Landscape Photography: The Technical Details

Composition

As with all types of photography, composition plays a critical role in landscapes. They key is to create a balance within the frame. This can be done with the use of the rule of thirds. Split the frame into thirds both horizontally and vertically to create a grid, with landscape photography, and other genres, the most powerful images can be made by setting your subject(s) so that it rests on one of the four cross pieces of this grid. Also using the lines as a guide as to where you put the horizon in the frame could make the images stronger, as this creates a more appealing balanced aesthetic. See the diagram below for a image of a frame split using the rule of thirds, as well as examples of photographs using the rule. And just like all rules in photography, it is there to be broken, experiment, some photographs may look good when ignoring this rule, it depends on the subject and how your trying to present it.

Horizon line:

• A low horizon works well when there is an interesting sky, it gives the landscape a feeling of emptiness, and can be used to distract the viewer from a boring foreground.
• A high horizon is quite the opposite. This can be used when there is a uninteresting sky, and you want the viewers attention on the foreground.

A medium (middle) horizon, straight across the middle of the frame can work also, but doesn't suit every subject. This horizon line works particularly well with water and having the horizon reflected above and below the line to create symmetry within the frame. 

Crockwell

Leading Lines

Leading lines are used to draw the viewers attention the certain parts of the image. Almost anything can be used as a leading line and they work particularly well when repeated as this emphasizes the effect. Leading lines work well because they are a natural line with in the image that your eye can follow, if the line then ends at your subject the eye will naturally settle on it, drawing the viewers attention to it. The most successful leading lines go from the base of the image to the centre, this allows the viewer to start at the bottom and naturally be drawn in to the middle, or where the subject is. As mentioned lines are more successful if there is more than one, the repetition strengthens the effect, and have a vanishing point with the lines (such as a road) is like having an arrow pointing at your subject. To emphasize the vanishing point a wide angle lens can be used, this stretches the foreground of the image, making it appear wider at the start, and so getting smaller towards the vanishing point. Telephoto lenses have the opposite effect, compressing the elements within the image. See below for an example. In this image you can see the railway tracks appearing from the base of the image and heading towards the city. Your eyes naturally follow the tracks to the middle of the frame, then rest at the vanishing point, on the horizon line, where the main subject is sat, the city skyline. There is also leading lines from the sides of the image both pointing towards the skyline.

Rémi Carreiro

Natural Frames

Natural frames can be used within photos to the same effect as framing an image. It emphasizes whats inside of it. Popular natural frames in landscape photography are tree branches, caves, anything that surrounds the frame so you can look through it at your subject. Frames are also a good way to hide certain things around the edges of the picture, they can remove distractions or unwanted elements in the image.

Unknown Photographer

Foreground Interest

Having something interesting in the foreground is critical in landscape photography. Having something boring there will spread the effect to the rest of the image and make it loose its appeal. Get closer to your subject. Placing something within the foreground gives a sense of scale and perspective, it also makes the the image seem more three dimensional as you can clearly see whats close to the camera, and in turn, whats far away. The foreground is also known as the 'hook', its what gets someone interested in the image in the first place.

If theres nothing of interest around to go in the image, get close to the ground and shoot from a low perspective, this will give some texture to the floor giving it more appeal.

Wide angle lens are the most useful for creating a interesting foreground. Not only do they allow you to fit more into the frame, but they make whatever is there appear larger as well.

This is where depth of field and exposure come in as well. Often maximum focus is wanted throughout the entire image, but when shooting something in the foreground it can be tricky to achieve, the next step will explain how to get maximum depth of field. As for exposure, the sky and foreground will rarely require the same exposure, so graduated ND filters are required to reduce the exposure of the sky so they are more equally balanced, more on this later as well.

Unknown Photographer

How to maximise depth of field

Maximum sharpness is often required in landscape work, photographers want the foreground and background in focus and this can prove to be tricky if you don't know what your doing. A rough way of doing it, although inaccurate, is to set the focus point to around 1/3^rd into the frame, this is a quick easy way, but inaccurate. Depth of field falls around 2/3^rds beyond the point of focus and 1/3^rd in front. Aperture of course plays a large role in depth of field so f/stop must also be considered, a small aperture around f/16 will likely be sufficent.

The longer method is to set the focus according to the hyperfocal point chart.

 

 Lighting

Natural lighting in the landscape can't be controlled, but it can be planned for. Before each shoot you should plan well ahead to see sunrise/sunset times are, where abouts the light will be coming from, weather conditions as all this effects the light available.

There are two main types available, hard and soft light. Hard light being direct light from the sun, creating harsh shadows and adding contrast. Soft light when the weather is cast over, as the sun has to go through clouds, making these the new light source which are a lot bigger, creating more even lighting with less contrast.

'Golden hour' is just before sunset and after sunrise, in the time when lighting is at its optimum conditions for landscape work. It gets its name from the golden (warm) glow that it gives off. The lighting is quite soft and as the sun is quite low it can light clouds in reds, oranges and yellows, as the sun is low it caused quite small shadows as well.

• When shooting with the sun in front of you image can appear quite flat as you can't see any shadows given off, there is also the danger of lens flare in the images.
• When shooting with the sun behind you your own shadow is likely to make its way into the shot if using wide angles.
• When shooting with the sun to one side of the frame textures are more pronounced, both the lit and the shaded side of things can be see, making the images more three dimensional.

Weather

There is no such thing as bad weather. Bright blue clear skies can be quite boring in photography. Clouds add a bit of mood and atmosphere to the images and make them much more interesting.

Like light, weather needs to be planned for so you take the right equipment and get the wether that you want for the shoot. Bad weather, such as storms, make great subjects for landscape photography, especially when clouds break and light comes through.

• 60-75% cloud coverage will result in likely not being able to see a sunrise/sunset.
• 75% + you can pretty much forget about shooting sunrise/sunset

Plan! Always know what the weather will be like when you want to shoot.

Equipment

Wide angle lens – Used to add more into the frame. More foreground, makes subjects in the foreground appear larger, and in turn things in the background smaller and further away.

Telephoto – Compresses everything in the image, makes things appear closer.

Tripod- Keeps the camera steady

Shutter Release- Stops camera shake when pressing the shutter

Filters

Polarising – Adds contrast. Darkens skies, makes colours more saturated.

ND Filters – Usually come in grade 0.3, 0.6, 0.9. Adds stops to the exposure 0.3 =1/stop 0.6=2/stops 0.9=3/stops. They are also stackable to add even more stops.

Graduated filters – Used to add stops to only part of the image. Most likely the sky. This is because the sky is nearly always brighter than the land by several stops. Adding Graduated filters reduced the exposure needed for the sky so that it is more balanced with the land reducing over exposure.

Everything here are just guides, photography is an art form and doesn't have to be exact, break the rules, experiment.