Landscapes are some of my favourite subjects. Getting out into the countryside at any time of the day and of the year but particularly for me at sunrise when the world is still and seems to take a breath or a pause before the sun rises up over the horizon is a beautiful moment. I’m lucky enough to live within 1/2 an hour of some of Yorkshire’s most beautiful countryside so whenever I can I’m out there. I have some favourite spots that I return to and one of the draws for me is that the same place is never exactly the same two days in a row, even at the same time of the day. There are subtle changes in light, tone or the weather is different (sometimes dramatically different!). Different seasons reveal very different images of the same places too.
Wide open spaces for me give a wonderful sense of escapism and a place to go to run away from the pressures of the normal day or working week.
If you are travelling to a new area I find it essential to research the spot first. Google Maps is great to see the area – popular spots will already have pictures loaded from other photographers (of all skill levels). You can see the road level view along with a satellite view. I recently discovered a lake behind a spot where I’ve been going to for years that I wasn’t aware was there! There are also many discussion forum’s where photographers discuss the merits of different places. Having said all that, once you get there it’s always interesting to have a good old wander around too and try some places that you haven’t researched as you never know what is behind that wall or round the next corner – being aware of privacy, trespass and just being decent to other people, creatures and land at all times!
Landscape photography gives you the opportunity to bring lots of skills together in the search for a great shot. Exposure, composition, colour or black and white? Filters, lens, tripod or hand held. Change the depth of field across a series of shots of the same composition. Probably all of these as multiple shots of the same area using different criteria can result in a plethora of excellent images. When you get back to base and as you develop good post-processing skills (if that’s your thing, it’s not for everyone) then you can adapt the same single image in a host of different ways using software like Adobe Lightroom and filters, presets and adjustments.
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- The village of Khao Lak in Thailand is where the tsunami hit in 2004, now physically recovered the tourist industry is once again thriving.
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- The village of Khao Lak in Thailand is where the tsunami hit in 2004, now physically recovered the tourist industry is once again thriving.
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- The village of Khao Lak in Thailand is where the tsunami hit in 2004, now physically recovered the tourist industry is once again thriving.
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- The village of Khao Lak in Thailand is where the tsunami hit in 2004, now physically recovered the tourist industry is once again thriving.
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- The village of Khao Lak in Thailand is where the tsunami hit in 2004, now physically recovered the tourist industry is once again thriving.
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- The village of Khao Lak in Thailand is where the tsunami hit in 2004, now physically recovered the tourist industry is once again thriving.
The images above are some of my favourite spots that I have visited over the years. I often revisit the same spots locally at different times of the day and year to capture what turn out to be very different types of shots and composition even though they are the same area. I often find something new every time I visit!
It can be difficult at times but what I try to achieve is to really capture the moment that I can feel into the image. If I can view the picture weeks or months later and get back to how that instant of time was then perhaps others can too. Simple snapshots like a picture postcard are never my objective as I try to capture the time of day, the light quality, the warmth (or lack of), the mood and feeling of being there at that time. There can be so much more to an image that just looking through the viewfinder and snapping a shot.
On a recent trip to Scotland I stayed in North Queensferry underneath the Forth Road and Rail bridges and one afternoon I stood and took many shots of the same view of the newest road bridge there using lots of different filters but more or less the same perspective. The results were very different from shot to shot and each one was (in my humble opinion) a great shot on its own. Have a look below and see what you think.
The point here is to experiment and as you get deeper into photography you will learn to use all the tools and tricks in the books, then something new will be released or published and you can start all over again. Practice, practice practice. Digital is fantastic – immediate results and the capacity to take 1,000s of images in a single session. You should get into the habit of trying something new on a regular basis.
Watch out for the weather too. Most of us have smart phones these days and there are plenty of apps that can assist you to undertake a successful photo shoot. The weather can change pretty quickly so ensure you keep that in mind and don’t get lost in the viewfinder, especially in remote areas. Make sure you have plenty of time to get those shots recorded before it changes for the worse. Unless you want to capture that too, but be careful and be safe.
Don’t forget that photography rules are made to be broken just as much as they are followed. Perhaps my only rule that I never break is never delete a photograph. Ever. Ever. Ever.
Here are some ideas or things to try when you are out in the wilds capturing a good landscape:
- How can the time of day affect the final image?
- What about the weather?
- Both of these will affect the available light…
- Use filters (see above) to change the final image – colours, neutral density, star filters, etc.
- Change the aperture to affect the depth of field
- Colour or black and white? Perhaps both!
- Different composition elements – thirds, leading lines, frames in frames
- Shooting into the sun will produce strong silhouettes
- Foreground interest or push it