9 Top Tips for Landscape Photography
This page contains AFFILIATE LINKS. If you choose to purchase after clicking a link, we may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. Plus, as an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Read more on the disclosure policy page.
Discover 9 top tips for landscape photography, including the best lens to use, where to focus, and how to start capturing wonderful landscape photos. Landscape photography is a genre that captures natural scenery, often aiming to convey the beauty, vastness, and mood of the outdoors. It typically includes mountains, forests, coastlines, skies, and other elements of the natural world.
Best Lens for Landscape Photography
The best lenses for landscape photography are typically:
- Wide-angle lenses (14mm–35mm): Great for capturing expansive views.
- Prime lenses (like 24mm): Often sharper and lighter.
- Tilt-shift lenses: Useful for eliminating distortion in architectural or cityscape landscapes.
Additionally, the best focal length for landscape photography varies according to the scenery and the result you want to achieve:
- 14mm–35mm are ideal for vast scenes and dramatic perspectives.
- 50mm is closer to what the human eye sees; great for natural-looking landscapes.
- 70mm–200mm is useful for isolating distant details like mountains or trees.
Moreover, using a tripod is highly recommended in landscape photography to maintain sharpness at lower shutter speeds. It’s also essential for long exposures in sunrise, sunset, or night shots and for HDR or panoramic stitching.
Best Weather for Landscape Photography
One of the reasons landscape photography is endless is that weather and light can completely transform the same scenery. The best weather for landscape photography is golden hour at sunrise/sunset with clear or partly cloudy skies. The soft light, warm tones, and long shadows add drama and depth. Cloudy or stormy weather for dramatic skies or moody effects.
Where to Focus in Landscape Photography
In most cases, focusing on one-third of the scene from the bottom of the frame in landscape photography usually achieves maximum depth of field. This concept, called hyperfocal distance, helps keep both the foreground and background sharp. For better depth, you can use a small aperture like f/8 to f/16.
How to Start Landscape Photography
Landscape photography usually requires a small or a big trip. Most people live in towns and cities, and taking some landscape photos means leaving urban scenery and going outside. Here are some tips to start landscape photography.
1
Explore
Whether this place is near your home or during a journey and vacation, you can spend some time exploring it and visiting it at different hours of the same day, or different days if this is possible, because the beauty of a place is unfolded slowly and gradually.
2
Study
Visiting a place for the first time is a great chance to learn new things, but the same thing can happen every time. Read from different sources for the place you visit, or have a travel guide to refresh your information. See the local weather news and browse photos by other photographers to be inspired. Visit this place during sunrise and sunset when you can take dramatic landscape photos. Some locations may not be suitable for dramatization as the sun is hidden too early behind the mountains. But, they still can offer fresh and rich in color landscape photos when the weather is sunny.
3
Review Your Photos
It is true that we cannot remember all the things at once, and sometimes we have great ideas, but we forget to do them when it’s time. It’s essential to see your photos and compare them.
4
Plan
Planning and scheduling are very important in photoshooting, and keeping notes is a crucial part of it. It’s also inspirational to make a series of photos from the same point of view taken at different times and with different weather. The scenes compared would have many things to surprise you!
5
Just Be Out There
The last important thing is to be out there with your camera! The more time you spend outdoors, the more chances there are of something beautiful happening.
“When each day is the same as the next,
it’s because people fail to recognize
the good things that happen in their lives
every day that the sun rises.”
― Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist
This page contains AFFILIATE LINKS. If you choose to purchase after clicking a link, we may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. Plus, as an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Read more on the disclosure policy page.
Advertisement
