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10 Landscape ideas
Foreground detail is vital for successful landscapes – in fact when used well, it can be more important than the background – so before you take an ill-judged snap of a nice view, drop down lower and see what you can find close to the ground for a really inventive landscape. To get a really low angle, you’ll need to kneel or even lie down, so invest in some waterproof trousers or have a bin liner in your camera bag to protect yourself from any dirt and grime. If you’re using a small aperture like f/22 to get more depth-of-field, then a tripod will be necessary for the longer exposure. If your model doesn’t get low enough in its normal guise, check if you can invert the centre column and shoot with the camera upside down. Many tripods ofer this facility for super-sharp ground-level shots, and if your camera has a Live View mode – now’s the time to use it to make framing up as comfortable as possible.
main image: michael breitung
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Get close to the ground
On many tripods, you can invert the centre column to give ground-level, ultra-low angle shots.
When foregrounds prove hard to find, get down low and you can use the texture of the grass to take the viewer into the scene.
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Control contrast like a pro
edited shot By taking precise control over the localised lighting and contrast in this picture, we create a much more striking image. digital photo 59
Inspiration
E
leven years ago, on safari in Tanzania, Marsel van Oosten was bitten. The bite was deep and powerful and the memory of it still lingers in his mind to this day. But what sank its teeth into him wasn’t a lion, a crocodile or a hyena, it was an infectious bug – shooting wildlife. Marsel was honeymooning with his new wife and future collaborator, Danielle, when the fascination struck, and he gave up a successful career in advertising to pursue it. Take a look at his pictures and you’ll see the 15 years
he worked as an Art Director and the experience of art school written through their composition: clean, iconic, immediately captivating photos. “I like to create order from chaos, which is why I liked graphic design so much in art school. In advertising, messages need to be clear and concise, get to the point and avoid visual clutter. Whether I was working on a print ad or a TV commercial, I was always asking myself how I could make it simpler. In my wildlife photography I work the same way.”
a fresh angle of attack Most wildlife photographers use long telephoto lenses to shoot potentially dangerous animals, but Marsel wanted to try a more “in your face” approach. This shot was taken using a remote trigger, with his Nikon D3 attached to a monopod and hung, upside down, from a car window to reduce the chances of being eaten. “This male didn’t appreciate the clicks coming from the grass” he told us, “and decided to charge the D3. I guess he was more the Canon type...”
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