Feature Photographer - Chris Renk

In this article, Chris describes his thoughts on how he mastered the idea of capturing a successful landscape image and asks the reader several questions which, at some point, we have all probably asked ourselves.

Landscape Photography: The Art of Seeing the Beauty

‘Every photographer has undoubtedly dealt with landscape photography at some time, be it during a holiday trip or an excursion to a nearby location. With full vigour, one rushed to the apparently worth-seeing objects and landscape forms to capture as many impressions as possible with one’s camera.

After the photographer had photographed the motifs, there was a rush to develop the pictures to see the final result. The disappointment was all the greater that the photos, unfortunately, did not reflect the impressions collected on-site!

Does this description sound familiar to you? If so, then this article might be just the right thing for you!

Touched by the rising sun

Over the next sections, I will give you a small insight into my thoughts about landscape photography and how I master it.

At first, we have to clarify what landscape photography is!

There are many definitions out there, but to me, the most accurate description is as follows:

• Landscape photography shows spaces within the world, sometimes vast and unending, but other times microscopic.

• Landscape photographs typically capture nature’s presence, but can also focus on human-made features or disturbances of landscapes.

As you can see, landscape photography isn’t only limited to mountains, forests or lonely places. Rather, landscape photographers enjoy a wide variety of motifs.

Which brings me to the next important question about landscape photography - what’s the reason for it?

• Perhaps the most common is to recall a personal observation or experience while in the outdoors, especially when travelling

• Others pursue it mainly as an outdoor lifestyle, to be involved with nature and the elements

• Some as an escape from the artificial world!

For me, it is a mixture of all three of these statements. Of course, the most important is getting a balance to the increasingly demanding workload of my job. Being out in nature, I can immediately feel my heartbeat slowing down and my thoughts are focused only on the beauty of the surrounding landscape, filled with the sound of nature. Even more, I can feel this when I am out during the early morning hours when the sun slowly rises or during late evening, when the sun is gradually disappearing behind the horizon and the blue hour begins.

Light

The Franconian Forest at Sunset

Light also plays a crucial role in landscape photos. Therefore photographers should incorporate all types of light based on availability.

Here is a shortlist of which type of light could be used:

• Natural light

• Daylight

• Golden hour

• Blue hour

• Night

• Artificial light (light painting)

I remember back to my first steps in landscape photography, which were marked by incredible frustration. I must say that I did not make it easy for myself to use the images of the great masters of landscape photography, such as Ansel Adams or Michael Kenna, as a benchmark.

Only when I started to think about the aspects of a successful landscape photograph did my pictures improve.

In this regard, Herman Melville’s outburst comes to mind, when he once said:

“It is better to fail in originality than to succeed in imitation!”

So, what are the aspects of successful landscape photography?

Depth of Field One of the most important aspects is the depth of field, which draws the viewer into the photo.

Here are some tips about how to control the depth of field:

• Narrow your aperture (larger f-number)

• Move further away from the subject

• Shorten the focal length of your lens

• Apply the 1/3-2/3 Rule

Focal Point

Another critical factor is the focal point, which determines whether a picture is interesting at all. You can emphasise this focal point by using colour in nature or striking terrain points.

Composition

It is followed by the conscious arrangement of all picture elements according to the Golden Ratio (Rule of Third) rules.

All the following aspects are used to distinguish one’s own picture from the pictures of other photographers.

Sky

The sky is a critical element to many landscape images. Sometimes photographers don’t give it enough thought and focus more on flashier subjects like mountains, lakes and forests. The sky is not only an enhancement but can itself be the main event.

Filters

The use of filters is one of the last steps to raise your images’ quality to that of the true masters of landscape photography. Furthermore, in many situations, only the use of filters makes it possible to create high-grade photographs.

Here is a shortlist of available filters used in landscape photography:

• Clear and ultraviolet

• Colour correction

• Colour conversion (or light balance)

• Contrast enhancement

• Infrared

• Neutral density, including the graduated neutral density filter and solar filter

• Polarising

Everyone should note that the use of filters needs practice, as they could also bring disadvantages, especially when using several filters at the same time; unwanted reflections, as well as exposure errors, can occur. Nonetheless, despite the high effort involved in using filters, the resulting outcome is worthwhile.

Experimentation

Finally, after addressing the essential aspects of a successful landscape image, I would like to invite all members to experiment.

Enjoying Calmness and Reflection

The factors listed above can be understood as rules. But rules are there to be broken! So try new techniques such as long exposures, deliberate blurring or the use of special purpose-made cameras (without low-pass filters, infrared, etc.). That’s what allows the viewer to experience your interpretation of the landscape.

Scope of the photographic equipment

In the following section, I would like to detail the necessary equipment for landscape photography. I understand that this can be an expensive business, but with the current supply of reasonably good photographic equipment, anyone can get adequate equipment at a reasonable price.

Camera

Let’s start with the camera. Nowadays, all cameras, whether high-end or low-cost, cover the requirements for landscape photography. The introduction of mirrorless cameras also offers an alternative for extreme weight reduction, which can be advantageous, especially for us older people! Therefore, there is no need to buy a camera from the high-price segment.

What you should look out for, however, is the ease of use, ergonomically arranged controls, power consumption and the availability of different lenses, which should cover the wide-angle and telephoto range.

Lenses

That leads me to the next item of equipment, the lenses. Here, the question is whether to invest in the usually more expensive camera manufacturer lenses or to switch to third-party lenses.

For newcomers to landscape photography, these third-party lenses are a cost-saving way to determine whether this field of photography suits them at all. Should the affinity for landscape photography persist, one could gradually equip oneself with firstclass lenses, ideally with those of the camera manufacturer.

I would suggest the following focal lengths: On the one hand a lens with a length of 16 to 24mm and on the other hand a telephoto lens with a length of 70-200mm. These would cover a large part of the possible motifs and leave some room for experimentation.

If one were to devote oneself entirely to landscape photography, then I would advise the purchase of an ultra-wide-angle lens (14- 24mm), used for shots such as waterfalls and forests, as well as bridges and other architecture. But be careful: With an ultrawide-angle lens you capture many more image elements than with a standard wide-angle lens! Of course, these have to be controlled and additionally arranged in the picture. That does not suit every photographer.

Tripod and tripod head

The next pieces of equipment, the tripod and the tripod head, are also essential. Not that I belong to the group of photographers who insist on using a tripod for landscape photography. But to ensure depth of field and to get a good composition, the use of a tripod is extremely helpful.

Furthermore, it is crucial to match the tripod and tripod head to your camera equipment. It doesn’t make sense to buy a tripod with a carrying capacity of 2kg if your camera with lens, for example, exceeds 4kg. By using carbon as a material, tripods’ carrying capacity has been significantly increased, despite their low weight. Another positive effect of carbon is its low vibration transmission. As a result, you get sharp pictures in most cases.

Regarding the tripod head, we should note that the head’s type and functions should be adapted according to your needs. It is up to you whether you buy a ball head or a 2-D or 3-D panhead. In terms of the total weight of your photo equipment, these are of course, essential considerations.

For example, I use the Ballhead CB-58 FTR from FLM (German Company), which can hold up to 60kg of weight and has a 15-degree panorama raster function. Together with my Gitzo tripod, it forms a super base for my landscape shots, weighing in total 5kg. I gladly accept the extra weight!

Remote cable release

The next piece of equipment I would like to mention is the cable release. For this, I use Nikon’s MC-36, employing it as a standard shutter release to avoid camera shake. Together with the mirror lock-up function, it results in tangle-free and therefore sharp images. Fortunately, the latest cameras already offer built-in Bluetooth or W-LAN connections, accessible via all ordinary mobile phones, eliminating the need for an extra remote shutter release.

Of course, these connections consume extra power in the camera and strain the charge status of your mobile phone, which could become a problem on excursions of several days far from civilisation!

Batteries

To conclude this section, I would like to remind you to take a sufficient number of batteries with you! The new functions of today’s cameras and the taking of long exposures, lead to higher power consumption, which of course has to be satisfied. Weather conditions and seasons also contribute to power consumption, so always have enough batteries on hand!

Like on a Moon

It is all about planning!

In the last section, I would like to talk about the importance of planning for landscape photography.

I refer to Ansel Adams’s statement, when he said that “You don’t take a photograph, you make it”. I fully agree with Ansel Adams on this. It is the meticulous preparation of a shoot that guarantees a perfect and outstanding landscape photograph. Moreover, nowadays, you can easily access the necessary tools without paying for some of them. I divide my preparations into three fields: the photo location, the environment and the weather.

Locations I mostly use Google Maps and Google Earth to explore and determine the photo location. I also make use of available databases and websites that specialise in photogenic places worth seeing.

Environment

After deciding on a location, I find out about the different light conditions such as sunrise/sunset, the course of the sun/moon and the Milky Way. Furthermore, I explore the presence of key terrain features and their position in relation to the sun and the moon. For this, I usually use the app ‘PhotoPills’ which you can purchase for a small fee for all standard mobile phone platforms. Another beneficial tool is ‘The Photographers Ephemeris’, which is available as a web tool for all operating systems.

Weather

Finally, I research the expected weather conditions, such as clouds, fog and expected precipitation. Here, too, I use freely-available resources on the Internet or my mobile phone. So you see, good preparation is no trick and can be done by anyone, even with limited resources!

In summary, I would like to give you a short checklist with which you are guaranteed to create great landscape photos:

• Be prepared

• Select a mid-range aperture

• Choose a low ISO

• Use a tripod if you need one

• Shoot during the special hours

• Use a photo filter

Finally, I would like to thank you for your interest in this article and wish you every success in your future landscape photography projects.

Lonely moments along the Baltic coast

Colourful mood on Firemore Beach

Highland Sunrise at Loch Ewe

Morning Sun Rays