Real life
Well, that’s a little open. Context would help.
In this instance I will relate this to my photography philosophy and see where that goes. Creativity, expression - what rings my bell may not do it for everyone else. This is the way it has to be of course, thankfully. I have been clicking for around 50 years, give or take, on and off - more seriously for 35 years. I have had a number of mentors along the way, who have given me part of what do now. But my eye and my mind are what define what I want from the effort, and how I feel as a result. What pleases me. And by extrapolation, what I have to offer the wide world.
Real life.
I shoot landscape mostly. I shoot portraits, in my own way. I have traveled quite a bit and liked to capture life from those places, to tell a story. I like street photography when linked with travel. I’ve never attempted ‘astro’, but would like to. I have done some ‘cityscapes’ and would like to do more, professionally. Ready to try more things I guess. So landscapes. I have trekked for a very long time, in a number of countries, the nature around me has always been a huge source of ‘heart’. It elevates me and getting to those places is an important component. Suffering and joy.
For reasons I won’t get into now, I have built a collection of hardened ideas about how to shoot landscapes. I try to capture what it to was like to stand there. I try to reproduce the environmental circumstances, to allow the viewer to feel as I felt. It is difficult to put down in words. The feeling of depth when close to a drop, or the feeling vertigo when looking up a very close sheer face. Drama.
It doesn’t matter, in real life, people do as they please, and it is not my business. So I don’t get all weird about it. Anyway, I am thankful they do, it’s very inspirational. So here it is in plain sight for you. My approach/philosophy to shooting and processing is not typical, to the current trend.
I do landscapes old school, I started analog, carrying gear and film in my pack with all I would need to make the trek. At one point I used a Linhof Technika Field View 4x5” with a big wooden tripod - double dark slides, lens boards, dark bag, cover, light meter. A weekend trek meant 30+kg. So if I am serious, I take a tripod (and use it) and a high resolution camera. Old school often employed: extreme depth of field; filters; high resolution (large format sheet film). What came out of the shoot was all there was, some techniques provided post process, but generally not much.
What you saw was what you were trying to replicate, as faithfully as your skill would permit. Nothing else. There are photographers who shoot view cameras now of course, yielding huge resolution, but most people don’t get to play with those toys.
Currently with all of the digital post-processing the sky is no longer the limit. We can create so much more. That is super exciting and I have some ideas I would like to work on. But I call that Art. Getting super creative with landscape is Art. It’s fine, lets face it magic to look at but it is no longer what was seen. No longer a faithful reproduction.
Not for me, sorry. One day, when I have time, I will get some really artistic projects done.