There is no one right way to make landscape photographs – every photographer has their own style – and in that sense, the best way anyone can develop is to build an understanding of the landscape subjects, styles and approaches they respond to most.
Whatever your preferred subjects or
locations, however, there are also certain commonalities that apply – an
understanding of lighting, composition, the effect of atmospheric conditions,
the creative use of camera and filtration, an attitude of mind.
The ten tips below, and the
Info boxes within the images, are an attempt to distil some of these
aspects into digestible form.
Ten tips for better landscape photography
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Allow sufficient time to reconnaitre your chosen location
Give yourself time to explore a location on foot, camera still in bag, whenever possible. Immerse yourself. Time seeking compositions beforehand will make all the difference to a dawn or sunset shoot. The more intimately you know your locations, the more possibilities you will see.
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Be out at dawn every day you are on location
The most interesting atmospheric conditions usually occur at this time.
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Develop your sensitivity to the 'golden hour'
and how the light changes around sunrise and sunset. The light's strength, colour, and modelling potential – and the balance between these – all evolve as a morning or evening progresses.
Develop your sensitivity to atmospheric conditions
Become familiar with how atmospheric conditions affect the quality of light you receive. This will help you adjust your approach to prevailing conditions, sharpening your sense of when and where is 'the right place to be at the right time'. Learn how different subjects suit different lighting conditions.
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Don't be afraid of shooting in soft light
Provided a landscape has sufficient texture or a strong anchor, soft light can draw the viewer in, as the eye works to explore the image and its subtle textures or lighting effects. Soft light also allows a subject's natural colours to speak for themselves.
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Don't be afraid of shooting into the light
or with the sun just outside the frame. If you have a strong or graphic composition, contrejour has great potential for graphic silhouettes, or for atmospheric perspective to reveal depth in a composition.
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Know where and when the sun will rise and set in relation to your subject
Does a location hold most potential for an image at the start of the end of the day? Will it be side lit, front lit (from behind you), or will you be shooting into the light? Could another viewpoint – or returning at the other end of the day – play better to one of those lighting conditions? Be aware of how sunrise bearing varies significantly with season and latitude.
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Understand the relationship between colour and mood
A straight depiction will contain a range of colours, but more emotive images often limit the palette. Seek compositions which play to this effect. Use colour adjustment filters where appropriate to emphasize mood or unify an image. A blue filter in the 80 series can enhance cool mood, while a warm filter in the 81 or 85 series can strengthen tones from the start or end of the day. Provided you have an image predominantly in a single colour tone, strong filtration can also unify an image with an otherwise divergent colour element.
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Have a plan
but be ready to abandon it if lighting conditions look more promising in another quarter of the sky.
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Be persistent
and return to your chosen location time and again, until weather and lighting conditions fulfil your vision.