10 Unique Landscape Photography Tips To Implement Today

Landscape photography is about the beauty and the sheer unpredictability of nature... qualities that are difficult to capture for all time in a photograph.

Are you looking for some guidance as to how to get your landscape photography to stand out from the crowd?

Here are 10 tried and tested landscape photography tips directly from The Best Landscape Photographers’ Collective, a collection of interviews with experienced artists in this niche.

1. Pay Attention to Depth

By keeping the many different elements of your landscape photography in focus, you can control the depth in your images. Use a small aperture to make background and foreground images appear sharp. Do whatever is necessary to prevent camera shake. A tripod can help with this.

2. Capture Movement

Although it may seem peaceful, nature is always moving. The ripple or surge of waves and the wind through prairie grass are important elements of a beautiful image. A longer shutter speed can allow you to capture all these essential effects. Just don’t forget to use a small aperture to control for lighting.

3. Use a Tripod

A longer shutter speed makes it even more imperative that you keep your camera absolutely still. Even if you use a fast shutter speed, a tripod is still a good idea. A wireless shutter release mechanism can also help with this. However, if you are intent on a more adventurous kind of landscape photography, it may not be practical to carry a tripod with you. Celebrated mountain photographer Alexandre Bussie gives his own highly effective landscape photography tips for carrying gear into the wilderness, as well as traveling and transporting this gear economically.

4. Use a Wide-Angle Lens

Andrew Querner is an experienced landscape photographer who has worked with Time and The Wall Street Journal. In his interview, he provides landscape photography tips from his perspective of capturing the loneliest places on earth. For every photo he takes, he uses one camera, one lens and one stock. With a wide angle, your landscapes have the appearance of more open space. They also allow more light, so that you can use a faster shutter speed. It also makes all kinds of unique angles possible.

5. Find the Right Focal Point

Every great photo needs a focal point, and landscapes are no different. Find something to focus on, like a rock, a tree or a building. Otherwise your image may look empty and purposeless.

6. Use the Right Filters

Whatever effect you’re going for, filters can help control the lighting and the colour in your photo. It allows you to make the sky darker, clouds whiter, and to reduce the amount of light on sunny days. The use of filters is one of the many landscape photography tips that you can learn from Erik Johnson, whose photography makes even the ugliest, dirtiest landscapes look beautiful. Whether it’s an abandoned cabin in the wilderness or an underground sewer, he talks about finding and capturing its beauty. Using the right filters for desired effects is one of the many ways in which he achieves this goal.

7. Think About Foregrounds

Placing interesting objects in your foreground gives the eye a place to look, and also produces more depth. One unusual way to do this is through composite photography. For example, noted photographer Linda Alterwitz discusses her landscape photography tips for adding medical imagery to her landscapes to create scenes that are truly breathtaking and unique. This kind of work requires some intuition and creativity. You have to see deeper than what’s right in front of you and use foregrounds in an original way.

8. Think of Water As a Mirror

If you time it right, water can produce all kinds of stunning effects. Almost anything in your landscape looks more dramatic when reflected in a calm, beautiful lake. For best results, try for a water effect just after sunrise or just before sunset, and of course, use a tripod. Mirroring effects are just a few of the landscape photography tips and tricks he has up his sleeve.

9. Pay Attention to Your Sky

If your sky is boring, your landscape will be too. Place your sky further up in your shot if it isn’t very compelling. If you have a dramatic sky with lots of action, lower the horizon and let it dominate the image.

10. Don’t Neglect Cityscapes

When we think landscape photography tips, most of us automatically think of mountains and fields, lakes and oceans. But it’s important to include cityscapes in your repertoire. As we learn from landscape photography pro Derek Shapton, cityscapes can provide a visual narrative. In a way, they tell a story and give the audience the time and space for reflection, stepping back from the hustle and bustle to see the city in a different perspective.

With these landscape photography tips from the experts, you’re ready to go out and start creating some memorable scenery for your viewing audience.