This is just an observation but quite an interesting one I reckon.
Water seems to feature very heavily in the landscape category either as the main subject or an important element. Of the last 3 pages of 1X landscapes exactly 75% of the images have water as the main subject or is the predominant feature.
I was interested to check my PF with a similar amount of images and my predominant water featured shots amount to 72% with 15% making up shots that have water as a lesser integral part. Only 13% of my landscape images have no water featured at all.

I wonder what the lure of water is? I know I'm attracted to the dynamics it can add and for it's reflective ability but it usually seems to creep into my images even where I'm predominantly photographing inland mountain scenes. It must have some subversive unconscious properties I'm unaware of.

It's maybe a useful tip to know when entering photo comps as well...:-)
JP

Some say it's those first 9 months spent "underwater"...

I feel as though I'm only 'treading water' most of the time...

Considering the human body is mostly made out of water, there is hell a lot of it in Portrait and Street categories as well!

Indeed Milla, not always apparent though.. :-)

No water in my landscapes except that contained in the earth! :-)

I agree that water in one form or another is imprinted in our consciousness if we have spent any time near it in our lifetimes. Whether ocean, or lake or river or even mud puddle, there is a draw for photographers and other artists alike. I find large or fast moving bodies of water disarming and entrancing, and I think there is a certain mystery of what lies beneath that adds to the drama. And, the light is unquestionably more interesting around water, due to reflective light and even due to weather patterns which provide mean cloud formations and stunning breakthroughs of sun. My only trouble is that I find other people are also attracted to bodies of water, which can sometimes interfere with photography.

Lets see
Fire - Dangerous
Space - Requires expensive lenses and to live in antartica or a rocket ship
Earth - Boring
Wind - Can't capture except with long exposure which is tedious and expensive
Water - Covers 70% of the earth

Whether this involves anything along the lines of "spiritually connected" and "womb is watery" is completely beyond me, mind you there is something mysterious and confusing about the sea.

You know what you need?
You need a KITA!

Lars :-)

I think its KUTA to be phrase correct Lars but I'll let you off.

:-)
jp

Korea International Trade Association - Korea's Foremost Trade Promotion Organization?
Ok, maybe I do now. ;)
Sounds like a job for your Scottish cows...


A district in Southern Indonesia?
That sounds more appropriate.

Greetings from my Schottish cow - the one looking real mean, you know! - She said: Would be a pleasure for me to do that! (She is always very polite, before kicking the B.... out on the Bull. She actually never get calfs, because she is so mean.....)
Have a nice evening!
Lars :-)

She sounds like our dinner lady. :)

Oh Dear - Skinny you! :-)

Interesting John. I think the obsession with water is that it is quite difficult to capture and when captured well, it adds a lot of depth and reality to a photograph. Because water is often moving, it can make the photo feel alive, or with a long exposure can do the opposite and make the photo surreal. It is also because it reflects, warps and bounces the light and colours of what surrounds it which adds again more diversity to the shot rather than being flat.

yes, I agree with you Stefan, although I tend to find water easy to photograph, it's either a 1/4 second for me or a few minutes shutter speed usually doing the job.. ;-)

JP

I naver realized.... or perhaps I should say, noticed, that we are all fascinated by water.
It is true that so many photos, not just here but everywhere we look; there is some reference to, inclusion of, water.
Maybe this would be a good discussion in the philosophy of photography forum :)

Ian

Paradoxes and contrasts are just one of many elements that draw our eyes to a photograph. Land and water provides another of those contrasts. wet versus dry, and movement versus stability.

Or, it's just that we spend the first 9 months of our life in water...

True, but it was pretty dark. Maybe that explains the fascination with water and long exposures??