L - Create Landscape Photographs (Lesson)

Create Landscape Photographs

So how does one go about creating beautiful landscape photographs? What do we need to consider? What needs to be planned? What tips will help us be most successful? Read on and consider the possibilities that await you.

Depth of Field

Photograph Source: Ansel Adams, Moonrise Over Hernandez, New Mexico Mural

The f/64 group was named for their desire for utter sharpness and endless depth of field in their photographs. Remember that apertures are fractions, and therefore the largest number is actually the smallest aperture. So f/22 is actually 1/22.  And the smaller the aperture, the more detail you will have in your photograph. But we must remember that aperture is only part of the exposure triangle. Using a smaller aperture lets less light into the camera, which must be compensated for in either ISO, shutter speed, or both. 

Use the smallest aperture possible and focus your camera lens manually to create the sharpest image possible.

Exposure Length

Photograph Source: Michael Kenna

A longer exposure time, via a longer shutter speed, will smooth things that are in motion. With a long enough exposure, some things won’t even be captured by the photograph. Finding the right shutter speed is a combination of experience and experimentation. Just as with the aperture, you must balance your desired shutter speed with the aperture and ISO to achieve the desired exposure. To smooth out moving water, start with at least ½ a second. The longer the exposure, the smoother the water and less detail of motion will be captured. 

To create long exposures a tripod is VITAL. The camera will record any movement, whether that movement is in your viewfinder or the camera itself being moved. Sometimes even pressing the shutter release will create undesired movement, so photographers will use either a timer to release the shutter or a remote shutter release. Almost all digital cameras will have a timer function. If you’re interested in long exposures, now is the time to learn to use that function.

The longer the exposure, the more light is let into the camera over time. You may find that this results in over exposed images. Adjusting to photographing at times of day with less light may benefit the long exposure process. 

Noise

Something you may not have considered yet in your photography is noise. In analog photography, this would be film grain. The faster the film (the more sensitive it is to light), the larger the film grain. This means that you can take photos in situations with less light, but with that you sacrifice some fine detail. With digital cameras, film grain translates into digital noise. It often looks a bit like static and is also a lessening in detail. The bigger the camera sensor, the smarter the processing technology, and the better the light, the less noise an image will have. Sometimes it’s a feature, sometimes it’s a detriment. You as the artist must decide.

Shooting in RAW vs JPEG gives you the most flexibility in post-processing for removing noise and recording as many details as possible.

Color vs Black and White

When working analogue, this is a choice made well in advance as it’s dependent upon the type of film used. When working in digital, this choice can be made after viewing the resulting images and changes can be made in post-processing. The choice of color or black and white is up to you, the artist. But when choosing, consider how each affects your photograph. Black and white implies a timeless quality. It can remove distraction and focus attention on forms, composition, and contrast. Color can be joyful, distracting, chaotic, soothing – it’s another tool for you the artist to work with.

Time of Day/Lighting

Golden hour, blue hour, night time, full sun, additional lighting – these are all lighting possibilities to consider when planning your shoot. Each will have it’s own unique color cast, contrast, depth shadow, brightness, etc. Consider what works best for the mood of your landscape. Long exposures will be difficult or impossible to create at high noon. Conversely, intense contrast is difficult to create in low, dim lighting.

Will you capture your landscape using available light, or will you add additional lighting like Obie Oberholzer? Scenes can be “painted” with light during long exposures using virtually any light source: flash light, cell phone, sparklers – anything is an option. Painting with light requires patience and experimentation. 

Composition

Ansel Adams would often put the horizon in the top third of the composition, thus devoting more of the frame to the vast landscape than the sky.  Consider all of the elements in your composition and how you would like them arranged. Since we can’t move a stand of trees into the position we want, we must move ourselves and our cameras to create the composition. It’s a good idea to keep the horizon level, consider the rule of thirds, and to create a focal point. Of course as with all things in art, rules are meant to be broken. Do so with intention, not out of laziness or happenstance.

Location, Location, Location

And last, but definitely not least, location. Ansel Adams is quoted as saying, “A good photograph is knowing where to stand.” It’s important to know your location and examine it from every angle and vantage point. Where will you photograph? What landscape speaks to you? Will you include the built environment? Will you include people? 

It’s important to create artwork that is meaningful to you and reflective of your own life. What do you WANT to photograph? This could be an opportunity to explore a new place (remember to get permission, plan well, and take someone with you). Georgia has so many state and national parks to explore. If you choose to do so, please remember to be respectful of the natural habitats surrounding you and leave no trace of your exploration.  Maybe you don’t have the time or desire to explore somewhere new. Recording the landscape around you is just as valuable and interesting. The key is considering how it makes YOU feel and then translating that feeling into a photograph. 

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