If you're like most camera owners and have a digital compact, this is your camera's time to shine. For most serious photographers, an SLR or DSLR is the obvious camera choice, but when it comes to landscapes, compact cameras rule because they offer a much better depth of field. All you need to do to get some great landscape photos is to set your compact to landscape mode and follow these tips.
Remember one of the most important things to taking great photos is the quality of light.
- For lighting that is soft, even and has a touch of warmth, take your landscape photos during the Golden Hours: the first hour after dawn and the last hour before sunset (unless you're taking sunset pictures.
- For intensified colors and subdued highlights, shoot under an overcast sky.
- For dramatic shadows, take pictures with a cloudy sky.
- Enhance the qualify of your image and add drama by photographing a landscape scene with contrast; for example, red and gold autumn leafed trees against a strong blue sky.
- To get an ultra soft effect, almost ethereal effect, shoot on a foggy day.
The next most important element of any good picture is composition. Here are some composition tips for perfect landscape photos.
- Compose your landscape photo so that the horizon looks straight. Fun, creative angles have their place in photography, but not in pictures of the horizon.
- Fill two-thirds of your frame with the subject of most interest, whether it be a dramatic sky or an interesting foreground.
- Look for lines. These could be anything from the obvious river or road to a line of shadows running along the sand dunes. If your image has lines, try framing your shot so that the major lines lead the eye toward the main point of interest, for example, a road winding its way to the mountains that are the subject of your photograph.
- Compose the photo with a point of interest in the foreground. This focal point could be a road or other line as mentioned above, a tree, person, animal, house, etc. The focal point won't be the main subject (the landscape is),but it adds depth, draws the viewer into the image and gives the eyes a place to rest, thus engaging the viewer longer with your photograph. In short, a focal point makes your landscape photo more interesting and more enjoyable to view.
- Look out for clutter. In a landscape photograph, clutter could be something like an airplane or power line overhead or a pile of branches or rubbish can on the ground. If you can't get the shot you want without the clutter, use a decent photo editor like Photoshop to remove it.
That's it! There is always more to learn about photography but just by following the steps you can start taking really great pictures of your favorite landscapes.
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