10 top tips for shooting better landscapes

Professional sports and editorial photographer Bob Atkins reveals the lenses, accessories and approach to shooting great landscape images that show a location at its best. Working at Hunstanton Golf Course on the Norfolk Coast he proves patience gets its reward.

PLAN THE SHOOT

This may sound obvious but it's important to have some idea of what the weather might be like at your chosen location on the day of your shoot. If you want moody skies you won't get these on bright sunny days. Monitor the weather carefully for you chosen location via websites such as: www.metoffice.gov.uk

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WHEN TO SHOOT

Time of day is extremely important for landscape photography because it’s the quality and direction of light that makes or breaks a shot. The best times to shoot are around sunrise and sunset when the light can be soft and dramatic. The key to success is to arrive early so you can set up and wait for the perfect conditions. But you need to remain patient, as you won’t always get what you hope for.

 

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VIEWPOINT

Arriving at your location and simply shooting from standing height rarely produces the best results. Walk around and try different viewpoints. Explore both high and low viewpoints to see what works best. The best view could be from where you least expect it.

 

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RULE-OF-THIRDS

Placing elements in the centre of the frame doesn’t usually make a great composition. Use the rule-of-thirds to tie the different elements of the shot together. Divide the frame into a grid with two horizontal and two vertical lines. The four grid-line intersections are ideal places for positioning your main focal points such as the trees, rocks and walls etc.

 

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FOREGROUND

When shooting with a wide-angle lens the foreground becomes more much dominant in your image. You can think of it as the step into your picture and it can be something as simple as a grasses, rocks, or even shadows. The foreground, when combined with the other compositional elements, gives depth to your scene.

 

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CAMERA SETTINGS

Landscape photography is often about fine detail and a large depth-of-field so you camera needs to be set to facilitate this. Set your camera to Aperture-priority mode and choose one of the narrower apertures such as f/16 or f/22. The camera will automatically choose the correct shutter speed. All you have to do now is set your ISO to the lowest setting possible.

 

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FOCUS

The best way get to everything from the foreground to the background sharp is to focus one third of the way into the frame. If you have selected a narrow aperture as we suggested above, then a big area in front of and behind your point of focus will also be sharp.

 

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EXPOSURE ASSESSMENT

Use your histogram to assess your exposures. A histogram is a graphical representation of the brightness levels across images. It shows levels from the blacks/shadows on the left, through the midtones in the centre, to the whites/highlights on the right. Generally speaking, well-exposed images should have smooth peaks and troughs all the way across the graph.

 

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FILTERS

Filters are invaluable tools for the landscape photographer because they make it possible for the camera to capture elements of the shot successfully. Neutral density (ND) grads can be used to underexpose the sky to maintain sky detail while leaving the ground perfectly exposed. Polarising filters can be used to keep skies blue and to eliminate reflections from water.

 

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ACCESSORIES

Using low ISO settings and narrow apertures often results in the need for slow shutter speeds for correct exposures. To deal with this and avoid camera shake a tripod and cable release are essential accessories. Choose your tripod wisely because it needs to be sturdy enough to hold your camera perfectly still.

 

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