As any photographer will know – whether they are professional or amateur – the natural world is an amazing canvas for work. Many people work exclusively in portrait photography, or maybe interior photography. But there isn’t much that can rival a truly breathtaking nature shot. Thankfully, we are blessed to live in a world where we have nature at our fingertips, and often you only need to travel a few miles out of the city to be met with some of nature’s most wondrous sights. If you, like so many others, are enthralled by nature and want to capture some of its miracles yourself, take a look at this guide for mind-blowing landscape photography.
Find the right spot…
… at the right time. You may be lucky enough to live near to a highly regarded natural wonder, such as a national park or an amazing rock formation. If so, it makes sense to utilise this as your first port of call for your nature photography. However, going on a bank holiday weekend at 2 pm may not be your smartest idea, as you can pretty much guarantee that the place will be swarming with tourists and ramblers. Sure, the inclusion of people in your landscape shots can sometimes be a positive thing – but usually when it is just the odd few, not a gigantic crowd. Plus, when it is busy, you may also struggle to get a clear view and to use your equipment efficiently. Pick your timing wisely and either go early in the morning or during a weekday, if you can. Also check the weather before you go, as trying to take good photos in a thunderstorm rarely works out well!
Maximise your depth of field
Want to know how landscape photographers get that awe-inspiring feel to their photos? It probably has something to do with their depth of field. Having a large depth of field on your camera means that you get more of the image into your frame, which is ideal if you are shooting over a vast area. There are some different ways in which you can do this, the first being by using a 360-degree camera. These have taken the market by storm and give the viewer an incredibly immersive experience. Failing that, you can also lower the aperture level on your camera (remember, a bigger number means a smaller aperture!) to get a similar effect.
Adding interest
If you want to take a truly encapsulating nature shot, you will need to consider so much more than just the scene in front of you. Pick out points of interest that your camera can focus on, such as trees in the foreground or the reflections from a lake or stream. If there is anything moving within the shot (such as running water or birds migrating) try and include this in the shot, for an easy way to add drama and mood. Choose a longer shutter speed to capture this effect – the longer, the better. Landscape photography is sometimes considered a bit of a fine art, but with these kind of tips behind you, you should be able to produce some stunning images.
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