When you’re just starting out, landscape photography can seem daunting, especially when you see all the beautiful pictures that other people post online. Here are a few ideas drawn from my experience that can help you be more successful as a landscape photographer.
Observe the light
Landscape photography is all about light and how it falls into the landscape. If you want to take better photos, observe how objects change shape at different times of day and in different weather conditions. Get out there early in the morning, stay there later in the day, and stay after sunset. Learn the patterns and movements of the sun. If you practice this, the quality of light in your photos and therefore your photos will improve dramatically.
Be joyful
I mean just willing to try new things. Don’t let yourself be constrained to one shooting style or one type of subject all the time. Try new things. If you usually shoot wide angle, try getting close or vice versa. Try new places. Don’t be afraid to capture things that, at least at first, seem like they might not garner many of your likes on social media. Shoot them anyway just for fun. It will help you expand your thinking and discover new ways to approach your photography.
Come back
A famous photographer (I don’t remember who) once said “always remember to look behind you.” This is great advice and it fits the last point perfectly. You can focus completely on what’s in front of you and what you expect is such a good photo that you might miss something beautiful behind. I’ve had this experience a few times, and it’s often still hard for me to remember just scanning the area around me and seeing what other unexpected images might be there.
Be flexible
Don’t get locked into the perfect shot in your head. Be ready to switch to plan B when the weather conditions are not what you want. Don’t get so focused on what you’re looking for that you miss out on other gems that may be right in front of you. Learn to respond to what nature gives you. If you want sunshine but instead of rain, look for things that look best in that soft light. Or you can get something even better than pure sunshine when the fog rolls in or when it rains heavily. And sometimes, you have to be willing to sit out and see what happens. This leads to the next point.
Find Lousy . Weather
Inclement weather can often lead to some of the most unique images. When storms are clearing from the mountains or fog is blanketing the woods, these are the times when light can be magical. Parts of the landscape may enter and be hidden from view or be highlighted by fleeting spotlights. This adds to the mystery and drama missing when the sky is clear. You may have to wait for sunlight to come from underneath the storm and never get it, but the times when you’re patient are often well worth the wait.
Patient
Speaking of patience, the photo at the top of this article is an example of this. My girlfriend and I stopped at Lake Abiquiu during a trip through Northern New Mexico and enjoyed a wonderful evening by the sea. At first, after sunset, the sky was overcast and uninteresting, but I told her that I think we should wait a few minutes to see if the sunset is beautiful. Sure enough, a few minutes later, the sky started to glow with vibrant colors and became one of the most beautiful sunsets I’ve seen in a long time. Being winter, with the sun shining in at a lower angle (see first part), the show lasted several minutes. The beautiful display in the sky is reflected in the water of the lake, adding to the beauty. If we had driven away just as the sun had set and nothing had happened, I would have seen that sunset in my rearview mirror and rocked myself, an experience no professional photographer has ever seen. any scene you want. But it’s easy, especially at the end of the day, when you’re probably tired and hungry, to just stash the camera early. That special day, I am grateful that I took the extra time to wait.
Post-processing capture
Let’s face it: if you’re a modern digital photographer, post-processing is simply part of what you need to master to create good work. In the digital world, you don’t have to send the film to a lab for processing, you’re the lab. If this is something you don’t love or have much interest in, one solution is to find software that makes it easier or more intuitive. This is mostly a matter of personal preference and it may be enough to simply do a test run on a few different apps to see what works best for you and is easiest to use. It can also be helpful to see guidance from experts. Learn from others who are more experienced in post-processing. Do whatever you need to do to embrace it. It is part of the vehicle.
Don’t try too hard
In my younger days, I didn’t know how many times I wasted a beautiful morning photo session diving into finding the right angle or arrangement of elements in my head, instead of simply observing and capturing. what’s there. This trend leads to a lot of frustration and dissatisfaction. Don’t get me wrong, there are times when the sun is low on the horizon and the light is bright, one has to move fast and take advantage of it. But I’ve found that when I approach a place or subject with curiosity and openness instead of a mental checklist of what I want, I often come up with more interesting and engaging photos. more time to do it.
Conduct
When possible, scout the location first. I don’t know how many times I’ve made the mistake of showing up in a nice place and then walking away with mediocre photos because I really don’t know where the best angle is. Your chances of success increase dramatically when you can visit a location earlier and see where the sun will rise or set and where some vantage point is. If it’s a location unfamiliar to you, try to block an afternoon to check in advance.
Immersed in nature
This seems too obvious. One of the best things you can do to improve your landscape photography is to simply enjoy living in nature. This may require being out there without your camera in hand. If you don’t enjoy the natural world and experience it, you probably won’t have the strongest work, or at least you won’t be satisfied with producing it. Honestly, if you don’t enjoy being in nature, why be a landscape photographer? So get out and go hiking or simply sit and enjoy a special place. In the end it will help your landscape images better.
Bring these ideas with you the next time you go out and see if you can come up with some more satisfying landscape shots.
