How to Take the Perfect Landscape Photo

With landscape photography, lighting is as important as location. Choose the right time of day to capture that beautiful view on film.

Difficulty: Moderately challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• SLR Camera
• Camera Batteries
• Camera Filters
• Camera Lenses
• Cameras
• Digital Cameras
• Film
• Light Meter
• Tripods
• Wide-angle Lens
• Cameras

1. Choose a location.

2. Observe the effects of light on the area over the course of a day.

3. Include an element in the foreground of your picture to add depth and scale.

4. Look for a unique vantage point to add interest. Look at the area from a variety of positions and levels.

5. Shoot in the early morning or late afternoon to avoid harsh shadows.

6. Set your camera up on a tripod, take a light-meter reading, and set the aperture and shutter speed.

7. Press the shutter release on the top right of the camera to take the picture.

Tips & Warnings

• Use side or backlighting to give water, grass, leaves and smoke a translucent appearance.
• The best times to capture a sunset are just as the sun touches the horizon and the 5 minutes after it has set.
• Shoot from a high vantage point when possible.
• Use a polarizer filter to enhance the color or tone of the sky.
• Attach a wide-angle lens to your camera to increase the scope of the picture.

[zpowderhound]

on 2/13/2007 Compose simply. Ask yourself what are the really essential elements of my photograph? Then eliminate the clutter... really good photos draw the eye to the subject, so use any non-subject elements to lead the eye to your subject; e.g. leading lines, framing elements, foreground elements, etc.. Oh...and if possible make sure your subject is of higher (or lower) contrast than the rest of your frame and that you have given it a sufficient amount of the photo's available real estate.

[zpowderhound]

on 2/13/2007 Compose simply. Ask yourself what are the really essential elements of my photograph? Then eliminate the clutter... really good photos draw the eye to the subject, so use any non-subject elements to lead the eye to your subject; e.g. leading lines, framing elements, foreground elements, etc.. Oh...and if possible make sure your subject is of higher (or lower) contrast than the rest of your frame and that you have given it a sufficient amount of the photo's available real estate.

on 11/22/2005 If the place you are photographing is away from the city, make sure you have a flashlight and a bottle of water with you. This makes good sense if you've had to walk a long distance to get that perfect picture!

on 11/22/2005 During a snapshot, you should refrain of focusing only on the object. You should focus on the background also.
While taking a snapshot, center the object in the small box.

on 11/22/2005 Concentrate on the object or the scenery, and do not shake the camera.