Great landscape photography brings the viewer into the scene, making a two dimensional

image feel three dimensional. It also tells a story, leading the eye through it, revealing more and

more the further you go. There are many composition and lighting techniques that landscape

photographers use to achieve these effects. One of the most powerful is the use of a wide angle lens

and the careful placement of foreground, middle ground and background elements.

     Find a suitable landscape. Look for exciting background and middle ground elements first, such

as dramatic sky, mountains, trees, streams, or shapes and patterns in the land that lead into the

distance. Then look for an interesting subject that you can get close to for the foreground, such as a

flower, plant, rock, log or intimate landscape feature.

   Try many different camera positions to bring the elements together in a way that draws the viewer

into the image. I like to use lines, light/shadow or motion to form a connection between my foreground

and background, such as the S curve of a stream or ridge, a line of trees or rocks, or shadows cast by

low angle sun.

      Get close to your foreground. A wide angle lenses make distant objects look even more distant. To

emphasize and showcase your foreground element you need to get close, sometimes within a few feet

or even inches. Setting up too far away from your foreground feature makes it fade into the middle

ground and leaves your foreground empty.

    Use a split neutral density filter to highlight the foreground and darken the more distant objects and the

sky. The viewer’s eye will be drawn to the lighter foreground element first before being led into through

the image towards the background. The darker background will appear more distant.

Camera Setting Tips

  Always use a Tripod

  Remote Cable Release

  Mirror Up

  CL shooting Mode

  VR  OFF

  Aperture Priority Mode

  Lowest ISO

  Check Histogram; Expose to the right

  Best to shoot at two times of day…dawn and dusk, 15-30 min. before sunrise (then 30-60 minutes after

  sunrise), and 15-30 min. before sunset (then up to 30 min. after)

  The only exception to this rule is during storms, foliage right after a rain, and hazy/foggy times – or you

  can shoot on cloudy days if you can eliminate all or most of the sky from the composition

  Use a stop-down or polarizing filter if conditions are too bright, or when you want a slow shutter speed

  to create silky water movement.  Horizon lines are best 1/3 from the top (or 1/8 sky if sky is boring) to maintain

  the depth and keep the horizon line straight.  :)