Tips for Landscape Photography
Photo by FelixMittermeier
Landscape photography is a beautiful way to capture the picture perfect scene around you. From taking pictures of the latest family vacation spot to capturing the beauty of your local park, landscape is perfect for documenting a moment. Knowing the best ways to do that can be difficult which is why we came up with our top ten tips for landscape photography!
1. Use a smaller aperture number to get a greater depth of field
You want to have as much of the scene in focus as possible. Keep in mind that you do need a focal point so pick a building, a rock or something that helps you determine that focal point.
2. Shoot during the golden hours
The lighting is prime and makes every landscape look majestic. The golden hours are typically the first hour after sunrise and the last hour before sunset.
Photo by @franzengels
3. Use the rule of thirds
Divide the image into a grid and see where the focal point of the image is. The best images generally have it in the centre of the image as a way to draw the viewer’s eyes to it. Off centre can work as well to create an interesting image. Either way, using the rule of thirds will create an image that is nice to look at and that is well composed.
4. Use filters
Polarizing filters help to extenuate colours in images and can even reduce reflection. This is great to give a pop of colour to an overly drab sky or to improve colour saturation in the shot overall. There is also the neutral density filter which reduces the amount of light placed into the camera and can help you reach lower shutter speeds than you would normally be able to achieve. It can also help to blur movement such as clouds or bodies of water.
5. Split your photo into sections
Split your photo into three sections- foreground, background, middleground. Use the middleground to connect the foreground and background together. In an ocean landscape, use the water to connect the sand and the sky and make the image flow.
Photo by @noyzzie
6. Move around
Don’t just shoot the same image a bunch of times from the same vantage point. Walk around and try to get different angles. This is especially important at popular tourist attractions where the same photo has been captured hundreds of times. Being creative and trying something new can only be achieved if you choose to walk around.
7. Try a wide angle lens
A wide-angle lens is the perfect way to shoot a landscape. It picks up more area than a standard kit lens and allows for better landscape composition. Dramatic, wide fields of view are essential for the perfect landscape. But don’t use a wide angle for every shot. Sometimes less is more.
8. Bring a tripod
Many shots in landscape photography could require a tripod. If you want to shoot a waterfall, bringing a tripod along is a good idea so that you can lower the shutter speed and blur the moving water. A tripod is also ideal for night landscapes because of the lack of light coming into the camera.
9. Don’t just shoot on sunny days
Some of the best landscape shots happen in stormy weather. The skies are more dramatic, wind can create texture, and not many people shoot in poor weather conditions so you will be creating a unique shot.
Photo by jplenio
10. Try to shoot vertical
Though landscape is the name of the game, portrait view can sometimes offer a different perspective. It’s especially good for shots where you want to highlight the foreground as the foreground is more prominent in a vertical image.
