Landscapes

Let's explore the landscapes around us.
Landscape photography is the art of capturing pictures of nature and the outdoors in a way that brings your viewer into the scene. From grand landscapes to intimate details, the best photos demonstrate the photographer’s own connection to nature and capture the essence
of the world around them.

When photographing landscapes use the following tips:

Look for Amazing Lighting or “The Golden Hour”
Keep your eyes on the sky and look for dramatic and varied lighting. “The Golden Hour” refers to the time right before and after sunrise and sunset. During the golden hour the sun is redder and softer and casts side shadows across the landscape. You can also achieve a better balance between the bright sky and darker landscape. A bright blue sky in the middle of the day is beautiful, but a dramatic moody golden hour sky is much more interesting.  And don’t forget about weather. Try photographing on a foggy or overcast day.

Light Balance
If your landscape includes the sky, you will mostly likely run into a light balance issue. You can tap on the sky and adjust the light level in the iPhone Camera app, but do not overexpose your sky (too bright, no cloud detail etc.). If you overexpose you WILL NOT be able to bring back the details while editing. You can always lighten the shadows in the “land” portion of your image if they become too dark.

Avoid the Zoom
Due to the small sensor on your phone camera try to avoid zooming. Zooming in will result in a low-res, “pixely” landscape image.

Composition
Slow down and consider the composition. Use the Rule of Thirds tip I introduced a couple weeks back. Try taking an image with tiny slice of land at the bottom of the frame with full sky above or get down low and have a rock be your main focus.

Add Scale
One of my favorite ways to add interest to a landscape is to add a sense of scale. For example, a wide landscape with a tiny person, or an open field with a small barn off to the left side, or how a low angle with a single flower and mountains scape behind. 

Wanna Go Pro?
I use an app called ProCam 7 ($8.49) which allows you to turn your phone camera into a full manual camera. You can change the shutter/exposure time etc. but you may need a tripod or to prop your phone on a table or rock to avoid camera shake.

Edit your Image
Smartphones have robust editing function for images. On an iPhone, tap “Edit” on the top right corner to play with exposure, contrast, warmth, shadows etc.

Can’t wait to see your images!