Why is contrast so important in landscape photography?

In this video I am in full on teaching mode. We think we know what contrast is, but I was lying to myself for the first 15 years of my photography. I'd say I've discovered more about this topic in the last 5 years than I could have ever imagined, and now I want to share it with you. (and I get photobombed by an adorable dog called Rocky!!)
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[@janroos7518]

Lovely educational (about all kinds of contrast) and philosophical (about not caring who likes your own photos but yourself) video!! Thanks!!👍

[@dwrisdon2487]

Holy moly, you were absolutely bubbling with energy and hyperbole. Is that what a sunny Scottish afternoon does to a photo-lad? What a great tip, utilizing an ND filter with moving grasses. I love it. Bravo!!!!! Bill

[@Alister_Benn]

Yeah, the more I enjoy myself in nature the better the final video.

[@erkko69]

Great video again♥️🇫🇮🐘🌄🌷🌴🦜👍😀!!! Your positive mindset IS good. 🦜👍

[@Alister_Benn]

Many thanks, I’m enjoying the process

[@andrewmckinney3053]

Yes! Enjoyed it very much, and learned (had re-affirmed) significant aspects of contrast. Many thanks, Alister!

[@Alister_Benn]

Brilliant, delighted to hear that thank you

[@jimrinaldi8357]

When you showed the first shot I thought BORING. I almost moved on. But as you went through this exercise I picked up a very valuable lesson, beyond the contrast you were talking about. Again, you are teaching me to Slow Down. Examine the scene for possibilities. You do a lot with pano here that would never have occurred to me. Introducing the ND filter so you can accentuate the effect of the wind is brilliant. I am rapidly becoming a big fan of your videos. Thank you.

[@Alister_Benn]

Really pleased to hear that, thanks for sticking with it

[@mvia236]

Not only the how-to but the why. Thank you.

[@glendaspackman7760]

Excellent tutorial Alister. Learned a lot from the way you cropped your images to simplify them. Thanks a heap...

[@ShowMeTrucker]

Enjoyed your video on contrast. I am almost 60 years old and just getting started with photography as a hobby. You have given me a lot of food for thought on the subject and I just wanted to thank you.

[@rickhanger8225]

IMHO, your best tutorial. Really struck a nerve and thought provoking. Thank you. 👏👏👏🙏🙏✌️

[@Alister_Benn]

Thank you so much, I’ve decided just to be me and be passionate from the heart ❤️

[@MarkFloyd7451]

Love your ideas and comments. They are really eye opening. I've never thought of contrast in the manner you so eloquently outlay. Thank you for sharing your creative thoughts. Love the photos.

[@Alister_Benn]

Many thanks, I am happy to hear that

[@billbarraclough9653]

Insightful, thought provoking, encouraging and entertaining....as always, Alister. Great stuff!!

[@Alister_Benn]

Many thanks, I’m always happy when I’m being me ❤️

[@danevarkevisser4670]

Alister, some lovely images there. They show a maturity of vision you don't often see in landscape photography. And agree, good photographs can be taken at any time of the day including under bright blue skies in the middle of the day.

[@Alister_Benn]

Thanks very much, most kind.

[@ronnyheinemann1283]

A serious talk to camera and then a silly voice to the dog now that is contrast brilliant 😂👌👌👍love it well done🙋‍♂️

[@Alister_Benn]

That’s me 😂

[@TimberGeek]

Our copy of 'Out of Darkness' has arrived. 😄 Indeed, what a lovely place to be and a visit from a friendly dog. Our last cat is in the process of passing so we're debating dog vs. cat vs. the freedom of movement that comes from not having pets.

[@Alister_Benn]

Ah, wonderful the book arrived. Sorry to hear about the cat, always sad when they pass.

[@jasoneldridgephotography]

I really enjoyed taking contrast beyond just shadow and light. Excellent all around. The images as well!

[@dennisstansfield4621]

Just a note to let you know your wonderful book and print arrived this week; so pleased; packaging was terrific, all the way from Scotland to Utah without a scratch. Thank you so much for your efforts.

[@Alister_Benn]

Ah fantastic, so happy to hear that. Thanks to my darling wife for her diligence and all her packing efforts

[@esanford]

The white dog was quite a contrast…. Great, thoughtful video…

[@Alister_Benn]

Haha. He sure was ❤️❤️❤️

[@marcvalade94]

Listening to you makes me think that depending on golden hour for photography makes one need to travel! Creative photography seems to be the sustainable way to go!! Great shots by the way!

[@Alister_Benn]

Thanks man. Yeah, too much emphasis is placed on location

[@jerrycarriveau1620]

Cheers Alister 😃

[@photonsonpixels]

What a brilliant tutorial, Alister. When I look at your "uncropped" raw images, I think I would have tossed most of them. And yet, you show how beautiful they are once you know what to keep and what to eliminate from the frame. And the concept of motion familiar to long exposure seascapes applied to landscapes without water is simply genius! Thank you!.

[@linaionta7590]

Oh you for this Alister!! I live in Castilla la Mancha, Spain, with its blue, blue skies and parched countryside 😂...when it starts to heat up, all the wildflowers quickly dry up, and I'm left wondering what to photograph next. Now I have been inspired! I can actually do something with blue skies, cork trees, grasses and shrubs! Thank you so much!!😀🙏

[@shaun53355]

Beautiful mindset of making photos any part of the day is our gift of understanding,a great inspirational video. Thank u for sharing.

[@rosye6241]

Me es difícil entender ingles ,pero comprendí la esencia de tu explicación.Gracias por compartir.

[@astridpreisz519]

I enjoyed this one a lot. So full of passion and love for what you are doing! I could feel the joy 🙂. Made me want to go out immediately and feel the wind in my face! Thanks for always reminding me to just 'own' what I'm doing. Love the effect of the long exposure. Be like water! 😁

[@Alister_Benn]

Be like water, so true, flow through the landscape and feel the relationship with being. We only get once chance

[@johnnykempo]

Just came across your channel. Loved this and will look out for more. I like the way this is less about the technical side of landscapes but more about what it makes the shooter feel and invoike in the viewer.

[@Alister_Benn]

Thanks for that, welcome. Gear will always be somewhat part of photography, but that can be a phone or a cheap point and shoot. Obviously I have a lot of expensive gear, but that is not why I create art. Thanks again...

[@garymc8956]

Interesting the use of perspective and framing to deal with contrast. Very worthwhile consideration.

[@AgillexUK]

I've never understood why "good" photographs are only possible in the golden and blue hours or in the winter months; I love experimenting with high contrast in all conditions, so really nice to hear someone at your level endorsing it, too. Your video has also raised my appreciation of new types of contrast I've never really thought about before. Thank you

[@Alister_Benn]

Great, really happy to hear that and of course I very much agree

[@PaulEvans]

Thank you again for another enlightening video. I’ve been looking at my previous images and it appears on a number of them I was sub consciously looking at contrast in the various ways you explained. It seems I was doing it but not really figuring out why I was doing it. Now I know, therefore I understand.

[@Alister_Benn]

Thanks so much, that’s fantastic. It’s amazing how much our subconscious knows, yet we fight it all the way

[@janewebb4483]

I will share this with landscaoe oil painting friends for more creative interpretations and compositions through better understanding of contrast.

[@capturesintime7080]

Great video… thought provoking especially about using simplification techniques to create pleasing contrasts with the windblown grasses or elimination of colour. Look forward to the rest of the series!

[@nicknichols4249]

A masterclass! Thanks so much!

[@davidskinner274]

Wel explained , Allister

[@Xo1ot1]

Insightful video as always. Cropping properly is a powerful tool.

[@JohnDrummondPhoto]

LOL you actually pronounced "kindergarten" correctly the first time (it's German and spelled with a "t", not a "d"). I agree with your point: contrast is directly tied into your other factors of composition, including color (chroma) and value (light vs dark).

[@Alister_Benn]

I realised that when I watched back the final video edit!! 🤪

[@tjmanou6422]

Your compositions are outstanding. thank you

[@TerryBoydPhoto]

Thanks Alister. Another excellent lesson. I'll be off to Tasmania on Friday for a week that is sure to be full of contrast, be it the tone, clour, relative humidity, textures in the landscape or the weather! (Read, decidedly Scottish.) I'm inspired in any case. Love your work, mate.

[@Alister_Benn]

Cheers buddy, thanks for that. Enjoy the leech fest!!

[@windleman1]

Thank you Alister...thankyou

[@seamuscody176]

Thank you Ben for such an interesting video, illustrating the different forms of contrast, the obvious light v dark but also contrasting colours and textures plus the importance of cropping to eliminate distractions.

[@Alister_Benn]

Cheers for that, glad it was helpful

[@andrewherbert9938]

Very much enjoyed that one Alister

[@alanevans9246]

Fascinating concept that I never gave any time too! The photos (art) is glorious. You bring a whole new approach to the world of creative photography. Thank you very much and looking forward to you next content. As always, keep snapping!

[@Alister_Benn]

Thanks so much, I really appreciate that

[@tjcuneo]

I loved nature's way of letting you know it was time for a beer!!.. I liked seeing the entire image you captured and the final presentation as the result of cropping. Simplifying certainly made for a far more interesting image. Always enjoy your channel and work.

[@Alister_Benn]

Hahah, it’s always beer time 😂😂😂

[@bonniehoskin9212]

Great video! Loved the dog, loved the iPhone slip up… oh and loved the content too.😂

[@suzannemullaney3205]

Thanks. Your creations are really good.

[@larrycitra300]

Love your enthusiasm Alister … interesting and informative as always … I know how you feel!

[@Alister_Benn]

Lovely, thank you, I really enjoyed this one

[@martinoberstein8431]

Hello Alister, thank you very much for another interesting and inspiring video with beautiful shots! I have been to a place called „Lüneburger Heide“ in Germany last week. It’s a landscape characterized by heather and juniper, birches and pines, where I took photos of „walls“ of trees inspired by your last video. This was great fun… Last week your book arrived and it was worth the wait. The photos/edits are awesome and the quality is superb. The only thing I was a bit disappointed about was that it came without being signed by you. I preordered it but perhaps I did get something wrong. As a teachable student of yours I took a creative solution, did my own thing and signed it myself… Thank you ever so much for your work and your good humour, that is shining more and more through your presentations! Kind regards, Martin

[@Alister_Benn]

Did you notice there was a signed card inside the wrapping? There was the sealed booked and a signature card. Hopefully you will find it

[@martinoberstein8431]

@@Alister_Benn You are absolutely right, thank you very much for your hint! Sorry for any inconvenience!

[@Alister_Benn]

@@martinoberstein8431 awesome, I am so happy you found it. To try and get the books to people perfect, we had them shrink wrapped at the printer. That meant I couldn’t sign the book, so we had the cards printed.

[@martinoberstein8431]

@@Alister_Benn The book was so perfectly wrapped and securely sent that it was easy for the card to hide itself away from stupid guys like me. These edits are gorgeous, you must be very proud of this work or glad if you like that better…

[@trishf29]

I enjoyed this video! Take a mundane subject and turn it into something else. I often go out from about 10am onwards to photograph as I am older and suffer from arthritis. You’ve given me some different viewpoints, which I feel I must try out in the local eucalyptus forest. The sun filters through, creating lots of contrast, but I’ve never bothered to use the 16:9 aspect in there, usually 3:4 or 1:1. Must try it! Looking forward to your next videos.🇦🇺

[@johnmielke243]

I will add my enthusiastic support for the teaching in this video. This will enhance my seeing the landscape in fuller ways, and hopefully improve my creativity and craft. My book also arrived two days ago. I am slowly enjoying the book. It will sit next to my reading chair for some time!!!

[@Alister_Benn]

Thank you so much and also about the book, it is great to finally see them arriving in new homes

[@garymc8956]

I’ve been reconsidering Galen Rowell lately and how h dealt with highly contrasting mountain scenes using slow slide film. How he did so very successfully.

[@claudehamel9228]

Excellent!

[@shasha8900]

Remarkable channel. Thank you

[@lauraemerson413]

Excellent video about contrast. Really enjoyed it and the cropped images are superb! The crafty bit is very interesting, too. I would have thought that f5.6 was plenty shallow enough with a medium format camera. An ND10 filter is quite a lot, too. What was the focal length of the isolated birch tree with the waving grasses in front? And I really like your tripod... looks like a very sturdy one!

[@horstschoninger1265]

🎯

[@linaionta7590]

*Oh, thank you ( excuse the typo in my last message ;)

[@caneestudio]

👍

[@larryrudnick1519]

Excellent teaching concepts! Have a beer for me too!🍺