Intimate landscape Photographic Art - Smaller Scenes With a Grand Impact That Are Unique
Intimate Landscape Photographic Art | Small Scenes With A Grand Impact
02-27-2023
The Intimate Landscape, an often misunderstood terminology for a genre' of photographic art that has inspired me for well over 2 decades. One of the great master photographers that originally mastered and coined the phrase Intimate landscape was Eliot Porter. He had the first ever exhibit of full color photography at the Metropolitan Museum of Art back in 1979. The exhibit was simply titled Intimate Landscapes.
LUXURY ART EDITION - A dreamy semi-abstract nature inspired scene, photographed in the heart of New Hampshire's White Mountains from the edge of the Swift River.
A long-exposure transformed the ripples and flow pattern of the river rapids into an ethereal flow of gold, revealing the reflected White Birch patterns on the north side of the river. This artwork is VIBRANT and cheerful. My intent was to capture all that energy provided by nature for collectors to bring into their homes and office space.
It was an exhibit featuring 55 color photographs, representing the first one man exhibition of color imagery ever presented at the world famous museum. Porter was a standout for his time, he bravely adopted color film as opposed to black & white when most of the other contemporary photographers frowned upon the format. I'd think its fair to say he was a pioneer of color photography. I personally credit Porter for creating the style of nature photography called Intimate landscapes. His eye for compositions and love of nature found him seeking out scenery that featured interesting patterns & textures that would guide the viewers eye throughout the imagery.
LUXURY EDITION - A lovely autumnal scene from the forest floor of the ADK wilderness. My eye is always wandering the lower levels of the hardwood woodlands in search of intimate landscapes. Fallen birch trees and vivid red autumn Maple foliage are spectacular subjects, and the colors are complementary to each other.
The outer layers of Silver Birch bark are known to curl into various shapes. In this case, I envisioned a book with folded pages. Autumn is a transitional season, thus I aptly named the artwork "Turn the Page"
TAKING NOTICE OF MY SURROUNDINGS
Dating back to the 1980's I first laid eyes on an Eliot Porter image titled "Red Bud, Red River Gorge" that made a huge impression on me. At the time I was fixated on grand landscapes, always seeking out towering mountains as the backdrop with forest or meadows as the mid-ground and something interesting in the foreground. I came to realize that Eliot Porters composition had as much, if not more elements to explore than a grand landscape.
The details that surrounded me suddenly began to jump out, and I took notice of the more subtle aspects and designs of nature and applied that to my own unique style. To some degree, I had been allowing myself to be distracted by seeking out grand landscapes, and overlooking many of the details and elements that were right there all of the time. Once I came to this realization, my personal approach changed completely and I became rejuvenated to begin exploring my surroundings in a new way.
I love to find juxtapositions when composing nature images. When scouting possibilities amongst the dew-covered Lupine meadows, I spotted an old abandoned hay rake and used the low angle of sunrise light to backlight the beautiful cones.
This is an Open Edition print
FINDING THE INTIMATE LANDSCAPES AND TELLING A STORY
One of my personal rules of thumb when out shooting is to slow the pace down. Photography is not a race to a finish line - and I tend to be rather deliberate when I'm out in the field scouting and composing my imagery. It requires a great deal of patience, trying to decide on which details I feel would lend themselves to an inspiring and unique image while telling a little story about how the scene makes me feel. I always try to convey my connection with the subject I'm photographing and apply a personal touch. Seeking graphic balance is critical since I almost always find some element in the image for the viewers eye to bounce off, and re enter the scene to explore over and over. Being more selective and mindful of my composition has led to making more creative and visually interesting imagery.
Mingus Mill is a historic grist mill that's set on the banks of Mingus Creek, in Great Smoky Mountain National Park. It is a working piece of American history, and it's still at it's original location as built since 1886. I photographed this rustic beauty on a moody April morning with a beautiful translucent mist hovering in the air, as diverted water poured over the flume into the creek. This is an Open Edition, part of my Curated Collections.
FEELINGS OF PEACEFUL INTIMACY
The intimate landscape is a genre of fine art photography that allows both feelings of peaceful intimacy and a restful atmosphere into your home space. Nature photography has been scientifically proven to have beneficial positive effects on humans. During your daily hectic schedule it may not always seem apparent, but we are all deeply connected to nature, and a part of it. Immersing yourself in nature by bringing intimate landscape photography artwork into your special place will help you feel more refreshed, have reduced psychological distress and better overall health. Your personal space is often thought of as a place of refuge and privacy. A beautiful image of a small nature scene can restore tranquility and provide clarity as much as a hike in the forest or a soothing meditation class.
INTIMATE LANDSCAPE AS BEAUTIFUL HOME DECOR
The genre' of Intimate landscape fine art photography deserves attention be it on a gallery wall, or the walls of your loved personal space. While the grander landscape is impressive and always draws a crowd, the smaller scenes tend to be more seductive and inviting. It's rare to be able to include incredible sunrise or sunsets in the more intimate scene, but I've found reflections off water or glass, and sun stars off drops of dew to be as effective as any beautiful sky. For the scene below titled "Just Hangin' Around", I had to set up my tripod with the legs splayed out as wide as possible to get down to the level of the grass. Using a wide aperture allowed me to blur the background, with the sun becoming a big soft light illuminating the entire scene from behind.
LUXURY EDITION - A brilliant back-lit autumn maple leaf captured by tall grasses on the forest floor on a crisp frosty October morning.
Surprisingly, a strong intimate landscape scene works just as well as a grand landscape when it comes to making a large print as a statement piece. Many of my all-time best selling artworks are small scenes, and I've delivered them to my collectors in sizes from 36" up to 66" at the long edge on a regular basis. Loving your wall space by adding visually interesting to you photographic fine art prints is a wonderful way to complete your homes interior design.
Stunning fine art imagery enhances your interior's wall space by creating an aesthetically pleasing atmosphere. Interior designing has many unique facets, and I can attest that luxury fine art nature photography can be a great facet for your interior design visions.
LUXURY ART EDITION - A babbling brook ripples and cascades through a section of tiered mossy river rocks deep in the Vermont Groton State Forest wilderness. A lone colorful Beech leaf seems to enjoy a brief pause on it's journey downstream before it flows into Groton Pond.
WHAT CONNECTS WITH YOU?
When trying to choose photographic artwork for your homes interior, you'll want to invest in a piece that you connect with. Art is a powerful tool, and it sets the tone and the mood for the room you are adding the finishing design touches. A large format gallery quality nature print will fully transform any room in your home. Nature & landscape photography also offers quite a bit of versatility as they work extremely well in virtually every interior setting. If you're style is a rustic cabin, a stunning timber frame home, contemporary, or even a country farmhouse you'll find a perfect match.
I photographed this subtle yet picturesque Vermont stream & waterfall while exploring Kelley Stand Road. It is truly an off-the-grid, primitive Vermont roadway, traversing the Green Mountains and connecting East Arlington to Stratton. I've sold over 200 Roaring Branch prints since I began to publish them on my various websites back a few years.
This is a square 1:1 aspect ratio print.
Feel free to reach out to me to set up a FREE consultation when trying to select either the best size, or print media for your specific needs. I have a very informative page that provides a wealth of details describing all of the Print Media I offer on my site. In addition, my years of experience have allowed me to use various different lighting ideas to highlight your new fine art addition. The lighting options that are available for home interiors have reached high-end gallery quality!
FRAMING YOUR NEW MOUNTED ARTWORK
I make (4) professionally mounted fine art print media styles that are ready hang as a float-mount "frameless" the moment you unpack them. The choices include Chromaluxe metal prints, Aluma-Mount Gallery floats, Wood Float Plaqs, and Acrylic Glass face-Mount gallery floats. The Wood float plaqs are not intended to be framed, however, the Chromaluxe meta, Aluma-Mounts and Acrylic glass prints look AMAZING if you choose to frame them!
Fine Art Italian wood frames by Roma paired with a linen liner beautifully compliment any Schoeller Fine Art Acrylic glass or Chromaluxe metal prints. We are happy to locate a qualified framing gallery in your immediate area that knows Luxury Fine Art Photographic print media
I don't offer any framing services from my website when you order your artwork. The reason is, I feel it's important that you make that choice up close and in person when you select the moulding that will cradle your new piece for years to come. You'll be selecting from various moulding widths, color shades, and textures which can be very difficult to make a decision if you are viewing online.
I do provide a service that is of great help, and that is I am thrilled to assist you by reaching out to framing galleries in your general area and speak directly with them on your behalf. The modern photographic art print media styles may not be familiar to some framing galleries, and you wouldn't want to find yourself driving from place to place to be disappointed. Simply send me a message during the purchase process that you'll be framing your new artwork, and allow me to help you every step of the way.