HOW TO MASTER THE ART OF LANDSCAPES

Discover how to shoot and create eye-catching images with 11 inspiring projects for taking your scenics to the next level.

- Jon Adams and Andrew James

Capturing and editing a great landscape photograph is deeply satisfying. But attaching a ‘fine art’ label to it introduces an extra element that will distinguish it from a typical landscape image and elevate it into something that can be viewed again and again, standing the test of time. This timeless quality is what will make us want to frame the image and hang it on the wall, as it evokes something deeper and more compelling than just a pretty view.

If you imagine a moment where a bunch of keen photographers arrive at the same great viewpoint, there’s a good chance that they will all capture similar-looking shots. So the question is: what could you do to make your shot stand out from the rest and get the ‘fine art’ label?

This will usually come down to two options – either the way you position and set up your camera to shoot, or the choices you make afterward in the way you process the files you’ve captured. The mysterious ‘extra element’ you need is hard to pin down, so we’ve devised a series of projects and ideas that will inspire you to seek it out – in turn producing landscapes with a different feel to those that are ultimately destined to find themselves consigned to the ‘pleasant-but-disposable’ category.

Captured on a Canon EOS 5D Mark III and Canon EF 14mm f/2.8L II USM lens at a low angle on a tripod, this carefully composed image also benefits from a long exposure to create movement in the water, resulting in a fantastic fine-art landscape photo.

1 CAPTURE EPIC COMPOSITIONS

Take a step back and compose your scene before you press the shutter