Like any other things in life, there are no shortcuts to success in landscape photography. It requires consistent and tireless effort and occasional clashes with failure. Landscape photographer Wayne Robertson shares four landscape photography tips to last you a lifetime:
1. Spend Your Time on Composition
“There is nothing worse than going home and finding the composition’s wrong.”
It’s always great to get the things right on-camera. And this is very much true for composition. You can’t shift your perspective in post. So, when reviewing your images in the field, see if by moving around a bit or by shooting from a different perspective, you can improve the composition. Add some elements in the frame if you think it will add value to the image. Is anything distracting popping in? Recompose and get rid of it right away.
2. Understand Light
Light is the key to photography. Pay attention to the quality and direction of light in your scene. If you feel that waiting for a bit could vastly improve the appearance of your photos, do so. The quality and direction of light play a vast role in affecting the colors and structure of the landscape. This is something that you cannot simply “enhance” in post. So, spend some time understanding how light is affecting your composition.
Yes, images do look great during sunrise and sunset but keep in mind that not all images will work during those golden hours. Learn to make any kind of light work for you.
3. Photograph for Yourself
“To really improve and get ultimate satisfaction, you need to take images that resonate with you personally.”
Photography skills, technical knowledge, and artistic approach are important. But it’s crucial that you photograph something that makes you feel happy. Photograph what works for you. When you do so, you tend to put in a genuine effort to learn. You also develop an emotional connection with the scene.
4. Quality Over Quantity
In photography, quality wins over quantity. You can be out in the field for the entire day but only a handful (or even fewer) of images will make you happy. Devote your attention and mindfulness to every shot you take. The concept of “spray and pray” doesn’t work in landscape photography. Instead, learn to be patient, understand what you’re going to shoot, and then take the photo.
“Obviously when you are new, take lots of images; it helps you learn. But, you’ll eventually get to a point where you feel that you have learned and you can improve by taking fewer images but spending more time on each individual image.”
If you’re starting out in landscape photography, these tips will definitely be of help.
Like This Article?
Don't Miss The Next One!
Join over 100,000 photographers of all experience levels who receive our free photography tips and articles to stay current:
Leave a Reply