11/20/2012

The Best Way To Take More Satisfying Landscape Photos

By Gerry Samms


Everyone has a story to tell, and a growing number of people are turning to photography as a tool for either self-expression or recording the important moments in life. As a science that has grown and changed considerably with the advance of technology, it is important to stay informed with tips from those who are experienced and knowledgeable in the field.

Go through the manual that came with your equipment. Even if most cameras are rather intuitive, a manual will explain you what every feature does and how to adjust it. Read your manual and then experiment with your camera. You should feel comfortable much quicker when you take the time to learn about your equipment.

Landscape Photo

Even if you're taking a landscape photograph, always make sure that your photo features a point of interest. Images without a focal point may look somewhat empty and uninteresting. Available focal points for the nature landscape image may include large trees, waterfalls, and far off hills. Another trick is to try using something that sticks out as your focal point, possibly a patch of varied colored blossoms.

There are times when the available light is far from ideal for shooting a great landscape photo. Sometimes, you cannot find another spot where the light is more consistent. What is the remedy to this dilemma? Try using a program, like Photoshop, to create a gradient filter to counterbalance any contrasting light.

Landscapes

Whenever taking photos of scenic landscapes, use recognizable lines to lead attention to the area you wish to emphasize. Instances of such lines outdoors would be fencing, roadways, canals or trees. Place your body and the camera in such a way to use current lines to guide the viewer's eyes toward that barn or sunrise or field of flowers off in the distance.

Focus your efforts. When you're trying to improve your digital photography skills, you will certainly be more successful if you select things that interest you. If you prefer checking out the locals or lively pictures, practice with those topics instead of landscapes. Practice keeping the subject in focus while composing a shot that excludes distracting elements like telephone lines, trash, or conspicuous signage.

For that perfect photo, pay attention to depth-of-field! Practice shooting photographs using differing apertures and note how the different settings affect your final image. A smaller depth-of-field is useful for focusing attention on a single element, such as a portrait shot of a person or pet. The background will appear blurry, making the subject stand out. A greater depth-of-field is great for landscapes, keeping the entire frame in focus and allowing the eye to take in the full effect.

Try to bracket the exposure on your camera whenever you're in the middle of capturing landscapes to help you get more light. You need to take a photograph, then you'll need to stop up, and then you need to stop down from the first photo. There are some digital cameras that allow automatic bracketing of three shots.

When taking pictures of landscapes, keep in mind the rule of thirds which would be to keep one-third or two-thirds of the image as the sky or the foreground. Doing this will afford the picture much more depth and a more dramatic appearance. This is a simple and easy trick for beginners to use but will make a huge difference in the overall look of the pictures.

For that perfect photo, pay attention to depth-of-field! Practice shooting photographs using differing apertures and note how the different settings affect your final image. A smaller depth-of-field is useful for focusing attention on a single element, such as a portrait shot of a person or pet. The background will appear blurry, making the subject stand out. A greater depth-of-field is great for landscapes, keeping the entire frame in focus and allowing the eye to take in the full effect.

When taking photos of a building or scenery, give some thought to photographing from an angle that boasts a powerful point of interest aside from the "bigger picture." Good examples would be a colorful bouquet of flowers next to the building, or a spectacular oak tree in the forefront of that faraway waterfall. Landscapes are often lost in translation if not identified by their nearnessto other objects.

Depth is an important feature to incorporate in your landscape images. Put a person in the foreground to get the sense of scale of the surroundings. You can sharply define the photo's foreground and background by using a small aperture. The aperture should be set at no more than f/8 or f/16, respectively, for a basic digital camera or a full-frame SLR.

Now that you have some many opportunities to share your photos, you might as well make the most of it! Beautiful photos are a great way to stay connected to loved ones even when they're far away. Now that you've read this article, you know plenty of things you can do to make your photographs gorgeous.




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