seem so unapealing but given the right weather and light it is amazing I visit it frequently even though the lake district is as litlle as 20 minutes drive.
 
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Tobers said:
Hi @GTG

I'm in Surrey, an area devoid of mountains, coastline and pretty much anything dramatic. But I have a love for landscape photography. So I decided to get creative and see what I could do with a 1sq mile area of fairly dull heathland not far from where I live. Being close by (5 min drive) means I can get there easily, and get to know the place well. Also, if there were interesting conditions (e.g. a heavy frost, thunder shower etc) I could get there very quickly to take advantage. I decided to use "unconventional" landscape photography methods i.e. a long lens with a very wide aperture, and see what I could get.

I started this little project back in 2014 and it's kept me entertained and engaged throughout.

I wrote about it, and included a bunch of sample images, here. Take a look. Perhaps you can try something similar near where you are.
Click to expand...

I'm loving your work there Tobers - that's creativity in a nutshell mate
 
mickledore said:
That's the same for everyone, wherever they live.
You get so used to seeing the same things that it becomes commonplace.
I know a guy who has lived in the Lakes all his life. He's fed up with it. It's very nice looking up the Wasdale valley when the peaks are bathed in sun, snow, rain. But after 30 years he's seen it all, and never drives up there anymore.
That's when you either have to travel, or take a different persepctive.
Click to expand...


Sad but true..........
 
It's not the landscape you want to focus on, it's light. Different weather and season will completely change a location and can make something mundane into something magic.
 
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