Landscape photography

By Helen McLeod DDP DPP FPSNZ GPSA ARPS

One of my passions is landscape photography. In my experience, from talking to a number of photographers, there is a feeling that a landscape photographer isn’t really considered as having any photographic skill.

I mean, how hard can it be to shoot a landscape? Is there really a lot of skill involved? After all, the scene is there and you only really have to point your camera at it, right?

Landscape is, hands down, the most popular genre of photography. Why? They don’t move (mostly), they don’t bite, nor do they sue you for invasion of privacy (mostly). But even so, creating a truly beautiful landscape takes skill, considerable patience, and like many genres of this awesome hobby, a generous chunk of luck.

I have concluded that one significant reason for landscape photography’s popularity is that it does not involve dealing with people. You can just go somewhere and immerse yourself in the landscape ̶ and just let it all happen. Dealing with people can be stressful, so it makes sense that being in a landscape poses a significantly less stressful opportunity to make great images. This can provide an excellent opportunity to remove yourself from the rat race, slow down and enjoy nature and its beauty.

Now, I’m sure you have all seen those wonderfully perfect unsolicited slide shows that get passed around the internet, with recipients often scratching their heads and asking, “How can I take photos like this?”

The answer is simple: learn the craft, go to fabulous places, and wait for the light to make it all perfect.

So, there it is, three instant tips that are guaranteed to make your landscapes shine with a brilliance that might match those once seemingly impossible to emulate internet slideshows.

...Landscape Photography

Living in New Zealand, we are blessed with some truly incredible landscapes. Doing these scenes justice often requires more than simply hopping out of the car and rattling off a few quick snaps. With a little forethought, it’s possible to turn an average landscape image into something fit for the wall. Sometimes a slightly different approach to capture the landscape is what’s called for, while at other times it’s knowing how to get the most out of the image at the editing stage.

Stability is the Key

Sometimes the simplest things can make the biggest difference. When it comes to landscape photography, a sturdy tripod should be an essential piece of equipment. Admittedly, they can be cumbersome and a pain to lug around, but the results are always worth the effort.

Controlling shutter speed can be a major factor in a successful landscape photograph, and exposure times can be as long as several seconds or even a few minutes! A steady shooting platform will help to ensure that your shots are shake free. And, if you want to make enlargements, just ensuring there is absolutely no camera shake. Even with faster shutter speeds, this is incredibly important if you want your photograph to retain all the wonderful detail captured by the lens.

There can be a certain amount of waiting around when shooting landscapes, whether waiting for the right light or for some particular event to occur. Having the scene framed and the camera locked off on a tripod means that you know it’s ready to go when that fleeting moment arrives.

In the Right Light

All “successful” landscape images have something in common: the quality of the light. Unlike a studio environment, the very nature of landscape photography means that lighting is something that we have little control over. We do, however, have a choice of when to take the picture.

One of the phrases commonly associated with landscape photography is the “golden hour”. This refers to the first and last hour of sunlight in the day. At these times of the day, the sun is low on the horizon and so its light must travel through more of the atmosphere. This reduces the intensity of the direct light (coming from the sun), allowing the more indirect light (from the sky) to come through. As a result, the light is softer and shadows are generally less harsh. It may also have a warmer hue, helping to produce those characteristic fiery skies, the hallmark of a golden hour image.

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Location, Location, Location

Location is almost as important as the quality of light. To be fair, if the light is stunning, you can make even the most mundane of locations appear otherworldly and interesting.

Over the years I have been very fortunate to have travelled a lot. I visit areas over and over again, so many times that you might think me crazy. On a personal level, many of my “better” images were achieved because I have visited the same place over a number of years, giving me a better chance of being there for “the shot”. There’s a degree of chance and luck in the process of obtaining “the image”, but knowing the location fully is also a terrific asset.

One trick I have picked up over the years is to learn as much about your next destination as possible before you get there. For starters, research the geography as well as the climate, but also take a look at what local photographers have produced – anything that tells you more about a specific location.

More often than not, this kind of pre-trip research can pay huge dividends, not only in saving time on a flying visit, but also in allowing you to focus on just the relevant locations for great results.

Whatever the Weather

Okay, so I’m sure we would all prefer to shoot only on warm, sun-drenched, balmy days. Here in New Zealand, we have our fair share of those, but of course, there will also be days when it’s not wall-to-wall blue skies. Personally, I look forward to those “not so good” weather days when shooting landscapes.

One of the characteristics of shooting in the full NZ sun is that the lighting can be quite harsh, meaning highlights are very bright and shadows very dark. A bit of cloud cover (sometimes referred to as “Nature’s soft box”) softens the light, reducing the contrast in the scene. This in turn makes it much easier to capture both shadow and highlight detail in a single exposure. A few heavy, brooding clouds are also just the ticket for adding a bit of tension and drama to a landscape.

Nor should the fun stop when the heavens open. Those drizzly, misty days are perfect for a trip out with the camera. In addition to the reduced contrast, the damp conditions give foliage that extra bit of lushness and the mist adds mood and atmosphere (literally). Another advantage in venturing out when most would stay at home, is exactly that. If the weather is inclement, there’s a good chance you’ll have the place to yourself.

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This leads nicely into…

Cold Shooting

Most modern cameras will work in cold climates so with a few added layers, why shouldn’t you?

Snowy, cold landscapes are so attractive; well, they are to me at least. Why? I think these landscapes are very different, whereas the snow-covered landscapes are like being on the surface of the moon, with very little detail. You experience the surrounding vista in a totally unexpected way – some work with more snow, others with less, and heading into these areas can mean you have no idea what to expect.

Be aware, camera batteries work fine in cold temperatures, but they lose their charge more quickly. The solution is to have at least two batteries which you can rotate between the camera and a warm, inner pocket next to your body. While they appear to die as they become colder, they will actually last for as long as normal once you’ve warmed them back up.

As for the cameras themselves, they seem to work fine – personally speaking, I have never had a problem and have used them in temperatures as low as -10oC in the McKenzie Country and Central Otago (possibly even lower).

Enhance with Editing

After a successful capture, careful editing can reveal an image’s full potential. Although at times the editing process can significantly change the overall look of an image, the key is to build those changes up gradually. Applying several subtle edits as opposed to a single dramatic one will give the final image a much more natural feel and far less “photoshopped” appearance.

Modifying the Light

One of the benefits of shooting on overcast days or in soft light is that it makes it much easier to control and “modify” the light during editing. A simple yet effective edit is to add a vignette to the image. By darkening the edges of the frame, you help to keep the eye of the viewer within the image. It doesn’t have to be a significant change either. Even a very slight vignette can make a big difference.

Another effective technique is selectively lightening and darkening parts of the scene to help concentrate the attention of the viewer onto the subject. Once again, subtlety is the key. Building up the effect gradually will avoid creating hard transitions between the light and dark areas.

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Modifying Colour

Another way to draw attention to the subject is to control the colours in the scene. I find that I often slightly mute or darken some background colours so that the subject stands out. It is especially useful for those rich blue skies. While they can look great in a holiday brochure, I prefer a more subdued feel to the skies in my landscapes.

Of course, some landscapes look better as black and white images. Removing the colour completely highlights the graphic nature of the scene. Simply desaturating a colour image is a start, but I find they can often look a little muddy. Most editing software has dedicated black and white conversion options. As well as having a bunch of preset looks, they will also often allow you to tailor the conversion to suit your image, by providing control over the individual tones in the scene.

Obviously, there is more to landscape photography than what I could include here. However, what I have included should provide plenty of food for thought. I hope I have dispelled the myth that landscape photography is a genre that requires little skill and forethought.

You never know… Someday I hope to meet you out in amongst our beautiful country, capturing landscape images worthy of hanging on a wall in your home.