Landscape Photography The Complete Manual

As a genre landscape photography is probably one of the most popular. There is something special about being out in the world capturing the landscape around you. Whether it is the vast openness of a particular space or a more intimate scene viewed in close-up, the landscape is certainly the most accessible type of photography that everyone can enjoy without needing very expensive equipment and studio space. Landscape photography shows us places within the world that can capture the beauty and grandeur of unspoiled nature, as well as the more familiar aspects of the man-made world and its presence within the landscape too. From coastal scenes to cityscapes and the rural expanses beyond the city limits, there is an unending array of subjects both great and small waiting to be…

What is landscape photography? This is a more complex question than you might at first assume. There are numerous definitions out there that try to sum up what landscape photography actually is. It can range from such matter-of-fact definitions as: “The dominant use of the term is in reference to photography of naturally occurring scenery in open spaces” to a more simple and broader: “Photographs taken outside”. Many regard a landscape to be a representation of a place that has little or preferably no sign of human activity. It is meant to be an untouched and pure depiction of nature. For others the inclusion of man-made objects that range from walls, fields, gardens and structures is just as valid a landscape image as any other. If presented in a suitably…

The word ‘landscape’ is thought to have entered the English language around the 17th century as the word ‘landskip’ and is derived from the Dutch ‘landschap’. It was originally used as a general term for any work of art. With the passing of time, it eventually became a term to describe a scene as used in poetry and then as a term for real views. In terms of types of landscape photography, there are several main styles. The first is known as representational, also called descriptive style. These types are the most natural looking of all the various types of landscape photography. There are no additional unwanted components or artificial elements. There is also very little in the way of post-processing to sully the final result. Realism is the key.…

Choosing a camera system, lenses or accessories for landscape photography may seem daunting at first because there is so much choice out there. Manufacturers inundate us with features and gadgets that they tell us make their camera so much better than everyone else’s. Beneath all the marketing babble, there is a wealth of choice available for every budget and skill level. With a little research and keeping a budget in mind, there is some great photography gear to be had out there. The following pages will give you a head start on where to begin and what to keep in mind as you search for your gear. It’s worth noting as well that the cost of the camera is secondary to the skill and creativity of the photographer. An expensive…

Is there such a thing as the perfect landscape camera? The answer is going to have to be no. It’s hard to imagine that there is a single camera out there that is perfect for one specific purpose. Certainly some cameras are more suited to landscape photography than others and there are a few key factors that are worth mentioning. Sensor size is not necessarily a prime consideration as you are most likely going to demand as much depth of field as possible in your shots anyway. Megapixel size is also not a major concern unless you are going to be producing enormous prints well in excess of A2 sizes. To be honest the idea of a one shot capture of a landscape is being overshadowed by the use of…

It is an accepted fact that if there is one lens that is inextricably linked to landscape photography, it is the wide-angle lens. It is often said that the lens influences the shot, not the camera. That is particularly true of the wide-angle lens in landscape photography. As the name implies, a wide-angle lens captures a very wide field of view. This is ideal for capturing the broad expanse of the scene the photographer is in. It also draws in the viewer of the final image in ways that a zoomed narrow angle image does not. Good wide-angle lenses are also sharp and capture great detail. With the advent of digital cameras and their various sensor systems, pinning down what a wide-angle lens is can be tricky. If we stick…