Beginner Landscape basics for beginners required....

Hertsman

Hertsman

Messages
3,413
Name
Mark
Edit My Images
Yes
Ok, so not technically a beginner, but Im going up to the west coast of Scotland an few weeks and have very little knowledge or experience of Landscape stuff.

Im sort of aware of the hyperfocal thing, but that doesnt help me with knowing where or waht to actually focus for starters...

Best aperture/ISO etc

Will have a D500, 16-85, tripod and some amazing views, help me bring some of them back to my PC.....
 
In general, keep the ISO at the base value and use a tripod with remote shutter or delayed release.

Aperture - a creative choice to direct the focus, you can use wide apertures as well as narrow for landscapes. But do not stop down any further than f/16, if you look up your depth of field tables you'll find you generally need to stop down a lot less than you think to achieve hyperfocal.

Look at the scene, try and construct a frame. Use lines - leading, converging, curving, sinuous. Don't try and get too many elements into an image, that can confuse the gaze. Any focal length is suitable for landscapes, so zoom in as well as going wide. Try the same scene a few different ways.

Go look at landscape photographs, see what you like and then really look to see if you can find what it is about them that you like.
 
Bobsyeruncle said:
Get a wider lens :p
So you can get it all in :)
Click to expand...

Not really my thing tbh....Have always wanted to visit this part of the country to enjoy the scenery myself, and to to try my hand at Landscapes - Im much more reportage type stuff....
 
davholla said:
Could taking several photos and making a panorama be a cheaper alternative?
Click to expand...

Thats what I would say also

But try and be out at either end of the day for best light. Though in my opinion changable of stormy weather is great too if you can manage being out in it.
 
Use mirror lock up in conjunction with the remote shutter release or timer otherwise the vibration can cause blur.

Take your time composing, have a wander round looking at the scene from different angles and also think about using a low viewpoint.

Try focusing on something in the foreground with the lens set just back from infinity on the scale at something like f11. (even better if it's at the hyperfocal point distance)

Having said that it doesn't have to be the traditional sharp front to back for a successful photo, experiment is the key word
 
Last edited:
tijuana taxi said:
Use mirror lock up in conjunction with the remote shutter release or timer otherwise the vibration can cause blur.

Take your time composing, have a wander round looking at the scene from different angles and also think about using a low viewpoint.
Click to expand...

Also dont be afraid to get the camera off the tripod and experiment with compositions that the tripod may slow you down from or restrain you from taking. Dont be afraid to up the ISO to make it work either.

There are many way to work at Landscapes I often take my favourite shots handheld but then I usually have two cameras and one is tied down by my tripod.

Remember to look behind you!
Not in a panto style but the light may sneak up on you from behind. Watch the weather (on loaction) to predict where to point the camera.

Have a look at this https://www.talkphotography.co.uk/t...-for-beginner-landscape-photographers.484527/
 
Last edited:
When you see something that you want to photograph, don't (unless it's a golden eagle on a lamb carcass :) - but this is about landscapes). Stop and think about why you want to make a photograph, and use that to determine what to include, and the best viewpoint to use. Answering the "why" question will give better results than the "how" one.

Second piece of advice - consider the viewpoint very carefully. Moving from side to side changes the relative positions of objects, and some positions are better (far better) than others.

Finally, watch the edges of objects (especially in black and white) and watch out for large blocks of out of focus colours - they'll be even more obvious in a photograph.

For the reasons given above, I work best using a tripod.
 
:agree:

It is very easy(it must be easy becasue I've done it many a time) to be bowled over by a great looking landscape and grab a shot and then find out a cracking view doesn't translate into a cracking photo.

The brain is spectacularly good at picking out, to it, interesting parts of a landscape and ignoring the rest and it also quickly moves the point of interest around quite a lot. This is probably most easily illustrated in a wide angle shot - that magnificent looking mountain or interesting looking lake becomes a very small part of the photo, most of which can be empty space that the brain conveniently 'forgot' to mention.

Stephen has alluded to this above but looking at the bits of the scene you aren't interested in is as important as looking at the parts you are.

A couple of other useful things - OS maps - really useful when thinking about areas/places to shoot(I find the OS overlay available on Bing Maps very handy) and the Photographer's Ephemeris ( http://photoephemeris.com/ ). Apart from showing the time and direction of sunrise and sunset it shows the direction of the sun at any time of the day.

Dave
 
If you imagine a nominal zoom lens that runs from wide to tele and start with it somewhere in the middle (normal) there are two different approaches to composing a landscape scene. This is very loosely based on an article that's now behind the Luminous Landscapes pay-wall.

Exclusionary - as you zoom, in you narrow the scene in the frame and exclude elements from the edges of the frame.
Inclusionary - as you zoom out, you broaden the scene in the frame and introduce additional elements at the edges of the frame.

Choosing your focal length when looking at a landscape subject is finding the balance in your composition between the elements you want to include and those you want to include. Sometimes zooming in or out of the same scene and without changing your position can produce very different results. There's always the old thumbs-and-forefingers frame that can be used to judge the merits of a wider vs. tighter framing before you even get the camera out of the bag..
 
Hertsman said:
Ok, so not technically a beginner, but Im going up to the west coast of Scotland an few weeks and have very little knowledge or experience of Landscape stuff.

Im sort of aware of the hyperfocal thing, but that doesnt help me with knowing where or waht to actually focus for starters...

Best aperture/ISO etc

Will have a D500, 16-85, tripod and some amazing views, help me bring some of them back to my PC.....
Click to expand...

One thing I try to do is to really look at the scene and the image I'm trying to capture. The first thing for me is is the shot worth taking, the next is is there anything in the scene that may spoil it that can be removed or avoided.

Other than that I'm not sure that hyperfocal back to front depth of field is always the best thing to aim for but if that's the look you are going for maybe consider the Merklinger Method too, Google it if you've not heard of it, the advantage of the Merklinger Method is that you don't need to memorise or carry DoF tables.
 
Hertsman said:
Ok, so not technically a beginner, but Im going up to the west coast of Scotland an few weeks and have very little knowledge or experience of Landscape stuff.

Im sort of aware of the hyperfocal thing, but that doesnt help me with knowing where or waht to actually focus for starters...

Best aperture/ISO etc

Will have a D500, 16-85, tripod and some amazing views, help me bring some of them back to my PC.....
Click to expand...


haven't read all but my 2p's worth:

Take a polariser filter and use it especially if there's interesting clouds, but also to control reflections in water, off wet foliage etc, and to deepen colours . Not always just for full sun ;0
Take something to keep the camera dry
Don't know how well you know Scotland but take midge repellant if it's midge season. They WILL dry you nuts.
the scenery up there is the best in UK (IMO) so take plenty of memory and shoot like theres no tomorrow,
practice bracketing exposures BEFORE you go, indoors in the warm, you don't often need 7 or 5 brackets , most often two will do, but you need to get them right, you need to be familiar with the process. Just camera auto resets alone etc can baffle you out in the wet and windy and cold field.
Expect to shoot f11 most of the time, if you are shooting from standing you can usualy get a good DOF from about 8 feet to infinity with f11 if you're standing without sacrificing too much IQ,

I seriously suggest going out locally and shooting at different focal lengths say one set at both extremes of your zoom, and at f8, f11, f16, f22 etc and pixel peep the results

Google 'Cambridge in colour-depth of field calculator' - perfect info for you.
 
Thanks all, some good advice here. Lokking forward to the trip as its soemwhere Ive never seen for myself.....
 
Hertsman said:
Thanks all, some good advice here. Lokking forward to the trip as its soemwhere Ive never seen for myself.....
Click to expand...

If you're driving be prepared to stop because there is some STUNNING scenery from the roads from the south. Several times I have regretted not 'allowing ' myself to stop because I was destination fixated
 
Simons.Pictures said:
If you're driving be prepared to stop because there is some STUNNING scenery from the roads from the south. Several times I have regretted not 'allowing ' myself to stop because I was destination fixated
Click to expand...

In no rush really.
Flying to Inverness, collect hire car and drive to Torridon.
Return in two days time.

Thats it. Id like to get to Skye if poss but have no other plans. Have a list of photo locs from a local tog but thats it really.
 
Hertsman said:
In no rush really.
Flying to Inverness, collect hire car and drive to Torridon.
Return in two days time.

Thats it. Id like to get to Skye if poss but have no other plans. Have a list of photo locs from a local tog but thats it really.
Click to expand...


Yeah we hope to make Skye too next trip- have a great time!
 
Just seen you said you were going to Scotland in a few weeks. Unless there is a particularly warm spell before you go you won't be bothered by midges. I have had a few bites from them in late April but rarely. Depending on the weather the midge season usually starts around mid/late May.

Don't know where your are going to be based for your trip but if it is towards the east taking in Torridon and Skye in a couple of days is quite challenging. If you are based in the west then it is much easier.

Dave
 
Tringa said:
Just seen you said you were going to Scotland in a few weeks. Unless there is a particularly warm spell before you go you won't be bothered by midges. I have had a few bites from them in late April but rarely. Depending on the weather the midge season usually starts around mid/late May.

Don't know where your are going to be based for your trip but if it is towards the east taking in Torridon and Skye in a couple of days is quite challenging. If you are based in the west then it is much easier.

Dave
Click to expand...

Flying to Inverness, collect hire car and drive to Torridon.
Return in two days time.
 
Hertsman said:
Flying to Inverness, collect hire car and drive to Torridon.
Return in two days time.
Click to expand...

If the weather is looking very good then get someone else to drive, I nearly drove my car off the road a couple of times around Torridon - the views are that good! If you have time, and the weather co-operates then try and get a bit further up the north west coast - you won't regret it.............

Have a great time!
 
the trick is to STOP when you see something amazing ( and you will) - it is so easy to just keep driving past amazing scenery that is just begging to be photoed :)
 
Take my D5100 instead, and I'll have the D500. It's much better at landscapes than yours :whistle:
 
Some good tips in there and at least half of them I never do lol

Shoot everything in a variety of ways so later when you're back and have learned a bit more you can dump all the crap ones, crop all the crap out of the half decent ones, and then reprocess them all too in a year or more's time when you have an idea how to PP them as well - but most of all, enjoy yourself :)

Dave
 
some good comments. Assuming equipment is sorted, then the tricky thing with landscapes is being in the right place at the right time. A lot of drab scenes can be very inspiring at the right time, and vice versa. If you have a particular location or scene in mind then it sometimes involves scouting the location, visiting it at different times of the day, or getting out at odd times of day... or sometimes inclement weather ;)
 
My basic tip: find an older person and beg a mounted slide off them. Poke out the picture so you just have the mount. Held close to your eye, this will show you what a wide-angle shot will look like. Held at arm's length, it will show you what a telephoto shot will look like. Similar if you have your arm bent.

Using this technique, you can try a sequence of focal lengths in a number of directions without arm ache.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top