Help me understand

I have only recently come into contact with the term “Contemplative Photography” so I am searching to understand what that means. Many times I have been advised to slow down and “see” before pressing the shutter button. I assume the two ideas are pretty much the same. Also, I seem to associate Contemplative and Small Scene photography. It seems that small scenes require more looking, more contemplation and a quiet and unhurried approach. Does that make sense? And can you comment on the similarities or differences in these two approaches?

Thanks
Ron

I disagree that this relationship exists. I have come across this as well in my readings and videos. Why would a grand landscape be less contemplative? The reason there seems to be a tide against them is because they are often cliche shots, copycat shots of well known compositions. If you’re copying a composition it’s obviously not a contemplative endeavor. In fact, contemplative may not be a good word to use. You can contemplate on your camera settings, composition rules, and lots of other things.

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I think often there is a different process going on when taking a Grand Landscape verses an “Intimate” or “Small Scene” photo. In so many beautiful grand landscapes Mother Nature does all the heavy lifting. There is a beautiful sky and clouds, the light is awesome, and the vista is breathtaking. It seems like the major skill needed to capture such a photo is the knowledge of when and where to go and the time and resources to keep going back until the conditions are near perfect. The photographer just manages to get there, frame a shot, and press the shutter. Of course I am exaggerating a bit but I think most of my good grand landscapes are less a result of my artistic skill and more a result of the above. On the other hand, small scenes require more “seeing”. It is the photographer’s eye and mind that find the shot and press the shutter. To find such shots you do need to slow down and feel what is in front of you. Igor’s recent post entitled “Flow” does a good job of explaining the process.

I totally agree with @Igor_Doncov. To me “contemplative photography” is an approach, an attitude, a way to photograph. It is independent of subject matter. Being slower and taking my time to see what is presented to me. It can be an epic scene just as much as a small scene. It is not exclusive to intimate or small scenes. I think they get associated because by going slow, I naturally see more details in small scenes. But seeing details in larger scenes is also possible, like how the light is hitting a distant mountainside, or maybe how a patch of trees looks against a background.
I do think more images are of small scenes, so I understand the association.

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Not sure I agree with this 100%. You could put ten people in a general vicinity at once and probably 8 out of the ten would have different results from technical to artistic differences and ranging from good to bad work. As for myself, my mental process is really no different whether I’m at the beach or in a forest. What is my subject? What am I trying to convey? Then light and composition.

I’m a big fan of contemplative photography, and would categorize much of my work along those lines. That being said, I believe this genre of photography is very loosely defined, so it may very well vary from one photographer to another. In my view, both grand landscape photography and intimate landscape photography can fall into this category.

Let’s take grand landscape photography for example. My philosophy is to arrive well ahead of the light (several hours usually), identify a subject, then take my time establishing a composition. With the composition set, I wait for good light and I don’t deviate from my composition. I hate the feeling of running around like a chicken with its head cut off. Sure, there are times when I can’t fully anticipate what will happen, but most of the time it works out great. For me, the contemplative aspect of grand landscapes comes from arriving early, taking time to contemplate a composition, and enjoying the moment rather than getting stressed out as the light is at its best.

Contemplative photography is also very well suited for small subjects. These subjects often require a heightened sense of awareness to find. Upon finding a subject, I love taking my time to study the composition, and contemplate every nuance. The beauty with this type of photography is that we are free from iconic subjects and locations, which in turn encourages us to seek more creative subjects. I think many people, myself included, find joy in finding wonderful subjects that other people might simply walk past.

The common theme for me is taking time to study the composition, and ponder a subject rather than feeling rushed to take a photo very quickly. Perhaps that’s one of the reasons why it’s very much associated with the smaller scenes.

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Some really good points brought up here. I agree with what @Mark_Muller, and @Ben_Horne have shared. I think it is more to do with the thought process behind the image, rather than the type of scene, grand or intimate. How much preparation was involved? Was the site scouted ahead of time? Was the landscape ‘read’ and light predicted for the scene? What is my subject and what am I trying to convey? Does this scene have a story to tell? All just examples of some things one might ask when composing a “contemplative” photograph. I’m still new on this forum, so I’m not familiar with everyone’s work yet, but I know Ben is a large format shooter, and I shoot 4x5 film part-time myself. One thing I can say is that my photograohic style is definitely more contemplative using the 4x5 than it is with my digital cameras, simply because large format requires it. There is no quick setup and run-and-gun shooting with a field camera. However, a good practice one could use for a similar effect with a dslr (requiring some self discipline) is to go out to a chosen location with the idea that you have only 2 exposures you can make. Limit yourself to releasing the shutter only twice on one outing. It’s a great way to force yourself to really focus on what you are trying to convey in a scene. When I shoot with my digital kit for too long I can start to lose sight of this. As soon as I get my 4x5 kit strapped on my back and I hike out for some photography I quickly remember, “oh yeah, I really need to slow down and think this through.” My 4x5 film work and digital work are often very different because of this.