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HP Digital PhotographyHP Digital Photography videosTake Great Landscape Photos |
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Nothing is more stunning than a beautiful landscape photo. The challenge is making your awe-inspiring surroundings—mountains, flowers, waterfalls -- appear as spectacular in your photos as they are in real life. Today, I'll teach you how to shoot landscape photos that are the next best thing to being there. My first tip is to pay attention to the light you're in. Generally, the best light for outdoor photography is right after sunrise, or in the late afternoon right before sunset. This time of day is called the "golden hour" because of the soft shadows and warm glow that's cast over everything. And everyone knows that the perfect vacation sunset shot is a must. At these times of day there's also a lot less light. So make sure your flash is off so you can capture all the color and detail of the scene. It's especially important to steady your camera when shooting in low light without a flash because the camera's shutter stays open longer to capture enough light. If your camera moves even slightly during this time, your photos can get blurry. I recommend using a tripod to steady your camera, if possible. Now that doesn't mean you can't take breathtaking photos in the middle of the day—that's when I shot this palm grove photo. In fact, it's a great time to experiment with where light is shining in your scene: from the front, back, side, or from straight above. Each position produces a different effect. Before shooting any landscape photo, determine which elements are your background (the sky, for example), foreground (perhaps some trees) and subject (say, a mountain). In order for all of them to be in focus, it's important to use the Landscape shooting mode, or a high aperture setting, on your HP camera. This next tip is useful when it comes to showing the magnitude of a scene. It's easy and it brings depth to any landscape photo. Just include an object in the foreground, like the branch of a tree or, in this case, fence posts. See how they add perspective and distance? Featuring people in your landscapes can give a great sense of scale and perspective. And, when those people are friends or family, your photos become especially meaningful. Again, be sure to use the landscape shooting mode to make sure that everyone remains in focus. Imagine how much less interesting this beach shot would be without the children and their dad. They're all interacting naturally with their surroundings, which lends visual interest and a moody quality to this tranquil scene. Every pro photographer I know (myself included) uses this next technique to create outstanding photos, and it will transform your pictures as well. Here's how it works. Place your subject just off center. Leaving a lot of extra sky, for instance, and it can make for a more unexpected and interesting shot. Small compositional changes can make the difference between an average photo and a truly unique one. You don't have to wait until your photos are printed to frame them. Incorporating natural elements around the borders of your photos while composing your shot helps to contain and anchor them. In this photo, icy tree branches are used to frame the shot. Using a framing technique like this really helps the photo feel complete. This is a pretty great picture just the way it is, but there are a few subtle effects you can add to make this photo, and others come alive even more. HP cameras have a great feature called Design Gallery. With Design Gallery, you can easily enhance the colors in the sky or the ground on this photo. It's like having photo-editing software right in your camera. Now that brings out the drama of the landscape better, doesn't it? And you'll find a lot more effects you can try in the Design Gallery. Most importantly, just have fun and enjoy the scenery while you're out there. I'm Tracey Clark and I'll see you next time.
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