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LANDSCAPEPHOTOGRAPHY TIPS

JOE COSENTINO & SONNY PORTACIO

Landscapes:

Some tips as you get started.

When approaching an area, be observant, scan the scene, and ask yourself some key questions: Are there any objects that might make good foreground elements? Are there any options to use part of the landscape as a frame? Where is the light coming from? Where is the light going to be in an hour or two? Look at the sky. Is it clear blue or full of dramatic clouds?

Next, look for some basic compositional elements. Are there diagonal lines? Are there lines leading to a vanishing point? Look for curves either “C” or “S” curves. Those can be visually very powerful. Be on the lookout for interesting textures in the plant life or in the landscape. They often make an interesting component of a compelling image.

Is it possible to place water in the scene? Is it moving fast or slow? Are there reflections you can use in your photo? Reflections can add some visual punch! Make an intentional decision about how you’d like to present the water. Do you want to show motion in the water or freeze the motion?

Whew! That's a lot of work and your camera pack is still on your back!

Equipment for rock solid, tack sharp landscape photographs

1. CAMERA: Although most landscape photographers are using DSLR’s right now, there is a quickly growing trend toward the use of mirrorless cameras. Recent technological developments as well as a nice selection of quality “glass” has made the use of mirrorless cameras very attractive. Mirrorless cameras also have the benefit of being lighter and more nimble. Something you might want to consider if you’re going to be trekking any distance to get that perfect landscape shot.

You should be comfortable with your camera and familiar with it’s controls. Know how to change the aperture, shutter speed and ISO. Knowing how to use exposure compensation, white balance and auto focus mode would also be of great benefit. You don’t want to fumble in a panic, trying to figure these things out as the beautiful light is quickly fading.

2. LENSES: Think about the kind of composition you plan to craft: Will it be a wide ranging vista of a canyon or the intimate details and texture of a stage coach wheel? Your choice of lens will help you create what you envision.

When we take groups out on workshops, our photo bags typically have lenses that cover from 16mm to 200mm. Every camera maker has a set of zoom lenses that will cover this range. I switched to f 4 lenses about 2 years ago for my travel bag, switching to these lenses has saved me both weight and space in my camera bag.

3. TRIPOD: You want sturdy and solid. Although wood is the best for reducing vibration quickly, it’s not often the kind of thing most people would want to carry on a hike. Most photographers today choose either an aluminum or carbon fiber tripod. A rock solid ball head or panning head is also needed to attach your camera to the tripod. Higher end tripods don’t often come with a head. Don’t skimp here. Nothing ruins a potentially great photograph like a wobbly tripod.

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Tripods come in different maximum heights. Make sure the tripod is tall enough for you to use comfortably. TIP: Try to avoid extending the thinnest (first section) of the legs. These are the wiggliest sections. However, there are two times you may actually want to extend the bottom sections first: When shooting in sand or water. This will keep the sand and water out of your tripods joints.

4. REMOTE CABLE RELEASE: Use a cable release or a wireless remote to reduce camera shake during your exposure. I like using a cable release that has a simple shutter button and a lock feature to hold the shutter open for extended periods of time.

5. MIRROR LOCK-UP (for DSLRs): This can also help prevent vibration. If your camera has this feature, go to your manual and learn how to activate it. Every little thing you do to prevent vibration will make for better tack sharp photos.

6. LEVEL: Sometimes horizons can confuse you as to what is and what is not level. A hot shoe level will cost about $10.00 and will help you level your camera.

7. EXTRA BATTERIES: You’re not going to get much done without power. Keep extra batteries on hand. This is especially true with mirrorless cameras! I use both name brand and third party brands. I will always have 4 spare batteries with me. This becomes even more important when shooting in cold weather. TIP: Under cold conditions, keep the backup batteries warm in a pocket. When you see your camera battery running down, swap it out. You may still be able to squeeze some power from a previously-cold battery!

8. HEADLAMP / FLASHLIGHT: You’ll find landscape photographers are the first ones out in the pre dawn morning and usually the last ones to leave at night. A little extra light to help you find your way in or out will quickly become your best friend.

9. CLOTHING: Jacket, hat and gloves. You could miss out on a once-in-a-lifetime photo if you’re too uncomfortable to be outside … or you could be miserable. So bundle up, even in the warmer summer months the air can cool off quickly. In the winter I always have chemical hand warmers with me in my gloves and pockets.

These are just the basics, you can always add to the list but remember everything you add to the list will increase your pack’s weight.

One last, important thing to consider: safety. Keep a small first aid kit in your bag “just in case”. I’ve also looked into satellite based form of communications. Most landscape photographers find themselves in areas with very little cell phone coverage. Make sure someone knows where you’ll be. You might also consider renting a satellite phone or one of the locator devices like “spot or In Reach”

Take a few minutes and look over our book on basic landscape photography techniques, take a chapter with you and create an assignment using the techniques described and see if you can improve your photos.

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The Golden Hour and the Blue Hour

The Golden Hour (the hour or so RIGHT before the sun sets or after it rises) can be a beautiful time to shoot. Experienced photographers know that the golden light can help you create some beautiful imagery. But that one golden “hour” can have it’s own set of challenges as well. The light can change quickly. You may find that you could use a graduated ND filter or shoot HDR bracketed shots in order to deal with the harsh light.

Once the sun has set and is below the horizon, it’s now time to pack up your gear and head home to look at the photos you captured that day right?

Not so fast pardner! Let everyone ELSE around you pack up and leave. About an hour after the sun dips below the horizon and for about an hour before dawn, you may find some of the best light of the day.

This time of day is called the “Blue Hour”. It’s when the sky slowly turns a cobalt blue before losing all light and becoming dark. During the blue hour things just seem to calm down and the changes in light are not as dramatic. At this time of day you’ll need to use longer exposures to get properly exposed photographs.

Considerations for low light photography:

• Watch your step! Scout the area in daylight if you can.• Bring a flashlight or a headlamp. The trip back to the car will be a lot easier.• A tripod or other steady support is a MUST! Handholding 20 to 30 second exposures is not an

option.• Remote release. This device will trigger the shutter without having to touch the camera. You

can also use a 2 to 10 second timer for the shutter if you do not have a cable release.• Turn on long exposure noise reduction, this is usually a menu item in your cameras setup

menus. This will help to reduce the sensor noise created by the long exposure.• Manual focus is also a must, Auto Focus will hunt and hunt for a point to focus on and even if

it finds one it may not be the area you wanted to focus on.

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• Keep comfortable. A warm coat, maybe a hat and light gloves. After the sun sets air temperature will drop rapidly and it is easy to become chilled and uncomfortable.

• Mirror lockup. This is a feature on most DSLRs. With the first depression of the shutter the mirror will move up and stay up, then with the second activation of the shutter the photo is taken. The theory is that the vibration from the mirror moving will cause blur in your photo.

Suggested camera settings for the Blue Hour

You will need to have your camera in Manual mode and set your ISO to 100 or 200. This will help keep sensor noise low. As the blue hour starts, set your f stop to 5.6 or 8 and the shutter speed to 10 seconds. Take an exposure and look at the histogram to check your exposure. The histogram should not have any information touching the far right or the far left side of the scale.The histogram below is from the tree and rock photo above.

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As the blue hour progresses you’ll need to increase your shutter speed to the 25 second area. During the blue hour, I try to keep my shutter speed under 25 seconds. I reserve 30 seconds for stars and when the sky has gone dark.

When shooting at night in an urban setting you’re going to get mixed lighting. Shooting in RAW will allow you to adjust your white balance in post processing, which can help. If there is enough light to expose a grey card, do so and use that exposure as your guide. But remember, the overall white balance will continue to change as it gets darker. The sky will slowly turn from a blue-pink color to a beautiful cobalt blue. The blue skies and city lights often make for some beautiful photos. Tip: When shooting city lights stop down your lens to an f stop of 16 to 22 and the street lights will take on a star like effect. Below are a few examples of photos taken at different times in the blue hour. Notice how the sky turns darker blue and the foreground subjects become silhouettes:

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Below is a photo from Yosemite National Park taken well after the blue hour ended. An acceptable photo can be made using a 30 second exposure and the light from a moon-rise.

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Below is a photo taken about 4:45 am. About 45 minutes before sunrise you will notice that the sky has the same blue color it had an hour after sunset.

So the next time you are out taking photos and the sun sets, you can smirk as you watch everyone else pack up and enjoy your solitude and your very own blue hour.

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Using Texture in Photographs

One component of a good photograph is it’s ability to hold your attention and draw you in. There are several photographic techniques you can use to do this. In this chapter we will examine the use of texture.

There are several ways we can use texture. For example we can abstractly immerse the viewer with a closeup image of a textured object, conveying a sense of mystery as to the rest of the scene. We could also include the subject and place emphasis on the texture created by the contrast and colors within it. Below are a few examples of how texture can be used in a photograph.

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In these examples, we can clearly identify the subject matter. In the first image, note the subtle changes in the textures between the wood frame, the net, the feathers and the metal reel. The old advertising sign on the side of a brick building is quickly becoming a lost art form, replaced today with electronic billboards. The bricks in this photograph give the image more detail and character. The old truck I found along a country road is rich with textural features.

The photos below show texture used in a different way. These images are more abstract and you can’t always identify the entire scene. Abstract scenes like these emphasize texture and can draw you in with mystery.

The use of textures and close up photography are very similar. I am not talking about 1:1 macro photography. When I get to a location I will always take a wide photo - one that shows where I am. Then over the next few minutes or hours I will slowly work my way into the scene, photographing various elements of the scene. When moving in, you can either use a telephoto lens or actually move yourself closer to the subject. It is during this slow exploration of the

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location that textures will start to play a larger and larger role in how I frame a photo.

This is a photo of a hill side taken with a 200mm lens. The lens compressed the distance between the three distinct layers of rock making them appear much closer then they really were.

As you compose with texture, pay attention to how the light and shadows add interest to the subject. I’ll often note where the light is coming from and decide “do I want to use side light, top light, back light or front?” In most cases a side light will show the most detail in a subject.

When using texture as a design element, remember to simplify if the texture is your main subject. Don’t clutter it with any unnecessary background elements. Another tip: use a small aperture which will result in a deeper depth of field, keeping more of the subject in focus.

Look around. You can find beauty in the details. Examine the old rusty mailbox or that fence post. Look at the parts and not just the whole. The next time you are out shooting, slow down, take a look around and try using texture as your main compositional element and you’ll discover a whole new way to look at a subject.

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Creating Depth In Landscape Photographs

Look at the images created by renowned landscape photographers and you’ll notice some common photographic themes such as dramatic lighting, spectacular colors or a scene captured at the ideal moment. Another powerful commonly used technique is conveying a sense of depth. Their photographs will bring you INTO the photo, from the foreground, passing through the middle and then to the background.

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Great landscape images hold your attention and engage you within the frame. This depth is created by intentionally laying positive and negative space within the image.

A skilled landscape photographer will look at a scene and identify areas of positive and negative space. They will then frame those spaces in a way so they don’t overlap, striving to create interesting layers which lead your eye into the picture.

The trick is to take a three dimensional landscape, place it on a two dimensional medium and recreate the feeling of “being there”.

Positive and Negative Space

Positive space in a photograph is the elements that make up the SUBJECT of the image. These elements could be rocks, fences, trees or any number of other features.

Negative space is the area that surrounds all the elements in a photograph and provides separation of the subjects. Negative space allows and encourages our eyes to move from one area to another.

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These two spaces interact with each other and will actually define each other in a photograph. The perception of depth will be greater if a cohesive layer of negative space separates any two positive space layers.

Positive and negative space are identified in the photo below: (the darker shadows in the background hills can also de defined as a form of negative space).

Visual Distraction: merging of subjects

When composing a landscape photograph, examine the elements of your frame in the view finder. Take a few seconds to decided if there are layers of positive and negative space in the photograph. Below you will see how adding negative space creates a feeling of depth in an image.

Visual distraction occurs when two positive spaces overlap each other and our mind can not decide which is the main subject. As we increase negative space in a photo we introduce a balance and a feeling of depth.

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Positive space is “merged”

Adding Visual Depth to your photos

The easiest way for you to create a photograph that will engage your viewer is to move. Follow these simple tips and you will be making better photographs the very next time you pick up the camera.

1. When you get to your location take a minute to look around, identify some positive space (subjects) and notice how they interact with their surroundings.

2. Look through the viewfinder and see how these spaces look in the narrowed field of view of your camera viewfinder.

3. Move right then left, maybe raise the camera or find a place where you can shoot from above or get low. What shooting position gives you the best separation of subjects?

4.Remember you can also get closer. Use your feet, otherwise there will be a visual compression of your image from the zoom lens.

5. Decide on your spot, set up your tripod, frame the picture and enjoy. Follow some of these tips and guidelines and you’ll find yourself taking more pleasing photographs during your next landscape photography session.

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Positive space is “separated”

Large cohesive negative space. Note how the smaller

box seems to be further back in the image.

Merged Space Good use of Negative Space

Do you learn best by DOING?

By far, the BEST way to learn photography is HANDS ON. Nothing beats the direct contact and interaction that you get learning from others, face to face.

Explore Photography Workshops takes care of all of the details. Show up with your gear, bring an attitude to learn, and you’ll come away with new skills and some stunning photos.

We scout out and select the most interesting locations which will give you the a wide variety of subjects. Our photo spots will encourage you to practice numerous photography techniques and come away confident with your camera.

Learn from photographers who love to teach with years of photography experience.

Go to explorephotographyworkshops.com and find out what photo workshops are currently available. Then sign up, mark your calendar and get ready for a great photo learning experience!

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