6 tips to master landscape photography
After a long walk through trails, woods, and rocks, you’ve finally made it—the mountain peak. A breathtaking view surrounds you as far as your eyes can see. You grab your camera to capture such a moment, to share Nature’s greatness and beauty with others.
Click!
You’ve taken your photograph. But you check the picture only to find an image that simply does not do justice to what your eyes are witnessing.
Landscape photography is one of the most exciting and gratifying types of photography. But it also requires knowing and mastering certain techniques to fully convey the magnificence of the landscape in front of you. Today, we’re sharing some tips to help your landscape photographs match your expectations.
1. Experiment with different heights
Taking your photographs at eye level might not always lead to interesting compositions. Lowering your shooting angle can reveal hidden details or make the scene even more spectacular. A mountain in the distance can look more impressive if you show flowers in the foreground since they add a dramatic scale to compare things up to. These kinds of details will add texture and make your compositions more interesting.
2. Avoid grain noise by using low ISO
Using a high ISO will result in a grainy image. Generally speaking, when shooting landscapes, we are not interested in this effect–we want our image to be as clean and neat as possible to appreciate every little detail. Shooting with a low ISO will also allow you to mess around with shutter speed and aperture without worrying about darkening your photograph (extra tip: bring a tripod). An ISO value between 100-400 will work great.
3. Use a polarizing lens to make your colors stand out
Besides improving the colors and contrasts, a polarizing lens will reduce unwanted glare in your photographs. These glares can ruin your image quality when shooting landscapes filled with water, lots of sky, or very bright colors. For example, a polarizing lens will allow you to capture a beautiful sunset despite the sun’s flares.
4. Use the aperture to keep every detail alive
A great landscape photograph will have us admiring every little detail, discovering something new each time we look at it. It achieves this by using closer apertures that keep every detail neat, from the foreground to elements in the distance. Use a high f-number (nothing below f/8) and compensate using a low shutter speed and a tripod.
5. Take your photographs during the golden hour
We know–we’ve mentioned golden hour countless times. This time of the day brings out the best in any picture, but it adds even more magic to landscape photography. However, we encourage you not to miss any other climate conditions: a clouded day, light rain–they can also inspire you to take incredible photographs.
6. Use natural landscape lines to draw attention
Natural landscapes are filled with lines that catch our attention and direct us to specific areas. The mountainside carries our eyes to the mountain peak, and shorelines lead us to the horizon. You can use these lines to your advantage to make your photos horizontally or vertically larger, adding some dynamism to your images.
These are some tips to improve your landscape photography but don’t forget you’ll need the right gear. See you in the next article.
