Presented by Dmitry Kirshner on November 4, 2020
What makes someone a landscape photographer? What about a macro photographer? Travel photographer? Portrait photographer? What about all of the above plus some? How important are labels, definitions and narrow genres for defining someone? Does perfecting one genre, technique or subject make one an expert? Or is it the breadth of experiences and experiments that define a successful photographer? This presentation is about a journey of a photographer in search of himself and the images that move him and others. Every image is a “-scape” of one kind or another – landscape, travelscape, cityscape, seascape, flowerscape, even portrait-scape (it is fun to invent new words). I like the definition of a “scape” as an “extensive view” or a “wide view of a scene” – I do not think it matters whether the scene is a grand vista or an abstract image of a flower petal or someone’s expressive face. What makes them “-scapes” are the contours of major elements; the compositions that emphasize what is important and hide or defuse what is of less significance; the way the viewer’s attention is manipulated through the application of light and shadows; and the emotions expressed through the image’s colour pallet.
Not every photograph we take is successful – far from it. Not every image moves the viewer. But as long as we are working on our craft, looking for new subjects and learning new techniques, we are fellow photo-travelers. We are a part of a tribe that is defined by dichotomies. It values creativity yet is logical. It is in search of a free artistic expression yet cannot achieve it without the mastery of highly sophisticated equipment. So it is ok to allow yourself to experiment, to try new things, to switch attention from one subject to another, from one technique to a different one. It is ok to create “-scapes” of all kinds.
Dmitry Kirshner is a Winnipeg based landscape and abstract fine art photographer.
You can see more of Dmitry’s work on:
Instagram: @dmitrykirshner