The Complicated Complexities of Landscape Photography
LEARN ALL ABOUT LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY
This blog will be divided into two areas:
Learn about setting filters and when to use them for landscape photography.
Understand the bracketing and HDR process
WHAT IS LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY?
Here are some landscape photography examples.
Seascape photography
Mountain landscape photography
Forest landscape photography
Cloudscape photography
Cityscape photography
Urban landscape photography
Winter & Fall landscape photography
Night, Moon, Golden Hour, Sunset/Sunrise photography
Panorama, Long Exposure, Star Trail, Light painting photography
2. FILTERS TO USE FOR LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY
Take a look at these filters to add to your kit bag if you are developing your own landscape practice.
Polarizing filters are like sunglasses. They add depth to an image by saturating colour and reducing reflections. Polarizers are ideal for landscapes. They darken skies and make colours pop, eliminate glare and reduce reflections on glassy or water surfaces.
Taken in the the midday sun
This image shows the blue in the sky, that has been brought out with the use of the polarizing filter. I have also bracketed the images to help to add further depth to the image.
Dark-coloured glasses reduce the amount of light that enters the lens and hits the sensor, without affecting the colour. This includes excess sunlight and powerful studio flash light.
Used a ND filter
This picture was taken by using an ND screw-on filter. I recently purchased a variable ND filter, which is a filter that ranges from grad ND2 - ND400.
These are the last filters I suggest -
Graduated Neutral Density Filter Graduated neutral density filters (also known as ND Grad or GND filters) are vertical transitions between dark and clear to balance the exposure between the sunny sky and its dark foreground.
These types of filters come as different options. Take a look at:
Hard-Edge GND Filter – neutral grey half that sharply transitions to clear in the center. It is mostly used to balance high-contrast scenes, such as a flat horizon with bright skies and a dark foreground, to create an evenly exposed image.
Soft-Edge GND Filter – More commonly preferred for its smooth gradient between dark and clear areas, this filter is best used if the horizon is not perfectly straight or flat. You can also opt for this if the hard-edge filter creates a noticeable midline in your chosen scene.
Reverse GND Filter – Special filter landscape photographers use to shoot beautiful sunrises and sunsets when the sun is closer to the horizon. Unlike regular GND filters that transition from dark to light in the middle, this type changes from dark (for the sky) to dark (for the sun) in the top half, and then all clear in the lower half (for the foreground).
What is the BRACKETING AND HDR PROCESS?
Most of my landscape photography is bracketed. Although this camera technique cannot be used on windy days or when you move within the scene.
What is High Dynamic Range and why does it matter?
This means the display can produce richer blacks and brighter colours, resulting in an image closer to real life. As you might expect, this requires a panel with that wide range of brightness and colour. That's where the HDR feature becomes desirable
In this picture, you can see movement from the wind, as the leaves have been captured as the wind blows them. I have taken this image at a slow speed.
BRACKETING PROCESS: - is a process used when photographing a landscape, and this can form an HDR image
You can now set up your camera to take a bracketed image within the camera. By taking multiple photos in something called “Auto-bracketing mode” or “Auto-exposure mode” or “Exposure Bracketing” — they are all the same thing.
(AEB) option. When AEB is selected, the camera automatically takes three or more shots, each at a different exposure.
What’s the manual process for taking bracketed images?
I always teach students the manual process before using the AEB option. If you understand the manual, it will help you take a better-bracketed image when on location.
The issue with taking three separate exposures is that you then need to combine them into one image. This is then referred to as an HDR picture.
Here are some basic settings to consider when setting up your camera for this type of process:
Set your camera to save the photo in RAW format and to manual mode;
Use the lowest ISO setting for your situation. Increasing the ISO will reduce the sensor's DR.
Keep the same aperture for all photos, as this affects depth of field;
Note the suggested shutter speed for 0EV exposure;
Set the shutter speed to the most underexposed image you need (e.g., 4EV).
Change the shutter speed in steps of 1EV (double the shutter speed) after each photo. Continue the sequence until you get the brightest image you need.
+ 1 exposure
Correct exposure
- 1 expsoure
FINAL EDITED HDR IMAGE
Do you like the information in this blog?
Look out for the next Landscape Photography installment and learn more about landscape photography or book a 1:1 session
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