Landscape Photography Tips
How difficult can it be?
At Landscape Photography Tips we’ve heard it said many times that landscape photography
seems like a ridiculously simple discipline. All you need to do is jump into your
car, drive to the nearest area of open countryside, pull up in a lay-by and snap
away to your heart’s content.
Unfortunately it’s not so simple. Patience is the key to photographing the landscape.
The hills, rivers and valleys have taken millions of years to reach their present
glory, so you should be prepared to spend more than just a few minutes recording
what you see. Successful landscape photographers love being out in the countryside,
absorbing the peace, tranquillity and beauty of their surroundings. They spend hours
walking around, looking at the scenery and getting to know the landscape intimately,
so the pictures they take come from within rather than just being a passive response
to something that caught their eye. . If you’re looking for a great
abstract picture then you’ll need to spend even more time.
Landscape Photography Tips say: A well composed landscape should have a beginning,
middle and an end, just like a good story.
Understanding Light
An understanding of light is vital, because the mood and character of the landscape
are totally dependent upon this single factor. From the minute the sun comes up
in the morning, to the minute it sets in the evening, the landscape undergoes a
myriad of wonderful transformations as the colour, harshness and intensity of daylight
changes. You also need to think very carefully about the way your landscapes are
composed, because it can make all the difference between a picture that transports
the viewer from their armchair into the heart of the countryside, and one that demands
nothing more than a furtive glance. Other than that, landscape photography demands
very little from you, apart from a sympathetic eye and a little dedication.
Make the most of light
The quality of light should never be underestimated in landscape photography, simply
because the success of your pictures hangs on it more than anything else. Most photographers
start firing away the minute they come across an interesting scene, but by doing
this you are not giving yourself the opportunity to see if its appearance could
be improved. Nine times out of ten it can, because rarely is the landscape looking
at its best the very moment you want to photograph it.
Often, all you will need to do is wait ten minutes until a cloud moves from in front
of the sun and the landscape is once more bathed in attractive light. But sometimes
you will need to return several hours later, when the sun has moved to a different
part of the sky, or on another day when the weather has improved.
Landscape Photography Tips say: be patient. Photographers often spend hours waiting
for the right picture.
The best time to take landscape pictures
Generally, the best time to photograph the landscape is early in the morning or
late in the afternoon. During these periods the sun is low in the sky, the light
has a beautiful warmth to it and raking shadows accentuate texture and form, which
brings the landscape to life. During the summer months you are advised to avoid
shooting between 10 am and 4 pm. The light is very harsh, contrast is too high,
and with the sun overhead the landscape looks as flat. Fortunately, the sun never
climbs too high in the sky during autumn and winter, so you can happily shoot throughout
the day without having to waste valuable hours waiting for the light to Improve.
Handsome rewards can also be reaped by photographers willing to brave the elements.
Bad weather does not exactly make for comfortable shooting, but it creates exciting
conditions for landscape photography. Dark storm clouds rolling across the heavens
add drama to your pictures, and if the sun happens to break through during a storm
the landscape looks stunning as shafts of sunlight pick out features against the
brooding sky. The light after a storm is worth waiting for too — rain has a cleansing
effect on the atmosphere, so everything appears to be very clean, crisp and fresh.
Landscape Photography Tips say: include a golfing umbrella as part of your photography
accessories. If you’ve setup your equipment and it starts to rain or snow, rather
than packing up all your gear, popup your umbrella protect your equipment.
The importance of composition
Composition is on an equal footing with light when it comes to creating successful
landscapes. No matter how attractive the light is, your pictures will still fail
if they are poorly composed, just as an excellent composition is not enough to sustain
a picture if the light is naff. The temptation is to try and include too much in
a picture. That sweeping vista before you may look impressive to the eye, but simply
fitting a wide-angle lens to your camera and tripping the shutter rarely captures
the glory of the scene. Quite the opposite, in fact — usually all you will end up
with is a windy, lifeless composition.
What to do? Well, a good place to start is by including some foreground interest
in your pictures, to add a sense of depth and perspective to the scene, as well
as providing the eye with a logical entry point into the picture. All sorts of things
can be used as foreground interest: a river, wall, hedgerow, boulders on the shore
of a lake, driftwood, a tree, gate, even a mound of earth, if you look around you
are bound to find something.
Landscape Photography Tips say: if you can’t find an object of interest, make your
own. Get someone to stand in the foreground
Lens types
A 24 mm or 28 mm wide-angle lens is ideal for emphasising the foreground. By moving
in close to the features being used you can make them dominate the picture to create
a dramatic feeling of distance, as well as filling the frame to tighten up the overall
composition. For the best results, mount your camera on a tripod and stop the lens
down to a small aperture such as f/16 or f/22, so you have got enough depth of field
to ensure the whole scene comes out sharp.
Telephoto lenses are equally useful for landscape photography, allowing you to isolate
interesting sections of a scene. The ‘stacking-up’ effect created by telephotos
because of the way they compress perspective can also be used to great effect. Mountain
ranges suddenly appear like cardboard cut-outs rising from the dawn mist, and distant
hills can be pulled in to create simple, uncluttered backgrounds. Any telephoto
between 80 mm and 300 mm can be used successfully for landscape photography. So
do not leave them at home when you go off for a day in the countryside, and keep
your eyes peeled for interesting details when you are wandering around.
Landscape Photography Tips say: take a full range of lens with you when your out
in the wilds. You never know what you stumble across. There’s plenty of wildlife
out there.
Improve things with filters
Filters can be an absolute godsend for landscape photography, although there are
only a few you will need to use on a regular basis.
The top filter as recommended for by Landscape Photography Tips is a grey graduated
filter helps to prevent the sky over exposing by darkening it down without altering
its natural colour, so it does not burn out when you expose for the foreground.
The second most useful filter for landscapes as recommended by Landscape Photography
Tips is the - polariser. This handy attachment serves several useful purposes: it
deepens blue sky in sunny weather, reduces glare on foliage, increases colour saturation,
and cuts out reflections in water.
Finally, as recommended by Landscape Photography Tips, no landscape photographer
should be without a couple of 81 series warm-up filters in their gadget bag. These
filters come in various densities of pale orange, and are used to make the light
more attractive. In dull weather, for instance, daylight tends to have a slight
blue bias in it that we cannot see but is recorded.
Landscape Photography Tips say: try eBay for cheap used filters. There are plenty
out there.