By Jenn Gidman
Images by Aaron Reed
From his home base in Washington state's Snoqualmie Valley, Aaron Reed's goal as a landscape photographer is to craft carefully composed images that offer viewers a new perspective on the scenes in front of his camera. "The first thing I do is identify my main subject and its supporting elements," he says. "Knowing where to place these subjects inside the frame is the art of composition. I prefer clean compositions. Because of that, I make every effort to remove elements that aren't part of, or in support of, my main subject. After I've framed the image, I look to the available light in the scene and how that light interacts with the elements I've identified."
The Tamron SP 24-70mm VC lens is Aaron's optical tool of choice, giving him the versatility he needs to capture a variety of images, from wide angle to midrange telephoto, without having to change lenses. "This lens also offers a very close focusing distance of 15 inches, allowing me to capture macro-like images of smaller subjects by using the zoom feature of the lens and getting in close," he adds. "And the large maximum F/2.8 aperture helps me to work in a wide range of lighting situations."
Read on to see Aaron's awe-inspiring photos and what he was thinking composition-wise as he captured each one.
Multnomah Falls, Oregon
Settings: 33mm, ½ sec., F/16, ISO 400
The opportunity to photograph icy conditions in the Columbia River Gorge happens just a couple of times each winter when the temperatures drop and the east wind picks up. The chance to photograph these conditions during the peak of fall color, however, is much rarer, so when I saw this opportunity, I stopped to take a picture.
Normally I would have framed this image vertically to support the height of the falls and the trees that frame it on either side. However, on this day I felt the vertical composition was too tight, so I zoomed out to 33mm to take in more of the small details and hints of color provided by the autumn leaves surrounding the waterfall. I used a shutter speed of 0.5 seconds to achieve the blurred look of the waterfall while minimizing the possibility of capturing movement in the leaves blowing in the wind.
There are many strong lines both vertically created by the trees and the waterfall itself, as well as horizontally by the bridge. I created a sense of balance by putting equal distance between all of these strong visual lines in support of both the waterfall and the bridge, inviting the viewer to wonder what the view is like from up higher on the bridge itself.
North Bend, Washington
Settings: 52mm, 1 sec., F/16, ISO 100
This image is a perfect example of creating depth with your compositions. It offers you the opportunity to bring a three-dimensional quality to a two-dimensional image. Balance is the most important part of creating this type of composition. Without that balance or symmetry, the look of depth you're trying to achieve will appear skewed. When captured incorrectly, this lack of balance can even draw a viewer’s eyes right out of the frame—the one thing you never want to do.
In this image, the trees are spaced equally from the sides of the image, and the length of fence showing on either side is the same. The lowest railing of the fence is purposely placed to line up directly with the lower corners of the image, commanding the viewer to look there first and follow the natural lines into the scene. No matter how long the viewer looks at this image, her eyes will continue to be pulled into the center of the scene. I have the viewer’s full attention.
Leavenworth, Washington
Settings: 65mm, 0.25 sec., F/16, ISO 100
This image is a great example of strong visual contrasts in a scene, which can be created using shapes, colors, textures, and focus. These strong contrasts create an appealing visual turmoil in the viewer that naturally wants to work itself out, leading the viewer's eyes to move back and forth between each element.
In this image, I used the rule of thirds to create an overall balance in the scene by placing the most prominent tree and the top of the ground cover each one third of the way in from the side of the frame. There were messy, unbalanced plants on either side of these trees just outside the frame, so I chose a tighter composition at 65mm to help eliminate these distractions and to pull the background colors and textures in closer to create even stronger contrasts against the smooth white birch trees.
Mount Rainier National Park
Settings: 24mm, 1 sec., F/16, ISO 100
Anytime you're presented with natural, curving lines in a scene you're photographing, you should do your best to incorporate those curves into your composition. Leading lines are often the key to creating depth in an image, and natural curves are ideal leading lines that can help achieve this goal—all without looking forced or gimmicky.
When I stumbled across this seasonal stream, the composition jumped right at me as I looked down from above. Using the 24-70's close-focusing-distance abilities to my advantage, I dropped down low, getting in close to accentuate the small, colorful flowers while placing both the entrance of the stream from the top of the image and the exit of the stream from the bottom at opposite sides of the frame, drawing the viewer's eyes up and through the image. Again, strong contrasts were also achieved by using a longer shutter speed that allowed for soft, blurred water that stands out against the colorful, sharp details of the wildflowers.
Snow Lake, Snoqualmie Pass, Washington
Setting: 31mm, 1/100th sec., F/19, ISO 200
This image was captured on my very first visit to this beautiful mountain lake. The clouds and fog had moved in and out as sunset approached, and they broke up just enough to create a touch of drama as the day ended.
Many photographers adhere to guidelines such as the rule of thirds like they're laws never to be broken. In this image, I was able to split the horizon, essentially cutting the image in half by using a foreground anchor of the trees and bushes in the right-hand corner of the frame. This foreground element works as an anchor for the viewer as his eyes naturally move across the middle of the image, bringing him back into the image up through the bottom, instead of leading him off the right-hand side.
The glasslike surface of the water provides a perfect, softer reflection of the rugged mountain peak rising from the lake below. Wind typically dies down during sunset, so don’t leave an area like this before the magic happens just because of a windswept surface. While the surface of the lake was placed in the center of the image, the multiple lines created by the mountain itself and the hills leading to the lake's shore were all placed intentionally to draw the viewer's eyes into the center of the scene and that amazing reflection of nature.
Abiqua Falls, Oregon
Settings: 29mm, 1 sec., F/22, ISO 100
Abiqua Falls is an amazing waterfall any time of year, surrounded by a cathedral of volcanic basalt in the middle of the forest. If you're lucky enough to witness it in conditions like these, it will be a day you'll never forget.
After spending the first few hours of the morning here capturing images from every possible angle, the rising sun began to peek through the trees above and directly behind the waterfall. Using a small aperture of F/22, I was able to produce a sun star at the very top of the falls, creating yet another visual contrast of warm and cold. The area between the waterfall and myself was not the most photogenic, so I moved to the right side and used the natural curve of the river to draw the viewer in and past the midground to the star of the show (get it?).
Snoqualmie Falls, Washington
Settings: 35mm, 15 sec., F/16, ISO 100
I consider myself lucky to live just a few minutes from this impressive 268-foot waterfall—I can photograph this incredible display of winter in my pajamas and slippers while drinking my morning coffee. In an effort to achieve a tight, clean composition, I used the rule of thirds and a tighter-than-usual focal point at 35mm to frame only the most interesting ice-laden walls of the canyon. That demands all the viewer's attention be drawn to the contrasts created between light and dark, frozen and fluid, sharp and smooth. A long exposure of 15 seconds was achieved by using a 3-stop neutral-density filter and, of course, a sturdy tripod.
To see more of Aaron Reed's photography, go to www.aaronreedphotography.com.