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Christian Hoiberg

The secrets to great long exposure photography

I remember the first time I saw an image captured using the long exposure photography technique. It blew me away. The skies were stretched across the sky and the water as soft as silk. How was it even possible?

Little did I know that this technique would become a game changer for me. Not only did learning this technique help me understand the fundamental camera settings, it helped develop my creative vision.

A decade later I’m still fascinated with long exposure photography. My approach has changed during the years but it’s still part of who I am.

It’s fair to say that there’s been many ups and downs during these years. From learning the very basics to tackling more complex and creative approaches. Many lessons are learned the hard way and that’s part of what I want to help you avoid.

So, read on and I’ll tell you the secrets of great long exposure photography.

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Apply these five simple tips to add impact to your photos

Composition is one of the most important factors in creating impactful and memorable photos. It doesn’t matter how fascinating the conditions are; images that lack a solid composition are less likely to be remembered.

Landscape photography has changed a lot during the last years and it might even be fair to say that the term has become too broad, as there are many sub-genres and styles within it. However, impactful images all have one thing in common: they tell a story.

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12 tips for taking stunning abstract landscape photos

The grand landscapes are beautiful to view and probably the reason you got into landscape photography but the smaller details and intimate scenes can be just as picturesque. Capturing these scenes isn’t only a great way of creating impressive art, it’s also a creative challenge that forces you to think differently.

Abstract landscape photography is a great way to feature these smaller scenes that build up the beautiful vistas we love so much and, perhaps as important, it’s a way for us to slow down and learn to appreciate what we have. It forces us to become more aware and to pay attention to our surroundings.

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Seven unexpected tips for better landscape photography

Let’s face it. Half the articles sharing “the top tips” for you to capture better landscape images are rather generic. Sure, straightening the horizon and photographing during the golden hour may have a positive impact on your photos but will they make you a better photographer?

Instead of looking at those basics, I want to share 7 slightly different but equally important suggestions. These tips aren’t going to instantly improve your photography but they’re aimed at making you a better photographer. Take the time to learn and try them, and I think you’ll start seeing a difference in the near future.

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Three essential tips for landscape photography

Before a presentation we did during a bad-weather day on a photography workshop I co-guided in Northern Norway, I was asked to give my best advice for landscape photographers. I wanted to talk about some slightly different topics rather than repeating standard tips such as ‘straighten the horizon’, ‘use f/11’ and ‘photograph during golden hour’.

These tips won’t make an instant change to your images but they are essential to be aware of if you want to develop your craft and grow as an artist.

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Landscape photography is NOT a competition

A little more than 10 years ago I had a realization that would one day change my life forever. During an evening stroll in the local woods with my camera in hand, I became aware of just how much I love photography and what it means to me; it was at that moment I knew it would be a part of me for a long time to come.

There weren’t many online resources when I began investing time in learning how to better utilize my camera equipment. Neither was there too much buzz about it on Social Media.

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5 common camera setting mistakes beginning photographers make

Learning how to properly handle the camera is the most important aspect of improving your photography. While composition, light and post-processing have a big visual impact, they are second in line when it comes to where your priorities should be in the beginning.

Fellow photographer Ugo Cei has talked about a neat little trick he uses to teach his clients how to better learn the camera: use a brown paper bag to cover the camera, place your hands inside and change the ISO, Shutter Speed and Aperture. When you’re able to adjust these without looking, you’re familiar enough with your camera to move on (it goes without saying that you’ll also need to understand how these fundamental settings work).

Making mistakes is part of the learning progress but the sooner you become aware of them, the better. So, let’s address a few of the most common camera setting mistakes and how to fix them.

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Graduated ND filters or multiple exposures: what is the best option for a landscape photographer?

Using a Graduated Neutral Density filter is fairly easy and doesn’t require any advanced techniques in post-production but the easiest option isn’t always the best choice; due to the filter’s transition being horizontal, anything above the distinction will be darkened and anything below will be left alone.

This is a good solution when there’s a flat horizon but what do we do when there are mountains projecting above it? What do we do when there are large trees in the image? Using a GND filter means that they’ll be darkened as well. That’s something we want to avoid.

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7 steps you can take to capture images that grab attention

Capturing images that grab attention is a goal of any photographer. It’s exactly this skill that separates a good photographer from an average one.

An image can grab the viewers attention in many ways. A typical one the last years has been through the use of strong and vivid colors. However, such images (with many exceptions, of course) tend to give only a momentarily “wow”-effect, just to be forgotten as quickly. You want to do more than this, though. You want the viewer to remember your image. You want them to come back and look at it again and again. You want to trigger a certain emotion.

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The ultimate focus stacking guide for landscape photographers

It’s becoming harder to get the entire image sharp with the constantly wider lenses and more extreme foregrounds that are used in today’s photography. Even optimal apertures aren’t enough to get both the foreground and background as sharp as desired. That doesn’t mean that it’s impossible, though. Focus stacking for sharper images has become a go-to technique for photographers of all levels to achieve images that are sharp all the way through.

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Free Resources

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