dcw03 08 landscapes
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The long days of summer are ideal for exploring the many different types oflandscape, says Steve Bavister
COVER FEATURE
YOUR GUIDE STEVEBAVISTER
Steve Bavister is an experienced photographic journalist and freelance photographer. He iseditor of The Photographer, a leading magazine for professional photographers, and author of
ten books on photography including Digital Photography and Take Better Family Photos
www.dcmag.co.uk/SteveBavister
LANDSCAPES
PORTFOLIOSTEVEBAVISTER
heres something special about landscape
photography. While many people enjoy shooting
portraits, sport, architecture and still-life, theres
something infinitely exciting about scenic work. Maybe itsbecause a landscape can change dramatically through the
seasons, or even throughout the day. Or perhaps its the
chance to get out among the elements and get a fantastic
landscape print for your wall. Either way, summer is a great
time for landscape photography the long days give you
more time to travel and explore.
Different landscapes demand different techniques,
which is why most photographers never get bored of this
kind of work. When we talk about scenic photography,
the archetypal tourist spots spring to mind Dartmoor, the
Lake District, Snowdonia, the Yorkshire Moors, and huge
stretches of Scotland.
Gaining confidenceIts a good idea to start with places like these because itstacks the odds in your favour and means youll be inspired
to try more challenging locations. In the same way that its
easier to get a fantastic portrait of someone photogenic,
coming home with some top images will give you the
confidence to do more landscape work . Youll probably have
to devote a weekend at least to these trips (unless you live
near a natural beauty spot) so, for most people, its not
practical to do regularly. Thankfully, there is bound to be some
great material closer to home
The lie of the landT
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WHY WE CHOSETHIS PICTURE
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Beyond the shore, thingsbrighten up, so take a fewbracketed shots to ensureyou get the exposure right
The characterful rocks givea great sense of depth tothe image. Use a wide-angle lens for best effect
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COVER FEATURE LANDSCAPES
WoodlandOne option open to everybody even in urban areas is
small pockets of woodland, which can provide somefascinating landscape images. There are bluebells in
spring, poppies in summer, fungi in autumn and bare
branches in winter, which means theres something
worth photographing throughout the year.
In dense woodland, light levels can be low, so you
may need to increase your ISO setting or take a tripod.
Full-powered bursts of flash tend to look harsh and
unnatural, but you may find it useful to switch to fill-flash
to cope with the high-contrast range, especially where a
shaft of light breaks through or the sky can be seen
through a canopy of leaves. Wide-angle settings are
particularly valuable in woodland, because they help to
open out the perspective.
Arable landscapesArable landscapes, where crops are being grown in
fields, are relatively accessible (unless you live
right in the heart of a big city). These provide an
interesting range of textures and colours, especially
now that old friends such as barley and wheat have
been joined by the vivid yellow of oil seed rape and
the purple-blue of linseed. If you can find an elevatedposition at a distance, its possible to show the
geometrical shapes and patterns created by things like
hedgerows, fences, banks, walls and dykes. If you
exclude the sky and choose a telephoto lens setting to
compress perspective youll be rewarded with an
interesting, abstract composition.
Coastal landscapesA completely different landscape is revealed where land
meets the sea. Youll find everything from undulating
dunes to volcanic rock and craggy cliff faces. Youll need
to take care to protect your camera from sea spray
and sand, both of which can play havoc with your
equipment. Down on the beach you can take wide-
angle shots with sand in the foreground and water in
the distance experiment with the position of the
horizon to see what works best. Nothing beats sun rising
or setting over water; and all you have to do is find a
location that faces east or west and be there at the right
time of day
Water, water everywhereIf the tides up or the winds strong you can playaround with your shutter speeds when photographing
surf breaking over rocks: fast speeds freeze the
action; slow speeds transform the sea into an
atmospheric froth. You have the same choice wherever
theres moving water, from the trickle of a stream to the
torrent of a waterfall.
In fact, whether you like to pack a rucksack and
head off for a riverside ramble or prefer to sit by the
edge of a lake until the light is right, youre bound to
be rewarded with some fantastic images anywhere
There are bluebells in spring, poppiesin summer, fungi in autumn and barebranches in winter
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Trees are extremely versatile elements in landscape work. Photographed from a distance
they add scale and structure, and provide a focal point. Grouped together in a copse orwood, they offer a wide range of compositional options with those in the foreground
pin-sharp and those behind out of focus. A telephoto lens setting compresses the
perspective and makes trees that are some distance apart look like they are close
together. Single trees look fantastic silhouetted again a sunset or stormy sky, especially
when the branches are bare, stark and graphic. With tall trees, using a wide-angle lens
and tipping the camera back will make them appear to go off into the distance. Many
trees have blossom or fruit, which contrasts wonderfully against a deep, blue sky and
the same is true for leaves that are backlit. Many trees have ornamental bark, and going
in close will enable you to capture some rich, detailed texture shots.
THE MAGIC OF TREES2
theres water. Because its sometimes transparent and
sometimes reflects, water possesses a myriad of subtle
moods that can take a lifetime to capture while just a
slight breeze will send any reflected image shimmering
into abstraction.
Extreme landscapesIf youre the adventurous type with a passion for
extreme sports, then youve got great source material at
your fingertips. Youll be able to capture some rare
landscape shots and share the experience with friends
and family later on. High altitudes mean that you can
capture mist drifting across mountain peaks. If youre
pot-holing, flash will be pretty much essential, and you
may need to crank up the ISO setting.
The intimate landscapeSometimes the sense of a place is better conveyed bymeans of a more intimate composition a close-up
rather than the whole of the scene. A collection of shells
or stones, perhaps with water cascading through
them, is often better than including the beach in its
entirety. A small clump of wild flowers is more evocative
than the whole of a meadow. An abstract texture or
pattern in which its not obvious at first glance what the
subject is, will be more intriguing to viewers than a
simple record shot.
Digital cameras are perfect for this kind of approach
because their close-focusing capabilities enable you to fillthe frame with fascinating details. The secret of success
lies in thinking small in seeing beyond the obvious
and selecting just a tiny section of the scene. Pictures of
this kind are best shot under flat, shadowless lighting,
which reveals the maximum amount of detail with
subtle tonality cloudy days are best.
The power of lightNo matter what kind of landscape you like to
photograph, its a good idea to do some research before
you head out. While you can just turn up at a spot thats
known to be photogenic and start shooting, youre more
likely to get good results if youve spent a few minutes
studying maps and guides ahead of time that way
youll know where the best vantage points can be found
and when the suns coming from the right direction.This is important because lighting is absolutely crucial
to success. Its one of the contradictions of landscape
photography that fantastically photogenic scenes can
look totally uninspiring when the light is flat, while a
vista you wouldnt look at twice can be brought to life by
gorgeous light.
Many factors affect the way the scene is illuminated,
including the season, time of day, weather conditions
and location. As a rule of thumb, its best to shoot
landscapes on a bright day before 10am and after
3pm. At these times the sun is low in the sky,
throwing long, moody shadows, and the light is warmand attractive.
The middle of the day is best avoided because the
light tends to be harsh and neutral-to-cool in tone. While
overcast conditions can work well with certain subjects,
sunlight is usually necessary to inject sparkle. The main
exception is stormy conditions, which can add real drama
to a landscape.
Of course, you cant control the weather the secret
lies in being at your location when conditions are at their
best, and sometimes you have to be patient and wait for
the sun to break through.
Composition mattersAfter light, composition is arguably the most important
element in landscape photography, and what you
select from the vast panorama in front of you and
how you arrange it can make the difference between a
winner and an also-ran. At its simplest, composition
is about deciding which lens to use, whether to shoot
an upright or horizontal picture and where to place the
various elements. But the real challenge is how to retain
a sense of depth how to capture a three-dimensional
scene so that it works in the two-dimensional form of
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GOING THE EXTRA MILEIf you want to capture stunning landscapes youve
got to be prepared to wander off the beaten trackfrom time to time. For example, in the main
image above, wading right into the cornfield was
the only way to capture such a dramatic, looming
perspective. If youre planning something similar,
do remember to get permission beforehand.
Youve got to be flexible about when you
shoot, too. The best time to shoot this scene was
at the crack of dawn, when the warm light
bathed the entire cornfield in a beautiful, golden
glow. A warm-up filter was used to enhance the
effect further.
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In lowland areas such as The Fens, where its as flat as a pancake, producing dramatic
landscapes can take some doing because theres not a lot to work with. One
approach is to make a virtue out of a necessity, and switch your attention to the
enormous area of sky thats revealed through the lack of undulation. Instead
of having a supporting role in the picture, it becomes the star the whole pointof the picture, with just a little of the ground included to act as a reference point.
Obviously, a plain blue sky wont hold anyones interest for long, so youll need to
shoot on days when theres something more interesting going on. Fluffy clouds usually
work well, especially if you fit a polarising filter over the lens to increase saturation or
deepen the blue in the computer, making the white really stand out. Using a wide-angle
lens and tilting the camera back will exaggerate the perspective, making the clouds look
more dramatic. Heavy cloud cover doesnt work as well because there isnt enough
contrast. Sunrise and sunset can be effective, providing you can find something of interest
to create a silhouette.
THE SKY'S THE LIMIT2
a screen image or inkjet print. The secret lies in having
something in the foreground, otherwise everything
can look a long way off in the distance. You might be
able to frame the scene with an arch or overhanging
tree, or organise things so that theres a bush or rock in
the foreground.
In situations such as this, the wider the lens thebetter and here those people with digital SLRs will
have the advantage, because optics are available with a
wider angle of view. This is particularly true of full-frame
SLRs, such as the Canon EOS1DS and Kodak Pro 14n,
though these do require an extremely deep pocket or an
obliging bank manager. Telephoto lenses are great for
picking out details in the distance or compressing
perspective for creative effect.
No matter which lenses you use, its important to
have a focal point something that draws the eye in
like a tree or a building.
Using depth of fieldIts useful to have a working understanding of depth of
field (one of photographys more tricky concepts)
and be able to put its principles into practice. As
youll have noticed, the way a landscape appears in
a photograph can be very different from how it
looked to you when you took the picture. When you castyour eye over a scene, everything in it seems more or
less equally sharp, but sometimes in the finished shot
only part of the subject appears acceptably sharp. This
zone of sharpness is called the depth of field, and it
extends in front of, and behind, the point on which the
lens is focused.
The size of this zone is determined by three main
factors: the aperture setting; the lens used; and your
distance from the subject. Varying these elements
gives you almost complete control over the depth of
field in a picture.
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