zen and the art of photography
Composition and perspective are key points in a landscape photograph. Use them with intention. The very nature of a two dimensional photo flattens perspective. Sometimes without you noticing. Use the graphic elements within the photo to manage this. The graphic elements of a photo, made up of such things as the framing, lead in lines, positioning using the “rule of thirds”, the visual balance (or imbalance) of the visual weights of objects and colors within the photo all tell the viewer’s eye where to go.
What do you want to portray? Do you want to extract and simplify by creating a flat form, emphasizing texture and using static composition? Or do you want to amplify a feeling of depth and lead the viewer’s eye through the photo using a more dynamic composition? Take a moment to think about these choices and previsualize the photo you are about to take. Remember photography is a two dimensional art form and you will have to use technique and viewpoint to add a sense of depth and to avoid unintentional graphic mergers within your composition. Extract only the visual elements you want by selective emphasis; you may have to climb around a bit to find the right viewpoint. Remember: a high viewpoint will naturally have a high horizon and a low viewpoint will naturally have a low horizon.
Use the LCD screen and the histogram as a sketchbook and a meter. Work up to the photo you are looking for. Don’t forget to regard all four edges of your viewfinder. Try using the “highlight warning” on your LCD screen as a compositional aid warning you of potentially overexposed areas near the edges of your frame which could potentially lead the viewer’s eye out of your photograph. A strongly weighted foreground is often a nice visual anchor in a landscape photo. Try a vertical composition if you’re not seeing anything horizontal, Look for a fresh viewpoint. If you’re still not seeing anything don’t forget to turn around!
Balance the composition of colors in your photo the same way you would compose any element; dynamic or static, by having equal or unequal visual weights, in this case to other colors or tonal values. Use the two ingredients of light and time as subject matter. Use shadows, reflections, and silhouettes as compositional elements to lead the viewer’s eye or to frame the scene. You can always find a frame in nature.
In manual mode try the spot or center weighted metering modes to intentionally set tonal values within the scene. Or use a handheld meter, but remember meters are reading for 18% grey; a middle value. “Stop down” to make a tone appear darker or “open up” to make it appear lighter. Remember also that at any given exposure you have a range of equivalent exposures: opening up one control and stopping down the other results in exactly the same exposure, only the qualities are different. The controls, shutter speed and aperture, are an inverse proportion. For an example of how the qualities might change; a higher shutter speed would be sharper due to less movement but at a cost of less depth of field. And a smaller aperture (the larger numbers; f16, f22, ect.) would have more depth of field but at a cost of using a slower shutter speed. So you must choose the “best” setting. Do you want sharpness from the foreground to the background or do you want limited depth of field to emphasize one aspect over the other? Maybe you want to show movement with a slow shutter speed. This is a beautiful effect with moving water in the scene. Sometimes the “best” exposure may be wildly different than what the meter suggests. Most sunset photos are 2 or three stops underexposed.
Many DSLRs can be set to “bracket” exposures automatically. For example the camera would take one picture as metered, one picture one stop underexposed, and one picture one stop over exposed each time you press the release. The landscape shooting modes in DSLRs may limit your options unless you know what it is doing by default. Check your manual. Most will use nearest subject focus, turn off the on camera flash, increase sharpness and boost saturation. If your camera has one, find the depth of field preview button. This is a very useful visualization aid as it “stops your aperture down” it shows you the actual depth of field of your chosen aperture. Without it you’re looking through your lens at its widest aperture (always the least depth of field) which may not accurately represent the photo you’re going to get.
Too many exposure choices? Wing it and use the liberating “sunny f-16 rule”. In manual, just estimate the exposure in your head by looking at the scene and using this guideline: the exposure on a sunny day should be very close to f-16 at the nearest shutter speed number to your chosen ISO, for example at ISO 100 the shutter speed would be 1/125th, so F-16@1/125th. The odd unexpected over or under-exposure may be an epiphany.
If you use a program such as photoshop plan ahead how you will adjust or manipulate the photo later. You may want to bracket shots to use as additional layers or you might plan to boost or lower saturation later. Shoot with these factors in mind. Remember a consistent technique yields a consistent style and a compelling personal point of view.
Filters such as a polarizer for managing reflections and a neutral density filter for exposure control, (enabling less depth of field or a slower shutter speed) are great to have on hand. And finally, use a tripod! You get to take your time with landscape photography.