How I Shoot Landscape Photography

Researching

Before I go out, and shoot any landscape photography. I do a general research about the area that I’m going to, or plan to visit. It’s better to have a simple Digital Camera, especially a point-and-shoot camera, to get pictures of areas you want to take pictures of. You also might want to, take notes about the area, and what or any towns next to the area that are of interest. Take as many photo’s as possible, to add to your research. The data and information you collect about an area, the more you will know about the area.

As you go into gathering your information for the area, you are going to take photo’s of, you will have a better idea what kind of landscape photography, you want to accomplish, and how you want to compose your photo’s in the camera you are going to use, to get your actual photographs done. Like I said, the more data you have, the more ideas that can go thru your head of what kind of landscape photography you want to compose.

Types of Landscapes

There are various types of landscapes, in the area of Landscape Photography. The types of landscape photography are; landscapes, waterscapes, seascapes, beachscapes, treescapes, winterscapes, sunsets, and sunrises.

 Landscapes

Landscapes, are basically generalized areas of large land masses, with trees, hills, mountains, or any geological feature. Some landscapes, can have wildlife in them as well.

 Waterscapes

Waterscapes, and areas of water; like rivers, lakes, creeks, oceans, and areas with very large lakes, that are land-locked oceans. These type of scapes, the water can be controlled with fast shutter speeds, or slow shutter speeds.

 Seascapes

Seascapes, is catching very areas of water; like waves, or ocean with some landscapes mixed in with the sea. You can control the shutter speed in this area as well, like is in waterscapes.

 Beachscapes

With beachscapes, you have a good mix with landscapes, seascapes put together. Beachscapes can produce the most beautiful forms of landscapes, especially with ocean, and waves all caught at the same time.

 Treescapes

Treescapes, is basically shooting upward at the sky with trees in-between each other. You can do this in any season, but it is most beautiful during the Fall seasons.

 Winterscapes

Winterscapes, very beautiful. This is a very challenging, especially since it is only done during the Winter seasons. Winterscapes, can all forms of geologic forms; hills, mountains, canyons, valleys, and the list can go.

 Sunsets

Sunsets, are done during the last 2 hours just of the day when the sun is actually setting. The darker it gets, the more the sky becomes more beautiful with colors of all shades. Sunsets, can be shot any season, at any place.

 Sunrises

Sunrises, is about the same as sunsets, but it is caught about the first 2 hours before the sun actually rises. Even during the morning, the colors are beautiful as well, like sunsets. But the air temperature is actually cooler during the morning, than it is at sunsets.

Equipment You Need

The only equipment you will need for shooting landscape photography is: camera of choice; (Canon, Nikon, Samsung, Fuji) this would be a DSLR – Consumer type, which is the least expensive, tripod – which will fit any camera, filters – especially a Circular Polarizer that will reduce glare on objects, and even on water as well. This filter will also make the sky a true blue color as well.

Camera Settings

It is better to set your camera in manual mode, but some photographers have put their cameras in aperture priority mode. The difference between manual, and aperture is that in manual you can control the camera, and in aperture – you can control aperture, but the camera does the rest.

The best shutter speed for landscape photography is 1/20 sec. to 1/60 sec., but some have been shot at slower shutter speeds, to get better quality photographs.