We’ve all seen the photos, the great landscape photographers have taken and wondered how they managed to be so lucky to get that photo. You know the ones, the photo with the perfect blue water or the photo with a beautiful waterfall with a rainbow above it. Well guess what? Those photos have almost nothing to do with luck and all about persistence and hard work. So what do you need to do to make sure that you too get those great photos?

Step 1 – Research:

If you want fantastic shots you need to do lots of research. I spend more time each week researching new and existing locations than I do actually getting the money shots. Instead of going to a location that you’re thinking of photographing at exactly sunset, try getting there an hour and a half before the sunset and talk a good walk around the location. Take some test shots of the area and see how they look, lie down on the ground and climb up to a high point to see what it looks like from a different perspective.

Another great trick once you’ve decided on a location and are setup is to turn around and look behind you, there have been many times when the shot I actually ended up taking was actually behind me.

If you’ve though of a location to capture your landscape photograph and you want a different perspective on that location try finding how other people have shot the location of Flickr its a fantastic research tool as well. Remember don’t copy how others took the photo, but certainly use it to view how other people see it.

Talk to people who bushwalk, these guys are an absolutely amazing source of information and get to areas many of us would never think of.

When you get to an area that you think might be a great candidate work out if it’s a morning shoot or an evening shoot, then get out there and shoot it.

Remember weather always plays an important part in landscape photography and if you don’t get great conditions the first time around, keep going back until the magic happens. I’ve gone back to one spot for 2yrs trying to get the perfect shot of the area. I finally got it but it took persistence.

Step 2 – Persistence:

So many people go to a spot once or twice and give up if they don’t get the conditions they want. You have to keep going back and trying different angles and shooting it in different conditions until you get the photo you want to achieve, just don’t give up. Getting great landscape photographs is all about hard work and very little luck.

So start researching your locations and get out there and start shooting, you’ll be capturing awesome landscapes before you know it.

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Ten Tips to Take Better Landscape Photographs with Your DSLR Camera.

Here are ten tips to take better and sharper landscape photographs when using your digital SLR camera.

1) Use a tripod and make sure that it is stable. This prevents camera movement; essential when working at slow shutter speeds and low light levels.

2) Use a cable release or self-timer to prevent camera shake when you press the shutter. Cable releases enable you to respond quicker to changes in light than using your camera’s timer function.

3) Use your lowest ISO setting. The higher the ISO setting, the more digital graininess is present in the image. Setting the camera’s lowest ISO setting keeps graininess to a minimum and ensures that picture quality is at its best.

4) Set a small aperture (reasonably high F number – such as F16) and focus approximately one third into the scene. This helps you achieve a deep depth of field, whilst maintaining image quality, thereby making the image look sharp from foreground to background.

5) Take your photographs early in the morning and at sunset. The time around dawn and dusk are known as the ‘golden hours’ as the light quality is often warmer and more interesting.

6) Set your white balance setting to ‘cloudy’. This will warm up the look of your photographs in a similar way to a ‘warm up’ filter.

7) Don’t rush to take photos. Take time to look around and think about your composition. Get into the ‘creative zone’. Observe how the scenery is being illuminated by the light.

8) Compose your photograph in a way that will take the viewer’s eyes on a visual journey through your photograph.

Think: foreground, middle ground, background. Use lead in lines, such as walls, fences and footpaths to draw your viewer’s eyes into the scene.

9) Use your camera’s mirror lock up function. This locks up your camera’s internal mirror and prevents camera vibration when taking photos. It prevents camera shake, which can result from the movement of your camera’s mirror.

10) Invest in a selection of neutral density filters and a polarising filter. Neutral density filters prevent ‘blown out’ skies; polarising filters reduce glare on water, enrich colours and can make skies look more impressive. Buy the best quality filters that you can afford. Cheap filters reduce image quality.
 
 

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Sharon Gottula Photography announces that 4 images from her Death Valley Series have been accepted in the 7th Annual Landscape International Juried Online Art Exhibition with Upstream People.

�“Teakettle Junction�”, �“Creosote�”, �“Death Valley 2�” and �“Racetrack�” combine old technology with new.

Gottula shoots with a wooden Zero 6×9 pinhole camera and manipulates the final film in photoshop to create evocative, surreal landscapes.

This is Gottula�’s first show since moving to Kansas City, MO from Los Angeles last year. Previous venues include group shows at Cafe Rodinal in Santa Ana, CA and the 7th Street Gallery in Los Angeles, CA. Sharon Gottula graduated from San Francisco State University with a BA in Fine Art. Worked for the Ansel Adams Center in San Francisco as well as San Francisco Camerawork before starting a career in commercial and editorial photography first in Paris, France and later in Los Angeles, CA.

Sharon Gottula can be contacted at 816 786 8165. Her photography work can be viewed at http://www.gottula.com.

The 7th Annual Landscape International Juried Online Art Exhibit will be available August 1st at: http://www.upstreampeoplegallery.com

Upstream People Gallery

5607 Howard St.

Omaha, NE 68106

402-991-4741

Sharon Gottula Photography

641 E 70th St.

Kansas City, MO 64131

816-786-8165

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Destin Sparks, a photographer who has earned a well-deserved reputation for capturing some of the best landscape photography throughout Australia, recently released a new limited edition titled Passive. Although the print has only been available for a short time, it is already selling much faster than Sparks had anticipated. The new release, which was taken at Miami Beach on the Gold Coast of Australia, is swiftly catching the eyes of people worldwide. Buyers from the United States have been especially interested in purchasing the serene shot of the morning sun coming up over the sand and water.

Destin Sparks is the second landscape photographer to come out of Australia. Like Destin, Peter Lik specializes in landscape photography that highlights the vast beauty of the continent. With each passing year, Sparks is becoming more well-known for his work. The award-winning Australian artist travels all over, looking for the best places to photograph. Once he comes across a location that he feels will work well for a photo, he spends a lot of time watching how the light changes during the course of the day and deciding which time would be best to capture the inherent beauty of the Australian landscape.

Destin used this approach when he was standing along on the normally crowded Miami Beach of Gold Coast, Queensland, organizing his gear and getting ready to photograph what he hoped would be a memorable shot of the beautiful beach and lovely pastel sky. As he arranged his camera and readied his lens, Destin said he enjoyed listening to the soft creaking of the lifeguard tower as it swayed in the pre-dawn breeze.

As I settled in to capture the glow of the morning sun as it warmed the lavender sky, I knew I was not alone in my reverie, Destin said.

The watchtower, which had waited so patiently through the night for the coming performance, was also a witness to this break of day.

As a landscape photographer, Destin possesses a keen understanding and appreciation of the land in which he grew up. Interestingly, as a young man, photography was the last thing on his mind. A bet with a colleague caused Destin to pick up a camera and as the flash went off, he instantly realized he had just found his true passion. Since then, the Brisbane artist has learned all he could about photography and various types of cameras. In a day and age when people are content to snap shots of mountains and sunsets with their cell phones, Destin is happy to employ the old-school approach to photography, using a 30-year style of camera to capture the scenic beauty that is around him. Rather than rely on digital technology and color filters, Destin uses his knowledge of natural lighting and his equipment to create his breathtaking photographs.

Anybody who would like to learn more about Destin Sparks and his work is welcome to visit his website at any time. By clicking on the Gallery tab, visitors to the site can browse through the vast collection of Destins work, including Passive.

About Destin Sparks:

Destin Sparks is renowned and award-winning landscape photographer who uses an outdated film camera to produce stunning limited edition prints. Sparks specializes in landscape photography, including breathtaking shots of Australian scenery. All of Sparks photos are created completely naturally, and without the use of Photoshop, color filters or manipulation. For more information, please visit http://www.destinsparks.com

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La Crescenta Photographer Captures Urban Life, Landscape
A La Crescenta resident's solo photography exhibition went on display at the Glendale Hilton this month to benefit the Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registry. Ellen “Alenoush” Moradian captures life and landscapes in her photographs taken during her …
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