Landscape Photography: advance from snapshots to "WOW" shots
Of all the varieties of nature photography, landscape photography has the greatest potential to overwhelm us - the sheer emotional power of dramatic scenery inspires us to capture the moment...
You know the feeling...You step to the edge of the cliff for a better view, you can feel the amazement and wonder deep in your chest. Words can't describe the what you are seeing - but a well composed photo can!
However, for most of us, these opportunities are pretty rare. Unless you live in an exotic location with lots of extraordinary scenery, most of us dream, and save, sometimes for years, to take trips to visit those spectacular places that command our senses.
NEW! DIGITAL NATURE PHOTOGRAPHY SUREFIRE SUCCESS HANDBOOK:
We've all seen photo albums or slideshows of our friends' landscape photography - their vacations to the Grand Canyon, or the Rockies, right? Most of their photos were ok. A few were even pretty good, but certainly not "awe-inspiring." You know YOU can take better landscape photographs! And you sure don't want the awkwardness of putting your friends to sleep with your slideshow. ;-)
So what is it that makes the difference between "snapshots" and outstanding landscape photography?
With a few pointers, including some secrets from successful pros, based on their years of experience, and by using the examples in the Photo Gallery (coming soon) to fire up your own imagination, you'll be taking WOW shots in no time! Start your journey by following the links below.
You don't have to explore them in order, just click on the subjects that appeal to you most!
Here's how to add more awe to Landscape Photographs!
There are hundreds of books out there that focus on the technical aspects of landscape and nature photography. They explain aperture, and shutter-speed, film characteristics, and all the mechanics of photography. And this knowledge is all necessary for good photos. But "technical" perfection doesn’t guarantee a powerful visual result.
What has really helped me improve my landscape photography is being able to change the way I "see" things. If technical tips like what ISO setting to use and how to calculate the correct exposure could be considered "things improve your camera," think of these tehniques as 'things to improve your brain!"
I know that sounds weird, but photography IS "the art of seeing," and, as photographers, the best equipment we have available is our brain. So if we can fine tune it, optimize it and get it fired up to take amazing landscape photos with some of these "guaranteed to grab attention" tips!
In discussions and interviews with some of the best professional landscape photographers over the years, I have collected the easiest, but most effective techniques used by the pros to consistently produce amazing landscape photography. And they have all worked for me!