5 Landscape Photography Tips To Improve Your Pictures

Calendar July 23, 2010 | Posted by Jam Man

Shooting photographs of natural environments, known most commonly as landscape photography, is one of the most popular and fun ways to get started in art of taking pictures. While it may seem simple to snap a couple of photos of a mountain or a hillside, it can be a bit more complicated than point and shoot.  With that in mind, here a few easy to implement tips to help your next outdoor shoot end successfully:

Slow it Down

One of the most important things about landscape photography is detail. The more detail you can get in your landscape pictures, the better your final image will look.  In order to get a maximum depth of field and be able to capture the smallest detail, close your F stop as much as possible and use a slower speed film or setting with a longer exposure.

Choose a Focal Point

What is it about certain photographs of mountains that make them appealing, when others look boring? The answer is often found in the focal point of the image. No matter what subject you’re shooting, you need to decide on what is going to be the important part of that image and frame your shot accordingly. Landscape photography offers all kinds of different types of focal points such as trees, mountains, rock formations and many others to choose from.

Try Using a Filter

There are tons of filters available for cameras, each of which serves a specific type of photography. Polarizing filters will darken the sky in your image and help build contrast in the colors, which will lead to a more dynamic and interesting image when it’s time to print.  Whenever you’re working with landscape photography, try to consider the contrast before you shoot.  Generally pictures that have all one color or tone won’t be interesting

Time it Right

Depending on what you’re planning on shooting, different times of day are going to either hurt or help you.  Since the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, the overall appearance of a landscape can be dramatically different in the morning than it is at dusk, so plan ahead on catching the perfect angle. We recommend morning and evening hours; the pitched shadows will add texture to your images.

Always Have a Tripod

Although carrying a tripod is a pain, it really is necessary with using longer exposures so that you can get the proper amount of detail in your landscape. Using a tripod will give you the opportunity to take the same picture with different exposures and will help to prevent image blur. Image blur can be a problem when you’re using a slow shutter speed (anything less than 60 is too low to guarantee clarity without a tripod).

Landscape photography is a great way to get started as a photographer. You never have to worry about difficult or impatient subjects and you get to go outside and appreciate the beauty of nature. With a little thought and the right equipment, you’ll soon be shooting beautiful landscape pictures that you’ll be proud to display in a picture frame on your wall.

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