Atmosphere in landscape photography: What makes an image more or less atmospheric?

 

 

Photographer Mads Peter Iversen often hears about atmosphere in landscape photography. He states that atmosphere is often associated with a certain feeling but is rarely explained and thus left up to subjective interpretation. Over the years, Iversen has tried to better grasp what atmosphere is. To this end, he has analyzed some of his own photos in the video below and explains why he believes they have a great atmosphere.

To Iversen, the most obvious condition which creates atmosphere in a landscape image is fog. There's something distinct about fog in a scene. It often works well for isolating parts of a scene and it has an overall simplifying presence. It's not unusual to look at a foggy photo and think, "That's a very atmospheric shot." It isn't only fog which helps create atmosphere. Mist plays a similar role as well. To see many great shots from Iversen featuring different atmospheric elements and learn some tips and tricks for shooting more atmospheric landscape images, check out the full video below.

What do you believe atmosphere is in landscape photography and what aspects of a scene or image do you think add to "atmosphere?" Let us know in the comments below. To see more from Mads Peter Iversen, be sure to check out his website and follow him on Instagram.

(Via Mads Peter Iversen)