People in landscape photos

There’s a bit of red-herring that does the rounds sometimes: landscapes should never contain people. On the contrary: they lend a sense of scale to the vista, as these two photos illustrate. This one was taken on the beach at Westward Ho! in North Devon and features a lone figure looking out to sea.

Out of the camera, the shot was much more drab; I warmed up the colour balance quite heavily to capture the reflective mood I sought.

My next shot was taken at sunset on Dunkery Beacon, the highest hill in Somerset. It features several figures in silhouette, enjoying the view at the end of their climb.

The walkers here convey not only scale but mood. Next time somebody is standing in the middle of your view, therefore, don’t just stand there seething until they walk away: think about how you can use them for creative effect.

Do you capture figures in your landscapes? Tell me about them and feel free to share a link.