P#17: A Very Unusual Impressionistic Photograph of Green Fields

Impressionistic Photography

Bill Neill: This photograph is one of three green fields shots that I took. They look like they might be out of focus, and they were intentionally shot that way.

There are three images in this group that are part of my Impressions of Light series. Sometime in the near future I'll be releasing an ebook featuring that work. It is in development now.

The image with the green fields and clouds is an area not too far from here. When I take these images it is important to note that these are manipulated images, in the sense that they are manipulated at the time of exposure. (click the image for a larger version)

This shot, and the other two like it, are single exposure only created by camera movement during that exposure.

The image of the green fields and stormy cloud was simply made by a slower exposure and moving the camera during the exposure. With a broader landscape like this in an open area or places with images like I've done like this one in Death Valley, I almost always move to the left and right or one direction.

When I take these pictures I take lots of them. I hold the shutter down until I hit the buffer and the camera stops. I move the camera back and forth. I use many, many different variations. Sometimes I use a fast shutter speed and move the camera fast. Sometimes I use a slow shutter speed and move the camera slowly.

I love the fact that they distill the scene. This is something that I talked about earlier. It kind of removes the concrete issue of where was that, and I've been there, and here's a place everybody has seen. It just strips that bare a bit, which I like. And I'm always intrigued by impressionist painters and this is kind of my impressionistic period, I guess.

To Sum Up

Getting creative with your photographs and your photographic techniques is a wonderful way to take unique shots. Bill Neill's impressionistic approach to this photograph of green fields is a perfect example.