Landscapes make wonderful photographic subjects, and with patience and an artistic eye your landscape photos don’t have to be of spectacular scenery like that found at national parks. You can find awe-inspiring subjects for landscape photography almost anywhere.
A Few Things to Keep In Mind About Photographing Landscapes
- The most important factor in landscape photos is the lighting. Nature itself conspires with you to create fine pictures when the lighting is right, and most photographers agree that the best times for landscape photos are early morning and late afternoon, when the sun is low and has created dynamic shadow effects.
- Another terrific time to shoot landscapes is just before or after a rainstorm as clouds race across the sky. If you are patient you might get stabs of sunlight through the clouds sweeping across the terrain.
Improving Your Landscape Photographs
If you are traveling you don’t always have the time to wait for perfect lighting, but there are other things you can do to improve your photo.
- Consider the composition. A distant shot of nothing but land and horizon can be boring. Make it more interesting by getting close up on something in the foreground.
- If you are shooting out over water the same principle applies; try to have something break the monotony: a sailing ship in the corner, perhaps, or the reflection of light on the water.
- If a horizontal shot doesn’t seem to be lining up properly, try a vertical format. Perhaps your subject lends itself to that better.
- Remember that the sky is a large part of your composition. A dominant sky, whether with clear deep blue or huge gray-black storm clouds, can make your photo come to life.
- If you come across a good subject with ideal lighting, remember to take multiple shots; you can always delete the ones you don’t like later.
In conclusion, seniors, if you keep these principles in mind you can create some beautiful, dynamic landscapes. And remember that you don’t have to go halfway around the world to find them; there are terrific subjects near you if you keep your eyes open. You can also read about the basics of digital photography here.
This post is a guest post by John Walters who is a freelance writer who attended the 1973 Clarion West science fiction writing workshop and is a member of Science Fiction Writers of America. He writes mainstream fiction, science fiction and fantasy, and memoirs of his wanderings around the world. For many years he lived in Greece with his Greek wife and five sons and taught English as a second language to help pay the bills, but he has recently moved back to the United States and now lives in San Diego.
