Landscape photography is one of those funny things that appears on the face of it simple but is in fact quite tricky. I sued to think that all i needed to do was to find a nice piece of scenery, point the camera and shoot. Well I soon discovered the results I got were not what I was aiming for. Below are some sure fire tips to help you improve you landscape photography.
image by jjjohn
1. Use a small aperture
One of the most important factors in landscape photography is to get all of the scene (both foreground and background) into focus. This can be done by selecting a small aperture (a high f number). Typically you should aim for be shooting at f11 or higher.
If you’re not sure about apertures and f-stops then take a look at our guide to understanding exposure.
This big downside to using a small aperture is that the shutter speed required to get a decent exposure will reduce significantly. Slow shutter speed can cause camera shake
2. Keep The Camera Still
When shooting landscapes you’ll need to ensure you keep your camera perfectly still to avoid the camera shake we mentioned above.
i) Use a tripod – Slower shutter speeds can rule out hand held shooting so always use a tripod if at all possible.
ii) Up The ISO – One quick way to increase the available shutter speed you can use is to increase the ISO. Be warned though that you may end up with noise in your images if you increase this too much (above 400). I always increase the ISO as a last resort.
iii) Use a remote trigger switch or delay timer – Even if you use a tripod you can find that the pressure from your pressing your cameras shutter release button can cause the tripod to move slightly, which can lead to blurred images. You can get around this by using a remote rigger or the delay time on your camera.
3. Fill the foreground
One feature you may notice about great landscape shots is they tend to have a prominent feature in the foreground. Whether it is a rock, flower, cow or tree having a feature in the foreground will help to create more interesting depth to your photograph as well as help to draw the viewers eye in.
image by Chi King
4. Look for leading lines
Another way to lead the viewers eye through your photo is to look for naturally occurring leading lines in the scene. These may be a road heading into the distance, the shore line, sea defenses or a hedge.
image by .craig
5. Wait For Good Light
There is a reason why landscape photographers always look tired. It is because the best light is at sun rise and sun set.
image by ennor
If you’re heading out to take some landscapes it is well worth your while making sure you go at these times when the sun is lower in the sky and giving off a warmer light.
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