Training in landscape photography
- LuizQuene
- Mar 19, 2024
- 3 min read
Updated: Apr 8, 2024
Initial experiences in training in landscape photography
Explore the facilities and resources of your cell phone at every opportunity, trying to study and improve yourself in the first commandment of landscape photography: Framing Techniques, which are fundamental in training in landscape photography, as they provide the aesthetic beauty that enhances the image.
They are, briefly and of most importance:
- Rule of Thirds, a simplification of the secular and mystical Golden Ratio observed in nature by the Greeks and reproduced in Art, which divides the composition into nine equal quadrants by applying two horizontal and two vertical lines, defining four points of intersection where it must be framed the main subject of interest in the image, making the look more pleasant and attractive.
- Guide Lines, harmonizing, for example, the vertical lines of buildings, the straight lines of the horizon and flat objects and, finally, the convergence lines that direct the eye to the most important point and enhance depth of field.
But, above all, train your creative eye, even breaking the rules.
Keep in mind that you are framing a portion of the whole, so move around the scene around the main object looking for the best composition and the best light angle and, if possible, use frames available at the location such as trees, plants, rivers, lakes , mountains and buildings, among others.
In addition, always work on adjustments to light, shadow, contrast, colors and all the others that cell phone technology is continually improving.
Discovering digital cameras
Purchase your digital, DSLR or Mirrorless camera. It can be an entry-level one, with a 24 Mpx APS-C sensor and the kit lens, in most cases an 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 lens.
Understand the functionalities of the exposure triangle, made up of shutter speed, aperture and ISO and thus exit the camera's automatic mode and take control with the semi-automatic or manual modes, depending on the circumstances.
Master your camera's focus modes, enhancing sharpness at the point of interest and working your creativity with out-of-focus areas. Use both manual mode and sophisticated, ever-improving autofocus systems.
Buy a tripod and start your journey in long exposure photography, essential for photographing landscapes in low-light scenarios, thus avoiding noise in images caused by high ISOs. Create more beauty in the movements of water in the seas, rivers and waterfalls. Always use a tripod when the camera must be stationary.
Start photographing in RAW and no longer in pre-processed JPEG, creating a raw file with countless details preserved so that you can process it yourself using tools such as Lightroom (LR) and Photoshop (PS).
Continued improvement in high-quality photography
At the right time and most suitable for you, the desire to upgrade to a professional Full Frame camera will be born. With a larger sensor and more features, it will take your photos to another level and expand the area for capturing landscapes.
To follow this you will need a set of clear lenses with a minimum aperture of f/2.8 that, at least, cover the focal length range of 14mm to 200mm, divided as follows: a wide-angle zoom of 14-24mm, a zoom distance intermediate lenses of 24-70mm and a medium telephoto zoom of 70-200mm.
This set can be expanded in several ways. In my case, I preferred to add a 1.4x teleconverter to increase the telephoto focal length and a 14mm prime lens with f/1.8 aperture, very useful for night photos. It "sees" lights, colors and shapes that our eyes are not capable of!
At this stage, the search for improvement has no limits. For example:
- You will add to the basic triangle of photometry the use of Exposure Compensation (EV: Exposure Value), which most often varies between -2 and +2 stops, with negative values being used to adjust scenes with lots of light and positive values for low light scenes.
- You'll want to explore multi-exposures with different metering and focus points to combine them into a perfect image in LR/PS, which will be enhanced with specialist plugins that will elevate your processing capabilities.
Have a good journey and have fun. You will have around 15kg to carry!
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