Landscape photography is an incredibly exciting type of photography that requires the photographer to know the basics of not only photography, but also painting. Landscape photography has always been and remains a popular and interesting genre. Photographs of architecture and nature are in considerable demand in the photography market.
Landscape photography with filters
Horizon level in landscape photography
When photographing a landscape, it is important to remember the level of the horizon, and to keep the horizon line level and not obstructed. This is especially important when photographing seascapes. There is a grid in the camera's viewfinder and on the display during Live View shooting that will help in creating the correct horizon.
Clear landscape photos
Author: Xin Hua Depth of field is an important factor when photographing landscapes. Landscape photography favors photographs where most of the frame is clear and sharp. To increase depth of field, you need to photograph with a narrow aperture.
Telephoto lens
To achieve the widest viewing angle, it is worth using the appropriate lens or focal length, but a telephoto lens will also be useful when photographing landscapes. A telephoto lens allows you to compress elements of a scene, bringing the foreground and background closer to each other. This way the mountain range and foreground background will appear closer friend friend, the picture will be richer. Telephoto lenses also help you focus on a specific subject.
Landscape HDR
Shutter speed in landscape photography
Long exposures in landscape photography allow you to capture beautiful photographs of moving elements. Waterfalls, waves and trees in the wind, and much more will look livelier and more interesting when shooting with a shutter speed of a few seconds. It is known that using a long shutter speed during the day can lead to overexposure of the frame. You need to set the aperture to f16, or even narrower. For best results, you may need to use a neutral density filter. Powerful filters like the Lee Filters Big Stopper will allow you to use extremely long shutter speeds even on the clearest day.
Tilt-shift in landscape photography
Photo by: Arnar Birgisson Tilt-shift allows you to combine photos with deep and shallow depth of field. The effect is achieved by using lens shift and tilt. Thanks to Tilt-shift, frame elements will resemble miniature models. This effect will look beautiful in landscape photography. If you do not have such a lens, the Tilt-shift effect can be achieved with a graphics editor, in addition, this effect is provided in some cameras.
Black and white landscapes
If you have never photographed black and white landscapes before, but really want to try yourself in such photography, then it is better to start by photographing in color. After taking a successful photo, convert it to black and white using Lightroom or Photoshop. This will give you full control over how you modify your photo, allowing you to fine-tune your photos to create a truly beautiful black and white photo.
Panorama
To create a panoramic photograph, do not shoot in a wide-angle position as this will distort the frame. Take photos at a distance of 30-50 mm. Yes, you will have to take more frames than with wide-angle coverage, but the panorama will turn out beautiful and natural. Many camera tripods have a tripod head for panning, but in practice this is not always necessary, especially if you plan to use software. The latest version of the Photomerge application for Photoshop will be especially effective in the process of creating a panorama. Panoramic photography experts recommend using manual settings - manual exposure, focusing and white balance, to ensure maximum photo quality and the same type of all photographs created.
Infrared photography
There are several ways to create infrared photos in Photoshop, but nothing beats creating them yourself. Infrared landscapes in black or white, allow you to look at the world differently. To create such photos you will need a special filter.
Greetings, dear readers! In touch with you, Timur Mustaev. Some amateur photographers consider landscape one of the most basic genres of photography. To some extent, I share their point of view: go wherever you like, and shoot whatever comes into your head.
Plus, unlike studio shooting, which requires considerable financial costs, nature will not disappear and will not require anything in return except careful treatment of it, and the situation changes depending on the time of year, giving scope for imagination.
But is the landscape really that simple? Let's figure it out together.
Let's start the debriefing, perhaps, with a definition of this genre and its place in human reality.
Landscape in photography
Scenery is a genre in which nature is the center of the image.
This trend originated in the era of the absence of cameras, when famous and not so famous artists went out into the open air and conveyed what they had seen with the help of brushes and paints.
That is why understanding the meaning of this genre should be learned from realist artists.
Paintings, like nothing else, allow you to experience all the beauty of nature; they are inextricably linked with the inner world of a person, with his feelings, mood and love for life in general.
And in photography, a landscape is not a thoroughly accurate redrawing of this or that corner of nature, but one’s own perception of the world.
Modern landscape photography is quite versatile. Exhibitions of such materials instill in the viewer an artistic taste and develop imagination by drawing associative parallels between real life and pictures.
The relationship between photographic art and life gave rise to a new direction - the urban landscape, in which the dominant element is not nature, but the brainchild of society - the city with its numerous streets, architectural objects, squares, as well as an endless stream of cars and pedestrians.
The urban and classical landscape captivates even the most stingy photographers! And there is an explanation for this: by shooting in this genre you can get excellent shots without using expensive equipment.
All you need is desire, patience, a tripod, an SLR camera, and some skills in using it.
Shooting in this genre, as in any other genre, is, first of all, a creative process, accompanied by your own vision of what is happening, but, oddly enough, there are many rules, the observance of which will save you from failure.
Landscape photography
Close your eyes for a moment and imagine: in front of you are stretched out spaces of unprecedented beauty and it seems that as soon as you press the shutter, the most beautiful image that the world has never seen will appear on the camera display...
Capture this episode in your memory and open your eyes, your fantasy will remain a fantasy, and you will never learn how to photograph a landscape if you neglect the rules listed below.
- Maximum sharpness. Many photographers practice shooting landscapes with an open aperture, however, “many” is not an indicator of good work.
A classic technique for landscape photography is focusing on the entire image (shooting with a closed aperture).
Usually it is enough to make simple camera settings to get a sharp and moderately exposed photo: the slider is around f/11-16, but you can trust the automatic if you shoot at . However, to avoid movement, it is better to shoot landscapes using or.
- Having meaning. For any photo, it is important to have a semantic center of the composition, so that, as they say, the eye has something to catch on to. The center of attention can be anything: an interesting shaped building, a tree, a mountain, a ship in the middle of a sea, etc.
- Rule of thirds in the overall composition of the frame. The location of the semantic center relative to all elements and details of the picture is as important as the presence of sharpness.
The reference says: a photo looks most advantageous when the objects being photographed are conventionally separated by lines that divide the image into three parts, both lengthwise and crosswise.
- Thoughtful foreground. Place the semantic centers on the front part of the photo, leaving “air space” in front, this way you will be able to create the effect of lightness and convey depth.
- Dominant element. The secret of successful nature photography has been revealed - either the sky or the foreground should dominate the picture.
If your photos don't fit this description, they'll likely be considered boring and ordinary.
If it happens that the sky during the photo shoot is uninteresting and monochromatic, move the horizon line to the upper third, so you will not allow it to prevail over the rest.
But if it seems that the airspace is about to explode or collapse on the ground with streams of lava, give it 2/3 of the frame and you will see how much the plot of what is happening can change.
- Lines. There are endless ways to capture the beauty of nature to its fullest. One of them is the technique of including active lines in the composition. With the help of lines, you can redirect the viewer’s gaze from one semantic point of the photo to another, while creating a certain enclosure of space.
Lines not only create patterns in a photo, but also add volume. This also applies to the horizon line, beyond which you constantly need an eye and an eye.
- Movement. Many people consider landscape photographs to be calm and passive. But this is not necessarily the case! You can add life to a photo with the help of water or wind, for example, use a DSLR camera to capture the violence of the ocean or a flowing waterfall, the blowing of the wind or the falling of leaves from a tree, the flight of birds or the movement of people.
The influence of weather and time on the quality of landscape photography
The Golden Rule of Landscape: “The scene and subject matter can change dramatically overnight, depending on weather conditions and the time of year.”
It is a mistake to believe that the best time for nature photography is a sunny day.
In cloudy weather, in terms of lighting effects, it’s a pleasure to shoot: hail, sleet and thunderstorms can fill any landscape with an ominous, mysterious mood.
However, there is a side effect - the possibility of getting your feet wet, getting sick and saying goodbye to your DSLR forever, since moisture can have a devastating effect on all electronics.
To avoid this, plan your day in advance, take your preparations seriously: think about what to wear and what to wrap your camera in. For these purposes, it is best to purchase a waterproof case or at least one that protects the lens from drops getting on the lens.
Shooting in the rain doesn't have to be - it's just one way to achieve artistic images.
This creates a very soft diffused light, giving the pictures a lightness and a special sleepy look.
A forest covered in fog will look much more mysterious and attractive than on a sunny day.
Although if shooting takes place in summer or autumn, the light shining through the foliage can create an interesting look at an open aperture.
During sunset, using , you can photograph no less interesting landscapes, especially if the foreground is slightly backlit.
To avoid bunnies, use a lens hood or. This filter is simply irreplaceable in landscape photography.
Night photography is technically the most difficult. Taking pictures of nature in full nature is pointless due to the lack of light. Therefore, you need to go where there are artificial light sources - the city.
In this case, it’s not worth using the flash continuously, raise the value to 800-1600 and go towards the city landscape!
A brief educational program on the topic of landscape photography has reached its point of no return! I hope this article was at least somewhat instructive and useful. I think that I have conveyed to you the meaning of how to photograph a landscape correctly in order to achieve the desired results.
If you are an aspiring photographer who wants to achieve positive success in photography, then everything is in your hands. The best place to start is with the concept of your DSLR camera. And one of the video courses below can become an assistant. Most novice photographers, after studying this course, began to have a different attitude towards SLR camera. The course will help you uncover all the important functions and settings of a DSLR, which is very important at the initial stage.
My first MIRROR- for owners of a CANON DSLR.
Digital SLR for a beginner 2.0- for owners of a NIKON DSLR.
Subscribe to blog updates, and also share links to articles with friends.
All the best to you, Timur Mustaev.
Before this post, I wrote only about travel, but today I will break tradition and share with LJ readers a short article about landscape photography that I wrote for one of the photo magazines.
I didn’t explain all the nuances in detail and load them with photo terms, so I explained in simple terms what aspects need to be taken into account during the shooting process and in preparation for it.
Landscape themes are closest to me, so in this article I want to talk about shooting in this genre.
I’ll say right away that I have never studied this craft anywhere, and I don’t have a diploma from a photography school. Everything came somehow by itself. Your first SLR camera I bought it three and a half years ago, and I still use it. During this time, I managed to take several dozen good shots and write more than 50 photo reports. Some even think that I can shoot masterpieces, but from the outside, they probably know better.
Unfortunately, I don’t yet have many opportunities and free time to travel, but at the first opportunity, I try to escape from the web of everyday life somewhere away from the city into nature, taking my camera with me. First of all, I go to relax my soul, unload emotionally and get distracted. I don’t have any thoughts in my head of filming a masterpiece at any cost; rather, on the contrary, it seems to me that before this I had already given the maximum of my capabilities and best shot what they were before will never be.
Very often we travel with our whole family or with friends...
My childhood spent in the village in the summer apparently left an imprint on my mind, which is why I shoot many of my landscapes in the Russian outback. I really like the grandeur and diversity of Russian nature, the monuments of extraordinary beauty wooden architecture, remote and half-abandoned villages and rickety huts and fences familiar to every Russian person...
These pictures really impress me!
Professionals believe that the “landscape” genre does not quite fit many of my photographs: some sites, as well as the organizers of most photo competitions, classify my photographs in the “architecture” or “cultural heritage” section. But I photograph what is close to me and pleasing to the eye, and it makes no difference to me what genre it is called. I would simply call my work “Photo for the soul”.
To the traditional question: “How was this filmed?” I can talk at length and in detail, but in the format of this publication I would like to briefly go over the main points that allow me to take good photographs.
Preparing for shooting
I didn’t take a single more or less decent shot by accident. All my travels and short forays are well planned and prepared...
I consider the most important aspect in landscape photography to be the choice of shooting location (the so-called location). You can take as many photographs as you want of the beautiful view of the park from the window, trample the shore of a nearby lake in search of the perfect shot, or shoot the sunset near the nearest grove. You might be able to make a few good photos, but the most beautiful work you will only gain by moving through time and space.
During my school years, I was seriously involved in orienteering, participated in all-Russian and international competitions, and at the same time was involved in tourism, so I am relatively well versed in maps. This helps me a lot in choosing a location and preparing a route. I would even say that studying maps and terrain is a hobby that accompanies photography.
The current possibilities of the Internet are truly limitless, so all ideas are born after studying information from worldwide network.
On Google maps, Google Earth, Wikimapia, Panoramio (ordered to live long) - I look at photographs and unique places from satellites. By the way, you can “drive” along many roads in Google maps in a virtual car and preview the surroundings. I look for interesting notes and articles on websites popular with photographers, travel forums, and also on networks. There is a lot of information about monuments of wooden architecture on the website Sobory.ru. I would especially like to mention nature reserves, national and natural parks. These territories, by definition, should be of interest to landscape painters. I put all the information received together and get the optimal route.
To get to some locations sometimes you have to provide additional funds transportation such as boat, bicycle or skis.
If possible, it is better to visit the object before shooting, conduct reconnaissance and “try on” angles - it will not be superfluous.
I visit both the sites of photographers’ “pilgrimage” and places where photographers have not yet reached. I like the second option much more, since the end result is often an unexpectedly pleasant result and always a unique picture. In areas where dozens or hundreds of shots have already been taken before me, I try to approach the shooting outside the box and bring something of my own to the picture.
8
Choosing a time to shoot
This is the second point I would like to mention. I take most of my shots at the so-called “regime” time: about an hour after dawn and an hour before sunset. Soft and warm light gives the photo richness and richness of colors and details the texture of objects. Transitions between bright and dark areas are smoother.
In addition, in the morning and (less often) evening hours, there is a high probability of the formation of fogs, which emphasize the depth of the image, beautifully scatter the light and blur the contours of objects, making photographs more mysterious and fabulous.
Naturally, it is important to understand where the light source will be at the time of shooting. For this I look on the Internet exact time sunrise and sunset, and then, focusing on the sides of the horizon, I superimpose the direction of movement of the luminary on the map.
Well, and of course the most important thing is the weather.
When the chosen shooting point is nearby, it’s enough to just look outside the window and at the weather forecasters’ promises on your phone. And if it takes a long time to travel, then I get acquainted with the forecast in at least three sources and look at the estimated map of the movement of atmospheric fronts. It helps you adjust your route as you go.
Having analyzed the above-mentioned points, I already have a clear movement schedule in my head and approximate pictures that will subsequently appear on the matrix of my camera. It must be said that it is almost always possible to carry out our plans, but you have to return to some places again...
Technical component
I shoot with a Sony A65 and three lenses: Sony CZ16-80, Minolta 70-300, Samyang 8mm. There is also a portrait prime Sony SAL-50F18.
The first lens is universal; I use it to shoot about 80% of all frames. It has excellent sharpness and color rendition.
I take landscape shots mainly with an aperture closed to f/8 - f/13 (this ensures maximum sharpness across the entire frame) with the lowest possible ISO value in auto (not always) focus mode. I set all these parameters, including shutter speed, to manual mode. If there is a need to get beautiful rays from the sun in the frame, you can close the aperture even further.
I record the frame on a memory card in jpg and raw format, and I need the second one only for backup if I suddenly have to pull out shadows or highlights. Information is restored from shadows much better than from highlighted areas, so most often I shoot landscapes with underexposure.
May many photographers forgive me, but I rarely use a tripod. It is clear that at night, in low light conditions, etc. conditions are nowhere without it. But during regular hours the light changes rapidly and, as a rule, it’s enough for me. Sometimes you even have to jog from one shooting point to another so as not to miss the moment. But I love running and extra exercise never hurts :) A tripod in this situation significantly reduces efficiency. Sometimes I shoot with exposure bracketing, but here, as a rule, I don’t need a tripod. Even panoramic shots in 90% of cases I take handheld.
About panoramic photography
I do some of my work using the panoramic technique - stitching together several frames taken from one point with overlay. In the final version, such photographs look completely ordinary. And the point here is not at all in the desire to shoot scenes for posters or to get exorbitant pixels, it’s just that a panorama gives volume, depth and sharpness to the entire frame, allows you to direct the viewer’s gaze from the foreground to the middle and background, create the effect of presence in the frame, and of course it gives wider coverage.
I really like photos with an interesting foreground, so when constructing a frame (be it a panorama or a single shot), I try to start with that. You can use stones, flowers, leaves, etc. as the foreground. If there is nothing to catch your eye on, you can improvise by dragging, for example, some kind of snag.
Treatment
I post-process the frames in Photoshop Ps5. I mainly edit shadows and highlights, contrast, saturation, apply filters and sometimes the technology of expanding the dynamic range of the image (HDR). I do not welcome photo collages. I also stitch together panoramas in Photoshop, mostly in automatic mode. I refine the inconsistencies and geometry by hand.
It should be noted that using a photo editor allows you to improve the frame, but the source must be of high quality. If the photo frankly doesn’t turn out well, then no editor will make anything useful out of it.
I am critical of many of my shots. It so happens that at the time of shooting you lose sight of some moments, and simply neglect some nuances. After some time, you begin to understand that it could have been filmed better.
That's all, in a nutshell. But perhaps I missed something.
Summarizing all of the above, I want to say the following: if you are engaged in photography, do it with soul, be creative and improve your skills. Take a responsible approach to choosing a shooting location, plan your route, study the weather...
I wish you all good luck, interesting travels and beautiful memorable shots!
Good day to all. Today I'll talk a little about my approach to landscape photography.
Landscape for me is probably the most favorite and enjoyable type of photography, because while photographing, I simultaneously relax my soul, enjoying the beauty that nature has created. Photographing nature is an incredible pleasure - climbing into its quiet corners, you get such a charge of energy and vivacity, which then lasts for a long time. The wind in your face, the sun on your lips, legs giving way from fatigue in the evening and a heart filled with love for everything around you - what could be better?
Beginners, as a rule, think that nothing is easier than shooting a landscape. I remember that one of the novice amateur photographers on the Photomonster forum wrote that there is nothing difficult in photographing landscapes, the only difficulty is getting to the shooting location. At first glance, yes: here is a pond, here is a forest, here is a road, here is the sky with clouds floating across it - just take a camera and shoot. But, basically, after the first such filming, it becomes clear that finding an interesting plot is not so easy, seeing the unusual in the ordinary is difficult, even composing the frame correctly, making the right accent is not always possible for a beginner. After all, it is very important for a landscape painter not just to capture the beauty of some picturesque corner, but to be able to show the mood of nature itself, its state, the harmony of color and light - all together this is the key to the success of landscape photography.
Equipment for landscape photography
So, I’ll start with what is needed for landscape photography in terms of equipment and what I mainly use. In principle, you can shoot with any camera, but, of course, full-format cameras in this regard provide more creative possibilities when shooting. I usually photograph nature on Nikon D800 E. Landscape photographers use different lenses, including long-focus ones - the main thing here is to know the goals and objectives that are being set. But still, more often landscapes are shot with wide-angle optics - it is this that allows you to capture the breadth and spaciousness of the nature being photographed, and it is this that provides the sharpness that is so necessary for such shooting throughout the entire frame.
Initially, I shot landscapes with a lens Nikon AF-S 24-70mm f/2.8G ED. An excellent lens, I can’t say anything bad about it - many of my shots were taken with it. For example, these:
Gradually, I began to miss the angle of this zoom lens, and I purchased Nikon AF-S 14-24mm f/2.8G ED. Now I mostly use it when shooting landscapes - a super-sharp wide-angle lens is exactly what a landscape photographer needs. Here are a few examples shot with this lens:
Now I’ll dwell a little on tripods. A tripod is an essential piece of equipment for a landscape photographer, it gives you much more control over your shutter speed and is especially important when photographing dimly lit scenes such as sunrise and sunset. I have two tripods in my arsenal and, as a rule, I take both of them on trips (of course, if these trips are by car). One tripod is heavy and reliable - Manfrotto 055XPRO3. I use my head with him Manfrotto 410 Junior- a very convenient compact 3-axis tripod head with a mechanism for precise positioning in three directions; panning, frontal and side tilting. I usually use this tripod if I’m shooting close to the car; over long distances it becomes too heavy a burden. Therefore, I have another tripod for hiking; it is lighter, but quite reliable and has never let me down. It's about O Fotopro X5IW+52Q. What else I like about this tripod is that it easily turns into a monopod and becomes my indispensable assistant when photographing sports.
It is very advisable to have a cable release or remote control to avoid the camera moving when you press the shutter button and to prevent blurring (especially at long shutter speeds).
About filters. Which, in my opinion, is a must-have when going out for landscape photography. First of all, of course, it is a protective filter - you can’t live without it. It will protect the lens from dust, moisture, and perhaps protect the lens if it falls (this, however, has not happened to me - I treat my equipment very carefully, but no one is immune from this). Since I often shoot in the mountains, I use multi-layer coated UV filters as a protective filter, which not only protect lenses from mechanical and other influences, but also help to block “soft ultraviolet” radiation, and in the mountains they help fight bluish haze and decreased contrast.
The second filter I put in my backpack is a polarizing one. It helps to combat glare on water and saturates the photo with a range of colors. I used to use it very actively to darken the sky, but lately I use it much less often - I increasingly resort to shooting with exposure bracketing and, if necessary, take the sky from a darker frame.
For a wide-angle lens 14-24 I use all the same filters, but through this mounting system:
I used to really love experimenting with Cokin filters (when I was shooting only with a 24-70 lens). Here's an example of using the orange gradient filter:
I gradually moved away from using Cokin filters - I stopped liking the result, the filters, together with the entire mounting system, take up quite a lot of space in the backpack, and they can’t be “screwed up” required colors poses no problems during post-processing.
A landscape artist, of course, also needs neutral gray filters with different stops (ideally, you probably need to have one ND filter of variable density - it will allow you to replace a whole set of neutral gray filters of different densities and will not take up much space). An ND filter will help limit the amount of light when you need to use the widest aperture to reduce depth of field. Most often, such filters are used to lengthen the shutter speed when photographing water - to obtain the effect of “rivers of milk”.
Now about the shooting itself. More often, landscape photographers shoot with the camera in a horizontal position - after all, it is in this position that we can create photographs with wide and far-extending landscapes. However, a horizontal landscape photograph is not always prerequisite getting an interesting shot. If the scene you see requires vertical shooting, then all accepted rules are thrown out. For example, if the subject of shooting is a lonely tree, rock or other tall object, you should resort to vertical framing. I don't often take vertical shots, but sometimes it happens, like in these pictures:
Landscape composition is the basis of photography and is usually where difficulties arise. When photographing landscapes and creating compositions, I took a few simple rules for myself.
- The frame should be harmoniously filled, i.e. it should not be overloaded with unnecessary details. Even when framing at the shooting location, you should try to cut off all unnecessary elements. The edges of the photo should not outweigh each other - the composition should be balanced.
- No matter how wonderful the composition is, the light when shooting is one of the the most important conditions getting beautiful shots. In cloudy weather you can rarely get interesting photos, so you often have to simply wait for good lighting. To obtain beautiful landscape photographs, it is necessary that the main objects in the picture be highlighted by lighting. And, of course, the best time to shoot landscapes is morning and evening, when the sun is not in a high position - it is at this time that it gives side shadows, creating the impression of volume and depth.
- You usually need to compose a shot using the “rule of thirds.” Most amateur photographers, of course, know this: we shoot in proportions of 1/3 earth and 2/3 sky, or, conversely, 2/3 earth and 1/3 sky.
- To make the landscape “play”, you need an interesting foreground - you need a “brushstroke”, an accent. Such an accent can be a stone, a tree, a flower, any driftwood, etc. It is the presence of the foreground that makes it possible to more realistically convey the space in the landscape being photographed and obtain the so-called “presence effect.”
- We apply the “golden ratio” rule for accentuated objects - we place them exactly at the points of intersection. You shouldn’t blindly and thoughtlessly obey this rule, as well as all others - you should always approach the shooting of each landscape individually, thoughtfully.
- A landscape photograph should be multi-faceted in composition, i.e. it must have a foreground, middle ground and background. In this case, the focus must be on the background.
- Using the play of light and shadows is what often gives a photograph its “zest” and uniqueness.
Of course, all the rules that I adhere to are not dogma or an immutable truth, but you need to know them and in most cases they help when shooting landscapes. But the main assistant for a landscape painter, naturally, will be his own perception of the picture he sees, his inner sense of constructing a composition. One must learn to “see” composition - if a person has at least a little artistic taste, this can be gradually learned.
Most landscape photographers like to shoot nature during the “golden hours”, i.e. at dawn and dusk. Photos taken during these periods of time take on an absolutely magical look - the sun is close to the horizon, so the lighting is soft, diffused, everything around is filled with amazing color shades from golden yellow to crimson red. However, it is not always possible to “catch” the beautiful colors of dawn and sunset, so if possible, it is worth visiting the place chosen for shooting more than once. For example, it wasn’t the first time that I managed to capture the beauty of the sunrise over Berdya - I left three times at 3:00 am (the road is not close), but in the end I was lucky to see and photograph a beautiful sunrise:
You can get interesting sunrise shots by shooting near bodies of water. At dawn, as a rule, there is no wind, the water surface is completely calm, and the unusually soft colors of dawn can create magic and make even the most inconspicuous pond or lake mysterious. This golden sunrise was filmed on one of the lakes in the Altai Mountains:
Shooting sunsets is no less interesting than sunrises. The main advantage of shooting is that you don’t have to get up in the middle of the night and rush headlong, but you can calmly get to the desired place during the day and slowly prepare to watch the sunset. The sunset glow sometimes simply amazes with its diversity and splendor of colors. Twilight creates absolutely magical pictures, enveloping the sky with lighting that is unusually beautiful in color and tone, and therefore can give landscapes emotionality and expressiveness. By the way, the most interesting and beautiful sunsets occur during weather changes, for example, a blood-red or purple sunset necessarily precedes windy weather the next day. I managed to shoot such a sunset on Lake Teletskoye; this shooting of the sunset was not planned, it was accidental (the wayward spirit of Lake Teletskoye forced us for a long time wait for the moment when we could take a small boat back to our anchorage), but this only “played into my hands”:
Sunset colors can be so diverse and uniquely beautiful that they can work wonders, transforming completely inconspicuous daytime landscapes into interesting pictures. Like here, for example, a completely unremarkable place near the river in the evening became interesting precisely thanks to the sunset light:
What time of year is best to shoot landscapes? Yes all year round. Of course, in warm weather it is much easier and more pleasant to do this (especially in Siberia, where I live), and there is good lighting in the summer much more often than in winter, and the colors are more saturated and varied, but in the cold season you can also get beautiful landscape photos - you just need to wait for favorable weather for shooting. And someone will ask what favorable weather means in winter, and I will answer - when the temperature on the thermometer drops and the lower, the better. In this regard, I’m probably crazy, but when weather forecasters warn about a strong cold snap, and most people, wrapped in warm blankets, drink hot tea with lemon at home, I pack up my equipment and rush thousands of kilometers so that on these frosty days have time to shoot unusually beautiful winter scenes. Here, for example, is this landscape (minus 30° outside):
I’ll dwell a little on the technical aspects of landscape photography. I always shoot nature in manual mode (M). Most landscape photographs require a large depth of field, so to achieve a larger depth of field, the aperture should be closed. I usually use f/8-f/11 in fairly good lighting, and press it harder when shooting sunrises and sunsets, when I shoot the sun in backlight, so that “rays” appear. If the task is to blur the background and at the same time highlight the subject being photographed, then the aperture must, of course, be opened slightly. Shutter speed will depend on many factors and the tasks set during shooting. If the shooting takes place in calm, windless weather, shutter speed is not so important - set the desired aperture and, guided by the exposure meter indicator on the camera, set the desired shutter speed. If there is wind outside, then it is better to shoot at shorter shutter speeds in order to “freeze” the picture, so to speak, without giving the breeze the opportunity to “smear” foliage, grass, etc. in the picture. I usually set the ISO sensitivity low to avoid digital noise. Many people recommend using a value of 100 when shooting landscapes. But lately I have increasingly begun to use slightly larger values (200-400), this, in my opinion, gives better detail to the background of the photo. But I still prefer to shoot sunsets and sunrises at ISO 100. Another thing that is definitely important is to turn on the indicator of overexposed areas, the so-called “flash” mode, and, of course, shooting in RAW (I don’t even think about this worth talking about).
In conclusion, I want to say that photographing nature is like getting into another world - a world of amazing, unique beauty, filled with extraordinary colors that the world around us is so rich in. The main thing is to be able to “see” this beauty. If a beautiful view of nature delights you, while your soul sings, and your heart is filled with love and bursts out of your chest, then this is the first step to the success of receiving beautiful pictures. I wish everyone interesting stories and successful shots!
Sooner or later, everyone who is interested in photography wonders how to photograph a landscape. Landscape photography attracts both professional and amateur photographers. This genre offers a wealth of natural landscapes filled with beauty and colors that change with the seasons. This article will give you some tips to help you get sharp and impressive landscape photos.
When you're shooting a landscape, try to create a sense of depth in the photo by keeping all the details in focus. To achieve this, you need to use an aperture stopped down to f/16-f/22, as this aperture allows for details to be in focus throughout the depth of the frame.
Since a small aperture will allow little light to reach your camera's sensor, any camera vibration will negatively affect the sharpness of the subjects in the photo. To avoid this, when shooting landscapes, set the camera to .
How to Photograph a Landscape: Use a Wide Angle Lens
Best suited for landscape photography wide angle lenses, as they provide the widest viewing angle and therefore convey a sense of wide open space and scale more effectively.
In addition, their advantages include fast aperture (which allows the use of faster shutter speeds) and greater depth of field.
When shooting, for example, at f/16, such a lens is guaranteed to provide you with sharp objects in both the foreground and background.
How to Photograph a Landscape: Use Photo Filters
For getting best results In landscape photography, you can use two types of filters.
If you're working with moving water, using a slow shutter speed can create a stunning milky water effect.
One way to do this is to select Shutter Priority mode (TV or S) and set the shutter speed to 2 seconds or more.
You can get a similar effect in Aperture Priority (AV) mode by choosing an aperture of f/32 (which typically requires a lot of light).
If you choose to achieve this effect in bright daylight, you will need to use an ND filter to increase the exposure time without blowing the frame.
Also, remember that to get sharp photos when shooting this kind of you should always use a tripod.
How to Photograph a Landscape: Use Water as a Mirror
Water in dim light can create a very beautiful effects and reflections. Best time for this kind of photography there are two “golden hours”: the first hour after sunrise and the last hour before sunset.
Mount your camera on a tripod and select Shutter Priority mode (TV or S). Set a slow shutter speed and let your camera choose the aperture it needs. If you're concerned about the sharpness of the resulting photo, you can increase the value, although ISO 125 is a good starting point for this type of photography.
How to Photograph a Landscape: Include People in the Frame
Landscape photography isn't just about nature, so why not include people?
For example, a landscape photograph can be effectively complemented by an image of a child or a girl picking flowers.
If you decide to include in your landscape photography person, remember the rule of thirds and do not place the person in the center of the frame - this will make the photo more aesthetically pleasing and interesting.
Set the shutter speed depending on what goal you are pursuing: to “freeze” the movement, select short shutter speed, and a long one - to emphasize it.
How to Photograph a Landscape: Use the Rule of Thirds
To use the rule of thirds, imagine four lines: two horizontal and two vertical, dividing your frame into nine squares (or rectangles).
By placing your subject at one of the intersections of these lines, you will make the photograph more interesting to the viewer, since paintings and photographs composed using the rule of thirds are more natural and pleasing to the eye.
If you're shooting during the day, you can use the f/22 aperture to get sharp, detailed photos.
To capture the movement of water, birds, people, etc., you can use a neutral density filter, which will allow you to work with longer shutter speeds. In this case, the shutter speed should be:
- for shooting moving water – at least 2 seconds
- for capturing the movement of people, animals, birds - from 1/60 second
For these types of landscape photography, you will always need to use a tripod.
How to Photograph a Landscape: Equipment Required
When shooting landscapes in bright daylight, use a lens hood to avoid glare.
Use a polarizing or ND filter to remove unwanted reflections and highlights (such as those on the surface of water) and to highlight the sky.
If you want to get sharp photos or capture movement (water, animals, etc.) - in mandatory use a tripod.
If you're experimenting with shooting angles, you might want to consider a beanbag, which makes shooting from ground level more convenient.
