Trying to capture that perfect landscape shot is easier said than done, many amongst us would have tried and failed.
Landscapes are not like people, you will need to be at the right spot at the right time.
In today's article, I will give a few tips to excel in landscape photography.
Timing of exposure is key in landscape photography.
As a rule early mornings and late evenings are perfect time to take your landscapes.
As the light gets brighter, the image flattens out.
So anytime during the mid day is bad for landscape photography.
You can still take snaps in mid day, but be sure to use a neutral density filters.
Neutral density filters are filters which nullify the excess light and glare to produce a neutral colour tone.
There are many different types of ND filters, but you can choose the one which is darkest.
These filters are mostly used to produce the misty look in photos.
The mode is primarily dictated by user choice, however I prefer to use the manual mode to retain control over aperture as well as shutter speed.
If you are not confident with manual mode then you should use the aperture mode.
While taking landscape you will need a good depth of field or else your photos will look flat.
So use a smaller aperture (or a larger F stop).
The ideal f stops for landscapes range from f/13 to f/16.
The shutter speed is another factor that affects your photo.
For landscape photography, slower shutter speeds are preferred to give it the depth of field.
Ideal shutter speed is between 1 to 4 sec.
Since the shutter speed is low, you will need a tripod to stabilize the camera.
Having a remote shutter release will be an added advantage to eliminate motion blur.
The other parameters to monitor for that perfect landscape shot include ISO and depth of field.
ISO refers to the sensitivity of the sensor or film.
Choose the lowest possible ISO setting.
Choosing higher ISO will lead to excess noise in the picture.
The depth of field is a mode which allows the back ground to be in as much focus as the fore ground.
This is essential in landscape photography.
You can use the depth of field preview button to visualise the picture before clicking it.
By following these tips you should be able to take good landscape shots.
Having said all this I would like to add that the final result is entirely dependent on your creativity.
So don't be afraid of experimenting.