Do you like taking pictures and enjoy nature and outdoors? Do you often take your camera out with you on country drives or nature hikes? Are you the person who stops when they see a beautiful landscape to take pictures? Then, to some degree, you're already a landscape photographer.

If you look through your pictures and notice that you have a lot of landscape or nature photos, that's a sign that you might consider becoming a landscape photographer. It is a relatively easy genre to get into. Taking the jump into landscape photography as a profession is a great way to combine two passions into something more than a hobby! Here's everything you need to know about landscape photography.

WHAT IS LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY?

Landscape photography captures the natural world through photographic imagery. It can include things such as rivers, oceans, deserts, mountains, animals, sky, and other scenery. It also can include man-made elements such as buildings, but typically, photographers strive to capture natural landscapes without the influence of man.

As with all photography genres, four key factors affect images:

Equipment
Technique
Post Processing
Light

You'll need to learn how to master the latter two after investing in some equipment. Knowing what gear to buy, however, is key both for your wallet and your photography.

1. EQUIPMENT

You do not need top-of-the-line equipment to take and create beautiful images. However, you do need quality, reliable equipment that can produce vibrant, sharp images. A camera with a large sensor, good in-camera features, great support, and an extensive selection of solid lenses and filters is ideal for landscape photography. But that's not all.
You need a camera that can take good pictures and withstand unfavourable weather conditions. Let's face it. If you're going to shoot landscape photography, you're going to go up against the weather at some point. A hiking camera can be a good option. And sometimes, it will be seriously challenging conditions for both you and your camera equipment. Your gear should be able to take a decent beating and still work for the best results.

Camera Selection: A high-resolution digital camera should be sufficient for taking good landscape images. If you're a film buff, there's no reason why you can't also use a film camera for at least some of your work. But for the efficiency and convenience of post-production editing, digital cameras can have a significant advantage.

With software as sophisticated as Lightroom and Photoshop at your fingertips, shooting with a digital camera can produce great images that you can elevate into amazing using the software in post-processing. Digital cameras also afford you the added convenience of being able to review images out in the field.

You can jump in with an entry-level DSLR or mirrorless camera and all the necessary accessories (lens, etc.) for under $1,000. But, be prepared to shell out more for a full-frame, high-resolution camera, you'll need to pay more while looking at stalwarts of photography like Canon, Nikon, Sony, Pentax, and the granddaddy of them all Leica.

Medium format manufacturers include Phase One, Mamiya, and the other granddaddy of photography, Hasselblad. Your budget, current experience, and goals for gaining more experience are all factors to consider when picking out a higher-end camera.

If you're on a tighter budget, look at cropped sensor cameras, which will save you some money while still being good cameras for landscape photography. The only caveat is that they're not always the most weather-resistant, so you will need to take extra measures to ensure they're protected from the elements. Also, it's important to note that cheaper cameras often sacrifice features you'd find on higher-end cameras.

If we take a look at ideal cameras for landscape photography without considering budget, here's how we'd rank them:

Medium format digital cameras
High-resolution, full-frame digital cameras with premium features
Low-cost, full-frame digital cameras
High-end, cropped-sensor cameras
Entry-level cropped-sensor cameras

Lenses: You can't take pictures without a lens. When it comes to shooting great images, a camera is essential, but so is the good lens! If you have a high-quality camera and a poor-quality lens, good luck producing excellent images. It's going to be near impossible to pull off. You need a lens that can create crisp, sharp images, good contrast, and with minimal issues.

When selecting a lens for landscapes, you need to be sure there are no issues with decentering if you're going to be shooting landscape images. You'll need the entire image to be crisp because, in landscape photography, foreground elements across an image are usually important and need to appear sharp.

Prime/Fixed or Zoom? If you're shooting with a medium or large format camera, you'll have to use a prime/fixed lens as that's all that available for those formats. You have more options if you use other cameras. Zoom lenses used to be less desirable as they simply couldn't produce quality equal to a prime lens. However, modern optical technology has changed all that, and manufacturers today are producing excellent quality lenses on par (if not better) than prime lenses.

Probably the most significant advantage with a zoom lens is its ability to zoom in and out, which can be extremely useful when shooting nature or landscapes. Rather than moving in as you would do with a prime lens, you can rely on your lens to zoom in for you.

We're often asked if there is a particularly best lens for landscape photography, given the many choices available with prime and zoom. So, what are the best lenses for landscape photography? Our recommendation is to select the best quality you can afford in a lens or lenses that address most of your needs.

A landscape kit ideally should contain a zoom, a wide-angle, and an ultra-wide-angle. Some photographers like to include a prime as well. If money isn't an issue and you want to go more pro-level, consider a 70-200mm f/2.8, 14-24mm f2.8, and a 24-70mm f/2.8.If you're on a tighter budget, you might consider 70-200 f/4, 16-35mm f/4, and 24-120mm f/4.

Tripods: Even a beginning landscape photographer should have a tripod as part of their gear. Inevitably, you will be shooting in lower lighting conditions or a moving subject that just won't turn out without steady support. If there's even a slight possibility of shake, you should use a tripod. Some photographers opt to shoot all of their landscape photography, regardless of conditions, using a tripod.

You might want to invest in an inexpensive tripod, to begin with, but eventually, you're going to want to invest in a high-quality tripod. You get what you pay for. We can assure you that you won't regret investing in a quality tripod. It will last you for years, and you will no doubt need and use it. Your best bet is to invest in a versatile tripod to avoid needing to buy several.

Filters: As a landscape photographer, you'll find that filters are an indispensable part of your work. Rather than going into a discussion on filters here, we recommend several previous blog posts where we've written about them extensively:

2. TECHNIQUES

There are three significant elements in photography. Skip one, and you may or may not get the results you'd hoped for:

Technique
Composition
Post-Processing.

Technique: If you want to produce professional-looking images, you need to master your camera. Sounds obvious, but you'd be surprised! Mastering a DSLR or mirrorless camera is not an overnight process; it's not even an easy process. But, it's certainly a worthwhile endeavour if you love photography and want a rewarding experience!

You'll need to study and master shutter speed, aperture, and ISO. (Read more about all three here.) Those are the fundamental elements of all photography. It's critical to understand how all three work together, or you will never get out of shooting on Auto mode. And if you want to become a skilled landscape photographer, you'll need to get out of Auto mode at some point!

Manual Mode: You need to learn how to shoot in manual mode. Use the camera's built-in meter to see if you need to increase or decrease the shutter speed.
Aperture: Try not to shoot beyond f/8 (on APS-C sensor cameras) and f/11 (on full-frame) to avoid diffraction.
Shutter Speed: If you're using a tripod, adjust the shutter speed based on what your camera meters. If you want to freeze or blur movement, adjust the shutter speed accordingly by changing aperture and/or ISO.
ISO: You'll want to set this manually rather than using the camera's auto setting for ISO.
Image Format: Shoot RAW, Lossless Compressed, or Uncompressed. Set the camera's bit-rate to the highest number.
White Balance: If you're shooting RAW, set it on Auto. Keep in mind; you can adjust this later in post-production.
High ISO Noise Reduction: Turn this off.
Long Exposure Noise Reduction: Keep this on to help reduce noise when shooting long exposures. `
Back Button Focusing: Use or move focus to the back of the camera for convenience using your thumb while shooting.
Autofocus: It's subjective whether you use it or not, but just be sure to use the camera's live view screen to zoom in and focus accurately.
Depth of Field: Lens focus is essential (and often challenging) to master, as is the concept of depth of field if you want to shoot landscapes. Luckily, camera lenses allow us to both capture a wider perspective and get visually closer to a subject. However, you will need to understand the critical relationship between lens focal length, aperture, and camera to subject distance to be able to focus when shooting landscapes.

Let's say you have a subject in the foreground, but you also want the background to appear sharp. How do you achieve that? Would you use a wide-angle? The answer is yes, you would, and this leads us to the next technique you need to understand: hyperfocal distance.

Hyperfocal Distance: This is the focusing distance that gives an image the greatest depth of field. Focus your camera on the hyperfocal distance, and everything from half of the distance all the way to infinity will be in focus. It sounds complicated, but it's not. Let's say the hyperfocal distance is 40 feet. Everything from 20 feet to infinity will be in focus. This can help you get the depth of field you want - the background will be in focus as well as the subject in the foreground. But that's not all you need to keep in mind. Factors like lens focal length, sensor size, subject distance, and even aperture all come into play as well. For example, the camera to subject distance is especially important because if the subject is too close, you will not be able to get a sharp photo.

Calculating hyperfocal distance: Approximate the distance from the camera to the nearest subject you want to appear sharp, then double that distance and focus on that spot. Check in the live view screen to be certain it's focused and then play around with the aperture. If you can't get at a focused subject, try backing away from the subject. You're likely too close.

Composition and Framing: Good composition is critical to obtaining excellent images. A well-composed photograph is appealing and shows a sense of depth. While you can read more about general rules of composition, here are a few to consider:

Story: What are you trying to say with the photograph? What story does it tell, or you want it to tell?
What is the subject(s): Be sure to identify your subject or subjects and consider it while you compose the photograph. In landscape photography, it might initially be difficult to identify a subject, but look at the landscape and see where your eye goes. What draws the eye and interest? That is likely your subject. Other elements surrounding it are your supporting or secondary subjects. With time, you'll get better at identifying a subject.
Rules of thirds: While it's acceptable to put your subject at the center of your composition, it's usually better to off-center it. It's a more interesting look. Applying the rule of thirds can help change your subject placement for the better. Take your time composing your images.
Alignment: You need to consider the horizon and your alignment relative to it. While you can address alignment later in post-production, it's best done in the field. You might need to move your position to achieve better alignment.
Horizontals & verticals: Remember to take both horizontal and vertical landscape pictures. It's tempting just to shoot horizontal, but, often, a scene lends itself better to a vertical composition. A great example of this could be a waterfall shot.
Diagonal compositions: Horizontal and verticals aren't the only way to go. Try a diagonal composition as well or instead of. That same waterfall image we just mentioned above? Try shooting it from a diagonal angle instead. Also, try a mix of diagonal and straight lines in the same scene to give it an organic effect.
Elements: Use natural features in the landscape to enhance and add depth to the composition.
Tight framing: Try backing up from the subject or scene and then zooming in close. This reduces or eliminates distractions around the subject and draws the eye immediately to it.
Be observant: To be observant, you'll need to slow down, take your time, and just study the area or surroundings. Observe the landscape and the nature contained within it, whether it's flora or fauna.
Panoramas: Lastly, panoramic shots are eye-catching. You can achieve these several ways. Either crop the image into a panorama or shoot multiple images, then stitch them together in post-production using Photoshop.

3. POST PROCESSING TECHNIQUES

Today's post-processing doesn't look anything like that of 30 years ago or even ten! Thanks to the digital era of photography, you can do a lot in post-processing that would have either been difficult or unheard of once. Today, post-production edits are an integral part of all photography.

You'd better go ahead and get used to the idea and then master the technology. Computers are today's dark rooms. Having said that, you should know that some things are either very difficult or down-right impossible to replicate in post-processing. A case in point would be using a polarising filter in the field. It's difficult to replicate that effect in post-processing.

Here are some things you can do in post-processing:

Sharpness: You might not want or need sharpness for some images, but when you do in landscape photography, it can be critical to convey the texture of the scenery. To achieve crisp images, you'll need a great lens as we stated above under equipment; a high-quality, high-resolution camera, good technique on your part, and equally good post-processing skills.

Cropping/Aligning/Leveling: Crop the image as much as you possibly can out in the field through framing and composition if you're shooting landscapes. When it comes to cropping, I highly recommend minimising your cropping efforts for landscape photography if you shoot digital. It will help preserve the size/resolution of your image. If you're shooting in medium or large format, you have less to worry about because you won't lose as much resolution with a bit of cropping. Aligning or leveling images will also reduce the resolution. So, again, your best option is to do it all out in the field when shooting.

Enhancements: Aside from sharpness and cropping, there are many things you can do to an image during post-processing. For example, you can adjust the saturation, increase or reduce the contrast, convert images to black and white, and adjust the white balance - just to name a few.

Here are three more enhancements tips for landscape photography:

Be careful with dark shadows in the scene: Use the shadow slider in Lightroom to adjust the shadow.
Saturation: Adjust the saturation, but don't go overboard with it. While you want some degree of saturation, you don't want to go overboard, either.
Exposure: A particularly handy feature of post-processing is the ability to adjust the exposure. If you can do it in the field, all the better. Otherwise, you can make some adjustments later.

4. LIGHT

Last but certainly not least, there's light, a key component of truly great photography. An experienced photographer knows how to master both artificial and natural light. Landscape photographers, however, can only do so much with artificial light. They have to work with what's available when they're shooting scenery. The most gifted photographers will consider the time of day, the position of the sun, the season, weather, and what the best light option, if any. Lighting isn't as straightforward as you might think.

Best Light: The best natural light for shooting outdoors will always be early in the morning just after sunrise and just before sundown in the later afternoon or early evening. The worst natural light is at midday when the sun is directly overhead because it can create some strong shadows. Ideally, the best time to take landscape pictures is either at sunrise or sunset. Some photographers prefer the early morning, while others the late afternoon. You should select based on where you live, local topography, and the season. We suggest first scouting the landscape at various times to see what you think. You might find that you prefer one time over the other given on the local colors it produces in the landscape.

Seasons: Lastly, just as there is a good time to take pictures, the season will likely influence the shot as well, it depends on where you live. Fall in Florida isn't the same as fall in New York. The colors will be different, and the time will reflect differently the more north or south you are. Then there's the weather. It obviously differs by region and will affect your work and when you might want to shoot. To use the Florida/New York comparison, a December shoot in both states will produce completely different results.

If you'd like to learn more about avoiding mistakes, check out our blog post on this topic: Here are five mistakes to avoid as a landscape photographer.

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