Our planet is incredibly beautiful. There is an almost endless list of unique outdoor places around the world that provide for stunning landscape photography scenes. With every new model of smartphone having the ability to take increasingly amazing photographs we can all begin to take spectacular landscape photographs. We just have to be at the right place at the right time.
TO LOVE LANDSCAPES IS TO LOVE LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY
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Elements of landscape photography
Landscape photography can include man-made elements such as roads, buildings and structures. It can also include scenes such as natural parklands right through to wide open landscapes and everything in between. Whereas nature photography is the art of photographing nature and landscapes in a fully natural state. Cityscapes are sometimes referred to as landscape scenes, however landscape photography tends to be accepted more as being of predominantly natural scenes.
Often the early morning will accompany much lighter winds than the afternoon, so this may be the better choice when photographing for example a still lake or beach scene.
The art of landscape photography
You should aim to approach landscape photography as an art. Even though we all have the ability to take an endless number of landscape photos wherever we are, to have landscape photos stand out from the others there are a few considerations that should be made.
20 creative landscape photography ideas
Try our 20 creative landscape photography ideas.
Time of day
The time of day can have a dramatic effect on a landscape scene as does the direction of the landscape. Consider if you have a beautiful mountain range in the distance in front of you. If the sun is behind you in the early morning it will light up the peaks and slopes of the range far differently than if the sun was setting in front of you behind the mountains. The same goes for most landscape scenes.
Often the early morning will accompany much lighter winds than the afternoon, so this may be the better choice if photographing for example a still lake or beach scene. The added advantage of early morning photography is that there will usually be far fewer people out at that time. Most of the places around the world where there is incredible scenery have tourist visit in droves, and most of those tourists will not be up at dawn to capture the uniqueness of an early morning scene.
Lens choices for landscape photography
There are many articles on landscape photography recommending wide angle lenses, and this is perfectly true. However, you should bring with you a full range of lenses if you can from wide angle to telephoto (14mm up to 300mm). Having a wider choice of lens will afford you the ability to capture unique scenes. Most smart phones are wide angle with digitally enhanced zoom abilities, but a dedicated camera that has either a full zoom range included or the ability to attached different lenses is preferred if you want to take more detailed and sharper photographs.
Filters for landscape photography
Circular polarising filters produce incredible results in the right outdoor settings. A polarising filter attaches to the front of the leans. It reduces the reflection of light from surfaces such as water, vegetation and clouds to enhance the landscape scene dramatically. Skies are bluer with more definition in clouds, and vegetation will be more vivid. The effects that result from a polarising filter are very hard to replicate during post processing. Shop now at Amazon.com for a range of polarizing filters.
A neutral density, or ND, filter will reduce the amount of light coming through the lens. You would typically use an ND filter attached to the lens with the camera set on a tripod. The filter allows for longer exposure images so photographing scenes with running water can result in the smoothing effect of the water. Shop now at Amazon.com and search for the perfect Neutral Density Filter and Infrared Filter.
Both polarising and neutral density filters and attachments can be purchased for smart phones as well as for professional photography equipment.
Shop now at Amazon.com for a range of filters useful for landscape photography.
Landscape photography gear
The end goal of taking landscape photographs will tend to define the gear used. If all you are looking for is some snaps of a landscape that you have visited then a phone camera may suffice, but if your end goal is to capture the most dramatic landscape scene in perfect light and display a print or sell that scene as a product then you’ll need more professional gear, including a tripod.
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A camera with good low light performance, high megapixel count, and a high dynamic range will produce great quality photographs. Low light performance is the capture quality of a camera at the lowest light setting whilst maintain good image quality. Dynamic range is camera’s ration between the brightest and darkest tones it can capture.
High megapixel count can be a controversial topic amongst photographers. Some will tell you that the pixel count does not matter when your composition and light is perfect. That is true to an extent, especially in portrait photography, however in landscape photography and especially if you are looking to print the landscape at a large size the megapixel count and of course lens quality will certainly matter. A good quality lens that is sharp and clear will always produce better images than a cheap lower-cost one with inferior glass.
Another great piece of gear to keep in your landscape photography bag is a glass ball! Glass ball photography goes hand in hand with landscape photography. Shop now at Amazon.com for a range of glass balls perfect for glass ball photography.
Patience is a virtue
There may be times when all the planning in the world may not be enough to guarantee a successful landscape photography expedition. If traveling far from home, you may not have the luxury of having the most perfect weather due to the planning involved. So, if you do have the time, plan to stay at each destination for as long as possible.
This will not only give you a higher chance of experiencing good weather but will also allow you time to be there through all lighting situations from pre-dawn to evening twilight and into the dark of night. Whilst on the shoot, be patient. The difference between an ok shot and a perfect one may only be a matter of minutes.
Landscape Portfolio
To become recognised landscape photographer you will need a good online presence and regularly submit your images to competitions. Build a website and maintain a portfolio of your photographs and also display them on your social media accounts at TikTok, Facebook and Instagram.
Have fun with landscape photography!
There is so much to see in our beautiful world - capture it with landscape photography.
