5 Tips for Landscape Photography

Monday 18 April 2022, 20:02 by Nando Harmsen | 5,903 views | 7 comments

This article was translated from Dutch with the help of AI. Read the original.

Are you a landscape photography enthusiast? Then I have a few tips for you. These aren't tips about your camera settings or the equipment you should use. We all know those, I assume.

This is about how you approach taking a landscape photo. Make the most of them.

By now, we all know what equipment you can use and which settings you can choose. None of that is particularly difficult, although it can help to be pointed in the right direction. Sometimes that's simply necessary.

But there's more to it than equipment, or even creating compositions. It's about how you set out, where you go, and your behaviour while taking photographs. I have the following five tips for that. And a bonus tip.

Tip 1 - Take a moment to sit down

This is something that's sometimes overlooked. We live in a fast-paced world where we never find a moment's peace. When you're at a beautiful location, or any location for that matter, sit down and take a moment to enjoy everything you can see around you.

Forget about the camera for a moment, or put it on a tripod and leave it there. Don't look at it, but look at what's around you. Let it sink in.

Eventually, you'll start seeing things, and hopefully you'll be inspired too. Then pick up the camera and photograph those things. I'm sure you'll enjoy taking photographs even more this way.

Tip 2 - Go exploring

Are you a photographer who likes to plan everything in advance? Or do you set out on the off-chance, to photograph whatever you come across? If it's the latter, tip 1 is definitely for you. If you want to make it more predictable, you need to go exploring.

It's best to explore on foot or by bike. Let yourself get lost and see what's around you. An app such as Photopills can be useful, as it lets you see the sunrise and sunset using augmented reality.

This is how you discover new places. Make a note of them, and take a photo with your smartphone so you record the GPS locations straight away. Note the conditions and time that would be suitable. This gives you a simple list of places to go when the right conditions arise.

Tip 3 - Don't be afraid to take photographs during the day too

The golden hour, the blue hour, twilight, sunrise or sunset. These are the moments that produce the most impressive landscape photos. Or at least, that's what people would have you believe. Did you know that you can also take fantastic landscape photos during the day?

Beautiful cloudscapes are a joy to look at during the day. Why not photograph them too? With flowers in the meadow and cows among them. Or sheep on a dyke, with the beautiful Dutch cloudscape in the background?

We're so overwhelmed by the fairytale colours of sunrise and sunset that they aren't really all that special any more. By breaking with that and taking photographs during the day instead, you can create something unique.

Don't be afraid of so-called harsh light. By making use of light and shadow, you can achieve fantastic results. Combine this with tip 1 and tip 2 if you like, and I'm sure your landscape photo can be well worth taking.

Tip 4 - Be on time

Do you want to photograph a sunrise or sunset? Then be on time. Don't arrive when the sun is already rising or setting.

Make sure you're at the spot you've chosen an hour in advance. For this, it's important to know where you want to stand, so take another look at tip 2.

The world starts waking up an hour before sunrise. Do you have high clouds? Then there's a chance they'll turn red half an hour before the sun rises. Low clouds often take on colour when the sun appears above the horizon. The same applies to sunset, but in reverse order.

Are you hunting for a rainbow? Don't wait until it appears, but set out when it's raining. Make sure you're at the spot you want to photograph when the sun breaks through. It doesn't matter if you get a little wet. Put on waterproof clothing and, if necessary, use a rain cover for your camera.

Tip 5 - Don't get frustrated if it doesn't work out

Photography isn't an obligation. Nobody says you have to come home with world-class photos, except perhaps you. Didn't it work out this time, or weren't the conditions what you wanted? That's fine, there will always be another opportunity.

Do you still want to take photographs, even if the conditions aren't quite what you hoped for? Then try a few things out. Experiment, and who knows, you might come up with ideas for next time. Or you might end up with photos that are worth keeping after all.

Either way, if you keep tip 1 in mind, an outing can be enjoyable and relaxing even if you don't take a single photo.

Bonus tip - Chimping is fine, but don't delete anything

What is chimping, you may be wondering? It's looking through your photos on location, on that little screen on your camera. I see many photographers doing it, and I always catch myself doing it too. There's nothing wrong with doing it, but don't delete anything.

Some people tend to delete failed photos from the card straight away. As if they're afraid of seeing a failed photo among all the others, or are embarrassed by it. Don't do this, because you may delete the wrong photo.

Do you ever shoot an exposure bracket? Then you have several photos with different exposures. You need them for your HDR image, and while chimping you can easily lose track of this and delete one photo from the series.

Or you may think the photo isn't good, when it could actually have been useful. But above all, that failed photo can be a learning opportunity. Look at home to see why it failed, and find out how to prevent this next time. Failed photos are the best teachers.

Besides, why delete those photos at that point? Are you short of storage space? Then buy an extra memory card, or a larger one. Spend your time in the field taking photographs and enjoying all the beauty around you. Leave the selection process until you're at home.

Do you have any tips?

The tips I've described are partly about a particular mindset. The way you set out partly determines how good your photos will be.

Do you let obligations guide you, or are you open to what you find? Do you have to take photographs, or do you set out with an open mind? Are you enjoying yourself, or is it a frustrating activity?

Do you have any tips that would fit well in this list? Or would you like to share how you go about taking a landscape photo?

Then I invite you to share them below this post. I enjoy reading them, and it will probably be useful for others too. And for me, for that matter. Because I'm still learning too.

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