LANDSCAPE

The first thing you must do when ready to take a shot of a beautiful landscape shot is to slow down and look. This might be obvious to look at the shot you’re taking, but it’s critical to take advantage of any nuance in the scene before you. Sure, it’s a great beach with crystal clear water or an endless expanse of evocative tropical jungle. However, what else can you squeeze into the scene? Is there an interesting piece of driftwood lying in the sand, or perhaps a cluster of colorful leaves on a nearby tree in the jungle.

On a beautiful night in Madagascar, the sunset on the Indian Ocean was just sublime. However, in order to make this photo “pop,” a small boardwalk lamp was framed in such a way that the color of the light is wonderfully complementary to the sunset and reflection in the water. The sunset is no less beautiful with the lamp in it, and it provides a bit of intrigue in the shot.

When in areas of overwhelming beauty and color, it’s easy to forget to stop and look around. Would a photo of this restaurant in the Solomon Islands still be beautiful without the silhouetted palms? Of course, look at that amazing water, reef, and color of the clouds! However, when stopping for a second to really analyze the scene, one can find additional features to improve a gorgeous scene even further.

The above photo is a great segue into the next topic—framing your landscape shots. By looking for interesting elements and “leading lines” that direct the viewer’s eyes into the shot, your landscape photo will go from good to great.

Styles