7 Photography Tips for Beginners
by Mahesh Thapa
What makes landscape photography so beautiful? Believe it or not, it’s more than those breathtaking sunsets or vibrantly colored trees. It’s knowing how to make the best use of your camera. In this article, you’ll learn why smartphones and compact digital cameras often don’t do justice to the beauty of the outdoors and what you can do to produce the same stunning landscape photos that you normally see online or in galleries.
What is Landscape Photography?
Landscape photography is the practice of capturing a natural or outdoors scene in an artful or compelling way to engage the viewer’s eye and attention. Landscape photography is one of the most appreciated genres of photography. As we explore and travel, it’s easy to become transfixed by a beautiful landscape. By learning to photograph it effectively, we can turn a memorable experience into a piece of fine art. While landscape photography is commonly joined with nature photography, a cityscape can also be considered a landscape in many circumstances. Landscape photography doesn’t have to be composed in a horizontal format. In fact it is a common misconception that you can’t take a landscape photograph in the vertical orientation. Each scene will introduce its own elements that help dictate perspective, camera settings, and techniques for achieving the most compelling photograph possible.
1. Use a Good Camera
The ideal cameras you can use for shooting landscapes — and lots of it — are DSLR and mirrorless cameras. While today’s most developed smartphone cameras are able to produce pretty nice landscape shots, they have yet to catch up to the quality of professional cameras.developed smartphone cameras are able to produce pretty nice landscape shots, they have yet to catch up to the quality of professional cameras. What makes DSLRs and mirrorless cameras good for landscape photography, aside from their larger and more improved sensors size that produce higher-quality images, is that they have more settings that allow you to fully customize the exposure of your photos (more on this later). Our favorite landscape photography cameras include the Nikon D780, Sony Alpha a7S III, and the Canon EOS R5.
There are also a lot of affordable entry-level cameras on the market, if you don’t have one yet. But for best results, go for a full-frame camera with a 35mm sensor. This way, you’ll get the widest possible views with your lenses.
2. Equip Yourself with a Good Lens
Pair your camera with a compatible lens that is optimized for shooting landscapes. You’ll need a wide angle lens, which offers a wider perspective and therefore captures more of the scene. Wide angle lenses have smaller focal length numbers (35mm and below). But avid landscape shooters typically go shorter than 24mm (ultra-wide angle lens). Using lenses shorter than 24mm will give you even wider and sometimes distorted views that some photographers don’t like, so it’s best to check out how a particular lens works for you and your camera. You can also choose from our list of the best lenses for landscape photography.
It’s also very important to keep your lenses clean. A dirty front element can shorten the life of important lens coatings and negatively impact your images. How to clean camera lens is very important. Camera lens cleaning is an essential skill to learn for all photographers.
3. Invest in a Good Tripod
Many landscape photographers shoot handheld thinking that their images look sharp enough, only to be disappointed once the smaller details are magnified. Therefore, one of the most important pieces of equipment that you’ll need for landscape photography is a tripod. They help minimize camera shake so you don’t end up with blurry shots, particularly when using slower shutter speeds. A tripod will allow you to work with a low ISO to avoid noise in darker settings. But don’t just buy any cheap tripod. When it comes to this type of photography gear, you’ll want to get the best tripod for your needs—it should be strong and stable enough to support your camera even in windy conditions yet lightweight so it’s not going to be a burden when traveling.
Another thing you’ll need to remember is that you won’t always get to prop it up on flat surfaces when you’re shooting outdoors. You’ll find that sometimes, you’ll have to set it up on rocks or soft grass, so look for a tripod with spiked feet and rubber overshoes.
4. Learn About the Basics of Manual Exposure
Here comes one of the most important tips that you will ever learn for landscape photography—and photography in general. With your DSLR or mirrorless camera on Manual Mode, familiarize yourself with the exposure triangle: shutter, aperture, and ISO. Each is measured by a numerical value and affects the amount of light that enters the lens.It’s also very important to keep your lenses clean. A dirty front element can shorten the life of important lens coatings and negatively impact your images. How to clean camera lens is very important. Camera lens cleaning is an essential skill to learn for all photographers.
5. Find Good Lighting
Thanks to your manual camera, you have more freedom to shoot under different lighting conditions. Nonetheless, the sun will be your main light source, so you’ll need to schedule your shoot when the light is not too harsh as subtle, diffused lighting helps reveal the true tones of colors and make your photos look more natural. Natural light in landscape photography, in particular, will require a little trial and error to master.Landscape shooters typically head out during golden hour (right after sunrise and before sunset) to get beautiful mixes of blue and orange in the sky. We suggest you take the time to understand the characteristics of the lighting that you will get when shooting during different times of day so you can schedule your shoot accordingly. You may find that you prefer one time of day over another.
6. Play with Filters
There are two kinds of camera lens filters that landscape photographers typically use to improve their images. One is the polarizing filter, which manages reflections, suppresses glare, and darkens skies to a deep blue to make the clouds pop. The other is the neutral density filter, which filters out a certain amount of light from entering the lens to allow the use of slower shutter speeds, wider apertures, and/or higher ISO levels without overexposing the image.Polarizing filters instantly improve the colors and overall appearance of your landscape photographs. The ND filter may need some getting used to in order to make the best use of it for common landscape photography techniques. If you’re on a budget, we suggest getting the circular polarizer first and then leveling up with an ND filter to enjoy motion blur effects and capture those velvety smooth streams.7. Don’t get “frame paralysis”This is an issue for people just getting started, and even many professionals. A lot of photographers do a lot of research and put in the time and effort to shoot a certain frame or shot they have in mind, and that sometimes leads to an obsession to successfully capture a specific image. Then the day comes, and the weather is poor or the light doesn’t quite hit the spots you had planned. It’s important to not be so obsessed with your vision that you fail to see the opportunity around you.
Now, patience is incredibly important in landscape photography. But you should also be prepared for multiple frames and always be flexible. Constantly be alert of your surroundings when you’re in the field and see where light is hitting and how the landscape is changing. Don’t be so zeroed in on “one shot,” that you miss 10 other great shots that are around you.
What makes landscape photography so beautiful? Believe it or not, it’s more than those breathtaking sunsets or vibrantly colored trees. It’s knowing how to make the best use of your camera. In this article, you’ll learn why smartphones and compact digital cameras often don’t do justice to the beauty of the outdoors and what you can do to produce the same stunning landscape photos that you normally see online or in galleries.
What is Landscape Photography?
Landscape photography is the practice of capturing a natural or outdoors scene in an artful or compelling way to engage the viewer’s eye and attention. Landscape photography is one of the most appreciated genres of photography. As we explore and travel, it’s easy to become transfixed by a beautiful landscape. By learning to photograph it effectively, we can turn a memorable experience into a piece of fine art. While landscape photography is commonly joined with nature photography, a cityscape can also be considered a landscape in many circumstances. Landscape photography doesn’t have to be composed in a horizontal format. In fact it is a common misconception that you can’t take a landscape photograph in the vertical orientation. Each scene will introduce its own elements that help dictate perspective, camera settings, and techniques for achieving the most compelling photograph possible.
1. Use a Good Camera
The ideal cameras you can use for shooting landscapes — and lots of it — are DSLR and mirrorless cameras. While today’s most developed smartphone cameras are able to produce pretty nice landscape shots, they have yet to catch up to the quality of professional cameras.developed smartphone cameras are able to produce pretty nice landscape shots, they have yet to catch up to the quality of professional cameras. What makes DSLRs and mirrorless cameras good for landscape photography, aside from their larger and more improved sensors size that produce higher-quality images, is that they have more settings that allow you to fully customize the exposure of your photos (more on this later). Our favorite landscape photography cameras include the Nikon D780, Sony Alpha a7S III, and the Canon EOS R5.
There are also a lot of affordable entry-level cameras on the market, if you don’t have one yet. But for best results, go for a full-frame camera with a 35mm sensor. This way, you’ll get the widest possible views with your lenses.
2. Equip Yourself with a Good Lens
Pair your camera with a compatible lens that is optimized for shooting landscapes. You’ll need a wide angle lens, which offers a wider perspective and therefore captures more of the scene. Wide angle lenses have smaller focal length numbers (35mm and below). But avid landscape shooters typically go shorter than 24mm (ultra-wide angle lens). Using lenses shorter than 24mm will give you even wider and sometimes distorted views that some photographers don’t like, so it’s best to check out how a particular lens works for you and your camera. You can also choose from our list of the best lenses for landscape photography.
It’s also very important to keep your lenses clean. A dirty front element can shorten the life of important lens coatings and negatively impact your images. How to clean camera lens is very important. Camera lens cleaning is an essential skill to learn for all photographers.
3. Invest in a Good Tripod
Many landscape photographers shoot handheld thinking that their images look sharp enough, only to be disappointed once the smaller details are magnified. Therefore, one of the most important pieces of equipment that you’ll need for landscape photography is a tripod. They help minimize camera shake so you don’t end up with blurry shots, particularly when using slower shutter speeds. A tripod will allow you to work with a low ISO to avoid noise in darker settings. But don’t just buy any cheap tripod. When it comes to this type of photography gear, you’ll want to get the best tripod for your needs—it should be strong and stable enough to support your camera even in windy conditions yet lightweight so it’s not going to be a burden when traveling.
Another thing you’ll need to remember is that you won’t always get to prop it up on flat surfaces when you’re shooting outdoors. You’ll find that sometimes, you’ll have to set it up on rocks or soft grass, so look for a tripod with spiked feet and rubber overshoes.
4. Learn About the Basics of Manual Exposure
Here comes one of the most important tips that you will ever learn for landscape photography—and photography in general. With your DSLR or mirrorless camera on Manual Mode, familiarize yourself with the exposure triangle: shutter, aperture, and ISO. Each is measured by a numerical value and affects the amount of light that enters the lens.It’s also very important to keep your lenses clean. A dirty front element can shorten the life of important lens coatings and negatively impact your images. How to clean camera lens is very important. Camera lens cleaning is an essential skill to learn for all photographers.
5. Find Good Lighting
Thanks to your manual camera, you have more freedom to shoot under different lighting conditions. Nonetheless, the sun will be your main light source, so you’ll need to schedule your shoot when the light is not too harsh as subtle, diffused lighting helps reveal the true tones of colors and make your photos look more natural. Natural light in landscape photography, in particular, will require a little trial and error to master.Landscape shooters typically head out during golden hour (right after sunrise and before sunset) to get beautiful mixes of blue and orange in the sky. We suggest you take the time to understand the characteristics of the lighting that you will get when shooting during different times of day so you can schedule your shoot accordingly. You may find that you prefer one time of day over another.
6. Play with Filters
There are two kinds of camera lens filters that landscape photographers typically use to improve their images. One is the polarizing filter, which manages reflections, suppresses glare, and darkens skies to a deep blue to make the clouds pop. The other is the neutral density filter, which filters out a certain amount of light from entering the lens to allow the use of slower shutter speeds, wider apertures, and/or higher ISO levels without overexposing the image.Polarizing filters instantly improve the colors and overall appearance of your landscape photographs. The ND filter may need some getting used to in order to make the best use of it for common landscape photography techniques. If you’re on a budget, we suggest getting the circular polarizer first and then leveling up with an ND filter to enjoy motion blur effects and capture those velvety smooth streams.7. Don’t get “frame paralysis”This is an issue for people just getting started, and even many professionals. A lot of photographers do a lot of research and put in the time and effort to shoot a certain frame or shot they have in mind, and that sometimes leads to an obsession to successfully capture a specific image. Then the day comes, and the weather is poor or the light doesn’t quite hit the spots you had planned. It’s important to not be so obsessed with your vision that you fail to see the opportunity around you.
Now, patience is incredibly important in landscape photography. But you should also be prepared for multiple frames and always be flexible. Constantly be alert of your surroundings when you’re in the field and see where light is hitting and how the landscape is changing. Don’t be so zeroed in on “one shot,” that you miss 10 other great shots that are around you.
