Embracing the Seasons: Our Landscape Photography Journey
It was a shared itch to be in the great outdoors as often as possible, and a few vague ideas about “golden hour”. Neither of us knew what style we wanted to capture, and we weren’t prepared for the level of patience landscape photography requires.
In this post, we’re looking back on the last five years: how we found our own unique styles, what we’ve learned so far, and the small habits we continue to build in our photography practice. Most importantly, we’re sharing where we want to go from here.
2021
In that first year, we were restricted to the nearby trails, city streets, and shorelines of Toronto. We used refurbished second-hand camera equipment, and shared a tripod. It felt frustrating, because in every landscape we traversed we dreamed of being somewhere else. That frustration kept us determined, and over time, we found ourselves creating the far off lands we could only imagine through the lenses of our cameras. A practice we built by paying attention.
It wasn’t so much about having the most cutting edge camera technology, or the most ideal weather conditions. It was about the feeling each composition evoked.
2022
More and more, we wanted to see our photography in print. It helped us learn to adjust our camera settings, and make better use of the tripod to stabilize the camera. Adjusting exposure and paying close attention to the light within a scene helped make our photographs transition from screen to print.
This repetition became a practice as we returned to both familiar trails and new horizons. The places we once could only imagine were suddenly before us. During a long-awaited trip to England, our compositions became more colourful, enchanted by vibrant row houses, and the turquoise waters of the waves along the Sussex shoreline.
One can feel the warm wind and the smell of the sea, captured in ‘Home’, photographed by Rod on our trail hike through Beachy Head, Eastbourne. We realized that our Print Collection was established. Despite our different styles, the collection itself was curated naturally around the four seasons of the year.
2023
We often found ourselves right back to where we started. Along the same shoreline trails of Lake Ontario, to enjoy the sunrise. We challenged ourselves to build a collection while restricting ourselves to one location. We returned to The Beaches countless times throughout that summer, and put together a collection called ‘Waves’.
Once transfixed by the idea of being somewhere else, in the above series we became romanced by the present. We remember being very aware of how fleeting time could be and that the quiet stillness of the lake was such a rare gift.
2024
The biggest improvements didn't occur with the latest gear, the grandest vistas, or newly acquired skills. It came from restraint. We took less photographs throughout 2024, keeping our focus on compositions that spoke to us. It was a grounding exercise - exploring shorter distances on foot and working with the weather conditions.
We found ourselves reunited with that ethereal and moody, but vibrant aesthetic we fell in love with back in 2021. It was in that pause of looking for the details, that we captured moments which made up the magic of a season.
2025
The past year was about applying everything we've learned. We often have made the mistake of focusing too much on the end result, like a new Print Collection. But in landscape photography, there is no end to the practice. Rather everything seems to come full circle.
The year began with trying to capture grand vistas with the wide angle lens, to learning about still life photography, and designing our own up cycled vintage frames for our photographs. By the year’s end, we found ourselves returning to the seasonal landscapes we love. It will never cease to amaze us when a forest trail we’ve walked hundreds of times presents itself in a new way.
Looking back, we are so grateful for what we’ve learned so far, and yet it feels like this Wild journey has only just begun. This year, our intention more than ever is about leaning into those quiet moments that evoke the feeling of a season. Like the golden sunsets of summer cascaded onto rooftops, or detailed dew drops after the rain. We hope our landscape photography inspires others to connect with the outdoors and to find beauty in every season.
Thank you for stopping by to read our latest blog post. If you’ve been on your own landscape photography journey, whether it’s been five months or decades into your practice, we’d love to know what you’ve learned along the way.
Stay Wild,
Rod & Meg
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