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The following tips will help you to produce the landscape photos that you will be proud of and will be every bit as stunning as the location where the photo was taken……

What kit do I need?

Tripod

Use the best quality tripod that you can afford to avoid flimsiness and, in turn, the chance of  the camera moving in the wind etc.  Using a tripod in conjunction with a remote release will minimise camera shake even further and also avoid you having to wait for the self timer to go off on every shot.  Many camera’s now come equipped with mirror lock up, if you have this function, use it to avoid mirror ’slap’.

Lenses

Buy the best lens you can afford as the old saying ‘you get what you pay for’ is completely true when it comes to photography equipment!

Filters

Polarizers and Neutral Density filters will help alot with controlling the light and reflections.  Please see my post on Filters for more in depth informaton on the different filters available and there effects on the scene.

Obviously if you don’t have the above equipment it doesn’t mean that you can’t go out and take photographs, but the above items will assist greatly and make your life easier!

Taking the photo

Understanding Depth of Field

Normally the general rule of landscape photography is to keep everyhting from the foreground to the background sharp and in focus.  Remember, wide angle lenses will have a greater depth of field than longer lenses.  Smaller apertures will provide a greater depth of field than wider apertures.

Try to focus about a third of the way into the scene as this will help to maximise the depth of field.  You can use the ‘Hyperfocal Distance’ technique as this provides a more accurate measurement based on the lens you have.

Understanding Diffraction

As mentioned the more you close the aperture the greater the depth of field and so F22 would generally give the greatest DOP.  One common problem is caused by ’stopping down’ too far is diffraction.   Light passes through the aperture of the lens and the edges of the hole disperse the light waves.  As you stop down, the percentage of diffracted light becomes a larger part of the total light being recorded and this effects the sharpness of the image and in turn has a negative effect on the overall detail of the photograph.

It is your call on whether you feel the effects of diffraction (that you may notice when stopping down) outway the depth of field effect you are trying to achieve.

Understanding Exposure

Exposure is the amount of light allowed to fall on the r image sensor while taking a photograph. Exposure is measured in lux seconds.  

Exposure compensation is a function on many DSLR’s, this allows your to adjust the automatically calculated exposure.  Camera exposure compensation is commonly stated in terms of exposure value (EV), 1 EV is equal to one exposure step.

Exposure can be adjusted by changing either the lens f-number or the exposure time, which one is changed usually depends on the camera’s exposure mode. If the mode is aperture priority, exposure compensation changes the exposure time, if the mode is shutter priority, the f-number is changed. 

F22 – 6.0 secs

A great exposure tutorial ‘Photography – Exposure - Getting it right’ can be found here.

‘Metering

Please see my previous post regarding metering.

Quick tips

1. Use the ‘rule of thirds’
2. Maximize your Depth of Field to make the most of the scene you are photographing.
3. Use a Tripod to steady the shot, especially for slower shutter speeds in low light.
4. Look for a Focal Point to ’set the photo off’
5. Consider the Sky and including this in the shot, especially if the cloud contrast is good.
6. Capture Movement
7. Work the Golden Hours, I have a free app on the iPhone to tell me the sunrise and sunset times.  I can then time certain sessions in line with this.
8. Think about Horizons
9. Try new angles and try to be original.

Some of my landscape shots….

Related posts:

1. Taking Great Photographs – A Guide
2. Macro Photography Guide And Stunning Gallery
3. Self Portrait Photography Guide
4. Low Light Photography
5. Shutter Speed ‘How To’ Guide