PHOTOGRAPHY EXPOSED
PHOTOGRAPHY EXPOSED
by John Peters A.R.P.S.
LANDSCAPE
What does landscape mean in photography?
What is Landscape Photography? In simple terms, landscape photograhy for me is about photographing a scene in the great outdoors. You either try to capture a faithful representation of the scene or using your own skills, you interpret the scene and represent it in your own special way.
I always used a tripod, a cable release, set F16 and usually a slow shutter speed. These settings are not for a beginner, but that's what I used most of the time for landscapes where I usually looked for a good depth of field and a sharp image. The camera mounted on a tripod encouraged me to compose a shot. "Machine gun photography" is so easy now with digital cameras.
Taken as the sun was setting. Eileen Donan Castle. The midges had driven everyone else to their cars but I had my gear on for tracking badgers, complete with head veil. Consequently, I was left alone to make a photograph. The midges are a real proplem when they are on the go.
Torness Power Station from The Cove. Taken using a 70-200mm with a 1.4x converter and tripod / cable release combo.
The Devils Pulpit or Finnich Glen near Loch Lomond, photographed before it became a popular tourist attraction complete with restrictions. I had breast waders on and was able to wade in locations others could not. Either side of me, the ledges fell away to reveal 6 or 7 feet of water. A scary place though, like stepping back in time, no birds, little sound and no phone signal!
TOP TIP My EB method was developed primarily for landscape photography. The waterfall shot is a good example, no over-exposed sections here and a wide range of tones.
TOP TIP Remember, composition is king. Use F.A.C.E. before taking your photo, try to come up with something different and unique. A longer shutter speed was used to produce that motion, or milky effect in the water of the Devil's Pulpit shot, an important part of the composition.
TOP TIP Work the scene. By that, I mean if you think you have a useful location / subject with potential, take several photos and from different angles too.
TOP TIP I made a reflector from a bin liner and some tin foil glued on one side. This gave me a portable, very light reflector or a reflector I could also use as a false background. Don't discount fill-in flash, it's worth learning how to balance this with daylight. If you get it wrong, just delete the bad ones.
Taken with a small compact camera when out on a walk. Wait for the peak of the action, in this case the top of the golf swing. The red jersey is in contrast to the rest of the photo and burning in the sky and my EB (extreme bracketing) method contribute to the success of this photograph. When photographing a sport, it really helps if you know the sport, you can anticipate things or pre-focus where you think the action might take place. Note the rapidly changing weather conditions, Britain doesnt have much sun, but changing conditions often make for good photographs.