Improve your vista shots
Shoot a starry landscape
A landscape doesn’t just have to be taken
during daylight or the golden hours. A long exposure during a bright, moonlit
night can result in some fantastic starry landscape scenes. Work with slow
shutter speeds around 1/60 sec to capture star trails and don’t forget to up
your ISO.
Do
you have a favourite place you love to shoot landscapes?
High dynamic range
Maximise your exposure by taking three
separate shots of your scene. First, correctly expose your landscape and then
adjust the EV setting by +2 and then -2. You can bring all three together in
Photoshop to create an exposure blend or HDR image.
Capture dramatic skies
Don’t shy away from shooting in bad
weather. A dark, cloudy sky can add lots of drama and depth to what could
otherwise be a dull scene. Clouds can also help to balance the exposure and
avoid bright, bleached skies.
Balance your exposure
Grad ND filters are perfect when you need
to balance the exposure in bright sunlight, particularly when the sky appears
bleached. Use a soft blend grad for natural results. Place the grad over the
lens so that it covers the sky. You can then expose for the land.
This
is just your typical "balance your camera on an overpass railing to take a
long exposure" shot.
Invest in sturdy equipment
A tripod is an essential tool for shooting
landscapes. It will enable you to take longer exposures without motion blur or
camera shake, just ensure it’ s weighty enough to stand securely against the
wind.
Find a focus point
When shooting a landscape, focus your
camera one third of the way up into the scene. This will help increase the
depth of field in the foreground and extend it further into the background. If,
however, you have a focal point in the foreground, make sure it is this that
your camera is focused on.
How
to find a focus point
Find a new perspective
Change your angle. By getting down low you
can capture more foreground detail, which will help lead the viewer into the
image. A higher vantage point can also capture abstract shapes for interesting
results.
Avoid motion blur
Avoid
motion blur
Use a cable release or remote shutter to
completely eliminate the possibility of blur. If you don’t have either of
these, set up your camera’s self-timer to shoot.
Frame your scene
Finding unique ways to frame your scene
gives you a different perspective on your landscape subject for a more dynamic
composition. Shooting through windows or archways is a great starting point.
Putting it into practice
1. Settings
An ND filter is ideal when shooting a
seascape image as it can turn water into atmospheric mist. Select a good
gradient and then attach it to the end of your camera lens. You can now set
your desired aperture with a slower-than-normal shutter speed.
2. Setup
As you will be shooting with a slow shutter
speed, ensure your camera is set up on a sturdy tripod. A remote shutter
release will also be handy here as it can help to prevent you from capturing camera
shake as you release the shutter.
3. The results
The ND filter has prevented light from
flooding the exposure. This enables you to use a slow shutter speed,
transforming the water movement into mist.
