Landscape photography is one of my favorite genres, and if you’re anything like me, you’ll love the winning photos of the 2021 Natural Landscape Photography Awards. The best image of the year shows the tip of an iceberg, and wouldn’t let me stop staring at it in awe. But it’s only… well, a tip of the iceberg, as this contest showcases plenty more stunning photos in the winners’ gallery. So, let’s check them out!
Stop only using ISO 100 in landscape photography
As a landscape photographer, perhaps you’ve been advised not to increase your ISO over 100 or 160. I’ve seen this piece of advice many times, and I know a few people who rely on it way too much. But should you really stay at the lowest ISO at all times? Should astrophotography be the only time you increase it? In this video, Mark Denney goes over two situations when using higher ISO is a must. As a bonus, he shares a useful trick to help you determine just how high you can go without fear of compromising image quality.
Here’s how to use focus stacking to shoot landscapes with complete front-to-back sharpness
One of the biggest issues with landscape photography is ensuring that you have enough depth of field to cover the entire front-to-back distance of the scene you want to capture. With some lenses, sure, if your nearest subject is at least a certain distance away, and your aperture’s small enough, you can get pretty close. But the only way to really ensure complete front-to-back sharpness is with focus stacking.
It’s a technique that’s more commonly associated with macro, where you often have a paper-thin depth of field. But it’s also very effective for shooting landscapes, too. In this video, Mark Denney walks us through his process for shooting and then compositing stacked images for maximum focal range.
Here are 15 inspiring landscape photographers
There is a plethora of very talented landscape photographers out in the field these days, both hobbyists and professionals alike. The following is a collection of some of them, and may you enjoy their talent, craftsmanship and dedication to the genre.
Twenty meters of rocks — revisiting the same spot multiple times
Tyrifjorden is one of Norway’s largest lakes. Along its shores I have found a spot which I have visited frequently the past years. It has become my favorite location for sunrises especially during winter when the sun rises right in front of me. The images included cover a stretch of roughly twenty meter of rather photogenic rocks. Due to various water levels, snow, perspective and other factors almost every image has a unique quality in spite of being shot at the same place.
How to blend two landscape photographs together in Photoshop
Part of the joy of landscape photography for me is standing around and waiting for the light to change. You put your camera on its tripod, compose a shot and wait, taking photos every few minutes, whenever the sky or light or whatever looks interesting.
I caught the tail end of a storm in Santorini, Greece, with heavy clouds blowing over right at sunset. An hour or so later and it was blue hour, with streetlights and buildings lit up. Both photos are below, after being edited in Lightroom using the Lightroom Develop System.
Landscape photographers, don’t overuse these five techniques
Just like there are trends in fashion, there are also trends in photography. Just remember those overdone HDR images that were all the rage some ten years ago. But trends change, and there are now other techniques that photographers tend to overuse. In this video, James Popsys talks about five photography techniques you’ll often see in landscape photos, and why they shouldn’t be used that often. Are you “guilty” of overusing these, too?
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.
These stunning aerial landscapes of Namibia look like abstract paintings
Aerial photography gives us an entirely new perspective and a new view of the world around us. I always find it exciting to see this new perspective, and so does Australian photographer Leah Kennedy. So, she took her gear and flew over vast landscapes of Namibia in a helicopter or a small aircraft. She played with the aerial view in search of abstraction, and this has resulted in some fascinating, painting-like images.
15 inspiring landscape photographers you should follow
I believe we all now and then are envious of others’ photography — their skills, the conditions they experienced, the epic locations they visit, the accolades they receive and so on. We can either let this emotion make our lives miserable or we can channel it into something positive where we strive to improve our own skills and develop our talent. In other words, we turn envy into inspiration and motivation. May the tremendously gifted photographers featured in this article inspire you just like they inspire me. Each of the photographers has written a few words about themselves.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- Next Page »
FIND THIS INTERESTING? SHARE IT WITH YOUR FRIENDS!