Abi Coop
Melissa Richard
Kristen Ryan
“Landscape photography is easy!” shouts one of my landscape photography friends as I struggle with my tripod setup while being blown around on a slipper, icy lake by gale-force winds and pummeled by shards of blowing snow. This is a running joke between us. You see, landscape photography is not easy. There’s an art to landscape photography in your approach, execution and finalization of an image, and if you don’t have all the pieces of this intricate puzzle, then it can be a tough go. I know because I’ve been there. However, photography should fill you up with good vibes, as should spending time in nature. So please allow me to share with you some important thoughts to consider if you want to take your landscape images from “Meh” to “Wowzers mind-blowing fantastic!” Here are 6 tips for successful landscape photography
Ever looked inside the gear bag of a landscape photographer? It can be a scary sight stuffed full and bursting at the zippers. Have you ever watched a landscape photographer heave their backpack off the ground and onto their back? Trust me, it can look painful and from experience, it can be.
Now, I’ll be the first to admit that I am quite attached to all of my landscape photography gear and accessories, but it’s not necessary, especially when you are first starting out in this genre. I captured most of my beginner landscape images with my 35mm lens and a $25.00 tripod. Gear is not going to make you a better photographer. Yes, gear can help you create certain kinds of images, but other more important ingredients go into making a successful landscape photo, like learning the correct techniques. So, my advice…all you need to get started in landscape photography is a camera, a lens (I recommend a wide angle zoom like 14-24 or 16-35) and a tripod.
When I was new to landscape photography, I admit I was completely overconfident in my approach. I’d run out into a setting, plop down my tripod, set up my camera and start aimlessly spraying and praying. Yes, landscape photographers should adopt the mantra, “You get what you get, and you don’t get upset,” because we’re hanging out with moody Mother Nature. However, if you want to set yourself up for success in landscape photography, you must adequately prepare and plan for that success.
Preparing will ensure you know what you need to take certain types of images and that you have those tools. Planning will support successful adventures in nature so that you can make the most of the benefits of this beautiful genre.
Every genre of landscape photography has ideal camera and capture settings. Landscape photography is no exception. However, the problem is that what is considered ideal varies among advice-givers. That makes things confusing, right?
Well, I’m no fuss here, friends. My enjoyment of the science behind a good photo and my years of practice in landscape photography have culminated in my ability to be able to teach you exactly what settings you should use for the most success and ease when creating landscape photos. The bad news here is that what you need to know is beyond the capacity of a blog post. However, it’d be disconcerting for me to leave you high and dry here, so my top recommendations for ideal landscape settings are:
Here’s an example of a near-perfect landscape photography histogram:
Composition in landscape photography is an extensive topic. However, the best thing that you can do is exactly the opposite of what I did when I first started exploring landscape photography. Do not embrace the shoot-and-pray method. Slow down and capture your images with intent.
Here are my best composition tips:
Yes, the debate about the post-processing of a photo still exists in the world of photography. However, it’s been a little tamed down recently with the entry of AI into the photography world, but I’ll save that conversation for another day. Instead, let’s focus on why I am not the kind of photographer that shies away from post-processing my images and I will never encourage you to skip this step either.
Ever seen a properly exposed straight-out-of-the-camera true RAW, not Lightroom colour profile infused, landscape photo? It will not look like what your eye saw when you experienced that beautiful moment. Post-processing allows you to fine-tune your images to what you saw and for those who are a little more inclined to dabble in editing, like I am, you can do that too.
Furthermore, many approaches in the field require post-processing like full exposure images, sharp focus and other landscape photography approaches like panorama or timelapse.
In his bestseller, Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell tells us that becoming an expert takes 10,000 hours of deliberate practice. Picking up your camera and experimenting will go a long way in helping you reach your photography goals. However, you must practice correct landscape photography techniques that will get you successful results. Otherwise, you’ll end up frustrated, disappointed and wanna throw your camera off a cliff, kinda upset.
I hope you enjoyed these 6 tips for successful landscape photography. It took me a long time to figure out how to take the kinds of landscape photos that I now capture. Mostly, because I learned in “bits and pieces.” I want to help you avoid the frustration and disappointments of learning landscape photography independently. I’d love to be your guide to successful landscape photography. Interested? If so, I invite you to join me in my new course, Exploring Landscape Photography: Discover the Art of Successful Landscape Photography, hosted by Hello Storyteller, Inside this course, you will learn how to get started taking landscape images using the best possible approaches. Watching photographers take successful landscape images that fill them with joy and pride is always a privilege. I want that to be you, too.