Before leaving to meet up with Mickey in Florida, I asked my lovely subscribers what topic they’d like to learn more about. The overwhelming response was to cover tips on how to make your landscape photos stand out. Ready to have some fun?
1 – STRAIGHTEN THAT HORIZON!
Let’s start with the easiest tip! When photographing landscapes, if you can see a strong horizon line (like a sunset over the ocean), make sure that horizon line is level.
If you have vertical lines (like poplar trees) that are pretty prominent in the scene, try to make sure those are vertically straight as well. The reason why is because this is how our eyes view the world.
Go ahead, look around! Check out the door frame down the hall for instance. See how nice and straight those vertical lines are?
An easy way to do this in camera is to turn on your 3×3 grid. This way you can align your scene with the vertical and horizontal lines that show up on the back of your LCD screen!
If you’re using a tripod, you can also use your camera’s or tripod’s levelling system. My tripod has a little bubble at the head that I can use to check if I’ve set it up level. I’ve also got a setting that I can turn on my camera as well. Check your settings to see if yours has one. You just might be pleasantly surprised!
2 – TIMING
Another easy one. We’re on a roll! If possible, time your adventure with sunrise or sunset. The quadratic color scheme you’ll be able to capture with the reds and the oranges of the sky just look beautiful with the greens and blues of landscapes. If you’ve read my article on color theory, you’ll know exactly what I mean!
I love the thrill of photographing a stunning sunset! Yup, go ahead and say it. I’m a little photography nerd, I don’t mind.
Sometimes, the sky just lights up on fire for 10 seconds or so and you have to be ready to capture it! I usually wait about 15-20 minutes after the sun goes down behind the horizon to catch the sky ablaze for those 10 short seconds.
3 – TAKE A STEP TO THE LEFT
My point here is to take some time to scout out your scene before shooting. Sometimes if you take just one small step over to the left or the right, it makes a difference. Perhaps that tree branch no longer cuts off the mountain in the distance or maybe that river-bend can be squeezed all the way into the scene as well.
Just take a moment to think about how the parts of the scene affect each other and you won’t have to look back at your photo after a 4 hour drive home doing a little hot temper Yosemite Sam dance because now you have to spend 2 hours in Photoshop erasing that darn tree branch from the scene!
Yes, I’ve done that… Yosemite Sam dance and all!
4 – COMPOSITION
Try to include a foreground, mid ground and background in your landscape composition.
If you can find some leading lines, like a meandering river to lead to a mountain in the distance, you’re golden! You see, the viewer’s eye will follow the meandering river through the scene to the beautiful mountain in the distance. It’s kind of like you’re leading them to where you want them to look in your scene.
See how the line from the path leads your eye to that beautiful sunset? Thank you good composition techniques!
5 – FRAMING THE SCENE
This can also go along with composition but I love when I can frame my landscapes with a bit of foliage from either above or below. It just envelops you and pulls you into the scene even more!
Photos like this are just lighting up Instagram. And they are for a reason, check out how beautiful some of these examples are:
Feel like you’re right there in the scene? Me too!
This leads us straight into the next tip…
6 – GET DOWN LOW
This article is titled the way it is for a reason. We know what to expect to see at eye level when standing right? Well, in order to make your photos to stand out, get down low and create a unique perspective that will make others do a double take and have them wonder for a moment how you got that shot!
6 – DON’T HIDE FROM THE RAIN
Oh my goodness can you ever get some beautiful photos either during or just after a rainstorm, especially near mountains or rainforests. Plus, it also smells great when your out taking these photos too!
Pro Tip: Be sure to bring a shower cap along and it’s not for you, it’s for your camera. It will come in very handy especially if you’ve set up your tripod and are in-between shots.
7 – SHOW MOTION
Yup, you read that right, show motion! What I mean by this is try using a long exposure to make the ocean waves look dreamy for example. Also, the stretched out clouds you can capture with a long exposure will make your photos just a little bit different from everyone else’s!
In order to do this, bring a Variable ND Filter so you can play around with your shutter speed a bit. Try something like 20 seconds if the clouds are moving quickly.
This photo was taken with a 359 second shutter speed with a Variable ND Filter and Intervalometer Remote. (I used this remote to be able to set my exposure exactly to 359 seconds because my camera only allows me to go up to 30 seconds).
This tip ties in to the next one too. Perfect!
8 – USE A TRIPOD
If you’re using a long exposure, do yourself a favour and invest in a tripod. If you’re photographing landscapes, chances are you’ve taken the time to scout out the scene like I’ve noted above and using a tripod will just ensure the non-moving parts of your scene will be nice and crisp with a long exposure.
9 – LOOK FOR CONTRASTING COLORS
Fall is my favourite season for a reason. It’s just so darn beautiful!
If you’re photographing landscapes, chances are your scenes will include some blues and greens. To make your photos stand out, try marrying some maple leaves that have turned red with the green moss on rocks beside the waterfall.
A couple other examples of contrasting colors are:
- Orange and Blue
- Purple and Yellow
Try to look for these color combinations to really make your photos pop! If you’d like more info on contrasting colors be sure to check out this post!
10 – POLARIZER
If there is one accessory that I wouldn’t want to go without for landscapes, it’s my Polarizing Filter.
Basically, a polarizing filter (also called Circular Polarizing Filter or CPL) is a filter that can be added to your camera lens. It filters out certain wavelengths of light that cause reflections on non-metallic surfaces, like water or foliage.
They’re often used in landscape photography because it deepens the blues and greens. For more information, check out this article on Polarizers. I’ve included some tips and tricks to make things a little easier when you’re out on your adventure too!
SUMMARY
There we have it. 10 tips to make your landscape photos stand out! To summarize, here’s what we’ve covered in this article:
- Straight Horizon – we see the world with a straight horizon line so make sure your camera does too!
- Timing – the incredible colours you can capture around sunrise and sunset will definitely make your photos stand out.
- Take a Step to the Left – just be sure to take a moment to make sure nothing is being cut off in your scene unnecessarily like a riverbend for example.
- Composition – Include a foreground, mid ground and background as well as leading lines when possible to really draw your viewers into the scene.
- Framing the Scene – to make your viewers feel like they’re there with you, try framing the scene with some beautiful wildflowers. It will kind of feel like your peeking in, like Simba in the tall grass from the Lion King. (I know, I didn’t have to actually say it’s from the Lion King – but just in case!)
- Get Down Low – create a perspective that’s different from everyone else’s by actually laying in the grass… unless you have allergies to grass…
- Show Motion – use a long exposure to create a photo that’s different from what our eyes typically see. Try creating a dreamy look with ocean waves by using a 5 second exposure, or stretch out those fast-moving clouds with a 20 second exposure.
- Use a Tripod – this goes along with showing motion… don’t forget your tripod!
- Look for Contrasting Colors – create more powerful photos by using contrasting colors like blues and oranges, greens and reds or purples and yellows.
- Polarizer – a Polarizer or CPL is truly a must have for landscape photography so be sure to add one to your bag. Trust me, you’ll be happy you did!
BONUS NOTES!
If you’re a beginner in DSLR photography and you’re looking for more tips to improve your skills, make sure to sign up for our FREE 8 Essential DSLR Photography Tips for Beginners.
These are the tips that gave me creative control over my photos. Now, I actually understand how to use my DSLR to get the feeling I want and capture the moment each and every time and you can do it too!
Click here to sign up for the FREE 8 Essential DSLR Photography Tips for Beginners!
Now pack your camera bag and let’s get out there and play!