31489 Improving knowledge 0
Landscape photography can be divided into several components, the main ones being landscape photography and cityscape photography. The first part of our lesson will be devoted to landscape photography.
Landscape photography is one of the most difficult and problematic areas of photography. I will say that for me, an experienced photographer, landscape photography still causes difficulties. It's not that difficult from a technical point of view - just have a tripod, a wide-angle lens and pay more attention to exposure. So what makes this type of photography so challenging?
First of all, landscape photography must be approached creatively in order to be able to capture the mood and convey it to the viewer. If the technical side of the issue can be described, then regarding the creative component of photography we can only advise - you need to develop your vision of truly unique photographs.
Equipment
Let's start with the simplest one. Which lens should you choose? Although great photos can be taken with any lens, it is preferable to use wide-angle lenses. They allow you to capture the space of the landscape, emphasized perspective, which adds depth to the image. If you are using a DSLR camera with an APS-C sensor, then pay attention to a wide-angle with a 10-20mm focal length; for full-frame cameras there is a choice of lenses with 12-24 mm, 16-35 mm, 17-40 mm. The zoom lens is convenient to use, however best quality Fixed focal length lenses will provide. In the EGF range, 12-24 provides a wide viewing angle, while 16-35 and 17-40 provide a significantly smaller viewing angle, but they provide less optical distortion, especially at the corners of the image. Using Ultra Wide Angle Lenses and Lens Type " fish eye"will make your pictures more expressive and original. But it won’t be interesting to shoot all the frames with just a fisheye lens, so it’s good as an addition to the main lens.
When shooting landscapes, you almost always use small apertures to achieve a large depth of field: typically f/11-f/16. It is recommended to avoid very small apertures such as f/32, as this will reduce image quality due to diffraction (an effect that reduces image sharpness and contrast).
When shooting landscapes, you should only use manual focusing, especially when shooting foreground subjects close to the camera.
ISO sensitivity must be set to the lowest that the camera allows, usually ISO 100-200. It is not recommended to use the ISO 50 expansion available as an option on some cameras due to the reduced dynamic range. Shooting at ISO 100, the image will be virtually noise-free, with a wide dynamic range and excellent image quality, the sharpness of which can be improved during processing without fear of the appearance of strong noise. Shutter Speed: As you can imagine, the combination of a small aperture and low ISO will result in a fast shutter speed. Depending on the lighting, the shutter speed can be from a fraction of a second (1/250 or 1/500) to several seconds or even minutes.
If you are seriously interested in landscape photography, you should understand the need to use a tripod. A tripod is a key element in ensuring sharp, detailed photos, especially with long exposures. Moreover, a tripod allows you to carefully select and think through the composition. Using a tripod, it is possible to use special equipment, which allows you to take stunning photos: at sunrise or sunset, take two shots of the same scene - the first one exposes to the sky, the second to the foreground, then combine them - you get an original frame with the widest dynamic range. When shooting handheld, it will be impossible to take two absolutely identical frames.
When shooting landscapes, it is recommended to use filters - polarizing, and . UV and protective filters are not useful as they can reduce image quality, reduce sharpness and increase the likelihood of glare. When choosing filters, it is important to consider that their use on ultra-wide-angle lenses (18 mm or less) can lead to the undesirable effect of uneven illumination of the frame and vignetting.
Preparing for shooting
Much of the success of photography depends on how well you prepare for it. You need to think carefully about what might interfere with the shoot or force you to return. The more possible nuances you take into account, the more likely you are to focus entirely on shooting. Decide organizational matters: How you get to the shooting location and where you stay. If you are not planning to stay overnight, you still need to think about the option of spending the night - you may not calculate the time, circumstances may change.
Dress so that your clothes and shoes do not create discomfort. Bring an umbrella or a jacket with a hood. Consider protecting your equipment in case of heavy rain. Have a flashlight at hand. However, try to get out of the forest or mountains before dark, since spending the night there is not the best the best option. Purchase a map of the area and use it to navigate objects that cannot be confused. It's also a good idea to have a compass at your disposal.
Don't forget to bring water and food with you. It is better not to go to distant and deserted places alone. Make sure your account is up to date mobile phone there was money and his battery was fully charged. If you go by car, check the spare tire, fill the tank with gasoline, and do not drive away in a faulty car. Tell your friends and relatives where exactly you are going (travelling) and the approximate time you will return.
Before shooting, check your camera settings, battery charge, and memory card space. It is optimal to shoot in RAW with the white balance setting set to auto, then you will select the desired balance in the converter. By using different white balance settings, you can achieve more attractive color reproduction.
Light
Light is an essential element when photographing landscapes. The right light can transform even a dull object, and the wrong one can ruin even the best scene. It's funny, but many new photographers believe that a clear sunny day and cloudless skies are great conditions for photography - but this is not true - these are the worst conditions imaginable for photographing landscapes. The best light This is not the bright, midday light, but the soft light of sunrise or sunset. Shadows become clear, colors are warm, rich and pleasing to the eye. Experienced photographers call this time.
It takes getting up early and staying up late to capture the landscape in this light, but the results are worth it. Sometimes, you can take fantastic photos before the sun rises - it is quite possible to take beautiful landscape photos even at night. Whenever possible, include the moon in your frame - it will make it more interesting.
If you can't or don't want to wait for sunset or dawn, shoot at noon - this is another strategy for getting better lighting. If the sky is cloudless, try to exclude it from the frame as much as possible and, conversely, if the clouds form an intricate pattern, be sure to make the sky part of the composition. In this case, a polarizing filter will help emphasize the contrast between the clouds and the sky and make the colors more saturated.
Another way to get a great shot is in black and white. A photo taken even in low light can be turned into a great photo by converting it to black and white, but not all photos will benefit from desaturation. In black and white mode, frames that are rich in textures, edges and other contrasting elements clearly benefit, while others may look “flat”. In any case, do not hesitate to experiment with contrast during post-processing in a graphics editor (not in-camera!).
Midday photography, sunset or sunrise is not the only time when a photographer can take a quality photo. Even when the sky is overcast or in pouring rain, you can get a great shot. Clouds and stormy skies will add the appropriate mood to the photo and allow you to give landscapes an unusual look.
Mood
The same places can look very different. Weather, time of day and many other different factors influence the environment - it is never the same.
The two pictures show the same waterfall. The first photo was taken in the summer, on a sunny day - the waterfall is almost invisible, and the light is not very pleasant. In short, this is a typical photo taken by a typical tourist. The second photo was taken on a day when no one would have thought of visiting this waterfall. A cold autumn day, fog and rainy weather, which intensified the waterfall, filled the photo with a mood - it is mesmerizing.
Don’t be afraid to shoot in the rain or snow - professional lenses and cameras are dust- and moisture-proof (you can find this out from the description of your photographic equipment), and even if not, you can get 100% protection from humidity by purchasing a special plastic or polyethylene casing.
Using a gradient filter, reduce the brightness of an overcast, colorless sky and bring out the texture of the clouds. This will give your photo additional volume. When you include fragments of blue sky in a cloud break, the effect of a gradient filter on them will be equivalent to the effect of a polarizing filter.
Seasons
Each season brings its own gifts to photographers, so don’t put off landscape photography until your summer vacation.
SHOOTING IN AUTUMN, IN CLOUDY WEATHER
When photographing rain, you need to stop your lens down a lot to shoot at slow shutter speeds. In this case, the raindrops will appear in the form of stripes, which will create the impression of rainy weather in the photo. You just need to make sure that raindrops do not get on the lens. Drops will cause the image to become blurry.
Spectacular landscapes can be captured in foggy weather. The impression of fog can be enhanced by placing a mesh of rare silk fabric in front of the lens. To convey the depth of space, you need to place some dark object in the frame in the foreground.
WINTER LANDSCAPE
On bright, sunny days, the contrast of the landscape is very high, which is caused by the combination of dazzlingly bright highlights on the snow and, say, dark trees, especially conifers.
It is better to photograph a winter landscape in the morning or evening hours, when the slanting rays of the sun create elongated shadows - this enlivens the composition and well emphasizes the texture of the snow.
The snow in a winter photo should be well detailed. Therefore, when photographing a landscape in which snow takes up most of the frame, exposure is determined by measuring the brightness of the snow. If snow and dark objects in the subject are equivalent from a pictorial point of view, exposure is determined by their average brightness, but taking into account greater detail in the snow compared to dark objects.
Composition
1. Rule of thirds
Good composition is an essential part of landscape photography, but it is the most difficult task. There are a few "rules" that will help you improve your composition, but you must constantly develop a "creative" eye in order to get decent shots.
The most common mistake novice photographers make is placing the horizon line in the center of the frame - resulting in a static and unbalanced image. The first step to improving your composition is to shoot the landscape using the rule of thirds. We have already looked at it in our previous lessons on composition, but it would be useful to remind you. It's very simple - mentally divide the frame into three parts horizontally. And shoot in proportions of 1/3 foreground, 2/3 sky, or vice versa - 2/3 foreground, and 1/3 sky. In other words, create an asymmetrical composition.
Naturally, the rule of thirds will not be a panacea for all photographs, but it is worth remembering.
2. Foreground and perspective
One of the most effective ways create a strong composition - use a wide angle of view and place an object in the foreground (a flower, a stone, etc.) This object, combined with the perspective enhanced by a wide-angle lens, will give a sense of depth.
The depth of field should include all objects. Therefore, it is recommended to set the aperture to f/11 or f/16.
3. Other elements of the composition
There are many elements in nature that help create an expressive composition - diagonals are the most influential of them. Use diagonal lines to draw the viewer's attention to the subject. If you take a closer look, you will see that everything around is subject to certain guidelines. Look for guidelines and try to fit them into the composition.
Patterns (repeating shapes) and textures are other elements in composition. It’s not easy to see natural patterns in nature, but different textures are often found: small particles of sand, tree bark, stones and many other interesting objects will help make the photo more interesting.
The main thing in the frame
Determine what will be the main thing in the frame. It could be a lonely tree, a rock, a mountain, a picturesque forest, a slope, or a road. Using the composition grid on the LCD screen (in the viewfinder), divide the frame into thirds and position the main subject at the intersection of the vertical and horizontal line grids
Try to make sure that there are three plans in the photo: foreground, middle and distant - this way the landscape will look more voluminous and the space will be better conveyed. The foreground should be drawn clearly and in detail, the background may well be blurry, hidden by atmospheric haze.
Try not to make the landscape “empty”. It is better to fill empty space if possible. In the sky, this filler can be clouds. In the foreground there is a bush, high grass, stones, leaves, branches, animals.
Don’t try to fit everything you see into one frame at once; get rid of the random and monotonous space that inexpressively fills most of the frame - water, sky, foliage. Leave only the most important, beautiful and interesting things. In the forest, look for open places.
Too thick foliage and branches create variegation, small highlights and very thick shadows that look like “black gaps” in the photograph - such pictures look worse than a carefully thought-out composition.
If you can't find the fill, crop the image to highlight a more interesting part of the landscape. You can walk a little and take different pictures - straight or at an angle, from the lowest point. Climb a hill, a slide, or any building - from there you can take a multi-dimensional spatial panoramic shot.
When choosing a plot, look for main element the landscape that will be emphasized, as well as the way in which the surroundings will emphasize and complement it. When composing the frame, make sure that the subject fits harmoniously into the plot. For example, a tree should not grow from the bottom edge of the frame - leave some space at the bottom; do not cut off the top of the mountain, leave a little “air”.
When photographing a landscape, always pay attention to the fragments, because it is not at all necessary to shoot only general plans. A careful look can highlight an interesting part of the landscape, beautiful and expressive details. But don’t get carried away with strong zooming - here you need to preserve the integrity of the fragment, otherwise the picture will turn out to be an abstract piece torn from the general plan, devoid of meaning.
Panorama
Finally, practice taking panoramas. Here you should follow several rules. All future frames of your panorama should be at the same scale of the subject, so don't focus closer or farther away from it. The aperture value should be left constant. The shots need to be taken with some overlap on each other. Otherwise, due to the lack of information at the edges of the frames, the panorama stitching program will not be able to assemble the final image.
You can use your camera's bracketing feature to avoid exposure errors.
Shooting water
If you need to photograph water covered with ripples or a small wave, then it is taken with counter-lateral lighting at an angle of 35-45° to the optical axis of the lens.
Water against the light is photographed when the rays from the sun, hidden by a cloud, fall on the water, creating expressive shiny stripes. But you need to make sure that the sun does not fall into the field of view of the lens.
It is better to shoot the sea from a high point. Then the water space occupies a significant part of the frame, and the photograph turns out to be more expressive.
The surf is usually photographed from a low point with a shutter speed of at least 1/1000 s.
It is better to shoot flowing water with a short shutter speed. In this case, a slight blurring of the image occurs, which creates the impression of water movement.
Mountain landscape
In the mountains it is better to shoot early in the morning. At these hours air environment conveyed most effectively. Cloudy weather also makes for more expressive photos.
On sunny days, the subject must be chosen with a dark foreground, the brightness of which determines the exposure. In this case, the distances will be somewhat overexposed and appear lighter in the print than the foreground, which will emphasize the depth of space and fill the landscape with a feeling of air and spaciousness.
Side lighting is considered the best, as it emphasizes the shape of the mountains, and the haze illuminated by oblique rays creates the impression of depth. When the sun is behind the camera, the image becomes flat. When taken from the front, the picture turns out to be very contrasty, details, especially in the foreground, disappear.
Photographing a mountain landscape during the day with a high sun reveals details in the image without sufficient contrast.
When determining exposure, it is necessary to take into account that the intensity increases with altitude in the mountains. solar lighting, and it takes on a different character than on the plain. With height, the brightness of the shadows decreases and the brightness of the light areas of the landscape increases. Therefore, when shooting in the distance without a foreground, the shutter speed is reduced compared to shooting on flat terrain: at an altitude of 500 m by 1/4, 1000 m by 1/2, 2000 m by 3/4, 3000 m by half.
To get highlights on the surface of the glacier, you should photograph in backlight.
The main question of the topic: how to learn to see beautiful landscapes?
A beautiful landscape is built on the fact that the plot unites everything in the frame and subordinates the environment to a common idea - the author’s thought, creating a certain mood, emotions, and conclusions in the viewer.
Good luck to you and all your photography!
Landscape photography is an incredibly exciting type of photography that requires the photographer to know the basics of not only photography, but also painting. Landscape photography has always been and remains a popular and interesting genre. Photographs of architecture and nature are in considerable demand in the photography market.
Landscape photography with filters
Horizon level in landscape photography
When photographing a landscape, it is important to remember the level of the horizon, and to keep the horizon line level and not obstructed. This is especially important when photographing seascapes. There is a grid in the camera's viewfinder and on the display during Live View shooting that will help in creating the correct horizon.
Clear landscape photos
Author: Xin Hua Depth of field is an important factor when photographing landscapes. Landscape photography favors photographs where most of the frame is clear and sharp. To increase depth of field, you need to photograph with a narrow aperture.
Telephoto lens
To achieve the widest viewing angle, it is worth using the appropriate lens or focal length, but a telephoto lens will also be useful when photographing landscapes. A telephoto lens allows you to compress elements of a scene, bringing the foreground and background closer to each other. This way, the mountain range and the foreground background will appear closer to each other, and the picture will be richer. Telephoto lenses also help focus attention on a specific subject.
Landscape HDR
Shutter speed in landscape photography
Long exposure in landscape photography allows you to capture beautiful pictures moving elements. Waterfalls, waves and trees in the wind, and much more will look livelier and more interesting when shooting with a shutter speed of a few seconds. It is known that using a long shutter speed during the day can lead to overexposure of the frame. You need to set the aperture to f16, or even narrower. For achievement best result You may need to use a neutral density filter. Powerful filters like the Lee Filters Big Stopper will allow you to use extremely long shutter speeds even on the clearest day.
Tilt-shift in landscape photography
Photo by: Arnar Birgisson Tilt-shift allows you to combine photos with deep and shallow depth of field. The effect is achieved by using lens shift and tilt. Thanks to Tilt-shift, frame elements will resemble miniature models. This effect will look beautiful in landscape photography. If you do not have such a lens, the Tilt-shift effect can be achieved with a graphics editor, in addition, this effect is provided in some cameras.
Black and white landscapes
If you have never photographed black and white landscapes before, but really want to try yourself in such photography, then it is better to start by photographing in color. After taking a successful photo, convert it to black and white using Lightroom or Photoshop. This will give you full control over how you modify your photo, allowing you to fine-tune your photos to create a truly beautiful black and white photo.
Panorama
To create a panoramic photograph, do not shoot in a wide-angle position as this will distort the frame. Take photos at a distance of 30-50 mm. Yes, you will have to take more frames than with wide-angle coverage, but the panorama will turn out beautiful and natural. Many camera tripods have a tripod head for panning, but in practice this is not always necessary, especially if you plan to use software. Latest version The Photomerge application for Photoshop will be especially effective in the process of creating a panorama. Panoramic photography experts recommend using manual settings—manual exposure, focus, and white balance—to ensure maximum quality photographs, and the same type of all photographs created.
Infrared photography
Minimalist landscape
Author: Lisa Wood When creating a landscape, it is not necessary to adhere to the idea of capturing as many details, objects and scenes as possible in one frame; sometimes it is better to focus on one interesting moment. A telescopic lens will most likely help you with this. Pay attention to lonely trees, clouds and isolated rocks. Fog, snow and featureless skies will serve as a blank canvas for creating photographic paintings.
With whom you still need to be able to negotiate. Nature is beautiful in itself. However, how often do gorgeous views that give rise to feelings of sadness or happiness, when captured by a camera, become mediocre and boring photographs! A landscape photographer must possess and develop a taste and sense of beauty. In addition to his love of nature, he will need many skills to take successful landscape photographs. The laws of composition and knowledge of the characteristics of light are by no means the key to the success of a good landscape photograph. For the city dweller landscape photography can be an excellent hobby that brings a change of scenery, relaxation and the joy of creativity. Admire the photographs of the section, look into the “Photography Lessons” section, look at the works of famous landscape photographers and join the connoisseurs of beauty - landscape photographers.
Abandoned America
Alexa Mackenzie
Alex McKenzie is a self-taught photographer, traveler and drone operator. Alex currently lives and works in Colorado. He mainly photographs nature, landscapes and abandoned places. Alex travels around the country in search of interesting objects left behind by people. He uses a Sony A7RII camera and a DJI Mavic 2 Pro.
- genre visual arts, the main task of which is to display the surrounding nature both in its original form and in one modified by man to one degree or another. Since photography is one of the fine arts, landscape photography fully corresponds to this definition. The main visual center of landscape photography is nature in all its manifestations.
Of course, landscape as a genre appeared long before the invention of photography - in painting. And honed over centuries artistic media landscape images formed a row necessary conditions, mandatory for this genre of photography. Linear perspective , tonal (aerial) perspective, optical perspective,frame composition , light space And color - these are the main characteristics of landscape photography, capable of not only very accurately conveying the state of the surrounding nature at a certain point in time, but also highlighting semantic center image without the use of additional manipulation techniques. And despite the fact that in landscape photography the presence of people or animals in the frame is allowed, they are clearly assigned the role of staffage - an element of the landscape that exists to enliven the image and plays a secondary role in this image.
At its core, landscape photography is documentary photography about nature. According to the type of space depicted, landscape photography can be terrestrial, water, astronomical and meteorological. Landscape photography depicts landscape, topography and vegetation and is both rural and urban.
Water landscape (seascape, marina) is an image of the water (sea) element.
Astronomical landscape photography depicts the heavens (stars, constellations, Sun, Moon),
and meteorological - weather and precipitation (fog, rain, clouds, tornado, etc.).
According to the way of depicting space, landscape photography can be chamber and panoramic. Camera photography in this case does not imply a narrow circle of viewers, but expresses purely technical characteristics- a small, narrow viewing angle of the depicted space.
Panoramic landscape photography is the absolute opposite - it is a photograph, the viewing angle of which can often exceed 180 degrees.
According to the degree of perception by the viewer, a landscape can, by analogy with music, be minor or major. Tragic or solemn. Sad or cheerful. In solving this problem, the photographer comes to the aid of color theory, namely one of its sections - psychology of color. Knowing what colors and how they affect the viewer’s consciousness, the photographer can adjust color balance of the composition landscape to achieve a specific result. At the same time, in a landscape, cold shades cannot always create an atmosphere of hostility, and warm shades can create an atmosphere of friendliness. Small colored vegetation against the backdrop of black thunderclouds looks defenseless, and the picture as a whole evokes a feeling of anxiety, while cold Elbrus evokes awe and delight with its grandeur.
Of course, several of the listed natural spaces and states can easily overlap in one picture at the same time, but in this case it is important for the landscape photographer to decide what exactly in this picture is semantic center, and select this center using visual arts — prospects, compositions, Sveta, colors.
If there is no such center, then landscape photography is purely aesthetic, narrative-specific in nature and is used for decorative, scientific or journalistic purposes. Landscape photography belongs precisely to the category of aesthetic perception - plein air- truthful depiction of nature’s colorful richness of color changes in natural conditions exposed to sunlight and atmosphere.
If there is still a semantic center in landscape photography, then such a landscape will be charged with emotional-dramatic (or epic) energy and will acquire the features artistic landscape photography.
Along with mandatory conditions creating landscape photography, there are a number of conditions that are specific in nature - dynamism , angle , detail. Considering that photography is a static and silent form of fine art, it is in landscape photography that it is most difficult to convey certain atmospheric phenomena with great accuracy. How to show desert in a photo strong wind? How can mountain giants be depicted more majestic? It is in these cases that a landscape photographer is saved by knowledge about the dynamics of the frame, the shooting point and the angle.
Has become widespread nowadays tourist landscape photography. Although not essentially a separate genre, tourist landscape photography has become very popular due to both the availability of photographic equipment and the opportunity to visit the most remote corners of our planet.
The main feature of landscape photography is its accessibility. It does not require any scenery or staging tricks; it does not depend on the mood of the model or the preferences of the customer. It depends on the surrounding nature and weather conditions. And in this sense landscape photography unique. Whether it’s a park or an alley within the city, or maybe a mountain range or the quiet expanse of a lake beyond its borders - wherever you are, on vacation or on a business trip, in your own country or abroad, it is everywhere - nature - amazing a natural space capable of changing shape, content and color every minute, day after day, all year round, for thousands of years... And even if the landscape photograph you take does not contain any semantic core, it will always be aesthetic, which means it will always remind you of the essence and forms of beauty.
Articles
