Landscape Photography

Landscape photography is the supreme test of the photographer – and often the supreme disappointment. - Ansel Adams

- Rohinton Mehta

 

Everyone loves landscapes – well, at least most people do. If you love nature, you are bound to travel and travel offers great opportunities for captivating landscapes. There are those who take landscape shots while travelling and there are those who travel for landscape shots! For the former, capturing landscapes is not their priority; for the later, capturing landscapes is their priority. So, how should one go about capturing nature’s beauty? In this short writeup, I’ll offer tips that can make your landscape images worth the time and effort.

Let’s face it. Landscape photography is not for everyone. Landscape photography is a challenge! Its first demand is that you get out of your comfort zone. If you are looking for comfort, look elsewhere. Besides loving nature, the landscape photographer should be willing to be at the location even before the sun pops its head from behind the mountains. And in the evenings, he/ she should be willing to stay out late after the sun sets. Landscape photography is best done in the early mornings and late evenings – the so-called ‘golden hour’ (but also depends on your location and the weather conditions). The angular, soft to medium soft to semi-hard light that nature provides at these times can enhance your photographs. Remember, what you are capturing is not the mountains and the valleys; you are capturing the light! If the light is dull, your pictures will look drab; if the light is harsh, you’ll end up with overexposed highlights and deep detail-less shadows.