Landscape photography. What is this thing? Landscape photographers. Who are these guys? They carry around cameras, tripods, filters, drones, etc. Their backpacks are full of stuff. Lots of gear, admittedly. To do what?
The world 40 years ago
Well, let’s start from another point. In my eyes, the world is less safe than it was 40 years ago. Forty years ago we had two poles of power. Two great powers were ruling our reality and worldwide perception. Two political systems. Capitalism and Communism. And that was it. A fragile barrier between them, but there it was. And at least in our Western societies, we were feeling safe “from the other”. We lived in a happy capsule, with our simple lives. No mobile phones, no tablets, no computers, no internet, no YouTube of course, no social networks. Just a few channels on TV. Straight-out friendships, straight-out relationships. We had no political correctness in those days. We were free to speak out our thoughts and express our opinions without the need to beautify them or omit words. I remember that we were also more romantic and more innocent. At least in our Western societies. When I was born the Earth’s population was 4,1 billion. But I digress.
In 2023
Forty years later, the world has more poles of power. Except for the US, there is also the European Union. Except for Russia (who mostly bequeathed the Soviet Union), there is also China. India antagonizes China at least in terms of population. Many country leaders strive for local power or regional superiority. Some media call them “dictators” because of the way they exert their authority over people. And I see tremendous developments in military technology as well. Such as low-cost military equipment that can make a difference on the battlefield, like drones. We may not live to see another World War, but I see more violence. I see regional wars, I see fanatism, I see terrorism. I see Death everywhere! On YouTube, on social media, on TV, and all over the internet. Earth’s population now has exceeded 8 billion people. But I digress.
Where is the freedom
Well, the fall of Communism as we knew it and the globalization that followed, allowed a tremendous rise in trade and travel. Along with the advance of technology, the advance in communications and computing. People now can have immediate knowledge of what is happening in another part of the world. Mobile phones with cameras are everywhere. In 2024 we will have more than 7 billion smartphones. More than 85% of the global population will have access to the world through its mobile phone. Of course, some countries censor the Internet and the media, nonetheless, people can have access to news. Trade is easier. Traveling is easier. For sure, travel has become a necessity.
Landscape photography
And then there’s us! The landscape photographers. My childhood “encapsulated” world, has evolved to a world of freedom and terror. I live in Greece and I can travel freely to every Schengen country. At the same time, I can be aware of the atrocities that happen in Ukraine, Caucasus, Israel-Gaza, etc. Terror attacks, brutal bombardments, high levels of criminality in big cities, and a rise in murders. Especially after the COVID-19 pandemic, people seem to have become senseless. They rape and kill so easily.
And I am thinking. Where can I find some piece of mind? Where can I escape from this wild world with billions of lunatics? How can I evade scenes of Death? I can escape to landscapes. That’s why it’s been many years that I have named my gallery of landscape images, ‘land(e)scaping”. That’s the gallery: https://photo-ventures.com/galleries-2/landscapes/landescaping/
I can escape to my seclusive, personal space where I create my art, I write, I imagine, I am thinking of my next venture. I can embrace nature to a nearby seashore, to capture some long exposures, or up to a nearby mountain. God, how much I love mountains! How much I love sunsets, colorful clouds, the beauty of the night! I can drive my car, I can travel, I can escape!
And that’s landscape photography. That is a landscape photographer. Someone who escapes from the brutality of the reality.
Support a romantic soul
You can buy prints like photo prints, framed prints, metal prints, and canvas prints. And also home decoration items such as pillows, blankets, or even notebooks, greeting cards, puzzles, etc.
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