Shooting landscape highlights. Useful tips for shooting landscapes. Exposure in landscape photography

Landscape photography is an exciting passion for many photographers. But it can be much more complex than initially imagined. It just sounds simple: find a beautiful spot, take a few shots, and come home with a piece of art in your camera. Australian photographer Andrew Goodall has been shooting landscapes for about 20 years, runs a gallery focused on this genre, and has listened to many similar opinions over the years, but considers landscape photography worthy of a thorough study of the process.

In fact, making a good image of a spectacular landscape is a difficult task. A person can see the potential and beauty of a place, but capturing them in a photo as a memorable image is a completely different matter, especially if you work in a place that has already been photographed a thousand times. You have to find a way and make a frame that will be different from the rest. Andrew Goodall gives four tips for those who want to get a little further on the path landscape photography.

Do not try to put everything in the frame

Some breathtaking panoramic views are so large that it is simply impossible to fit them into one photo - unless you use a wide-angle lens. However, in this case, the whole picture will be reduced in size, as well as the grandeur of the entire landscape being shot. It is much more efficient to use another technique: the concentration of the composition around one of the key, interesting points of the landscape. On the one hand, viewers will recognize the area and the view, and on the other hand, they will look at them from a new angle. In this case, a large lens can be used to bring out the features of the scenery, capturing details that a "wide angle" would inevitably lose.

Look at the landscape from a different angle

Why do so many photos of amazing architectural monuments look the same? Just because they shoot them from the same points. It's easy to get a good picture from the popular observation deck - it was, in fact, equipped in the most suitable place for this. The trouble is that it is almost impossible to make a unique image from it. Try to find a new angle. Even if you have to walk around to find an interesting position, do it. Of course, we do not offer to illegally enter a closed area or risk your own neck, but in most cases you can find an alternative to the usual angle without risking your life and those around you.

Let the environment work for you

Anyone can take a shot of, say, a mountain range - but what about the same ridge or slope shot through the branches of trees in the foreground or from the side of a meandering river that skirts a hill? Any landscape can be photographed from different angles, and the most obvious one is not always the best one. Be a little explorer - look for interesting foregrounds in nature, and you can add personality to the image and create something really unique. To take a photo that is worth keeping as a keepsake, you need to put in some effort.

Be aware of changing environments

Shooting landscape objects in the most suitable or, conversely, rare lighting is a real professional balancing act. First of all, you need to choose the time of day. Ideal, as a rule, is the light in the early morning or late evening, when it is soft, colorful (the so-called golden hours). The trouble is that almost all photographers know about it - how can you surpass them? The way out is to call on the help of the weather. You can capture something very special at the moment of the onset of a storm front, with beautiful clouds in the sky, or even when a rainbow appears. By choosing the right moment, you will get a unique shot.

Knowledge of all the above nuances determines the level of professionalism and involvement of a landscape photographer in the process. The more effort you put in, the greater the reward will be. You can spend a lot of time waiting for the right moment, but once you get a truly perfect shot, you will realize that the wait was not in vain. The best confirmation of audience recognition is to hear people say "I was there, but I couldn't shoot like that."

And finally, if you want to achieve good results not only in the open air, but also during post-processing, you should pay attention to modern editing tools.

After viewing these majestic landscapes, you may very much want to go to the UK. No wonder, because this -best works British photographers who capture and impress.

The Landscape Photographer of the Year competition was founded in 2007 by renowned British photographer Charlie Waite. Every year the competition jury selects the best landscape photographs from thousands of applicants. By tradition, the most memorable pictures are included in a special album, and the winner of the competition receives a check for 10,000 pounds (856 thousand rubles). Here are the works that won prizes in the photo contest in 2018.

Pete Rowbottom is the 2018 Landscape Photographer of the Year. The Ice Spikes photo was taken in the Vale of Glencoe, Scotland

Adobe Prize went to Will Milner for his photograph of the lighthouse in Brixham, Devon, UK

The Lighthouse and the Sea Serpent by Edward Hyde. The picture was taken in New Haven Harbor during Storm Brian in October 2017. The wind speed reached 64 km/h

"Train at Cardigan Bay" door Paul Fowles

James Loveridge lived in Dorset for 27 years, but he only saw fog flowing down a cliff towards the coast once.

Mary Davey captured this beauty at dawn in Houghton, West Sussex

The victory in the youth nomination (participants under 17 years old) was won by Joseph Fitzgerald-Patrick with a picture of a bay in Cornwall

A few years ago I became interested in landscape photography. This is a fantastic hobby, very useful and able to teach a lot. I do not consider myself a professional in this field yet, but I have some useful tips that may be useful to those who are just starting to get acquainted with the world of landscape photography.

Why you need to study the shooting location

If you are planning a photo tour, it is important to do some preparatory research. Use the Internet to find as much information as possible about the future location of the shooting. Try to identify potentially interesting places and find out the best time to shoot - some places are most photogenic at certain times of the year, while others are all year round. Try to avoid peak tourist seasons as popular locations will get in the way of your shots.

There are some great utilities to help you prepare for your trip. Google Maps and Google Earth will allow you to get an idea of ​​exactly how everything looks there, and in some cases even take pictures without getting up from your computer! Detailed view is not yet available for all points, but at least you can get a rough idea of ​​the places you are going to visit.

Another great utility for the landscape photographer is The Photographers Ephemeris. This component will tell you the exact time of sunrise and sunset and the moon on any day anywhere in the world. Moreover - it will show you the direction in which the sun or moon will be at this time. Based on this information, you can plan your shoot more carefully.

Whether you're planning to shoot on a trip or close to home, take a look at the photos taken by other photographers in the area. This will give you ideas for shooting locations. But do not just try to copy their successful photos, have your own view of things.

Conduct field reconnaissance

Your trip doesn't end with the start research. While the internet allows you to plan and prepare your trip, there is no substitute for walking around the location in terms of finding locations to shoot from. Use the middle of the day for this study, when the light is too hard to shoot. This will allow you to present the shots and their composition before you go to shoot. The last thing you want to do when the light is right is to frantically search for the best vantage point.

This is the most time-consuming and boring part of the photo tour, but if you don't have an organizer or don't know the place well, it's a necessary evil.

Getting a great composition

After you have found an interesting place, you still have to decide how to compose the shot. This is a very subjective area and it's hard to give precise recipes for what's good for composition and what's bad. The best photographers seem to have eyes that are so arranged that they immediately see from what angle and from where it is best to take a picture that will attract the viewer. There are a few rules to follow, but on the other hand, a number of outstanding photographs break these rules, so don't take them as dogma. However, keep these in mind:

• Avoid clutter. Include in the frame only what you want to show the viewer. The best photographs are usually simple and clean. If unwanted objects such as electric poles, cars, roads, buildings, etc. enter the frame. - try another angle where they are not visible. Small objects can be removed in post-processing, but large objects will distract the viewer.

Simple compositions are usually the best.

• Include an interesting foreground. When shooting a sunset, you should not rely only on the beauty of the sky. Objects in the foreground such as rocks, water, etc. balance the photo and draw attention to the picture.

Lots of boulders create an interesting foreground.

• Leading lines are a great way to draw attention to a photo. Piers, docks, and roads are obvious examples, but look out for rock formations as well.

Using stones to create leading lines.

• Avoid placing the horizon or focal point in the center of the frame. Use the rule of thirds as a framing guide.

And do not forget to regard all of the above as recommendations only. Rules are made to be broken!

Waiting for the light

After the work on the study of the area is completed - it's time to move to the selected location and wait for the correct light to release the shutter. What happens next does not depend on you in any way and you just have to rely on mother nature in everything.

The best time to shoot is around sunrise and sunset, which photographers commonly refer to as golden hours. At other times during the day, the light is usually too hard and flat, making photos look dull and faded. There are, of course, exceptions, but most beautiful landscape photographs are taken during golden hours.

Once you've composed your shot, all you have to do is wait for the right light. This is easier said than done! There are days (in fact there are many such days) when mother nature doesn't want to play with you and shows you a sunrise or sunset that isn't as beautiful as you expect. In my opinion, this is the hardest part of being a landscape photographer - no matter how much effort you put into preparation and planning, how well equipped you are, how experienced you are as a photographer - if you don't have the right light, you won't get beautiful photos.

Moments like this are hard to live through - coming back empty-handed after waking up at 4am to shoot a sunrise is never fun - but when it's done, little things like that are quickly forgotten. There is nothing better for a landscape photographer than when the light is good and you capture this magic on camera.

It's worth it when everything works out.

Lighting types

Depending on where the sun is located, there are different types of lighting. The type of light you use is sometimes dictated by the landscape you are shooting, but sometimes you can use different compositions and therefore lighting. It is generally accepted that for landscapes side lighting is most suitable, in which the sun is located to the left or right of the camera. This is due to the contrast between light and shadow created by directional light and adding depth to the shot. However, both backlight and frontlight, when the sun is behind you or in front of you, can also make good photos.

I often shoot against the sun as I believe that is where the most intense colors are concentrated. To do this, it is better to wait until the sun is low enough above the horizon to avoid light and sun glare in the frame. When the sun is higher - side lighting is more preferable.

Side lighting creates long shadows, adding shape and texture to photos.

The front light highlights the clouds beautifully.

Shots with the sun in the frame usually look impressive if glare is under control.

Equipment

One of the questions I get asked a lot (especially by non-photographers) is what kind of camera and lenses do I use. For me, this is a bit of a strange question - sort of like asking an artist what brand of brushes he uses, or a builder what brand of hammer he has. The fact is that neither the camera nor the lenses have a very noticeable effect on the final result. Yes, it's true that top cameras produce higher resolution photos with less noise, and better lenses produce slightly sharper photos, etc., but if you don't print huge prints, then this is not so important.

By the way, now I use Canon 40D, and lenses most often are Sigma 10-20 and Tamron 17-50. However, some of my earlier shots were taken with the Canon 350D, which is inferior in functionality to any entry-level camera today, but gives more than acceptable results.

Filmed onCanon 350D.

A tripod is a necessary piece of equipment due to the fact that many shots are taken in low light conditions, which leads to slower shutter speeds than can be shot handheld. Another advantage of a tripod is that it allows you to compose your shot in advance, as well as bracketing (multiple shots of the same shot at different exposures).

Exposure bracketing is important when it is not possible to capture the entire dynamic range of the frame in one shot. For example, at dawn or dusk, the sky may be several stops brighter than the foreground. As a rule, the brightness difference is too large for the camera, so a compromise is necessary. Either save the shadows at the cost of losing the highlights, or vice versa - in any case, some of the details will be lost.

By taking several shots with different exposures of the same frame, you can assemble the frame in post-processing through HDR or layer blending. For this kind of processing it is desirable that the camera stays still between shots - that's why a tripod is so important. Almost all reflex cameras have an auto exposure bracketing mode that can be enabled via the menu.

HDR image obtained from 3 frames.

Until now, the most important part of my equipment - filters. In particular, gradient filters. These are square plates, in which one half is light and the other half is dark with a gradient transition between them. The dark part is neutral gray and is designed to reduce the amount of light in that part of the frame (usually the sky). They are produced in different densities (from 1 to 4 feet) and are also available in soft and hard versions. Soft ones have a smoother gradient transition and are used if the foreground overlaps the sky (for example, mountain peaks), while hard ones have a sharper border and are used when there is no strong overlap of the sky with the foreground.

I use gradient filters for almost all of my sunset/sunrise photography, where 3 and 4 stop hard filters are most applicable. They balance the difference between the brightness of the sky and the foreground and allow me to limit myself to one shot instead of several that are then collected on the computer. I find it more correct to create photos in the camera than to spend extra time processing photos and getting the result I want.

gradient filters. On the left with a hard border, on the right - with a soft one.

A 3-stop hard gradient filter balances bright skies with dark foregrounds.

Another filter I use is a polarizer. The two main uses of polarizers are to reduce glare (for example, from water) and to enhance color intensity (for example, from blue skies or autumn foliage). This filter cannot be simulated in post-processing.

A polarizer can enhance the color of autumn leaves.

The third type of filter I use is a powerful Neutral Gray (ND) filter. Unlike gradient filters, it is all dark and reduces the intensity of light throughout the field of the frame, and not in separate places. An ND filter is usually used to use a slower shutter speed than the available light will allow. This is especially useful for shooting flowing water, as long exposures give the water a smoother, ethereal look that many photographers love.

ND filters are available in various strengths, usually up to 3 stops (they reduce the amount of light entering the matrix by 8 times). However, much stronger filters are also produced, such as the B+W ND110. This is a 10 stop filter and it reduces the amount of light by 1000 times! Such a strong filter gives some creative options for shooting in lighting conditions where the light is usually too harsh for landscape photography, especially with moving clouds and flowing water in the frame.

Lake Hayes, Queenstown. Shot with 10-stopND filter on a sunny day.

The use of a 10-stop ND filter allows you to shoot dawn with long exposures.

post-processing

Since I shoot in RAW format, all my pictures are post-processed, to one degree or another. RAW frames contain raw, uncompressed information received by the camera. In contrast, the JPEG format involves conversion and post-processing (sharpness, saturation, contrast, and other parameters) in the camera. So when people brag about their photos "straight from the camera" and "no processing" - it usually means that they shot in JPEG and left the processing of photos to the camera's automation. While this is by far the most convenient option, and for some types of photography where you need to get shots quickly, it's essential, but I think it's best to have control over how your shots are processed.

The main benefit of shooting in RAW is that you get more information to work with. After converting an image to JPEG format, a lot of information is lost forever, and the RAW file contains all the information that the camera was able to get. This gives you more freedom to adjust exposure and other settings, allowing you to process the file in a variety of ways. This can come in handy when your processing skills improve (or better software tools become available) and you want to re-process old photos. RAW files are sometimes referred to as "digital negatives".

The degree of post-processing is determined by your personal taste. Some prefer minimal processing such as sharpening, noise reduction, and minor enhancements to contrast, curves, and saturation. Others prefer to use their artistic vision to give their photos a surreal look (this is especially the case for many HDR enthusiasts). Personally, I prefer to let the natural light speak without interrupting it with post-processing. However, if the natural light was too average or I'm in a creative mood, I can use other processing techniques. Most of my shots are in the minimally processed category.

Good light minimizes the need for handling.

A more creative look with post-processing.

Summary

Taking good landscape photos is easy if you do it smartly. In essence, it is enough to come to the right place at the right time and, knowing a few simple tricks, take a picture. The most important thing is to get out of the house more often and take pictures. The best way to learn something is to make mistakes, and don't forget to have fun filming!

The famous American photographer Ansel Adams, who became famous all over the world for his black and white landscape shots, once said: “Landscape photography is the main test for the photographer and often his main disappointment.” And this, perhaps, is the truth. How often we, noticing a beautiful view, believe that it is enough just to start on the shutter button, capture what we see - and you will get a masterpiece. However, a masterpiece most often does not work out, because in a landscape photographer it is not enough to be just a mirror for nature, he must learn to express himself through the landscape.

Photographer Declan O'Neil shared his 10 secrets to creating expressive landscape photos.

1. What can you say about the landscape through photography?

It takes time to read and understand the landscape. You just have to stand and watch how the light changes contours and shapes. As the sun moves, forests and rivers are illuminated every minute in a completely new way and sometimes completely transformed. Light creates its own mood and emotion in the landscape. The landscape can be compared to a huge canvas on which light paints its complex and amazing picture.

In this case, photography is about capturing how light transforms a landscape. Therefore, the decision about what to photograph and what composition to build should be dictated by the question: “Does this photograph say something about light and landscape?” This simple question helps to reject a lot of losing and empty compositions and choose the one that is perfect.

2. Learn to get up early!

If I have a choice between sunrise and sunset, I always choose sunrise. I have nothing against sunset photos, but I find it difficult to add something new and original to the thousands of sunset shots that I have already seen. Dawn light, on the contrary, always brings surprises! It is very difficult to predict what exactly you will receive while you stand and wait in the predawn darkness.

It's kind of like taking pictures of wild animals - because you can get the shot you've always dreamed of, or get none at all. Dawn light can be completely different - from smoky pink to warm yellow.

Keep an eye on the weather forecasts - because if you happen to live in areas with cold nights and clear skies, you can sometimes catch amazing cloud and haze effects that are sure to clear by the time the rest of the world wakes up.

3. Imperfection is good.

One of the main challenges of landscape photography is that you have to deal with a huge dynamic range. This makes it very difficult to control the balance of light in the frame. ND filters sometimes help, but are often inconvenient or inappropriate for a particular place and time. Sometimes you have to completely abandon shooting due to too large a dynamic range.

You can, of course, use HDR technologies, but they most often give themselves away and can violate the integrity and honesty of the image. Many images can be light balanced when processed on a computer. However, sometimes photography only benefits from not being able to capture the full dynamic range. Most likely, such a photo will not be accepted for participation in various competitions, and for sure there will be sections in it from which it will be impossible to isolate at least some details. Perhaps, technically, the photo will turn out to be very poor, but a black silhouette on a light background very often unimaginably attracts attention to itself and seems to call for a closer look. Sometimes you have to give up the opportunity to capture a perfectly lit shot in order to draw attention to the potential of the subject itself.

4. Look back!

It's so easy to see the winning shot and forget to look around. Watching a sunset or sunrise, people usually point their lenses towards the sun and again take thousands of pictures, millions of which they have already seen from their friends or on the Internet. However, often it is enough just to look back to see something completely new and missed by everyone! After all, instead of photographing the rising or setting sun, you can capture what it illuminates at that moment.

The obvious shot is not always the best. Learn to look carefully.

5. Use planning software.

There are many programs that can help you when shooting outdoors. Perhaps one of the more useful ones is The Photographers Ephemeris. In short, it allows you to select any location on the planet - and shows you where the sun will be on any given day and at any particular time. In this way, you can choose the best day and time to shoot in a certain location and choose a specific shooting point with the most advantageous lighting. If you're serious about landscape photography, this is the tool you need.

Another tool that can help you a lot is a terrain map. A good map will help you predict what the landscape will look like and give you some idea of ​​what will be in your field of vision. The ability to understand these detailed topographic maps will help you save a lot of time and not travel around the area in search of that very - perfect shooting point!

6. Equipment is not that important.

The best equipment doesn't guarantee you the best pictures, just as the best pen won't automatically let you write that great novel you've always dreamed of. The equipment is just a device that allows you to convey to others what is in your head. If you have your own opinion and if you have something to say (see point 1) - then you can use anything from a smartphone to Nikon D800.

Remember that it is you who is composing your future shot, and the camera is just capturing it. More megapixels or a faster lens will never help you make a composition more expressive and full.

7. Don't try to "paint" the landscape with your camera.

In the Internet recent times photographs that have gone through the strongest post-processing or created using ND filters that make water look like smooth silk are becoming more and more fashionable. Why not let nature express itself naturally? Believe me, she knows how to do it perfectly and without the use of all sorts of filters. The same goes for post-processing. If used sparingly, it helps to emphasize the natural beauty of nature, if overused - we are already starting to change the landscape and paint it completely different from what it really was.

Real photographs always leave their mark on our consciousness and subconsciousness. This is why heavily photoshopped, idealized images of landscapes often leave us cold. They tell fictional, not real story. We immediately notice the false orange sky and the oversaturated color of the grass. Photos can be metaphors, but they should be metaphors that appear in the mind of the viewer, not in the imagination of the photographer.

If you still want to convey your vision of how the landscape looked - perhaps you should try your hand at drawing?

8. Bad weather is good weather.

Clouds and rain are not the most inspiring weather conditions, but they bring with them opportunities much more interesting than any cloudless day. It takes patience and optimism to walk with a camera in the rain all day, but more often than not, you will be rewarded. If you look around carefully, you will certainly find amazing shots created by clouds and rain!

Landscape- This is one of the most popular and widespread genres in photography. Sooner or later, all the masters of their craft pass through the passion for landscape photography. And there are reasons for this: when shooting a landscape or panorama, you can get gorgeous results even without the use of expensive equipment and a specially equipped workshop or studio with special lighting. All that is required to create a masterpiece is a camera and, preferably, a tripod, as well as certain professional skills and a fair amount of patience. It should be noted that very often the final result depends not only and not so much on the camera, but on the skill of the photographer. Of course, any photography is, first of all, a creative process, but there are a number of rules, the observance of which will allow you to avoid common mistakes made by novice photographers.

Lighting

The object of attention of the landscape photographer, first of all, is nature. Of course, the landscape can be urban, and rural, and sea; it can be panorama or macro photography; buildings, animals and even people can be present in the pictures, however, the main difference here is the absence of artificial studio lighting. Landscape photography is done in natural natural conditions. This means that the issue of illumination should be approached very seriously, since the final result often depends on the light, or rather on the play of light and shadows. The most favorable for shooting landscapes are morning and evening, when the sun is low in relation to the horizon. It is at this time that the most contrasting images are obtained with a rich and varied play of light and shadows. As a rule, at noon, such results cannot be achieved due to the blinding sun and the almost complete absence of shadows - the pictures come out bright, but lifeless and “ flat". Not the most successful time of day is also late evening, after sunset. To shoot at dusk, you need a powerful device with a good lens and a noise reduction system, as well as, preferably, an external flash. Otherwise, the pictures will be blurry, grainy, with a lot of digital noise. It is equally important to choose a suitable position in relation to the light source, in particular the sun. It is not recommended to shoot against the sun, as you risk getting completely overexposed photos. Ideally, the light source should be behind the photographer.

Shot composition

An equally important condition for obtaining a truly successful landscape is the composition, that is, what gets into the frame and how the objects in the frame are located in relation to each other. It is not enough just to choose a picturesque area - often the beautiful landscapes in the pictures seem banal, and, on the contrary, in the most ordinary environment you can create a real masterpiece. To do this, you need to understand what exactly is the main subject of the picture, why you are shooting it, and due to which the photo can become more expressive. It is necessary to remember some golden rules of the photographer:

. Rule of thirds. When building a picture, try to mentally divide the frame into three equal parts horizontally. If you want to draw attention to the landscape, then it should take up two-thirds of the picture. Conversely, if it is necessary to emphasize the beauty of the sky, the horizon line should run along the lower horizontal line.

. golden section rule. In the same way, mentally divide the picture into three parts horizontally and three parts vertically. The most significant objects should be located at the intersections of these virtual lines. It is best if the main object is one, for example, a tree, a house, a stone or a flower. ()

. Diagonal Rule. Objects such as a road, river, path are best placed diagonally across the frame. The picture will look more lively and dynamic.

And finally, one important nuance for a professional landscape photographer is the mandatory use of a tripod. Without this accessory, it will be very difficult to create a truly professional picture, since ideal lighting conditions are rare in nature, which means that even a slight hand shake can provoke blurry and fuzzy pictures.
Of course, all these rules are just the basis of your creativity. However, their application in practice will greatly facilitate the process of mastering the technique of landscape photography.

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