Hi again, it's your faithful friend Ralverd here. After getting rather positive feedbacks on my first two articles, here I am once more trying to share more knowledge with my fellow PMers. This article as the title stated, is meant for beginners as I've only included fairly basic tips to help out the starters in photography out there. Still, I'll appreciate feedback and contribution from the more seasoned pros out there. Btw, I've included some images to help illustrate my poinys. Hope this helps.
Quick & Easy Tips For Better Landscapes:
1) Know your camera settings. Always check your white balance before shooting. And since you want really large depth-of-field (to keep everything in focus), use really small apertures (e.g f/16, f/22). And place the focus point on the bottom third of the frame, this ensures that everything remains sharp (most of the time). Also, use the lowest ISO setting possible (e.g ISO 100/200) to keep noise levels to a minimum.
2) Avoid shake at all cost. Buy a decent tripod along with a good ballhead and keep it with you all the time. No expense spared here if you want stunning, blur-free images. Remember to turn off VR, IS, VC or OS when your camera's mounted on a tripod. Also, use a remote release or the self-timer when taking long exposure shots.
3) Pay attention to your composition. Make sure that your horizons are straight. Crooked horizons kill your images instantly unless they're meant to be shot that way. Include foreground into your images. Are they boring? Then it's time to move around and look for the better angle. Is there enough sky? Ask yourself these questions before taking the photograph. (See image 2)
4) Use your lenses creatively. Wide angle lenses (e.g 17-35mm) can give you great landscape images. Use it well to create stunning perspectives. And do not rule out your telephoto lenses (e.g 70-300mm). The long focal length allows you to crop in tight to certain parts of the landscape and create interesting compositions. (Image 1 was shot using a focal length of 130mm FX eq.)
5) Use filters. Using a circular polariser will cut off reflections and saturate the skies. It's a must-get for serious landscape photographers and the only one you should need when you're travelling light. Other filters such as ND-grads will further enhance your images, but it's not necessarily a requirement plus it's a hassle to use.
6) Know your timing. A key rule to better landscapes is to shoot when everyone else isn't. Key moments (dusk and dawn) give you flattering lighting and can make a whole lot of difference to your images. In short, waking up early or shooting sunsets will give you better images most of the time. However, don't walk away once you're done. Sometimes the best lighting comes a while after sunset. (See image 6)
7) Shoot at night. Shooting at night is another great way of getting good landscapes, especially in cities. At night city landscapes allow you to capture beautiful light trails, neon signs and so on. What the eyes can't see, the camera will capture it. (See image 5)
Shoot from high ground. Shooting from a higher vantage point will give perspectives normally not achievable on lower ground. It makes your images stand out from the rest of the lazy amateurs. (Image 4 was taken on the plane!)9) Shoot a panorama. Shooting a few images and stitching them together (e.g. on Photoshop) will create super-wide landscapes which can blow people away. Print them out and wow your friends and families. (See image 3)
10) Be creative. Trying out different techniques which are different from the norm can produce great images as well. For example, try B&W landscapes for impact. Or use different point of views, play with reflections, shooting in the rain, flipping the image upside down and so on.... Have fun in shooting landscapes and most importantly - learn while you shoot!
Hmm, that's all I can think of now. Hope it helps and all the best.
Regards, Ralverd.
articel by : Ralverd
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