Changing Tastes in Landscape Photography

I often reflect on some of the landscape photos I captured 10 or more years ago. This is an interesting exercise because I can see how my tastes have changed over the years. Like a modern-day miner, I’m now finding gold amongst my previously discarded RAW files.

But I don’t think my changing tastes are the only reason for this.

We have the software tools to correct and enhance images in ways we previously couldn’t. Take the next image as an example.

This was captured on the River Brue near Glastonbury in 2011 with a Canon 5D Mark II and a Canon 24-105 lens at 93 mm. It’s a 6-second exposure at f/16.0 and ISO100 and has a 1-star rating in my archive. This means not to delete it as it may have some use in the future, but don’t waste time processing it.

The reason it had this rating was problems with the image quality:

• The distant detail was slightly too soft. This can now be corrected using AI tools from Topaz Labs and several other companies.
• The riverbank was too dark but, when corrected, was full of noise and little detail. This was easily fixed by running the RAW file through DxO PureRAW.
• I also used Lightroom’s new selection tools to make subtle and targeted adjustments in ways that weren’t previously possible.

But my skills with photo editing have improved too. For example, I can now use Luminosity Masking much better than I could back them, and those tools have improved, too.

Here’s another example of a misty Corfe Castle in Dorset, also taken in 2011.

This was also largely ignored because, at the time, I wanted to see a glowing red sunrise. Instead, I captured the early morning sun breaking through the field mist.

What was I thinking when I gave these images a 1-star rating?

Next time you find yourself at a photographic loose end, browse your archive for lost gold.

I hope you have a great weekend.