11 Landscape Photography Tips you might not had on your mind
In the last nine years, I experienced quite a lot of things concerning landscape photography.
I'm mainly talking about what happened in the field, in nature. I did quite a lot of stuff which I would do totally different now.
At the same time, I wish I did other things way earlier, so some certain mistakes would not have happened to me.
I want to share with you guys what I think are 11 excellent tips to help you with your landscape photography.
I'm going to talk about mistakes which I made so you don't do the same and also some simple tricks to get better images.
These tips are in no particular order, so there is no number one best thing to do.
I think they're all equally important.
So I hope you'll enjoy reading.
Tip No. 1 - Don't shoot only the obvious subject
We've all been there, and I am still there. We go to a fantastic location with some grand vistas and awesome foreground possibilities and we totally forget about our surroundings.
In the past, I always tended to stay at the same spot during the whole shooting session.
I didn't think about turning around to find out what else could be there to shoot. That's a big mistake, in my opinion.
Sometimes the light simply doesn't happen where we want it to be, and then it's crucial to know the area to find some other compositions.
That's the reason why I always look for at least 4-5 possibilities to take an image, so I have other options just in case my original plan doesn't work out.
When working this way, you also make sure to come away with something more unique, even from a well-photographed location.
Tip No. 2 - Don't focus only on the final destination
This point is kind of related to the one I mentioned above. In this case, I'm talking about when you're out hiking in the mountains.
It also applies to forests/coastlines and so on.
Often we have a specific destination in mind where we want to get.
It's completely fine to have a final spot where you want to get to because, for me, that's the main reason to go out hiking, but nature is so beautiful, and there can be so many great compositions on our way.
Plan enough time, so you don't miss out on the amazing sunstar shining through the woods or the dramatic light beam breaking through the clouds hitting a mountain peak in the distance, which looked boring without it.
It's better to get a good shot on your way to the spot rather than a mediocre one at your final location without interesting light.
Tip No. 3 - Get enough sleep
Okay, I know guys, that seems like an obvious thing, and there're lots of people who probably work fine with 10 cups of coffee inside them or some energy drink overdose so they can shoot sunset, milky way and sunrise in one take. Trust me; I can't!
When I'm tired, then I'm not able to be creative, and I can't find useful compositions, which I'm still satisfied with later on when I'm back home at my computer.
I personally rather skip the milky way or the sunrise the next morning so I can be awake and full of energy for the next shoot.
My goal is to have at least 2-3 perfect images instead of 10 okay shots because I was not concentrated enough.
Tip No. 4 - Check the focus switch on your lens
This tip is also kind of related to number three.
Oh man, how many times did that happen to me. I had to use my manual focus ring during the night to shoot the stars, only to find out that I haven't switched it back to autofocus before my morning shoot.
I was simply too tired to remember that.
Of course all the photos were out of focus.
So I had awesome light but blurry images. If you use the manual focus all the time, then that's no problem at all, but I'm a lazy autofocus guy.
Always check the focus switch on your lens! The same pretty much applies to the image stabilizer.
Tip No. 5 - Don't use filters just for the sake of using them
I don't use many filters for my landscape photographs. I do have a proper polarizer and some decent ND-filters, though, but I hardly ever use them.
Only the polarizer finds it's way on my lens sometimes when I'm shooting waterfalls or other wet surfaces.
But just because you're shooting waterscapes, it doesn't mean that you need to use a filter.
Often times you definitely want to keep a nice reflection on a surface, so don't kill it with a polarizer just for the sake of using it.
Same applies to ND-Filters.
I got tired of the long exposure look fast, but that's always personal taste, of course. I only use the ND-Filter to smooth out waves when it's still too bright to get my exposure time of about 0.5 seconds or ⅓ of a second.
I'm also not a fan of graduated neutral density filters, but that's again just me.
They can be destructive to your tones if you don't use them properly.
I prefer to work non-destructive, so I blend my images in Lightroom or Photoshop.
It also saves weight and money at the same time. I remember myself when I started out using filters. I used a GND, ND-Filter, and a polarizer at the same time just because they were expensive, and I felt like I had to use them because I bought them.
So my advice is to have a good polarizer and maybe 2-3 different ND-filters, but don't use them all the time just because you have them in your camera bag.
Tip No. 6 - Get into the water
My next tip is an essential one, in my eyes, but you should also take it with a grain of salt.
When you want to get a dynamic composition of a waterfall or an amazing reflection in your foreground, it's crucial to be in the water or at least very close to it.
Sometimes that's not possible and too dangerous, of course.
I'm not talking about risking your life because you want that fantastic water action in your foreground.
Let’s say you have to walk into a raging river that could easily knock you off your feet and get you drowned. Don’t do that!
I'm talking about the little creek or the calm and flat lake surface.
It makes a huge difference when you stand in the middle of that stream with some majestic mountains in the background rather than being on the left side with a not centered water flow in your foreground.
The image down below exactly shows what I mean by that.
Having the creek streaming to towards you makes all the difference.
I also love standing in the lake (when possible) to get as low as possible to the surface of the water, so the reflection gets emphasized in my shot.
It makes the difference between a good and an excellent photo, in my opinion.
The next two tips are also related to this topic.
I was standing in the water to get this view.
Tip No. 7 - Don't rely on gumboots
Are you one of those photographers whose gumboots ran full of water after a shooting session at the coast or a waterfall? Trust me, I feel you!
It happened to me countless times, and my wife still makes fun of me.
I like to get into the water as I mentioned above, and for that reason, I need something to protect my feet from getting wet. Gumboots seem to be a good option, but they are often not high enough - at least for me.
So there is always one wave which is bigger than the others, and suddenly you're waist-deep in the water, and your boots get filled up with the ocean.
Or let's say you're walking carefully through a creek, and you underestimated how deep it actually is.
Suddenly all the cold water of that beautiful mountain stream is inside your boots again.
So we got two problems related to gumboots. First, they are often not high enough, and second, you have to dry them after they ran full again.
The smell of your feet together with saltwater is priceless, trust me!
That's the reason why I don't use them anymore. I like to use neoprene socks or waders instead.
If I want to travel light, then I use my socks combined with waterproofed pants, and it works like a charm!
You're so more flexible and also save a ton of space in your luggage.
Tip No. 8 - Scout the waves
I already mentioned this point in my other blog post "how to plan and find photography locations," and I want to talk about it again.
It's so crucial that you watch out for waves when you're shooting seascapes.
There is always that one big wave which could knock you off your feet or get all of your gear wet. I've been there guys, trust me.
I recommend that you sit there for a while and watch what the ocean is doing.
Wait for bigger waves to see how they behave and how close they get to you. You also need to keep in mind that the tide is changing, so proper planning is required.
You can, of course, also stay far away from the water, but often the best compositions are very close to the wave action.
Getting close to the water was necessary to get this shot.
Tip No. 9 - Watch out for the wind
I know this point looks obvious, but trust me, I made a lot of mistakes regarding wind.
Once I left my tripod on unstable ground. I had my camera and lens attached to it only to see how a strong wind gust almost blew it off the cliff edge.
I was about to lose over 5000$ just because I was too lazy to place it somewhere safe.
Another crucial thing to keep in mind when it's windy is your telephoto lens.
Those lenses are longer than wide-angle ones, so even a slight breeze can affect the stability.
When you're shooting at 200mm or more, every little movement will get you blurry shots.
Protect your lens from the wind and also try to use the image stabilization to overcome some of the movement.
You can easily find out if there is lens shake by using the live view.
Zoom in to 100%, and you'll see what's going on.
There is nothing worse than finding out that one of your favorite images from your latest expensive trip is blurry just because you weren't careful enough.
Tip No. 10 - Don't leave your stuff on the ground
My mom was right when I was a child, all the time! Don't leave your stuff on the floor or otherwise someone will step on it or kick it by accident.
That's what happened to me at the Grand Canyon.
I left my filter pouch/holder and some other stuff, like lens hoods, on the ground right next to the cliff edge.
Trust me, guys, it was not funny to see a 150$ filter holder fly down into the over 1800m deep Canyon.
Tip No. 11 - Get low and close
Last but not least, I'm quickly going to talk about a topic that will also be covered in my upcoming Photography EBook (stay tuned for that).
When you are in the field, and you simply can't find any interesting foreground element to include in your frame, then simply lower the position of your tripod and get close to the subject.
You will be surprised how many options suddenly appear in front of you.
The ice junks in the shot below weren't any bigger than a child's hand, but because I got so close, they appear huge.
They suddenly have made an excellent foreground element.
Alright, guys, that's it now with my 11 not so common tips for your landscape photography.
Which topic helped you the most and did you make some of my mistakes as well?
Please let me know down in the comments. I'm curious about your thoughts.
Cheers,
Daniel