The MasterClass Series #26
Capturing a landscape
Equipment
EOS 400D (Sunflowers, Jaisalmer)
EOS 60D (Pangong, Shyok)
Fujifilm X-T10 (Thiruvalluvar Statue)
EOS 5D Mark III (Lolab Valley)
EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM
EF 24-70mm f/2.8 L USM
EF 24-70mm f/2.8 L II USM
XF18-55mm f/2.8-4 R LM OIS
EXIF
Given in captions
Editing
Adobe Lightroom Classic CC
In the concluding post of the MasterClass Series, let’s tackle the biggest challenge in photography, by far – adding the third dimension to a landscape.
The Story
Geographies are defined by the cultures, its people, and above all, the diversity and grandeur of its landscapes. Every new place you visit wows you with its scenic vistas, each more heart-warming than the other. You could be passing through mountains or deserts, driving along rivers or sea, traversing the vast green pastures, or cutting across a dense forest. You want to take back every dimension of the place. So, you make stops, sure to capture its beauty.
The Challenge
Once home, you review the pictures. All the wow elements are there. But the feel is missing. You find the images flat and boring. What went wrong? Before we come to that, let’s just understand that capturing that feel is the biggest challenge when you shoot a landscape.
The Tools
Photographing landscape requires some basic gear, an understanding of the art and craft of photography, some patience, and a passionate attitude.
1. Necessary gear
A decent DSLR (ideally a full-frame), a wide enough lens, and a sturdy tripod. I suggest a full-frame because the wide lens remains wide in it. In a crop-frame, the wide end of the lens suffers (e.g. in a crop-frame Canon camera, an 18mm lens behaves like a 28mm, since the crop-factor in Canon is 1.6x). And the tripod helps steady the camera in low-light conditions as you would not want a minor camera shake to ruin a perfectly composed frame.
2. The art and craft of photography
An understanding of the craft will help you get the correct exposure during difficult light conditions, and your insights into the art will help you compose cogent and appealing frames using the basic principles of how a viewer’s eye traverses a frame and takes in the scene. Appreciation of the art includes an understanding of some basic rules like the rule of thirds, use of diagonal, leading lines, frames, high contrast, and more.
3. Patience
While a landscape stays put, how it looks changes every few minutes. The ambient light can turn it from a boring, flat scene this minute into a magical, riveting one the next. Add some measure of patience to your quiver of traits if you are serious about shooting landscapes.
4. Passionate attitude
This involves being rid of some debilitating habits and inculcating some helpful ones. Getting up early is mandatory if you plan to get great sunrise shots. Being at the spot a few minutes to an hour early is necessary to plan and execute a gripping frame. It is Ideal to do a recce of the place beforehand. Don’t be lazy when you choose the POV or shoot vantage. Walk around, assess and imagine the light a few minutes after, and then arrive at the best spot to shoot from. Develop a keen eye for detail, and be meticulous in your planning.
The Shots
The human eye scans a scene and finally rests on the most gripping element that holds its attention. Remember this when you are out capturing a landscape. Ensure it has a singular point of interest with other elements complementing and adding to it.
Click HERE for a landscape with a difference!
