What Constitutes A Landscape? (Page 3): Per Wikipedia: "A landscape is the visible features of an area of land, its landforms, and how they integrate with natural or man-made features.

stanikon Loc: Deep in the Heart of Texas

Per Wikipedia: "A landscape is the visible features of an area of land, its landforms, and how they integrate with natural or man-made features.[1] A landscape includes the physical elements of geophysically defined landforms such as (ice-capped) mountains, hills, water bodies such as rivers, lakes, ponds and the sea, living elements of land cover including indigenous vegetation, human elements including different forms of land use, buildings, and structures, and transitory elements such as lighting and weather conditions. Combining both their physical origins and the cultural overlay of human presence, often created over millennia, landscapes reflect a living synthesis of people and place that is vital to local and national identity."

Based on this, I think if the lighthouse is the dominant feature in the photograph then no, it is not a landscape. If the lighthouse is merely a part of the whole then yes, it is a landscape. IMHO

Feiertag Loc: British Columbia, Canada

Once again thank you for the kind comments. My sole lighthouse is not in the landscape category. More like a "Landmark." Maybe that should be a category, on its own?

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

Linda From Maine wrote:

Are you asking because of a contest you plan to enter? If there is no amplifying information, I would guess that the lighthouse's size within the frame determines. Is it land/shoreline that includes a lighthouse, or a lighthouse close-up?

Shoot the lighthouse in landscape and it will be landscape.
Shoot it in vertical mode and it is portrait.

bpulv Loc: Buena Park, CA

Feiertag wrote:

Once again thank you for the kind comments. My sole lighthouse is not in the landscape category. More like a "Landmark." Maybe that should be a category, on its own?

Can you please post the photo so we can all see what we have been talking about?

Feiertag Loc: British Columbia, Canada

bpulv wrote:

Can you please post the photo so we can all see what we have been talking about?

You bet. It's the first shot. https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-614659-1.html

distill Loc: Huthwaite, Nottinghamshire UK

So a landscape is not a landscape if it was designed by a landscape artist? ie it is designed by man/woman, caperbility brown comes to mind (proerbley spelt his name wrong)

Brokenland

Photographer Jim wrote:

If by horizontal plane you mean a horizon line, I’d disagree. Photographer Eliot Porter became well know for his “intimate landscapes” which often did not show either sky or a horizon line. (I.e. shots of desert walls with stripes of desert varnish).

If there isn't a horizontal plane within the landscape image, (even if the photographer wants you to believe there is or isn't) then the image is merely abstract. Also, the horizontal plane doesn't have to be a straight line and may or may not be seen by those viewing the image.. it will fool the eye into thinking there is one even if there isn't.

KTJohnson Loc: Northern Michigan

Yes & No. Of course, this is only my opinion.

Below, the first I'd consider a landscape, the second one ... NOT (because even tho it's a pretty wide view, it's basically just a photo of a lighthouse).

(Download)

Delderby Loc: Derby UK

Feiertag wrote:

Thanks for your comment, Linda. No contest entry and I'm referring to a lighthouse that shows no land. I'm just curious.

We are telling what we think - but what do you think? or don't you think?

Delderby Loc: Derby UK

Bokehen wrote:

If there isn't a horizontal plane within the landscape image, (even if the photographer wants you to believe there is or isn't) then the image is merely abstract. Also, the horizontal plane doesn't have to be a straight line and may or may not be seen by those viewing the image.. it will fool the eye into thinking there is one even if there isn't.

What if the plane is flying upside down or looping the loop?

Bill P

mikeschwartz wrote:

My camera club has a special landscape competition each year. Our definition of "landscapes" includes landscapes, seascapes, and cityscapes.

A breath of fresh air in this discussion! These discussions remind me of the photo contests a few years ago that demanded separate categories for film and digital.Overly tight pigeonholing is not productive. Time moves on, nothing is set in amber.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Bill P wrote:

A breath of fresh air in this discussion! These discussions remind me of the photo contests a few years ago that demanded separate categories for film and digital.Overly tight pigeonholing is not productive. Time moves on, nothing is set in amber.

hassighedgehog Loc: Corona, CA

Technically landscape is the orientation of the long side of a shot being horizontal. I would include anything except a detail of something, city scape, field, shore, forest, mountains, sea, etc. Any limitation would be in supplemental description: nature, farm, no building, etc.

Photographer Jim Loc: Rio Vista, CA

Bokehen wrote:

If there isn't a horizontal plane within the landscape image, (even if the photographer wants you to believe there is or isn't) then the image is merely abstract. Also, the horizontal plane doesn't have to be a straight line and may or may not be seen by those viewing the image.. it will fool the eye into thinking there is one even if there isn't.

We may be splitting hairs here, but ... Here is one of Porter’s images. Subject matter is totally identifiable, obvious image of natural world, no horizon. Yes, the color pattern suggests abstraction, but I’d submit that it would be considered an “intimate landscape” rather than an abstract image. Admittedly, most images people consider to be a landscape contain a horizon of some form, I’m not convinced that it is required. 🙂

(Download)

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

hassighedgehog wrote:

Technically landscape is the orientation of the long side of a shot being horizontal. I would include anything except a detail of something, city scape, field, shore, forest, mountains, sea, etc. Any limitation would be in supplemental description: nature, farm, no building, etc.

So a picture of a farm from afar with the house or barn would be a landscape, but not if the shot was tight on the barn? Or would neither be a landscape?