DIY Photography

Hacking Photography - one Picture at a time

  • News
  • Inspiration
  • Reviews
  • Tutorials
  • DIY
  • Gear
Search

Submit A Story

How this simple color tip can dramatically improve your landscape photography

Mar 2, 2023 by Alex Baker Leave a Comment

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

Want to take your landscape and fine art images up several levels? Then it might be time to consider how color affects the emotion within your photographs.

In this video, landscape photographer Christian Irmler talks about how you can make conscious decisions about color, even in your landscape images.

Christian starts by explaining his thoughts on what elevates a photograph from a snapshot to a piece of art. In his mind, that’s where the importance of color comes into play. A painting, he explains, is a form of simplified reality. If you want your photographs to have that fine art look, then you need to embrace that simplified reality.

Christian says that he achieves this simplification through his choices concerning color. Many of his images are based around just one or two main colors. A warm orange at sunset or a cool blue and yellow, for example. The rest of the palette is fairly neutral.

Color theory generally states that different colors evoke different moods, so you can use that to your advantage. Similarly, a bright warm color will immediately attract the eye. A tiny pop of red, for example, will instantly draw the viewer’s attention, and you can use that to move their eye towards the important features in the image.

Now, of course, this is easy to address in post-processing but less easy when you are out in the field with your camera. However, by consciously simplifying the image in your frame and choosing what to include and what to leave out, you can move your photos towards a more artistic impression.

We actually have a lot more choice over what to include in a composition when we take the time to pause and really think about your intentions behind a photograph before you hit the shutter.

It’s an interesting and simple approach and not something that a lot of landscape photographers think about. They are too busy chasing the light and finding an epic composition. But sometimes, the more simple, quieter approach can be better.

What do you think? Do you consciously think about color in your landscape images?

FIND THIS INTERESTING? SHARE IT WITH YOUR FRIENDS!

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

Related posts:

Try this one simple tip to drastically improve your landscape photography compositionsTry this one simple tip to drastically improve your landscape photography compositions Quick tip: This single setting will dramatically increase your backup to the cloud backup speed Use Color Burn and Color Dodge to quickly add color and contrast to your photos Seven simple ideas to improve your photography in 2019

Filed Under: Tutorials Tagged With: color theory, landscape photography

About Alex Baker

Alex Baker is a portrait and lifestyle driven photographer based in Valencia, Spain. She works on a range of projects from commercial to fine art and has had work featured in publications such as The Daily Mail, Conde Nast Traveller and El Mundo, and has exhibited work across Europe

« This is why self assignments will take your photography up a level
Amaran releases its first ever full-colour Pixel Tube LED lights »

Submit A Story

Get our FREE Lighting Book

DIYP lighting book cover

* download requires newsletter signup
DIYPhotography

Recent Comments

Free Resources

Advanced lighting book

Recent Posts

  • Insta360 announces its first gimbal – The Insta360 Flow
  • World Press Photo 2023 regional winners show why AI will never kill photography
  • Meta is introducing a verified badge, but of course it’s not free
  • Astrophotographers, don’t miss the “celestial parade” as five planets align this week
  • DIYP Reviews the Laowa Argus 28mm f/1.2 lens for still photographers

Alex Baker is a portrait and lifestyle driven photographer based in Valencia, Spain. She works on a range of projects from commercial to fine art and has had work featured in publications such as The Daily Mail, Conde Nast Traveller and El Mundo, and has exhibited work across Europe

Dave Williams is an accomplished travel photographer, writer, and best-selling author from the UK. He is also a photography educator and published Aurora expert. Dave has traveled extensively in recent years, capturing stunning images from around the world in a modified van. His work has been featured in various publications and he has worked with notable brands such as Skoda, EE, Boeing, Huawei, Microsoft, BMW, Conde Nast, Electronic Arts, Discovery, BBC, The Guardian, ESPN, NBC, and many others.

John Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.

Dunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.

Copyright © DIYPhotography 2006 - 2023 | About | Contact | Advertise | Write for DIYP | Full Disclosure | Privacy Policy