Quick Tips on Taking Great Landscape Photography

Landscapes and seascapes are ideal as photography subjects because nature has this innate beauty, whether it be snowcapped mountains or mist covered swamps. A lot of thought and consideration on the location and timing is needed to get the perfect shot. The right equipment is also needed to make everything just right.

When it comes to shooting sunrises/sunsets, you will be shooting into the sun and it can affect the built-in light meter in your camera and the end shot might not come out as picturesque as the actual scene. A simple trick to getting great sunrise/sunset shots is to focus above the sun without it showing up in your viewfinder or LCD screen.

Half press on the shutter release button to lock the exposure setting, then press all the way down after you have composed your shot to include the sun.

The different hours of the day also affects landscape shots. The hills might look mysterious with the silver mist in the morning, stark at noontime and golden in the late afternoon. By the same token, the same scenery can vary visually depending on the weather and season. Know what kind of scene to expect on the day you do your shoot.

Prepare for your landscape shots by familiarizing yourself with the lay of the land. Unlike a studio where all elements are controlled, this is Mother Nature and the hilltop where you planned to set up your camera gear might be a dangerous spot to be standing on.

Your camera gear is also very important when doing landscape photography. Telephoto lenses, camera bags, and heavy duty tripods can certainly weigh you down. If you need to hike to get to your shooting area, make sure you have enough energy and strength to carry your gear there (and back!). Choose your lenses carefully. A large depth of field is often necessary when shooting landscapes so that a bigger area can be in focus. Wide angle zoom lenses are usually used because they frame a wider area than the standard ones. Telephoto lenses can be used to isolate the subject from the background. If you just have one type of lens, then work with what you have and find out what settings would work best for landscape shots.

Filters are also often used when shooting seascapes or landscapes. Polarizers, for example, are great at lessening the reflections on surfaces and it can also darken the sky. This is ideally used when the sun’s glare is too harsh, such as with seascapes. Gradual neutral density filters are filters with one half of it increasingly shaded into a higher density. It can be used when half of the scene is dark and the other half too bright. By using this type of filter, you can keep the detail on those mountains while darkening the too bright sky overhead.

Shooting landscapes (or seascapes) can be very rewarding, especially if you are able to use these quick tips to capture a scene so breathtaking that it leaves the viewer in awe.