Enhancing Mood in a Landscape Setting

It's not hard to take a good photograph in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. Beautiful settings are abundant. However, I want to capture something more than a good photo. Emotion equals connection regardless of whether the emotion is positive or negative. As a photographer, I want to connect my viewer with the moment I capture with my camera in hope that my viewer will perhaps feel a sense of wonderment, nostalgia, foreboding, longing or peace. 

Casper David Friedrich stated, "The artist should paint not only what he sees before him but also what he sees within him." When I'm in the field, and then again when I sit down to post-process an image, I want to intentionally consider how certain elements contribute to a specific mood in a landscape setting.  

There are numerous ways to enhance mood in a landscape setting, but the four most powerful elements are exposure, colour, weather and crop. So next time you are immersed in a landscape scene, think about how you can intentionally capture a landscape scene with mood by using these elements. 

1. Exposure 

Light is the most powerful element in photography and will undeniably contribute to the mood in a landscape setting. Bright light will contribute to a happier mood, whereas dark and intense lighting, such as moody light from an incoming storm, will infuse a sense of chaos and unrest. Post-processing further enhances your image's feeling and mood through exposure levels and light and shadow adjustments. For example, it was late morning when I captured the image below. The sun was bright and high, and the mood was whimsical and dreamy. When I took this image into post-processing, I intentionally kept my exposure airy with muted clarity, no actual black point and lower contrast shadows, enhancing the mood I was looking for in this scene.    

 ISO 200, 175mm, f9, 1/320ss

2. Colour 

Colour theory is an extensive topic for conversation. However, applying basic colour theory in landscape photography does not have to be complicated. Colours evoke a feeling which impacts the overall mood in a landscape scene. For example, warmer colours such as yellow, orange, and red infuse a warm and usually welcoming feeling. On the other hand, cooler colours such as blue, purple and green create a colder, calmer and more isolated feel. Simply thinking about how colour can influence mood will help the landscape photographer create stronger, more powerful photos. This hotel scene at Emerald Lake in Yoho National Park during the night is an excellent example of how colour influences mood. The yellow glow of the light from the hotel surrounded by the cold blue of a winter's night invites the viewer to find warmth, rest and comfort in the resort. This can evoke feelings of friendship, family, love and connection.  

ISO 1600, 14mm, f2.8, 30 seconds

3. Weather

Weather is, of course, an undeniably powerful element when influencing the overall mood in a landscape setting. A sunny summer scene will always feel very different from a stormy winter day. When seeking to enhance the mood in a landscape photo, think about how weather impacts the overall mood in a picture. Work with the mood the weather infuses into an image, not against it. This image's cold, blizzardy and foggy weather works with the lonely dead tree.  

ISO 31, 24mm, f10, 30 seconds

4. Crop

When capturing a landscape image, focal length matters. Intentional consideration of the crop will help enhance the overall mood in a landscape setting. Tighter, more intimate crops feel very different than wide expansive crops and help influence the overall mood in a landscape photo. Close crops can create a deep sense of connection and personalization. On the other hand, wide expansive crops can create a feeling of vastness and awe.   

ISO 100, 200mm, f9, 1/320 SS 

As photographers, we are more than just picture-takers. We should strive to create connections with our viewers by intentionally thinking about landscape elements that impact the overall mood in a setting and then seek to capture and post-process that scene in a way that enhances the inherent mood. This is the art in landscape photography.