An alternative to landscape: mountain street photography
Mountain summit meeting
Can we say any more with traditional landscape photography?
Let’s be clear: I am in awe of the vision and the technical ability that I see in some landscape photography. And I am impressed at the dedication that some photographers show in pursuing numerous trips to the same spot in order to capture the perfect light conditions.
But sometimes it can seem that we are seeing a set of very similar variations on the same traditional viewpoints. Jokes are starting to be made about how easy it is to find the tripod holes for the classic shots. Some people like to feel that they have ticked off the classic viewpoints. But what if you want more?
Introducing mountain street photography
Mountain street photography is the name I have given to a different approach to photographing the landscape. Traditional landscape photography is typically a measured process. It can end up with a portrait of the landscape that can be seen as just too considered.
In contrast mountain street photography is a speedier process. It is about capturing a fleeting emotion from being in the landscape. It might be from a viewpoint that has not been used before. It might involve the figures that pass through the landscape. It might involve weather that is not normally photographed.
What is mountain street photography?
Mountain street photography is all about walking through the landscape and capturing what you see. It does not rely on going to specific photographic hot spots. Nor is it about going out to frame a single shot in a day. It is more about capturing a diary of my walk.
If I find a particularly good location on my walk, I might choose to explore it more. I might also wait for a short while to capture the changing light or the right grouping of people in the landscape. Mountain street photography is more likely to feature people in the landscape as well. Personally, I think the relationship between people and the landscape is a particularly interesting topic that is not explored enough.
Here are three reasons why you might want to consider trying out mountain street photography.
You get to see more
Most people see a landscape photographer as someone who is weighed down by tripod, full frame camera and a large selection of lenses not mention lots of filters. It is a stagger from the car to the right viewpoint.
When I practice mountain street photography, I typically usually only use my smartphone. I prefer to travel through the mountains as light as possible. Rather than wait in the same viewpoint for conditions to be absolutely perfect I prefer to focus on the hiking and simply being in the landscape. Sometimes I take a small mirrorless camera, but often a smartphone is enough.
This means that I get to travel to places that are really hard for traditional photographers to get to. I can travel fast and light. Naturally, not everyone wants to hike all day. But even if I’m not on a full-day hike, I wouldn’t want to lug full frame equipment round many of the paths that I travel.
It’s more honest
I see many wonderful photographs where the photographer has waited for exactly the right light and then enhanced everything further whilst post-processing. I’m not against editing at all. However, many landscape images can seem very manicured.
I love the mountains when there is a storm brewing or when the cloud rolls in. But it is a lot harder to find pictures like this. Mountain street photography is all about capturing the moments and the light that might be ignored by traditional landscape photography. I find many worthwhile pictures when I’m in the bright midday sun or when the weather conditions might be considered a washout by a lot of photographers.
Sometimes if I want to take images of a certain location, then I will have to work with the light. I may be in places where it is a long walk to a place where it is possible to camp, let alone a mountain refuge or civilisation.
There are greater story opportunities
A perfect landscape can seem a sterile place. I like to see somewhere with tension and drama. I like to see people in a landscape, bringing it to life. When we create images like this they start to tell a story. They intrigue and entrance the viewer.
In my opinion mountain street photography may not be as technically perfect as a traditional landscape image, but they get viewers thinking and engaging more.
The image above is an example of mountain street photography
The image at the top of this piece was taken in the middle of a seven-hour hike in Wales. It is not the most picturesque image that I made on this walk. Nor is it the best composition. What I like about it is how the hikers have almost become part of the landscape. It is a fleeting moment, captured as I was passing. A traditional landscape photographer would be unlikely to be able to create such an image.
Most people will not want to hike for seven hours to capture an image like this! So please remember one thing.
Mountain street photography doesn’t have to be about mountains
We can adopt this style of photography in any landscape. You do not have to be a keen hiker: taking a short walk is sufficient. It is more about being prepared to see the landscape and to portray it in a slightly different way.
For your next photographic trip, why not take a small lightweight camera and aim to travel through the landscape with it. Go out whatever the conditions are like. Stop when something grabs your attention and explore it and see what it has to say to you. Watch out for people and the weather.
Maybe it is time to leave the tripod and filters at home for once.