How to Shoot Landscapes with Your Digital Camera

When shooting landscapes you can try many different techniques to make your images memorable. Many cameras have a landscape mode which is usually represented by a mountain icon. This mode sets up your shot from maximum depth of field, meaning the foreground, middle ground and background will all be in focus. Use a tripod and shutter release for the sharpest image. Both of these accessories help to prevent camera shake which results in blurry images. A tripod will also keep your horizon line straight. You don’t want to appear that everything in your image will run off to one side. You can create balance in an image to the arrangement and placement of elements.

Balance can be symmetrical as it is in the photo of these three or it can be asymmetrical like in the photo of this rock formation. To capture expensive vistas, a wide-angle lens serves you well. You can attach a wide-angle lens to any digital SLR camera. If you’re shooting with a digital SLR use your LCD menu to select a small aperture setting. Aperture stated in f-stops controls the size of the lens opening which determines how much light passes through it. A smaller opening like F16 increases your depth of field. Also, select a slower shutter speed. Shutter speed controls how long the shutter stays open. A setting like 1/30th of a second allows in more light and makes for a more effective landscape portrait.

You don’t want a grainy landscape image. So keep a low ISO of about 100 to 200. Your camera’s ISO control adjusts the cameras sensitivity to light. The lower the ISO, the lower the amount of graininess or image speckles in your photograph. Include people or animals to gain a sense of scale or contrast or even a point of interest. Just remember, if the people or animals are moving you need to increase your shutter speed in order to prevent motion blur. Pump it up to 1 1/25th of a second and you should be fine. Take advantage of reflections if you’re shooting water. Shooting at dawn and dusk will provide you with soft warm lighting. Stormy skies make dramatic backdrops.

If you have a boring sky, keep the horizon line high to minimize the amount of sky in the shot.


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