Capturing Great Landscapes
Landscape photography is one the most popular starting point for beginners. There are a few reasons behind it. You don’t have to struggle making models posing the way you want – all subjects are already set for you. You don’t need to rent a studio. You can do this at the time that suits you personally. But there are also a few particularities to take into consideration.
Location and lightning
After you have chosen a location, you need to make sure that there is sufficient lightning at the scene when you arrive. And the problem is often not the Sun hiding behind the clouds – you still can shoot if this is the case. Biggest disappointment can be caused by the Sun being in a position that totally doesn’t suit you. Imagine traveling for a few hours just to find that the Sun is right behind your subject shining directly into your lens. What a disappointment!
In order to avoid such situations you would need to know where and when exactly the Sun is going to be towards your subject. Seems not that simple, right? But in reality it’s a piece of cake. There are a few tools that will tell you this. Some are free, some are paid. In our opinion the best one is the tool that actually was a pioneer in this: www.suncalc.net and it’s free for all PC and mobile platforms. Use it before you move out to the scene
Consider the time of the day too. However, given that the best photos are shot either in the Golden or the Blue Hour, it’s not set in stone. Don’t stay at home just because you’ve missed your timing. Go out there and do a session – chances are that you will get unexpectedly good results.
Equipment and other stuff to take with
You can shoot landscapes with pretty much any lens; however, the best ones for the job would be wide angle lenses. If you are planning a Blue or a Golden hour session, make sure to take a tripod to shoot longer exposures. You can crank-up the ISO but nobody likes digital noise. Tripod will save you hours of post-processing noise reduction. Take something to cover you and your camera in case if it starts raining. You don’t want to end up in the wild wrapping your DSLR into your own clothes. Also grab some snacks and a bottle of water for yourself. Many people take a small thermos with tea or coffee when they head put for a landscape photography session. It’s always nice to warm yourself up a bit while waiting for the Sun to climb those 10cm to light up your subject.
If you have any tips or personal experiences to share with others, feel free to post them in comments. Happy shooting!