The human element in landscape photography: An overview

A richer visual story -- Larry Moskowitz

Whenever people think of landscape photography, it’s likely to conjure up images of mountains and the vast wilderness. But it’s also common to incorporate a human element in landscape images to humanize the image and tell a richer visual story, according to professional photographers.

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Larry Moskowitz. Landscape photography is, by definition, purely natural. It is intended to tell the tale of life’s astounding diversity as well as the continuing geological process on Earth. A person, however, can be a means to tell a richer tale. For one, a person set against massive landscape is a lesson in scale and perspective and can solicit a range of emotions including awe and wonder.

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People remove the dullness in ordinary shots of lighthouses, beaches, or wildlife. They add story to the picture, reflecting emotion and power through their portrait and its combination with the landscape. They demand composition and more careful positioning in order to translate as a high-impact component of the image. Larry Moskowitz.

Thus, as seasoned photographers explain, the next time people see a landscape photo, for example, what would be left if they remove the man on a boat on the shot of a sleeping river? How does it make the storytelling different? This is the power of the human element, and one that photographers should continue to explore. Larry Moskowitz.