I love landscape photography, especially when it is not sunny and bright outside, I believe weather conditions that we have here give us an endless opportunity to capture the beauty of the countryside/landscapes we have. Here are a few tips to improve your landscape photography.
Tip 1:
Photograph sunsets:
* metre for reflective foreground, such as the water; this will record the sunset and the foreground correctly
* use the ND (Neutral Density) filter
 |
| Reflections on the canal |
 |
| Mountain reflection in the lake - Lake District |
Tip 2:
Choose the right time of day:
* understand and see your light
* find a suitable viewpoint
* wait for right lighting conditions, light can make a huge difference in your final shot
* photograph in golden light
* photograph landscapes early morning
 |
| Photograph taken in Wales in the evening |
 |
| Early morning, Loch Lamond, Scotland |
 |
| Golden light on bridge - Reading |
Tip 3:
Weather conditions:
* capture atmospheric shots - take photographs in bad weather, capture rainy day shots, fog
* capture raindrops on tree branches, spider webs etc
* take a spot reading from a mid-tone from your scene
 |
Early morning mist
|
 |
| Dew drop on the branch |
 |
| Rain on grass reed |
 |
| Snowy day, view from start of the Iron Bridge - Telford |
Tip 4:
Photograph seascape in all weather conditions:
* capture sky and reflections
* shoot dark stormy skies to create mood and atmosphere
 |
| Sunset behind the mountains |
 |
| After the sunset over the beach - Lake District |
 |
| Before the rain - Leicester |
Tip 5:
Show scale in your photographs
* include in your photograph a human, tree, house to show scale
* use a long focal lens
* use a tripod for long exposures and in low light conditions
 |
| The tall tree - France |
 |
| Walk in the park - Wakehurst Place |
 |
| The red taxi - Bangkok |
Tip 6:
Exclude the sky:
* create dramatic, colourful images by excluding the sky
* concentrate on colour
* photograph reflections in the water, be creative
* photograph during the summer's hazy light to add character to your images
* exclude sky on dull days, shoot detail, patterns in the fields
 |
| Stormy day - Lands End, Cornwall |
 |
| Carpet of Tulips - Keukenhof , Amsterdam |
 |
| Bubbles - Eden Project, Cornwall |
Tip 7:
Photograph winter landscapes
* sun in the winter has a warm hue, giving it the 'golden light', which adds mood to the photograph
* photograph trees covered with snow, frost or rain drops
* shoot looking up at the trees
* shoot in wide angle and zoom in
 |
| Snow - Near Bishopswood Golf Course, Baughurst |
 |
| Tall trees - Pamber Forest |
 |
| Snow in the trees - Tadley |
Tip 8:
Leading lines:
* include paths, lines leading into the image, it creates perspective and adds sense of distance & depth
* use a wide angle lens
 |
| Micheldever Woods, Basingstoke |
 |
| Dinas Head - Cornwall |
Tip 9:
Include foreground interest:
* use wide angle lens
* include foreground interest to create a sense of distance
* shoot from low angle to emphasize the sky
* photo white clouds and dramatic stormy clouds
 |
| Seaside - Northumberland |
 |
| Textures - Northumberland |
Tip 10:
Use slow or fast shutter speed:
* capture movement in water or to freeze the waves
* on bright sunny days use filters to have a slow shutter speed
* cloudy/shade is perfect lighting conditions to photograph movement in water
 |
| Waves - Cornwall |
 |
| Bradgate Park - Charnwood Forest, Leicestershire |
Bhupinder Ghatahora ABIPP, ARPS, ASWPP
Ghatahora Photography
info@ghatahora.co.uk
