LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY laNDScapE pHotoGrapHy
Contents
1. ABOVE Without a lead in line or any foreground interest this scene lacks impact and depth moved closer to the wall to use it as a lead in line and took this shot looking down its length This leads your eye into the picture and towards the horizon but there is still too much empty wasted space either side of the wall 014 Composition Lead in lines How to composea scene WITH ROSS HODDINOTT Beautiful scenery and good light are still no guarantee that a photographer will take a great landscape image While they might both be essential ingredients to great scenic shots you the photographer still need to have the vision and ability to create a strong image When shooting landscapes you ll have ample time to consider arrange and fine tune how you frame the scene Composition is the art of arranging the elements of a scene in such a way that they are visually pleasing It is an ability that becomes instinctive the more you take photographs so dont worry if this is a skill that doesn t come to you naturally just keep practising and you will improve over time By using two relatively simple guidelines based around the rule of thirds and lead in lines you will see an immediate improvement in your landscapes The rule of thirds requires that you imagine the frame is split into nine equal parts by two horizontal and two vertical lines It s a technique use for the majority of my scenics A horizon that cuts centrally throug2. FINALIMAGE F 11 If you re an absolute beginner start off by shooting at f 11 if you can to optimise image quality and only use a smaller aperture if you need to get more depth of field How easy is that 034 Sharpness The Essential Guide to Landscape Photography 2nd Edition EXPERT TUTORIAL p M E SOFT BACKGROUND SOFT FOREGROUND j i ecl d TEF AT w AT Y Focus athird of the way into the scene for sharp results PETRUS WITH HELEN DIXON The normal practice for beginners shooting landscapes is to place their DSLR on a tripod focus on infinity and set a very small aperture to give enough depth of field to keep most or all of the scene in focus It s a tried and tested method that works well but can be improved upon by fine tuning focusing technique and the choice of aperture Looking at focusing first when you focus on infinity i e on the distance the depth of field will extend a third of the way in front of the focusing point and two thirds behind So while part of the foreground is sharp the area closest to you may well be out of focus Also you ll have wasted two thirds of the available depth of field which stretches beyond infinity Instead by focusing part of the way into the frame you can maximise depth of field so that it covers the foreground and the distance The optimum distance at which you should focus is termed the hyperfocal dis
3. which is very apparent in the crop er Z9 O RS U EXPOSURES Shadows These two examples on the right show why it s not a good idea to underexpose and then try to pull up the shadows in the processing The nearest image is around one stop underexposed to maintain highlight detail and the shadow curve has been pulled up to match the exposure in the correctly exposed version on the right As you can 566 not only is there posterisation in the shadows rather than smooth tonal transitions and tons of noise but also the sensor has recorded significantly less detail COPS gt Q ra CC JLLONICICIOH Exposure 021 AL UY WO e N 2nd Edition The Essential Guide to Landscape Photography 3 Exposure for coastal landscapes Achieving the correct exposure in coastal shots can be a bit trickier than for inland landscapes as there are several things that can fool the camera s meter bright highlights on water or bright white foamy waves can lead to underexposure On the other hand if you have chosen a large dark rock for your foreground this could cause the camera to overexpose SO you need to keep an eye out for any large areas of particularly bright or dark tones and apply exposure compensation accordingly It is good practice to check the histogram after each shot and be prepared to re shoot if necessary There can also be a huge range of contrast within any one scene
4. Our pupils open and close according to the level of light and our optic nerve has impressive range and latitude Our cameras i ERE v biog ss 1 Getthe balance right This image presents the landscape photographer with the greatest challenge extreme light levels with a need to capture detail inthe bright sky and the shadows And dont be fooled by that wet sand in the foreground It s reflecting a lot of light from the sky Of course it will be possible to manipulate the image on your computer but first you must make sure the exposure settings are going to capture the maximum amount of information across the whole image Overexpose and you will lose cloud detail and the blue sky underexpose and the shadows on the pier will fill in and become solid If your digital SLR doesn t capture the information you will have nothing to work with on the computer There will be an optimum exposure setting but it could be a compromise so if in doubt use your cameras bracketing function to take several images some underexposed and some overexposed nva The Essential Guide to Landscape Photography 2nd Edition jl Ind jr heto in Hetogram 020 Exposure 2 Getting the right exposure Mark Bauer was looking for a different view of Corfe Castle in Dorset so he sauntered along to the graveyard in the village Having found a composition based around one of the crosses the next problem w
5. The Essential Guide to Landscape Photography 2nd Edition YaNVE 036 Sharpness The effects of diffraction The more you close the aperture down the greater the depth of field so the usual advice given for sharp results is to use very small apertures such as 16 and f 22 However stopping down too far can actually be detrimental to image sharpness and this is due to an optical effect called diffraction The simple explanation of diffraction is that when light passes through the aperture of a lens the edges of the hole disperse the light waves As the aperture is stopped down the amount of diffracted light becomes a larger percentage of the total amount of light being recorded and the image becomes noticeably less sharp meaning less detail is resolved on the image APS C and full frame sensors are affected slightly differently and certain lenses will be more prone to diffraction than others But in general with an APS C sized sensor you ll start to notice the effects of diffraction if you stop down beyond f 11 and with a full frame camera once you go beyond 1 16 Of course you can use apertures smaller than that and decide between overall sharpness and depth of field relevant to the amount of fine detail you think it s necessary to record in any one particular image That said it s worth remembering that a 17mm lens on an APS C sized sensor will give you a depth of field from 214 feet to infinity when set
6. that represents an images tonal extent Whilst at first glance histograms might appear quite complex and confusing they are actually very simple to read They are an essential aid for digital SLR photographers striving to achieve consistently correct exposures in camera and are a more accurate method of assessing exposure than looking at images you ve taken on the LCD monitor Therefore if you are not already in the habit of regularly reviewing your images histogram it is time you did so With the help of this guide you will soon feel confident assessing histograms DON T PANIC WHAT IS A HISTOGRAM A histogram is a visual representation of an image s tonal range The horizontal axis indicates the picture s extent from pure black O far left to pure white 225 far right The vertical axis shows how many pixels have that particular value Looking at an image s histogram you can tell whether the picture is made up of predominantly light dark or mid tones Although its appearance is also dictated by the colour and tone of the subject a histogram with a large number of pixels or a sharp peak grouped at either edge is an indication of poor Exposure warnings exposure For example a histogram with a large number of black pixels grouped to the left often The majority of DSLRs are designed with a signifies underexposure subject detail will be obscured in the shadow areas A large number of playback function known as the highlights pixels group
7. 2nd Edition Focusing with the hyperfocal distance Landscape specialist Lee Frost explains how to use the hyperfocal focusing distance and aperture priority for super sharp scenics ONE OF THE FUNDAMENTALS of successful landscape photography is being able to control and assess depth of field to ensure that the image is sharp from front to back Aperture priority mode helps you to achieve this not only by forcing you to think about which aperture to set but also by making sure that once it is set that aperture wont change if light levels fluctuate or you put filters on the lens If the exposure has to be adjusted when shooting in aperture priority mode the camera does it by changing the shutter speed so the aperture remains constant This is vitally important because achieving extensive depth of field is not just about aperture selection but also focusing distance and a careful balancing act between the two is required to ensure the best possible results You could take every picture at f 22 with the lens set to infinity and most wide angle shots would be sharp from front to back Unfortunately this simple approach won t always work SO youre not going to get the best results Wide angles and zooms tend to give their worst optical performance when at minimum aperture and their best around f 11 so ideally you should shoot as close to f 11 as you can to achieve optimum optical quality and focus the lens at a distance that maximis
8. Landscape Photography 2nd foreground colour texture and patterns can all provide attractive foreground interest The delicate carpet of flowers is as effective as the strong shapes of rocks opposite 3 Lead in lines Lines represent depth in a picture and can be used to lead your eye into the picture and guide it around the scene Lines are everywhere man made such as roads paths and hedgerows or natural such as rivers or the coastline all will add dynamism to your photographs Lines don t have to be real they can be implied like the patterns created by waves over a longish exposure or objects pointing into the frame Lots of things can bring linear energy into your work otraight converging lines are very dynamic and can give a lot of impact to a picture but there is always the danger that the eye follows the lines into and then very quickly out of the frame again Pictures with only converging lines might have immediate impact but can still be unsatisfying It s a good idea to try and place some object of interest within the frame a figure or a tree for example to give the eye something to settle on within the scene Lines that curve gently in an shape lack the immediate impact of straight converging lines but can result in a more satisfying image They can lead the eye gently through the whole picture allowing the viewer to take in other elements within the composition d 0
9. Review results on the LCD revise composition and reshoot FINALIMAGE Adding a few leaves to the rock adds interest and impact and by slightly adjusting my viewpoint the foreground interest is moved into an off centre position which strengthens the composition be a tourist olympus co uk pen OLYM PUS Olympus E P1 Not an SLR Not a Compact It s a PEN Mane av Exposure The Basics 019 2nd Edition The Essential Guide to Landscape Photography The Basics 2 PERFEC EXPOSURES despite their impressive technical specifications make exposures within fairly limited parameters the aperture and shutter speed combination will be chosen for the level of light in the scene A perfectly exposed sky results in gloomy shadows detail in the shadows results in a burned out sky We need to help our camera to expose the right part of the scene or find the right balance The following expert techniques will help you capture perfect exposures by knowing what types of scenes causes problems and what action you ll need to take DIGITAL SLRs HAVE EXTREMELY ACCURATE multi zone metering systems with a histogram function to help us check accurate exposure 50 getting it right has never been easier However for more creative control you need to take things into your own hands The basic problem is that as we gaze at a beautiful landscape our eyes adjust constantly to register detail in the highlights and the shadows
10. a simple way of organising the elements in the frame so that they make a balanced composition As a compositional tool it s been around for a few centuries and is a simplified version of the golden section which iS uSed in art and architecture Imagine two vertical lines dividing the viewfinder into thirds Now do the same with two horizontal lines You then organise the main elements of the picture within this grid For example with a simple landscape place the horizon on one of the lines so that you have two thirds land and one third sky or vice versa If you have a strong focal point such as a tree or building you can place it on one of the points where the horizontal and vertical lines intersect This will make a much more dynamic composition than you were to place the focal point centrally which can make a picture look rather static Inexperienced photographers often put the subject right in the middle and it rarely works Moving an element of a scene to a different intersection can create a startlingly different image such is the power of the rule of thirds Don t be afraid to experiment with different variations on a theme RULE OF THIRDS GRID This image follows the rule of thirds quite closely There is approximately two thirds land sea and one third sky The lighthouse and obelisk are divided by the left vertical each equi distant from it NOXIA N3 13H 2 The Essential Guide to
11. and it s best done in post processing for more control If you are using Photoshop s Unsharp Mask USM filter a smallish pixel radius of 0 6 will usually give the best results Increase Threshold 0 sliders gradually monitoring the effect mms n the preview window as you do so The Essential Guide to Landscape Photography 2nd Edition Essential kit for shake free results A sturdy tripod is an essential accessory and O the right one will last you for years But just how do you pick the right one It s all about so heavy that you always leave it at home Turn to page 114 for a selection of tripods at various price points that are all ideal for landscape photography You should also look at investing in a remote release an inexpensive accessory that offers an alternative to using the self timer for contact free firing of the shutter compromise you want something solid but not Nikon sharpness but zooming on fine detail reveals that there is still some blur present This is probably because lm wobbling the camera very slightly as press the shutter release need a way of tripping the shutter without touching it Tripod amp remote Better still is a remote This will also lets you trip the shutter without wobbling the camera but because there is no delay involved you can be more precise with your timing This can be very useful if you have rapidly changing lighti
12. contact with the camera during the exposure to gain the maximum effect Wait for the wind open the shutter and whatever happens don t get blown away ABOVE POLARISER AND ND GRAD used a polariser combined with an ND grad filter to hold back the bright sky and ensure a well balanced long exposure Shooting in Raw used the self timer and an exposure of 1 6 seconds SHUTTER SPEED COMPARISON For this series the lens 10 22mm set to 13mm was focused on the long Marram grass in the foreground The only thing changed was the shutter speeds in a sequence from 1 50sec to 1 6sec Note how the movement of the grass in the breeze becomes increasingly blurry as the shutter speed is slowed My favourite image from the sequence is the longest exposure which captures the movement in the Marram grass exactly like remember it in the low winter sunshine 2nd Edition The Essential Guide to Landscape Photography Exposu re 027 09 02 2008 16 04 E0100 Tv 1 6 25 0 0 86 314 RAN th FINALIMAGE Dunstanburg g X The movement in p adds to the impact of the the histogram and the im review screen to check th L LE 4 LE 2 T fa e X y alae g 7 i ae Suen T Me ie v y 2 gt 4 4 1 4 t A TO M na ms fy h B erm du ub E A i E n p oo e 1 ms ba want 9 iA mx a PU Yes
13. images This guide is packed with expert guidance from some of the UK s most successful and popular outdoor photographers Our emphasis is on in camera techniques in other words how to develop your creative eye and master your digital SLR but we also cover the key Photoshop techniques and tools you need to add that final touch of class to your images We hope this guide helps you improve how you compose a scene so you can shoot landscape images like a pro All the best DANIEL LEZANO EDITOR Meet our landscape experts All our experts are regular contributors to Digital SLR Photography magazine For expert advice and inspiration to help you improve your photo skills pick up the latest issue available on the second Tuesday of every month For further information visit www digitalslrphoto com LEE FROST HELEN DIXON Helen is living the dream having given up a full time job to become a professional landscape photographer She is one of the UK s brightest talents www helendixonphotography co uk ROSS HODDINOTT Ross is an award winning photographer with many years of experience capturing the diverse beauty of the Britain s landscapes and wildlife www rosshoddinott co uk MARK BAUER Former teacher Mark is now one of the UK s leading landscape photographers and an expert on Dorset s Jurassic coastline andthe New Forest www markbauerphotography com A pro for two decades Lee Frost s one of the best known n
14. right much like that of an overexposed image 2nd Edition The Essential Guide to Landscape Photography Exposure 023 S Optio els istograry 0 5 Expose to the right Exposing to the right is fast becoming a widely accepted approach to help maximise image quality although it only applies if you shoot in Raw With this technique you effectively push exposure settings as close V jc ig ans to overexposure as possible without actually clipping the highlights The result is a histogram with the majority of pixels grouped to the right of mid point hence the name expose to the right So when you re confident you understand exposures well enough give this technique a try and try pushing the exposure as far to the right of the histogram as you can without clipping the highlights The image will probably look a little light once in the Raw converter but this is easily corrected with the brightness and contrast controls and will give much better results than trying to lighten a darker image CCD and CMOS sensors count light in a linear fashion Most digital SLRs record a 12 bit image capable of recording 4 096 tonal values over six stops But the tonal values are not spread evenly across the six stops each stop records half the light of the previous one So half of the levels are devoted to the brightest stop 2 048 half of the remainder 1 024 levels are devoted to the next stop and so on As a result the last and darkest of the
15. to the hyperfocal distance at f 11 enough for most situations To illustrate the effects of diffraction at different apertures we ve shown a series of pictures at f 8 f 11 f 16 and 1 22 focusing and overall exposure remained constant the only change was the lens aperture The pictures were all processed using the same software and settings when post processing More sharpening than usual has been used to make the effects more obvious EFFECTS OF DIFFRACTION This image shows the full frame The box shows the cropped section used to illustrate the effect of diffraction It was taken with a Canon EOS 20D and 17 40mm lens COMPARISON RESULTS The results may not be so obvious in magazine reproduction but are very clear in large prints At f 8 everything looks pretty sharp with good detail in the background foliage Things still look good at f 11 but once stopped down further than this instead of becoming sharper as depth of field increases the image becomes noticeably less sharp and detailed This is crucial in landscape photography especially when making large prints and it is this mushy looking foliage that spoils digital landscapes for many photographers 2nd Edition The Essential Guide to Landscape Photography Sharpness 037 2 eo 3 JJ D Z g e Digital sharpening Even after shooting the quest for Sharpness or more accurately its control can continue All digital images benefit from sharpening
16. 10 Composition 2 Foregroundiinterest You see the problem is the world is three dimensional and a photograph is two dimensional One of the main reasons that landscape images fail is that they don t convey the sense of depth that our eyes see Fortunately there are a few compositional tricks that we can employ to get round this rather frustrating little problem A very effective way to create depth in a photograph is to include a strong foreground often in conjunction with a wide angle lens Emphasising the foreground in this way will add depth to the picture by creating an entry point for the eye pulling the viewer into the scene and giving the picture a sense of distance and scale Wide angle lenses help this technique because they stretch perspective exaggerating the elements close to the lens and opening up the view beyond the foreground But be careful this can result in the middle distance looking empty and lacking in interest so the trick is to shoot from a lower viewpoint This compresses the middle distance so that there isnt too much empty space in the composition You ll also need to use a small aperture and focus carefully to maximise depth of field keeping foreground and distant objects in focus we ll explain how to do this later GETTING IT RIGHT The cow parsley and gorse both make an attractive foreground to lead the eye into the scene and provide suitable frames for the view beyond A wide angle lens
17. Cleveland St London WIT 4JD Company registered in England All material Dennis Publishing Ltd licensed by Felden 2009 and may not be reproduced in whole or part without the consent of the publishers While every care was taken during the production of this Magbook the publishers cannot be held responsible for the accuracy of the information or any consequence arising from it Dennis Publishing takes no responsibility for the companies advertising in this Magbook The paper used within this Magbook is produced from sustainable fibre manufactured by mills with a valid chain of custody The Essential Guide to Landscape Photography ISBN Printed by Benham Goodhead Print BGP Gs When you ve finished enjoying this magazine please recycle 2nd Edition The Essential Guide to Landscape Photography Welcome Heading out to the great outdoors to capture stunning images 5 a passion shared by millions of photographers from novices through to enthusiasts and professionals Heading to a location where we wait prepared for that fleeting moment where all the elements come together to bless us with an incredible scene is what draws so many of us to landscape photography Of course when that moment arrives you need to know what to 00 to ensure you capture the scene to its maximum potential The Essential Guide to Landscape Photography provides all the information advice and inspiration that you need to take great landscape
18. Colour Learn the relationship on colour in scenes 076 EXPERT TUTORIAL VASELINE A SCENE 078 EXPERT TUTORIAL WHITE BALANCE 080 EXPERT TUTORIAL BLACK amp WHITE 082 PHOTOSHOP TUTORIAL B amp W CONVERSION 086 Expert Gems Seasons Brilliant ideas to keep you busy all year round 096 PHOTOSHOP TUTORIAL SEASONAL COLOUR 099 Landscape gear The best equipment for outdoor photography 100 IDEAL KITS FOR YOUR REQUIREMENTS 106 WIDE ANGLE LENSES 110 EXPERT TUTORIAL WIDE ANGLE LENSES A 112 EXPERT TUTORIAL TELEPHOTOS P ar 114 CHOOSING THE RIGHT TRIPOD gn 116 CHOOSING THE RIGHT BAG 119 LANDSCAPE ACCESSORIES 123 UKlocation guide 40 great UK locations for you to explore 154 Perfect exposures Cut out and use our free grey card Oh deer Get more from every shot with our expert advice and extensive range of cameras and accessories J ESSC I S www jessops com Advice for life 2nd Edition The Essential Guide to Landscape Photography Introduction 007 THE BASICS e CAPTURE STUNNING LANDSCAPES we all want to be able to do it Fantastic landscapes inspire more photographers than any other type of image and on the face of it well it should be easy to do Find an awesome vista and point your digital SLR at it press the shutter and that should do the trick This simple approach will probably bag you a decent snap but often the image you capture will not do justice to the glorious scene in fron
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20. Sharpness 039 Mirror lock up Even with a self timer or remote release some shake can still cause blur thanks to the camera s mirror swinging violently as the shutter opens In my final picture I ve used my D OO s mirror lock up function to move the mirror out of the way before firing the shutter with the remote It s the sharpest result by far
21. THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY EVERY THING YOU NEED TO SHOOT STUNNING IMAGES WITH YOUR DIGITAL SLR 2ND EDITION AHdVYDOLOHd 307590 1 OL 3011 3953 3 1 3 FROM THE EXPERTS AT MOO VW MOOS85VW At the heart of the image Karen finds it easy to take beautiful pictures SHE D QE a mis 3 1 yes iH i 1 1 a are c i i Ape Lm Ef o gt vim NC i 7 Al NAT 1 xi F it E zx gl E T i E M 3 y ER ni 3 P UNE a 4 51 MN 6 ME ikon S jus Luth pi LORS 2m V Welcome 003 s XV Fan P y c LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY 6 9 The Essential Guide to Landscape Photography Produced by Digital SLR Photography at 6 Swan Court Cygnet Park Peterborough Cambs PE7 8GX Phone 01733 567401 Fax 01733 352650 Email enquiries digitalsIrphoto com Online www digitalslrphoto com Editorial To contact editorial phone 01733 1 Editor 0 daniel lezanoQdennis co uk Art Editor Luke Marsh luke marsh dennis co uk Editorial Co ordinator Jo 0 jo lezanoGdennis co uk Editorial contributors Ross Armstrong Mark Bauer Adam Burton Helen Dixon Lee Frost Matty Graham Ross Hoddinott Joanna Marsh John Patrick amp Caroline Wilkinson Advertising amp Production To contact advertising phone 01733 293913 Display amp Classifield Sales 0207 907 6651 Advertising Director
22. aking the picture when required always switched on by default Therefore If the histogram indicates underexposure apply positive exposure compensation If pixels are consult your user s manual and switch it on grouped to the right hand side and the image appears overexposed dial in negative compensation when you feel this type of exposure warning Using the histogram is a far more reliable method of assessing exposure than looking at images would prove useful Normally this is done via on the LCD screen particularly when trying to view images outdoors in bright light when the light the camera 5 Playback Menu reflecting from the LCD can prove deceptive haiga Inf T Histogram wm bneisser ine Hi b w qitessstec info 3 Histogram Channel RGB M i r Channels RGB v Mean 239 45 Level Mean 125 09 Level Mean 205 21 Level Std Dew 55 49 count Std Dev 55 33 Counts Std Dew 51 47 Count Median 2 Percentile Median 132 Percentile Median 223 Percentile Pixels 166000 ache Level 2 Pixels 166000 Cache Level 2 Pixels 167500 Cache Level PEAKS TO THE LEFT The histogram is skewed to the PERFECT EXPOSURE A typical landscape scene gives PEAKS TO THE RIGHT A well exposed shot of an left as the dark backdrop means many of the pixels a so called perfect histogram as it has a good spread overly light scene gives a histogram skewed to the are in shadow areas but the image is well exposed of tones and peaks through the mid tones
23. ames in the UK photography business with 20 books to his name and worldwide image sales www leefrost co uk MARK BAUER THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTENTS 007 Introduction to landscapes Be prepared to learn and exploit the fundamentals of landscape photography 008 Composition We reveal the key techniques you ll need to master to take perfectly exposed landscapes 014 EXPERT TUTORIAL USING LEAD IN LINES 016 EXPERT TUTORIAL FOREGROUND INTEREST 019 Exposure Master these simple techniques and your handling of light levels will be right every time 024 EXPERT TUTORIAL APERTURE PRIORITY 026 EXPERT TUTORIAL SHUTTER SPEEDS 028 PHOTOSHOP TUTORIAL RAW FILES 031 Sharpness The best techniques for super sharp scenes 032 EXPERT TUTORIAL HYPERFOCAL FOCUSING 034EXPERT TUTORIAL FOCUS FOR SHARPNESS 038 EXPERT TUTORIAL SHAKE FREE IMAGES 040 Lighting Predict and exploit the best lighting 046 EXPERT TUTORIAL TIME OF DAY 048 EXPERT TUTORIAL MAGIC HOUR amp SUNSETS 050 EXPERT TUTORIAL MISTY MORNINGS 052 EXPERT TUTORIAL TWILIGHT SEASCAPES 054 EXPERT TUTORIAL STAR TRAILS 057 Filters Use filters to improve and enhance your shots AF IPO 062 EXPERT TUTORIAL USING AN ND GRAD 1 mx 5 TERES TEATAN a m 064 PHOTOSHOP TUTORIAL DIGITAL FILTER 066 Waterin landscapes Why water works so well in landscapes 070 EXPERT TUTORIAL SHOOT MOVING WATER 073
24. and a small aperture of f 22 provides plenty of depth of field 4 Layers and planes Another in camera technique that can be used to add depth to an image is to create a layered effect Layers in an image can be created by having a series of overlapping shapes see right or by strong side lighting creating alternative bands of light and shade that can give the effect of a layering of light This kind of technique works particularly well with longer lenses that have the effect of compressing perspective and stacking overlapping forms Each layer or plane appears thinner and closer to the next exaggerating the effect Just remember longer lenses will produce less depth of field so you ll need to use smaller apertures such as 1 16 if elements are in the foreground or near middle distance This shot was taken at dawn near Lyme Regis using a 0 200mm zoom at around 100mm The longer focal length compresses the distances between the layers and the strong directional light helos emphasise the layers the early morning mists add bags of atmosphere BOTH MARK BAUER HELEN DIXON I m m Z g O zZ Com position The Essential Guide to Landscape Photography 2nd Edition 5 Break the rules Like all rules the rule of thirds needs to be applied with judgement rather than as a matter of course and there will always be situations where it can be ignored For example when shooting a scene where the sky 5 r
25. as sorting out the exposure Mark explains step by step how he tackled the challenge 1 This is what the cameras multi zone meter came up with without the aid of any filtration The scene is very contrasty and the camera has struggled to capture all the tonal information 2 Spot meter readings from the base of the cross and the sky revealed a difference in brightness of about 4 stops Setting an exposure for the land fitted a O SND grad filter three stops and pulled it down below the level of the horizon to the edge of the darkest shadow area at the bottom of the frame used a soft grad so that it wouldnt cut into the cross But there is loss of detail in the brighter parts of the sky so reduced exposure by two thirds of a stop and reshot 3 The result is exposed to the right see over the page as far as possible without clipping the highlights the histogram shows there are still dark tones but also plenty of information in the top section and crucially no clipped shadows 4 Astraight conversion of the Raw file looks dull the picture lacks contrast For the final version ve brought the exposure down slightly and added more contrast especially in the shadows to recreate the drama of the original scene ve also tweaked the white balance to add warmth and increased saturation too 5 For comparison purposes also took a shot underexposed by one stop This leaves the shadows muddy and lacking in detail
26. e area of foreground just short of the horizon and use Edit Delete to remove the area noting the effect in the layer palette preview inset 200 bx B Woqs gunep re 0 3 Levels Learn more about Levels Channel RGB A input Levels 4 1 09 Now it s time to tidy up the horizon so with the Eraser tool set to a medium sized soft edged brush at an Opacity of 55 gradually erase areas of the newly exposed layer revealing the original horizon exposure The slight feathering effect between the two layers creates a misty effect which further enhances the image s mood The initial layer work is complete so to save my work so far go Layer gt Flatten Image then File gt Save As to create a new file With both layers merged it s time for some overall enhancement so go Enhance gt Adjust Lighting gt Levels to lighten up the image and improve the definition click OK to apply the changes 2nd Edition The Essential Guide to Landscape Photography Exposu re Photoshop skills 029 FINALIMAGE STORMY SKIES AHEAD It s clear to see the benefits of shooting your images in Raw as it s possible to rescue more detail than if you d captured the scene as a JPEG Radim 200 pixels Hard Light h 1 Light Linear Light The High Pass filter is a far more forgiving way to enhance detail than Use Layer gt Flatten Image again saving a copy if required Now using sharpening To use it first go t
27. e corner into the distance composed the shot with one third sky two thirds foreground and with my camera set to aperture priority mode selected a small aperture of 1 22 to ensure back to front sharpness thanks to lots of depth of field DON T PANIC Positioning the horizon Though it may seem natural to place the horizon in the centre of the image more often than not it will produce disappointing results In this instance composing the shot to be only one third sky as opposed to half gives greater emphasis to the foreground and creates a better balance overall However there isn t a set rule to follow and you should base your composition on the merits of each scene For instance if the sky had been more interesting such as on a stormy day may well have considered giving it more emphasis in the frame 1 i h FINALIMAGE By altering my shooting position by a few steps was able to compose the scene so that the wall cut diagonally across the frame This lead in line creates an entry point and leads the viewer s eye ona journey through the image Summary How to compose thescene STICK TO THE RULES Placing the horizon along the centre of the frame will normally create a poor composition Instead try to follow the rule of thirds USE LINES A lead in line will draw the viewer s eye through the image and create interest Almost anything can be used DIAGONALLY DOES IT Placing your lead in li
28. ed to the right of the histogram normally indicates an image which is overexposed The screen Whilst histograms provide a graphic image s highlights will burn out or clip and this detail is irretrievable A graph with a narrow peak illustration of an image s tonal extent helping in the middle and no or few black or white pixels indicates an image lacking contrast you assess exposure overall the highlights screen or highlights alert is aimed SO WHAT SHOULD A HISTOGRAM LOOK LIKE This is a tricky one to answer Despite what some specifically at helping photographers to avoid people may say there is no such thing as the perfect histogram It simply tells us how a picture highlights burning out White or very light is exposed allowing photographers to decide whether and how to adjust exposure settings subjects in direct sunlight are especially prone Therefore a histogram of a light scene will be very different to one with predominantly black tones to this A histogram with a sharp peak to the or one with a mix of both However generally speaking a histogram should show a good spread of far right will normally indicate that an image is tones across the horizontal axis with the majority of pixels positioned near to the middle 100 mid suffering from areas of overexposure However point Normally it is desirable to avoid peaks to the right hand side of the graph as this is usually the iir alert dope ihr RE an indication of burnt out ove
29. eflected in water you might want to place the horizon across the middle of the frame giving the two elements of the shot sky and reflection equal weighting If there is no interest in the sky place the horizon higher in the frame or crop it out altogether To increase a sense of emptiness and isolation the horizon can be placed very low in the frame The beauty of shooting digitally is the ease at which you can review your efforts and experiment to ensure the perfect composition Hit Turku oye 1 2203 NVI 30 9 HIOS 6 Find natural frames A popular compositional trick is to use something to frame the view beyond such as an archway doorway window or the overhanging branches of trees Try using frost covered plants and gateposts to create a natural frame for the main subject of your shot Use the frame to lead the viewer s eye into the shot for some truly eye catching results Control the amount of sharp focus carefully Very out of focus framing leaves help keep attention on the main Subject slightly soft leaves might look like a mistake Use this idea with care as it can often be detrimental to the scene and can suggest to the viewer that the view beyond the natural frame is even more spectacular 7 Experiment with viewpoints Finding the right viewpoint is key to successful landscape composition Rather than shooting everything from head height experiment w
30. es depth of field at that aperture Over the page Helen Dixon provides a simple focusing method along these lines that yields excellent results My favourite technique is based around something Known as hyperfocal focusing which involves focusing on a point known as the hyperfocal distance where depth of field is maximised for the aperture in use Lenses used to feature a hyperfocal distance scale on the barrel but virtually none do today There is an equation for calculating hyperfocal distance for any lens and aperture so in true Blue Peter fashion did just that and created a hyperfocal distance chart which you can copy and refer to when you re on location The distances in feet ft represent the hyperfocal distances for each focal length and aperture If you focus your lens on that distance and set the corresponding aperture depth of field will extend from half the hyperfocal distance to infinity So if you re using an APS C sized sensor shooting at 24mm and f 11 focus on a point 9ft away and depth of field will extend from 4 5ft half the hyperfocal distance to infinity which is more than enough depth of field in most situations Before finally going digital back in the spring of 2008 I d spent 20 years shooting with film cameras that had no internal metering so used a handheld spot meter to determine correct exposure which then had to be manually set on the camera Thankfully those days are long gone Digital SLRs
31. ged levels fall or rise set accordingly other modes work 2nd Edition The Essential Guide to Landscape Photography Exposu re 025 D A Hu I C m Shotatf 22 Aperture priority allows landscape photographers to control how much of the scene is sharply in focus The Essential Guide to Landscape Photography 2nd Edition 026 Exposure Shutter speeds amp landscapes WT WITH ROSS ARMSTRONG Landscape photographers y understandably give priority to apertures but in some Situations shutter speed is just as important as it can be used to capture the effect of movement within a scene Because you want to maintain sharpness in landscape images by maximising depth of field you can really make shutter speeds work for you as the smaller apertures you ll require also mean slower shutter speeds This is easily done by setting your camera to shutter priority Tv or S on the mode dial This ensures you get the right exposure as you set the shutter speed for the desired length of time while your DSLR adjusts the aperture accordingly So why choose the shutter speed rather than the aperture Well setting the slower speed means anything moving when you fire the shutter such as flowing water or foliage blowing in the wind is captured as a soft blur while anything static like a fence or rock remains sharp and in focus The effect of setting a long exposure is to give images extra depth and dimension w
32. h an image normally weakens a shot but a landscape composed of one third sky and two thirds foreground or two thirds sky and one third foreground looks far more dynamic Another useful rule is to use some sort of lead in line within your composition A lead in line uses the natural perspective of receding or converging lines to create foreground interest The technique works well in tandem with the rule of thirds so try combining the two wherever possible Powerful compositions often have strong lines passing through them as they help to lead the viewer s eye through the scene to the point in the distance where the line diminishes the vanishing point All types of subject can be used a road path bridge walkway river ploughed field crop lines or fence By using such an object in the foreground leading into the picture you can transform an otherwise ordinary looking view Often a lead in line that stretches diagonally works best but don t overlook positioning your lead in lines centrally as this can also create striking results spent an evening on Dartmoor photographing the moors Though the evening light was warm the view looked quite ordinary but knew that a nearby dry stone wall would create more interest A vertical format worked best with the wall leading from the bottom of the frame to the distant view tried taking a few shots looking directly down its length then changed my position so that the wall led from on
33. have fantastic integral metering systems that are capable of producing perfectly exposed images in all but the most demanding situations so can t see the point in making my life more complicated than it needs to be These days my digital Hyperfocal distance APS C oa l SLR is set to aperture priority mode and multi zone meteri ng 0 cal lenc th 2 m 15mm V 20 mm zd 28mm JImm mn AJ Umm nt d lly stays that way Combined with the feedback DOUG OE a he Hoe Aperture 8 32ft 5ft G4ft 89ft 126 17ft 27 Soft 108 218 395f histogram I ve got all need to ensure get perfect exposures ll MM Ps ZR OO MM MM ae Mah ll in any shooting situation The same applies to you Vo 1 ONT SOM AN 6 409 8 010 AN OM OA Oe OS TN 2 9 fO oie MN Mon Hyperfocal distance Full frame sensors 1 5 H ELS UU mn i bd MN je alain al 10 f iTA H lava E Ik 2 He Umm 1g mm Ss Imm o a w v mm A Aul MM 100 ocal ler gt 1 T E LOmm lfm 20mm 6 HALLE Umm d Aperture too 3c oot STIR 1 1 3bft 6eft 138ft 0 It 12ft 211 48ft 9eft 178ft LOE IBS 2 TEE OM UN A Oft 125ft OAT iil eo oll 12 49ft egi 2nd Edition The Essential Guide to Landscape Photography Sharpness 033
34. hilst illustrating a real sense of movement The result is uSually closer to how you remember the scene rather than a lifeless image of grass with every blade in focus But remember even digital SLRs can be fooled Be careful not to overexpose an image when shooting for example a field of golden Sweeping grass in the evening sun As you lower the shutter speed the camera s chosen aperture will eventually flash indicating that the image will be overexposed You can of course check the image and the histogram on the LCD monitor for blown out highlights For even slower shutter speeds and the chance to lift your landscape photography to another level use filters A polariser will cut out reflections and darken blue skies to give clouds that wow factor as well as reduce the amount of light reaching your sensor by two stops at the same time You can further enhance movement and blur by using a Neutral Density filter which is a neutral grey filter that doesn t affect colour balance but has the effect of reducing the amount of light passing through it allowing you to select slower shutter speeds as a result For optimum results shoot at dawn and dusk and always use a tripod Shoot on darker cloudy days and let nature work for you less light means you ll get slower shutter speeds On windy days hang your camera bag from the tripod to keep your outfit stable A helpful hint is to use a remote release self timer and mirror lock up to avoid
35. hnique is especially satisfying as you are only working with image data captured in the original single exposure Elements 4 0 was used here but more recent versions are suitable too ma zu A rna Vua _ epg a E BHi l 028 Exposure Photoshop skills reopen the original Raw file and again the Raw control window appears with the image This time use the Exposure control circled and move the slider left to underexpose the image pulling back the detail from the sky area hidden on the original image Happy with the results click Open to take the image into Elements If you ve never used the Elements Raw converter before the first thing you ll notice on opening files is the image opens in the Raw control window above For the first step simply click Open leaving the settings as they are then go File Save As and create a Photoshop file psd as we are going to be working with layers now have two files open One contains the original exposure and the other is the new underexposed image With the underexposed file active go Select gt All then Edit Copy placing the image into the pasteboard memory Now can close this file and use Edit Paste to place this image into a new layer on the original file With the two exposures in place want to combine the correctly exposed foreground with the newly exposed sky With the sky layer active and using the Rectangular Marquee select a larg
36. ible but this can be quickly altered with the flick of the camera s input dial and the viewfinder display will keep you fully informed of exactly which aperture and corresponding shutter speed you re using it s no surprise that many experienced photographers rate aperture priority as their favourite mode These two shots show how different apertures can produce very different results Howother exposure modes work 4 w in We ve already established The camera sets the works ina You set a shutter You manually set These program that in aperture priority shutter speed and similar way to full speed and your both the aperture modes are tailored aperture to achieve auto but you can DSLR sets the and shutter speed to suit a specific correct exposure usually alter the appropriate SE independently of subject with and you can t aperture shutter aperture If light each other so various camera mode you set the desired aperture and the camera sets the accompanying change the speed combination levels change the neither changes functions like the shutter speed to give Ne i combination to use ifyouneedtousea same shutter speed unless you adjust AF flash and correct exposure HereSa a specific aperture specific aperture or 5 is used andthe them even if light exposure systems m eiue the or shutter speed shutter speed aperture chan
37. ith high and low viewpoints Higher viewpoints have the effect of opening up the planes in the image and is useful with standard and telephoto lenses When photographing well known landmarks it s tempting to use the established viewpoints but spend time looking for a fresh view as it s much more Satisfying to capture something original While there s nothing wrong with the first picture it s the standard view of Old Harry Rocks in Dorset Without having to move very far however a less photographed and more dramatic viewpoint has been found 22 O I gt 0 Y O I 2 e O 2nd Edition The Essential Guide to Landscape Photography 2 AN puc 2 3 y 4 E En 2 ir i r e er hw x IE pats X ET LUN tit n The Essential Guide to Landscape Photography 2nd Edition Off RIGHT Some DSLRs allow you to display grid lines in the viewfinder to assist composition This can normally be selected by accessing one of the camera s custom setting menus ABOVE used a Nikon D700 with a Nikkor 24 85mm zoom set to f 22 on a Gitzo tripod fired the shutter with a remote release also used a Lee Filter system using a polarising filter and O 6ND graduate filters together Ww t es Ys A iow n ta i T T de C ek AY m ht m V MA 1 T M 1 mW AM M I zh UE ER o 03 1 MS NA EN ye nm be
38. n t necessarily produce the sharpest results even though it gives the most depth of field 2nd Edition The Essential Guide to Landscape Photography The Basics 3 SHARPNESS LET S IMAGINE YOU VE J UST FOCUSED on an object that is five metres away How sharp will something be at six metres Or even five and a half metres The answer is governed by depth of field the distance either side of the point of focus that is deemed to be acceptably in focus As long as you control the aperture that you are shooting at then you are in control of depth of field and you can use it creatively There will be occasions when you don t want much of it at all and you ll get that effect by shooting with a large aperture like f 4 However for most of the time that you re shooting landscapes you ll want to maximise depth of field to get as much of a scene in focus as possible Foreground detail is important and has to be in focus but so does the rest of the scene This means using small apertures to get good sharpness either side of the focus point But just consider this last phrase for a moment and then think about where you might focus when shooting a landscape Many novice landscape photographers are happy focusing at infinity when shooting a landscape but don t forget that depth of field extends either side of the point of focus In fact the area of depth of field extends one third in 032 Sharpness The Essential Guide to Landscape Photography
39. ne mistake many photographers make is to always shoot at eye level if you are including low level rocks and shooting from a standing position your resulting image will lack impact Try moving lower and closer to your desired foreground and your image will spring to life Having said that be careful not to move too low and close or you risk unbalancing your image by making the foreground more dominant than your background For this same reason try and keep your subject matter clean and simple a fantastic background will be lost behind a cluttered or messy foreground Finally it s important to use a small aperture and focus a third of the way into the scene to provide a good depth of field By following these simple measures you can greatly improve the composition of your landscape images FE NO FOREGROUND INTEREST Without a foreground the image lacks impact and can look dull and uninteresting While water can make an attractive subject its muddy colour in this shot lacks appeal J Summary 8 1 a 2 5n f Foreground interest DO YOUR HOMEWORK Spend some time searching for the best foreground interest in your chosen area Don t just shoot the first thing that you stumble across AVOID CLUTTER Try to keep the foreground simple and clutter free GET DOWN Get low down and close to the foreground to add impact ENSURE SHARPNESS Set a small aperture and focus a third of the way in USE YOUR LCD
40. nes so that they run diagonally often works better than if they re positioned centrally The Essential Guide to Landscape Photography 2nd Edition TOP While your natural instinct may be to extend your tripod and shoot from a standing position it s worth trying low viewpoints too ABOVE amp RIGHT Using a tripod really helps with landscape photography adjusted the height until was happy with the composition and used a polariser to improve the colours By reviewing my shots on the LCD monitor was able to check the exposure and depth of field to ensure got the best possible result LOW VIEWPOINT Composing from a low viewpoint helps to pick out details in this mossy rock It is simple uncluttered and provides a satisfactory foreground but it still lacks something special WITH FOREGROUND By including a foreground the image immediately looks more balanced and eye catching However don t just settle on the first thing you find This plant is quite unattractive 016 Composition Foreground interest EXPERT TUTORIAL Using foreground interest WITH ADAM BURTON Because hooked on wide angle photography big foregrounds are a constant feature in my landscape images When selected carefully and photographed well a good foreground will bring a landscape shot to life and maximise its impact Photographs with detailed foregrounds can give the viewer a sense of being there in
41. ng conditions as did when shooting this location An easy way to avoid 038 Sharpness Shake free landscapes Landscape photographer Ross Hoddinott shows how using a tripod and mirror lock up is well worth the effort THERE S ALWAYS A RISK OF CAMERA SHAKE spoiling landscape shots Setting a small aperture for lots of depth of field along with a low ISO rating for the best possible image quality means that shutter speeds are always likely to be slow even in bright conditions This is why a tripod is seen as essential for this type of photography but even then there is always the risk of shake Let s see how using a remote release or a self timer can help you to reduce the risk of blur and how seeking out your camera s mirror lock up facility can lead to sharper results too Uude At 1 15sec at f 22 it s not surprising that handholding the camera resulted in a lot of shake that has blurred the image need a small aperture though to maintain front to back sharpness could raise the ISO rating to compensate but prefer to use a tripod instead to preserve picture quality moving your c camera while it s on a tripod Is to fire it with the built in self timer This way you can touch the camera but any movement will have subsided by the time the shutter fires Many DSLRs give you the option of setting the self timer delays at two or ten seconds 2nd Edition The Essential Guide to Landscape Photography
42. o Layer gt Duplicate Layer to preserve the Burn tool inset right with a large soft edged brush and the the original image Then go to Filter gt Other gt High Pass adjusting the Opacity at approximately 25 darken the exposure of specific areas Radius to around 20 pixels before clicking OK change the Blend Mode in the layer palette to Soft Light which helps to improve the depth of the image focus on the edges of the frame and build the effect up gradually MORE Dissolve Opacity fox LI Darken Lock 3 Multiply Color Burn f 1 Lighten Screen Color Dodg e Linear Dodge Overlay Hard Ligh t Vivid Light Linear Light The image is predominately blue in hue and l d quite like to inject a Change the Blend Mode of the new layer to Soft Light and then go to different tone to the sky area Using the Rectangular Marquee tool Enhance gt Adjust Colour Adjust Hue Saturation In the window start select the area above the horizon and Select gt Feather entering an by clicking the Colorize box and immediately see the effect in the amount of 50 pixels to soften the selection then go Edit Copy then preview Finally adjust the Hue and Saturation sliders until am Edit Paste placing the selection into a new layer happy with the colour and click OK 19 Rosebery Avenue London EC1R y gt ff EES s 2 www chautligital com Ha iil 020 7833 3938 e Imaging Solu
43. r Management Our on site and remote colour management services will take the guess work and frustration out of your digital workflow From putting together equipment solutions to creating proof quality custom ICC paper profiles let us help you save time and money and achieve consistent output UJ S g 2 Sharpness The Basics 031 front of the focused point and two thirds behind in other words you get more depth of field behind the subject than in front of it Obviously there is no benefit to having acceptable sharpness extending beyond infinity but what you can do is pull the point of focus back towards you so it s the end of the depth of field zone that is at infinity instead This way you ll get more of the scene sharp This technique is called hyperfocal focusing and has been used by professional landscape photographers for decades The optimum point of focus for any particular scene relies on the choice of aperture setting and the focal length of the lens you use and changes for full frame and cropped sensor DSLRs There are calculators and pocket reference tables you can stash in your camera bag or you can use a dependable rule of thumb that suggests you aim a third of the way into the picture with your lens set to a small aperture We ll be covering both focusing techniques as well as providing you with other expert advice to ensure you maximise image sharpness This includes revealing why using the smallest aperture wo
44. raph aperture priority mode is the most practical choice of shooting mode if you are photographing a subject or situation in which control over depth of field is important Landscape photography is the best example Generally when shooting landscapes you ll want to make sure your depth of field is broad enough to record the whole scene in sharp focus from the immediate foreground to infinity which means that you ll need to set a small aperture such as f 1l Aperture priority mode lets you do that easily because you have to actively set the required aperture When shooting portraits the opposite tends to apply you want shallow depth of field so that your subject is recorded in sharp focus but the background is thrown out Setting aperture priority on your DSLR of focus That means making sure you take the picture at i P e a wide aperture such as f 4 or 2 8 which again is easy Choosing aperture priority mode is simple all you need to do is turn your exposure dial when shooting in aperture priority mode because it s you or in some cases push the exposure mode button and select A or Av Your DSLR will and not the camera who decides which aperture to use then be set to aperture priority mode and all you need to do is rotate the small adjustment That said you can still control which aperture is set dial found either on the handgrip or on the top right corner of the rear of your camera using other exposure modes but it just requi
45. res a slightly to change your aperture If you lightly depress the shutter button to activate the exposure different and longer way of working In shutter priority S system you can keep a check on the shutter speed the camera has selected or Tv mode for example all you need to do is change the shutter speed until the camera sets the aperture you want Similarly in program mode you can use the program shift function to change the aperture and shutter combination that the camera has set until you get the right aperture Where aperture priority triumphs over these alternative modes is that once you ve set a particularly aperture the camera won t change it even if light levels change Instead the shutter speed adjusts to maintain the correct exposure This wouldnt be the case if you set the camera to shutter priority mode if light levels change your DSLR automatically adjusts the aperture to maintain correct exposure giving the shutter speed priority so your control over the depth of field is diminished Similarly in program mode the camera would change the aperture shutter speed combination in response to changing light Aperture priority is also a handy mode to set for general use when you re just wandering around shooting anything that takes your fancy whether it s architecture details abstracts or candids Depth of field requirements will vary depending on the shot one minute you need lots of it the next as little as poss
46. rexposed highlights resulting in lost detail Dess na E Roh 8 When assessing a histogram it is important to consider the brightness of the subject itself For CM ur eias 4i Hon e tes example a scene or subject boasting a large percentage of light or dark tones like snow or a Rn ME EU 1 ae or silhouette will naturally have an affect on the overall look of the resulting graph Therefore whilst it EE 0 ME pee e e l ae ge is is possible to make recommendations it is impossible to generalise about what is and isn t a good replayed on the camera s LCD monitor the histogram Whist an even spread of pixels throughout the greyscale is often considered desirable pixels falling outside the camera s dynamic you will also need to use your own knowledge gained through experience range flash or blink providing a quick and D graphic illustration of where picture detail is HOW DO l CHECK A PICTURE S HISTOGRAM Most digital SLRs allow you to VIEW the histogram burned out and devoid of detail To rectify on the LCD monitor during playback To do this press the playback button to view the image and this set negative exposure compensation so then cycle through the additional photo info screens until the histogram is displayed It s worth that the next image is recorded darker making this your default setting so that you can quickly access the histogram and assess exposure A digital camera s highlights alert is not immediately after t
47. s rt s Ma m HRS Wie Y ont m her u I ae 3 DAS M cuis A pe Pe em tts fe x y ia end e H t e EE X ae D DM THERE 5 Y 5 oa de mU mm cw d a SE A gS au n GR S aF Ne f We ul M U p dz mm ME tdem AD nsa n 33 lt M dn SES y 7 fas ee Aar a gt Aia 5 gt lt p e 4 X gt 0 1 ug fees F 9 gt d A1 1 4 4 LI m i ai my Wt ES 1 e A CON i 26 9 j X L N M i 04 a I Ps S C f l 1 y f mr x E Jd e We n ar T 0 4 gt J Ls 1 i 1 i N f IET yh Aa The Essential Guide to Landscape Photography 2nd Edition ORIGINALIMAGE Combining Raw files WITH LUKE MARSH Setting your DSLR to shoot in Raw means youre able to recover hidden detail from areas of the scene that are overexposed such as bright Sky Photoshop expert Luke Marsh shows how to use the Photoshop Elements Raw converter to create two different images at different exposure levels exposures from the same Raw file and then recombine them for the perfect result Techniques used in this easy to follow step by step tutorial include exposure adjustment layer creation and editing level adjustment sharpness control using the High Pass filter opacity effects and colour adjustment This tec
48. six stops only boasts 64 levels This might seem confusing but simply if you do not properly use the right side of the histogram which represents the majority of tonal values you are wasting up to half the available encoding levels So if you deliberately underexpose to ensure detail is retained in the highlights a common practise among many mU Gaol E d En Pr Soin zs digital photographers you are potentially losing a large percentage of converter the image will look too light and washed out so use the the data that can be captured brightness and contrast controls to adjust the image s appearance EI 0 o Ex 024 Exposu re The Essential Guide to Landscape Photography 2nd Edition f 4 gt gt i 22 ENT ae Aperture priority is Fras Ee a the mode for you So what is it that makes the aperture priority mode more useful than any of the other exposure modes when shooting landscapes Read on and all will be revealed LLONIGQGOH SSO APERTURE PRIORITY GETS ITS NAME because it allows you to decide which aperture f number you want to use to take a photograph while the camera automatically sets a shutter soeed based on light levels to achieve the correct exposure In other words it lets you prioritise the aperture selection and it chooses the shutter speed accordingly As the lens aperture is the most influential factor over the depth of field the zone of sharp focus in a photog
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50. stantly drawing their attention and gaze into the image should point out that don t go out primarily searching for foregrounds The most important thing is always the main subject in your image but for me the foreground comes in a close second So whenever head out to take landscapes look for a location that has a lot of potential shooting opportunities On arrival l II scout around the area looking for the most appealing subject and the best angle to shoot it from Once have chosen the area in which want to shoot begin to search around for foreground interest There are no rules as to what qualifies as good foreground interest but as always there are a few points to consider Only you can be the judge of what you want to focus on and obviously this is also determined by which objects are close at hand But it is important to pay careful attention to which objects you include rather than just shooting the first thing you stumble across As favour landscapes almost always look for natural elements to make a foreground rocks flowers and water being the usual suspects These know will fit into the bigger picture that am composing whereas a man made object could look unbalanced Once you ve decided what to include as foreground consider how to compose your shot to give the strongest possible result Ideally the foreground leads the eye into the main subject but if composed wrongly can become a distraction O
51. t of you We ve all been a little bit disappointed by a photo that doesn t quite live up to our great expectations The difference between a decent snap and a stunning image is often down to a few versatile ideas some easily learned expert knowledge the right equipment choice and careful planning This inspirational guide will provide you with an excellent grasp of these fundamentals and help you transform your shots from the ordinary into something very special indeed z z UJ E g Z E Eoe Ger ua e Ey oe e zZ 2 20 7 w p C m 20 The Basics 1 COMPOSITION MORE THAN ANY OTHER factor composition can turn an OK image into a masterpiece There are a small number of techniques that once learned will serve you well in many different situations Composing the elements in the frame is the real art of taking great pictures Carefully consider how points of interest are arranged and how they relate to each other Placing a subject centrally in the frame usually results in a static rather than dynamic composition Placing the subject off centre encourages the eye to move around the frame more One way of dividing the frame up to achieve harmony is to use the rule of thirds See below This proportion often occurs in nature and there is research to suggest that our brains are hard wired to find these arrangements more attractive 1 The rule of thirds This is
52. tance and there are various elaborate ways of calculating it The simplest method for focusing by far and one that works 99 of the time is to focus one third of the way into the scene By doing this and setting a small aperture you re ensuring that the depth of field in front of the focusing point covers most if not all of the foreground while the area behind is kept sharp by the other two thirds of the depth of field If you want to be as precise with your focusing as possible use the table on the previous page With the focusing technique taken care of we ll move onto your choice of aperture While setting the smallest aperture e g 1 32 gives the most depth of field it doesn t necessarily give the sharpest results That s due to two main reasons most lenses are optically designed to give the sharpest results at apertures of around f 8 to 1 13 while at smaller apertures the effects of diffraction softens the image thus negating any benefits provided by depth of field The optimum aperture to use varies from lens to lens so the only way to discover for yourself is through trial and error shooting at different apertures and comparing the sharpness on your LCD monitor or ideally at home on you computer where you can magnify images for close scrutiny For the sharpest possible results using the hyperfocal distance method explained by Lee Frost on the previous pages is best Of course you must make sure that you set your camera up on a
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54. tripod to reduce the risk of camera shake But this process can be time consuming and for most people my technique is ideal The images shown here were shot using a fairly dominant foreground to emphasise the effect of changing the focusing distance The aperture was f 13 for all three images TAKING THE SHOTS Helen sets up a tripod essential for preventing blurred shots caused by shake then uses Live View to check the depth of field of the shot on her LCD monitor while selecting the aperture After taking the shot she can then check the image s sharpness on the LCD screen by magnifying different parts of the frame DON T PANIC Blurry viewfinder When using the hyperfocal distance method you ll notice that the viewfinder image looks unsharp when you ve focused a third of the way into the E frame This is because your lens is always set to e the widest aperture to provide a bright viewfinder image depth of field will be minimal Use the depth of field preview button or take a shot at your chosen aperture and you ll see that the image really has far more depth of field because the lens has closed down for the exposure 2nd Edition The Essential Guide to Landscape Photography Sha 5 035 BESTMETHOD SHARP SCENE Focusing a third of the way into the scene and using f 13 ensured maximum sharpness J ha misa F k a y egwi
55. with bright skies dark rocks and bright highlights on water Neutral Density ND graduate filters are essential and depending on the conditions and the brightness of the sky and sea relative to your foreground you may need to pull the grad down very low in the frame This could even be below the horizon to the top of your foreground If you don t you might end up with a correctly exposed sky and foreground with a band of over bright water in the middle of the picture 5o when metering the scene to choose the strength and placement of the filter remember to take readings from the foreground sky and sea LONGEXPOSURES Exposing to capture movement One of the great things about taking photos by the sea is the opportunities it gives for capturing the movement of waves and adding atmosphere In low light with the lens stopped down to extend depth of field long exposures are a necessity They may range from several seconds to minutes depending on lighting conditions As waves wash around rocks or up and down the shore while the shutter is open they will record as a romantic mysterious mist To capture the drama of waves breaking on the shore speeds of l4sec or slower works well LLONIQGOH SSOd 022 Exposu re The Essential Guide to Landscape Photography 2nd Edition 4 Histograms An aid to checking exposure THE BASICS In basic terms a histogram is a two dimensional graph often resembling a range of mountain peaks
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