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I love taking pictures of nature and my job as a travel photographer means I have a lot of opportunities to do it all over the world.
Nature Photography Tips
Today I’m going to give you a step-by-step guide on how to get started with landscape photography and improve your photography. Landscape photography is a type of photography that focuses on natural scenery. These are often natural, such as mountains, rivers, rock formations, etc., but can also include man-made structures such as houses and cities.
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I will talk about several ideas that will help you take better photos. It includes choosing the right photography equipment to take the best photos, camera settings, finding locations, composing photos, and editing photos.
These photography tips should help you take great photos, whether you’re a beginner or have been shooting locations for a while.
I would also add that many of the tips will apply to other types of photography, so applying some of these tips to photography in general would help you take better photos overall.
If you’re just starting out, my recommendation is that you start practicing using whatever camera you already have, whether it’s a phone, a compact camera, a DSLR, etc. Now if you find that your camera is slowing down your photos, you can upgrade.
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If you don’t have a camera or are ready to upgrade your existing one, I would invest in either a mirrorless or DSLR. For more information on these types of cameras and their features, see my guide to mirrorless cameras and my guide to DSLR cameras.
In short, the main advantage of these cameras is that they allow changing the lens. This gives you a lot of flexibility when shooting and means you can use the same camera body for different types of photos, from portraits to portraits to food.
Especially for landscape photography, I would recommend a camera with an APS-C or full-frame sensor. Features you want include:
Things that aren’t as important to landscape photography include image stabilization (you’ll probably be shooting a lot on a tripod) and ISO settings (unless you’re doing astrophotography). However, I would say that this is still a useful feature to look at, as it will give you flexibility when using the camera for non-landscapes.
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As for specific cameras, there are a large number of cameras on the market. Some examples to consider, followed closely by budget from low to high, include:
Of course, you don’t need a mirrorless camera or DSLR for landscape photography. You can take landscape photos with anything from a smartphone to a compact camera. But if you have the option, I definitely recommend investing in the right equipment because the results will be great.
The biggest advantage of a mirrorless camera or DSLR is that you can change the lens to fit your head. Of course, this means you’ll need the right lens for landscape photography.
There are different schools of thought on the best lens for landscape photography, but my favorite approach to landscape photography is to make two “zoom” trips, one wide and one telephoto.
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Note that “zoom” lens does not mean “telephone”. A zoom lens is a lens where you can change the focal length, and it can be anything from a wide angle (sees more of the scene in the frame) to a telephoto (enlarges the subject). Another zoom option would be a “prime” lens with a longer focal length.
If I had to choose only one lens for landscape photography, it would be the wide angle. I recommend the full 16-35mm equivalent, which gives you a lot of flexibility depending on what you’re shooting.
For me, with the Canon EOS R5, I go with the 16-35mm f/4 wide angle lens and the 70-200 f/2.8 lens. I can also use it on my older Canon DSLR, the Canon 6D.
This gives me a very wide range of focal lengths to choose from, from a very wide 16mm, where I can capture almost everything in front of the camera, to a 200mm, which allows me to get a close-up frame at long distances. Article
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In terms of aperture, most landscape photography doesn’t really require a wide-angle lens (often called a “fast” lens), so you don’t need to invest in a heavy, high-end f/2.8 lens. A maximum aperture of f/4 or faster saves weight and cost.
A wide aperture in landscape photography is generally only useful if you plan to shoot a lot in low light, such as astrophotography. Of course, they offer flexible lenses for a wide range of different types of photography, but they’re not essential for photography-only use.
If you want to learn more about lenses in general and understand the word, I suggest you check out my book on the best ways to travel photography. This includes a wide range of options as well as all the information you need to know to choose a lens.
There are many types of cameras and different lenses for cameras. So you need to make sure that you buy lenses that are compatible with your camera body. I’ll still make some comments though, and if the camera type isn’t listed you should be able to find something similar.
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I’ve listed primarily the f/4 version of the lens above, although you can invest in the more expensive f/2.8 if you prefer. Many manufacturers offer both, it’s up to you and your budget!
Now that you have your camera and lens, you’ll want to know how to properly set them up to get the best photos.
Of course, no camera assigns a universal function to every image. You’ll want to learn about the exposure triangle and learn how different settings (aperture, shutter speed, and ISO) work together to create an image. This is also something I cover in detail in my online photography course.
For starters, and assuming you’re shooting on a tripod (more on that soon), set up your camera as follows:
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Generally, with landscape photography, you are looking for a large depth of field where most of the photos are in focus. A range of f/8 – f/11 at the widest point should do it in most cases, although you can use a smaller aperture if needed. I recommend f/8 – f/11 as this is a critical point of focus for most lenses.
Finally, the shutter speed for many images may be slow, depending on the available light. Expect it to be between 1/30 and 1/250 of a second. If you’re hand-holding the camera, you may need to increase the ISO to use a faster shutter speed and avoid shake caused by hand movement.
After setting up your camera, you need to take a photo. This is where you need to start thinking about the composition.
Composition is about how you put your image together. The general rules of composition apply to all forms of art, not just photography. Overall, the goal is to create an image that is pleasing to the eye, engages the viewer, and provides a clear object to focus on.
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You will often hear about the “rules” of composition. These are common usage concepts that can help you better plan what will appear in your video.
I cover photo manipulation here and in more detail in my travel photography course. However, the following should be considered when photographing locations.
The rule of thirds is one of the most famous rules of composition. In fact, many cameras and smartphones actually allow you to turn on the third rule of the grid on the display when taking a photo.
The rule of thirds is the idea of dividing your image into three, vertically and horizontally. Now you’re trying to put different things into three thirds. For terrain, for example, you can make it look like you have one-third land and two-thirds air.
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The rule of thirds can also help with focus. When we first look at a picture, our eyes tend to be drawn to specific points. If you look at the grid, these points are the four points where the horizontal and vertical lines of the grid meet.
These basic articles are a good place to put your article. For example, if you are photographing someone, placing your head or eyes in that position will draw your attention.
Opening lines can be a great way to help viewers focus more easily
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