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landscape photography tips

Why location scouting will help take your landscape photography to the next level

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There’s generally two approaches to landscape photography. The first is to just turn up and just photograph what you see as you notice it. It’s a somewhat haphazard, but very therapeutic way of shooting landscapes. And while you’re happy if you come home with great shots, it’s the journey that’s most important. The other type are the landscape photographers that plan ahead. Neither method is better than the other, and both are equally valid. If you want to plan ahead, though, location scouting is vital.

This video from German photographer Michael Breitung talks us through his location scouting process and why it’s so important to him. It really can make a big difference and offer you a lot more consistency and reliability when you head out to create images.

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Why Leveling the Horizon Isn’t Easy

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It might seem like one of the simplest parts of photography: leveling your horizon. Most photographers want their horizons to be straight, of course, but this isn’t an area of photography that gets too much attention. And why would it? Leveling the horizon is a very easy task — right? In practice, though, it requires more care than many people think. You can’t just rely on your camera’s “virtual horizon,” or your post-processing software’s “auto straighten” tool. Our perception of a level horizon is more complicated than that.

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7 tips for taking photos in bad weather

I more than often hear landscape photographers complaining about “bad” weather and then say it’s chugging down. Honestly, I don’t know what they’re talking about. I thrive in stormy weather. Rain, strong winds, and what can sometimes be a bit of a problem, low hanging clouds – yes it’s next to nearly impossible to keep your camera dry, it’s next to nearly impossible to keep the lens clean and it requires extra energy to keep up the spirit – but “bad” weather is not bad weather, it’s amazing. For two reasons: One, you can photograph during daytime instead of hitting odd hours during sunset or sunrise. Two: And most importantly, it can create some amazing dramatic photos with a lot of atmosphere.

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3 challenges you need to overcome if you want to do landscape photography

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Like every other genre, landscape photography has plenty of challenges. In this video, photographer Toma Bonciu shares three challenges specific for landscape photography – yet we may not think about them. While we worry about the gear, places to visit and the techniques we’ll use, there are a few other very important things to think about. Toma points out to them, and these are definitely the challenges you need to overcome if we want to devote yourself to landscape photography.

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This beginner’s guide will have you shooting great landscapes in no time

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Landscape photography means different things to different people. For some it’s about recording a memory of where they’ve been. For others it’s about discovery, and documenting the places they find. And then there’s those that turn up at the same location at 4am every morning for six months waiting for that perfect sunrise.

Whatever extremes to which you ultimately wish to take your landscape photography, we all start at the beginning. And in this extensive video, YouTuber Josh Katz offers a complete introduction to landscape photography for beginners. Everything from location scouting to settings guidelines to post processing tips.

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How to make a successful career as a landscape photographer

Making money from your favorite genre of photography sounds like a dream come true. If you are a landscape photographer and want to make a living out of it, Thomas Heaton has some valuable advice to share. In his latest video, he gives you five guidelines and a bunch of tips for succeeding in landscape photography market. A witty YouTube user described this video “like Obi-Wan passing over his knowledge of the Force,” and I must agree – it’s exactly like that.

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The dos and don’ts of landscape photography

I find landscape photography to be a fun but challenging subject. I just often feel let down that the image just doesn’t do justice to the location. Part of the problem I think is that I don’t think a photograph ever can ever really compete with the experience of actually being there. Although, it may just be that I’m just not destined to be a landscape photographer.

Photographer Craig Roberts, on the other hand, likes shooting landscapes. And he’s rather good at it – certainly better than I’ll ever be. In this video, Craig goes through his “Dos” and “Don’ts” for landscape photography. And you may not agree with all of them, but that’s ok. Some of them boil down to personal preference.

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Costly landscape photography mistakes and how to avoid them

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Regardless of how seasoned we may be as photographers, there will always be mistakes that sneak their way into our workflow.  For landscape photographers in particular, early mornings, late nights, and challenging conditions can lead to fatigue or distractions that cause us to lose focus (no pun intended) on important details that can make or break our photos.

I recently took a trip to California and spent time photographing in Joshua Tree National Park, Alabama Hills, and Death Valley National Park.  It was a trip that was filled with sleep deprivation and shooting conditions that I had not encountered before, and, as a result, I made plenty of mistakes along the way.  Some of these errors were minor and just meant that I would need to spend a little extra effort in post-processing compensating for them.  Others, however, were critical mistakes that made me unable to print a photo due to poor quality, or unable to use them in general.

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Checklist for landscape photographers: 27 points you shouldn’t forget

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Has it happened to you that you arrive on location for landscape shots and realize you forgot to do or bring something? Landscape photographer Toma Bonciu has created a checklist of things you mustn’t forget if you are into landscape photography.

Where I come from, we have the expression: “A smart man writes it down; a fool tries to memorize it”. Something like that. Anyways, I believe it’s always better to make checklists, especially when you have a lot on your mind. And this is the list you can write down and have on you every time you prepare for the shot, while you’re on location, and when you get home.

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