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How to shoot perfect landscapes

Pre-shot preparations

Check the footing

The ground under the tripod will be just as important as the ground in front of it, as uneven footing with throw off any ability to judge the flatness of the head by eye. It's far easier to utilise a spirit level on the tripod or camera's flash head. 

Go for a test shot

One of the big benefits of landscape photography is that the subject won't be going anywhere any time soon. You could have hours to play with, so try a few different settings and angles before settling on a single shot. A little creativity can really reap the benefits, so try some filters too. 

Don't be afraid to hike

Pack light and take a day out walking rather than going to the popular spots that would have been the subject of hundreds of quick snaps. The reward will be some truly inspiring images at difficult to find spots, giving you something memorable to hang on the wall.

Landscape Genres

Urban

Landscape photography isn’t purely about standing in a field, as towns and cities can produce some superb opportunities. Light trails from cars and striking architecture are simple subjects to set up and shoot one evening, and grafitti can provide a point of interest for an otherwise unspectacular wall shot.

Coast

Not only does having an obvious horizon line make the image far easier to level out, but a shot from a cliff top or beach can capture some eye-catching lighting conditions at sunset or sundown. With little to obstruct the top of the image it’s also far easier to use graduated filters as well. 

Forest

One of the most typically taken landscape shots has the potential to be the most visually uninteresting, primarily because trees and bushes rarely make interesting subjects. A little creativity with framing, filters or usage of black and white can remedy this, and early mornings can offer some wonderfully moody photos.

Filters

The necessity of filters has been diminished somewhat due to the appearance of photo editing programs, although the two process should be treated as separate entities. Much like a computer generated image can mimic a real life actor in a film, software such as Photoshop can closely replicate the effects of a filter, but isn’t quite the same as the real thing. Slide-in filters are far easier to exchange than their screw-in counterparts, which is especially useful as the effects created can be mixed and matched to create a completely individual end result. Here are a few examples of the most popular filters, and their usages.      

NAME: Tobacco Grad
TYPE: Graduated effect filter
EFFECT: Gives one half of the image an orangey hue, tinting either the sky or the ground depending on the orientation. He level of effect can be altered depending on the darkness of the filter, which is indicated by the number.
USAGE: Give a sunset a far more dramatic effect or a beach an otherworldly effect

NAME: ND Grad
TYPE: Graduated correction filter
EFFECT: Mostly utilized to give large expanses of sky a more balanced appearance when there are numerous shades and tints. By graduating the effect the ground isn't dulled to any extent, allowing grass or sand to maintain it's appearance.
USAGE: When covering changing conditions the ND Grad produces a more balanced end result

NAME: Yellow
TYPE: Black and white effect filter
EFFECT: It may sound odd, but some coloured filters are better used for black and white photography. Yellow makes for a far lighter contrast, bringing vastly differing shades closer together.
USAGE: Creating a lighter contrast in black and white

NAME: 81B
TYPE: Effect filter
EFFECT: When there's far too much red in an image, the colour temperature is said to be too 'hot'. To counteract an 81B blue filter can bring the shades down to a more manageable state, and reduce the saturation.
USAGE: Urban landscapes

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