How to Photograph Landscapes
There are countless breathtaking landscapes. Just visit a local or national park, you won’t even have to leave the United States! Below are tips to help you take awesome landscape photographs. Both beginners and professionals can use these simple tips to take landscape photos.
1. It is important to consider light quality. Determine whether the light is soft or harsh. Are you photographing in the afternoon, or at sunrise or sunset? Is it overcast, and are there clouds? Generally, the best light is in the mornings and evening (before 10 a.m. and after 2 p.m.).
2. Always be on the lookout for interesting lighting. If you are photographing mountains, look for back- or side-lighting. If you turn 90 away from the sun, you will create side-lighting. For a dramatic effect using back-lighting, you can create silhouettes with the sun behind the mountains.
3. Compose your photograph. For landscapes, symmetry works. Remember, simplicity is beautiful. Do you have lakes, streams, trees, or mountains? Look at the different shapes formed by the landscape in your frame.
4. It’s great to include bridges, paths and roads. You can use the shapes to lead the viewer into the photo. You can create that effect if you photograph them at an angle. Try placing the beginning of the road or path in the corner.
5. Try using infrared film for your landscape photography. Infrared film is more sensitive to infrared light. This means that your photographs will have darks skies and light/ bright leaves and vegetation. It’s awesome!
6. Make sure you are using a large depth of field (small number, large aperture) so that your entire photo is in focus. Longer exposure time also increases depth of field.
If you have water in your landscape (waterfalls, ocean, lakes), experiment with short and long exposures. Have fun with landscape photography and don’t forget to take a tripod along with you!
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