Five Tips for Making Better Landscape Photographs

– Move the horizon away from the center of the image.

By placing the horizon either low or high in the image frame you create a greater sense of drama for the viewer. Don’t be afraid to try putting the horizon a bit above or below the classic “thirds” locations. While your choosing a placement for the horizon take a little time to make sure it is straight. A tilted horizon rarely makes for a compelling landscape photo.

-Use a polarizing filter.

There are two advantages to using a circular polarizing filter when creating landscape images. One classic use is to cut down on reflections when shooting scenes with water or wet surfaces. These filters can also increase contrast and saturation in colors. They have an especially pleasing effect on blue skies.

– Think and compose in layers.

Consider the foreground, middle areas and background when composing landscape images. A strong element in the foreground can viewers enter an image and also provide a greater feeling of depth to your composition.

– Use a sturdy tripod.

In order to get focus throughout an image a small aperture is usually required. To reduce grain or digital noise landscape photographers use a low ISO. Both of these facts result in slow shutter speeds. Any camera or lens movement is bound to show when shooting at these kinds of settings. To help off-set these facts be sure to use a stable platform… a high-quality tripod.

– Use mirror lock-up or live view modes to reduce vibrations.

In order to show the what the lens sees in a Single Lens Reflex camera a mirror is used to reflect the view to the eyepiece. Before the shutter opens the mirror must spring up out of the way. When the mirror flips up it creates vibrations within the camera that can have an effect on the quality of the captured image. By using the mirror lock-up mode or live-view you can eliminate those vibrations from the photo.

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