2010-08-17

Landscape Photography Influences - Fay Godwin

At first sight I was not impressed with the work of Fay Godwin. It appeared very understated and frankly dull. The fact that she concentrated on the British countryside and worked largely in black and white, contributed to this impression.  I decided to get hold of her best known books and give some more time to understanding her work. This proved that first impressions are not always the right ones. I have come to admire her work greatly.

Her seminal work Land is a collection of photographs from her first ten years work as a landscape photographer. It is a celebration of the British countryside. Her style is a documentary one, but there is a mystical quality to her work also. Very few of her photographs depict the cliche view of the British countryside with puffy white clouds and a sunny aspect. Rather she has most often captured the landscape in more dramatic circumstances with foreboding clouds and dramatic light. She is not prone to using tricks to accentuate her images.... they are presented in a documentary way. Many of her images are in square format - she frequently used a medium format camera. This lends a graphic quality to her work, which is accentuated by her trully excellent compositional skills.

In Our Forbidden Land, her use of landscape photography in a documentary manner is most highly developed. The work depicts man's influence on the landscape - generally man's adverse influence. Large roads cut into beautiful mountains, unattractive buildings and telegraph posts obscure the views, fences block the way, and forestry work despoils the landscape. The quality of the photography is of the same high standard but the message is not a celebration of the landscape, more a condemnation of man's abuse of it. Godwin was a long time member and President of the Ramblers Association and was active in the contemporary campaigns to keep the countryside open. Our Forbidden Land makes a strong case for a more sensitive approach to the landscape on behalf of the landowners - it is a powerful work.

I have learned quite a bit from my brief look at Fay Godwin. First it is clear that there is beauty all around us, you just have to open your eyes to see it. Second, timing is important - dramatic climatic conditions make for dramatic images. Third and perhaps most importantly, landscape photography is not just about pretty images, it can also be a powerful documentary force for change.

Here are a few of Fay Godwin's images:








































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About Me

I have been taking photographs since I was young boy some 45 years ago, but only seriously since 2005 when I enrolled to study at the Open College of the Arts. I am working towards a BA in Photography. I am a Licentiate of the Royal Photographic Society. This log record details of my projects and assignments during my studies. It also records ideas, work by other artists/photographers, notes on books/websites/exhibitions, influences, discoveries, thoughts, research findings and observations as I work through my courses. You can contact me at keith.greenough@btinternet.com or simply leave a comment on one of my posts.

Landscape Photography Bibliography

  • Andrea G Stillman (2007), Ansel Adams 400 Photographs, Little Brown New York USA
  • Andy Grundberg (1999), Crisis of the Real, Aperture Foundation New York
  • Ansel Adams (2007), Examples The Making of 40 Photographs, Little Brown New York USA
  • Ben Maddow(1989), Edward Weston, His Life, Aperture Foundation New York USA
  • Charlie Waite (1989), Scottish Islands, Constable London
  • Charlie Waite (1992), The Making of Landscape Photographs, Collins and Brown London
  • Charlie Waite (1999), Seeing Landscapes, Collins and Brown London
  • Charlie Waite (2002), In My Minds Eye, Photographers Institute Press East Sussex UK
  • Charlie Waite (2005), Landscape, Collins and Brown London
  • Clive Minnitt and Phil Malpas(2009), Finding the Picture, Envisage Books London
  • David Noton (2008), PHOTOGRAPY ESSENTIALS: WAITING FOR THE LIGHT, David & Charles PLC, London
  • Fay Godwin(1985), Land, William Heinemann London
  • Fay Godwin(1990), Our Forbidden Land, Jonathan Cape London
  • Fay Godwin(1998), Glassworks & Secret Lives, Stella Press East Sussex UK
  • Fay Godwin(2001), Landmarks, Dewi Lewis Publishing Stockport UK
  • Galen Rowell (1995), Mountain Light, Sierra Club Books San Francisco USA
  • Galen Rowell (2001), Inner Game of Outdoor Photography, Norton & co New York USA
  • Galen Rowell (2002),Galen Rowell's Vision: The Art of Adventure Photography, University of California Press USA
  • Harry Callaghan (1993), Ansell Adams in Color, Little Brown New York USA
  • Hunter, Biver & Fuqua(2007), Light Science & Magic, Elsevier Oxford UK
  • James Bentley & Charlie Waite (1987), Languedoc, George Philip London
  • James Bentley & Charlie Waite (1987), Languedoc, George Philip London
  • Joe Cornish, Charlie Waite, David Ward, Eddie Ephraums (2006), Working the Light, Argentum London
  • Joe Cornish, Charlie Waite, David Ward, Eddie Ephraums (2007), Developing Style and Vision, Argentum London
  • Joel Meyerowitz (2002), Cape Light, Little Brown and Company New York USA
  • John Berger, Ways of Seeing, Penguin Modern Classics
  • John P Schaefer (2007),The Ansel Adams Guide Book 2 Basic Techniques of Photography, Little Brown New York USA
  • John P Schaefer (2007),The Ansel Adams Guide Book I Basic Techniques of Photography, Little Brown New York USA
  • John Szarkowski (1981), American Landscapes, The Museum of Modern Art New York USA
  • Landscape Photographer of the Year Collection 01 (2007), AA Publishing
  • Landscape Photographer of the Year Collection 02 (2008), AA Publishing
  • Landscape Photographer of the Year Collection 03 (2009), AA Publishing
  • Liz Wells (1996), Photography:A Critical Introduction, Routledge Oxon
  • Liz Wells (2003), The Photography Reader, Routledge Oxon
  • Marc Garanger (1989), Louisiane, Kodak
  • Robert Adams (1996), Beauty in Photography, Aperture Foundation New York USA
  • Robert Adams et al (2009), New Topographics, Steidl Germany
  • Stephen Shaw (2004), Uncommon Places The Complete Works, Thames and Hudson, London
  • Susan Sontag, On Photography, Penguin Books London
  • Terence Pitts (2008), Edward Weston (Icons Series), Taschen
  • TPOTY Awards (2010), TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR Journey Three, Travel Photographer of the Year Suffolk UK

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