I'm beginning to panic about landscape shots... advice?

DeVore

So I'm starting to pack and getting excited about all the mad photography I'm going to have the once-in-a-lifetime chance to shoot in Feb/March. (big trip, Asia, wont bore you all ... yet)

I am packing the Nifty 50 for portraits etc and I'm happy enough with that. But I got a 17-85 for landscapes (has IS too) and I'm still struggling to find my feet with it. Landscapes are kinda still looking very "holiday snap" ish...

So I'm kinda heading toward full blown "you dont know anything about this bloody thing, what do you think you are doing!!" panic.

Anyone got any secret hints or tips to shooting landscapes? I have a tripod and a release cable now too and I'm wondering if there are neat ways to use them too...

Links, tips, resources, reading material or slagging, all welcome.

DeV.

Kenny Logins

http://www.dofmaster.com/hyperfocal.html



I have no idea.

pullandbang

f16 - Switch off your IS and use your tripod/cable release. Focus 1/3 of the way into the scene and after that it's all about your composition. BTW landscapes are only done at sunrise or sunset. Oh, and don't forget the rule of thirds....:)

nicknackgtb

Polariser

Kenny Logins

pullandbang wrote: »

f16 - Switch off your IS and use your tripod/cable release. Focus 1/3 of the way into the scene and after that it's all about your composition. BTW landscapes are only done at sunrise or sunset. Oh, and don't forget the rule of thirds....:)

I don't really understand that focus point, how do you judge 1/3 into the scene?

DaireQuinlan

pullandbang wrote: »

f16 - Switch off your IS and use your tripod/cable release. Focus 1/3 of the way into the scene and after that it's all about your composition. BTW landscapes are only done at sunrise or sunset. Oh, and don't forget the rule of thirds....:)

Also, make sure to have a rock in the foreground to add interest. Or some winsome asian child. You might want to bring one around with you to ensure good photo ops.

Adrian.Sadlier

ND Filter and/or bracketing - especially at sunrise and sunset! Mirror lock up if your camera supports it. And landscapes are not only done at sunrise and sunset - they can be done at any time.

Denis is right, however, that the best results are achieved during the "magic hour" - the 30 minutes before and after sunrise/sunset.

BTW - I hardly ever shoot landscapes :-)

I'd recommend picking up a neutral or gradual density filter (or both). They'll allow you slower shutter speeds than you'd otherwise get, which can be handy for motion (if you're at water/traffic/bustling streets/etc.) and the gradual density can be handy if you're out to take photos which will have a fair bit of sky in them; if the sky is too bright the gradual density can help out with that.

I'm sure you'll be fine, OP. Best thing you can really do is try a landscape or two before you head off. Dublin's not really ideal (not that i know of anyway, I'm sure other Dublin-based photographers will offer to help out with locations that are worth giving a shot).


Make sure the IS is turned off when using a tripod, too, or the IS can potentially cause a soft/blurry image.

I've found landscape photography can be very rewarding, but it's a lot of effort. I don't do much of it these days, to be honest, but when you get a great shot, it always feels worth it.


I'd also recommend that you give HDR a shot before you head off. Not that HDR is amazing or anything, but it can teach you when it might be a good idea to bracket photos (I'm not a big HDR fan, but it helps to know how to bracket shots on your camera quickly for when you're in a situation that's just too high-contrast).

Best of luck with it anyway. If there are no good landscapes over there, then you won't get great results anyway. If there are tremendous landscapes over there, I'm sure you'll know them when you see them and will turn them into a great image.

pullandbang

Kenny Logins wrote: »

I don't really understand that focus point, how do you judge 1/3 into the scene?

There you are standing in front a beautiful valley at sunset. The mountains are away in the distance with a magical mist starting to rise at the base. A crystal clear river winds it's way towards you and your standing on the bank.

You get your winsome asian child (assuming you thought to bring one) and you position her (always a her) beside the tree which will conveniently frame your shot. She looks longingly towards the setting sun in the distance.

So the mountains are a mile away, the child is 20 yards away and you want them all in focus. The first bend in the river is about 1/4 mile away which is roughly 1/3 way into the scene. You focus on the bend in the river or if you're really lucky, those two swans with their necks entwined in the shape of a heart. Did I mention the swans earlier? There's always swans.

Oh, and then you HDR the fook out it!

Kenny Logins

pullandbang wrote: »

There you are standing in front a beautiful valley at sunset. The mountains are away in the distance with a magical mist starting to rise at the base. A crystal clear river winds it's way towards you and your standing on the bank.

You get your winsome asian child (assuming you thought to bring one) and you position her (always a her) beside the tree which will conveniently frame your shot. She looks longingly towards the setting sun in the distance.

So the mountains are a mile away, the child is 20 yards away and you want them all in focus. The first bend in the river is about 1/4 mile away which is roughly 1/3 way into the scene. You focus on the bend in the river or if you're really lucky, those two swans with their necks entwined in the shape of a heart. Did I mention the swans earlier? There's always swans.

Oh, and then you HDR the fook out it!

Ah. Just guess.

DeVore

Some days I love this site... I really do. LOL

Thanks for the tips so far and for the belly laughs. I dunno if I can pack a small Asian child in my luggage but I'm sure I can hire them by the hour locally. Swans... might be an issue.

Ok so some more technical questions.

1. Polarisers. I had kinda figured they were a bit of nonsense or only for Top Gear photographers. They arent cheap for the 17-85 and I figured maybe I'd get one in Bangkok at the start of the trip. I'm taking it that I should go from "maybe" to "definitely" on that one? I know *nothing* about polarisers as I have mostly focused on learning portrait photography before this. (now I can suck at two different types! )

2. HDR... I have tried this and the process does make sense but I didnt get the amazing-but-getting-cliched results others have. I'll be working off an iPad so it might not arise as an issue, unless there is an app for that.

3. IS off... ok that makes sense. *Noted* Thanks.

4. PullandBang, what school did you go to?? ... if the mountain is a mile away, and the river bend is 1/4 mile away... how is that 1/3rd of the way into it??
Also, if a train leaves Cork at 3.30pm and another leaves Dublin at...
(thanks for the tips, I'll try F16.... why not higher out of interest?)


Luckily, I'm not in Dublin at the moment (in Malta) so maybe I'll grab the camera and go see what I can get here.


Right... off to read up on bracketing and polarisers.

DeV.

AnCatDubh

You should really go outside before you attempt to shoot a landscape.

Oh, we're not in after hours.

:-/

* if I think of something knowledgeable I'll post later. *IF*

ThOnda

The most memorable landscape shots are in extreme light conditions - early morning, late evening, storm coming, sun peaking through the clouds. Everybody takes shot at midday, so all such shots look similar. Even if you took few shots in the morning from your hotel room window, that would be worth it.
Look at Lensterman's project on hotel rooms.

When I started getting into landscape stuff, i spent the guts of €75 on a 77mm circular polariser.

Truth be told, I don't like it at all. For reflections/water, it's great, but when there's sky involved I think it ruins the image.

I'd buy a cheap one or second hand one and experiment if I were you. Some people love them and suggest that a Circular Polariser is absolutely essential gear that every photographer should own, but I disagree, personally.


I'd go with f/11 over f/16. Diffraction can be an issue sometimes. F/8 is grand, too, in my brief experience. It all depends how vast your landscape is, and how far away your focal point is. If you're focusing on something a mile away, chances are everything'll be in focus regardless of your aperture, for example.

Also, keep in mind that vast, wide landscapes are great, but you should also look for the smaller details in the land with your 50mm f/1.8. A shallow depth of field on a small section of the landscape (rocks/trees/etc) can also make for a nice image.


Also, make sure you develop a rock hard neck. Chances are, if you're up to it, some of the best photos you could get will be of the people going about their day to day lives. Different expressions and such. I'd imagine that everyday, mundane Asian life is extraordinarily different to ours, so there could be great shots there (though 'street photography' does require a hard neck, as I say, especially in a different country).


And make sure you photograph the local Police car/s for the Emergency Services forum!



With regards to bracketing, if done in the right situations it can be nice. One of my more recent photos that I was happy with was HDR'ed, but I had no choice. It was the only way to get the detail I wanted;





I'd have never gotten that detail in the water and clouds without bracketing my photographs. Unfortunately I don't still have the three seperate photographs, but here's a quick example of a HDR and a single normal exposure shot (the HDRed has been cropped, but you get the jist);









Again, not something to go mad with, because it's very easy to get carried away, but it can be very useful for tricky lighting situations.

Also, every time you refer to this trip, you call it a once in a life time event. General tips for you: back up your photos somewhere. If you cant do it online, carry an extra hard drive or memory card away from your camera gear, just in case someone steals your stuff. Unlikely, but it happens. Better safe than sorry.

If you do bracket/HDR things, don't delete the three seperate files. You may want them later.

DeVore

Cool. Me and mornings are not best friends.


Sunrise over Dubin rooftops by devoresphotos, on Flickr

I took this about a month ago (straight out of the camera, no PP) and posted it, all excited and most people told me thats what mornings looks like all the time.

I'm impressed but not enough to bother getting up for them.


One specific concern I have is Halong Bay where we'll be cruising during the afternoon on a boat so the camera will be slowly moving (along with me and everything else!) and it will be mid afternoon (as well as morning and evening obviously :P but some places we'll only pass in the afternoon). I think thats going to be something where I will just have to shoot like crazy and hope I get something neat.


So... I now know Kung Fu about bracketing (which is simple and quite handy). I was irrationally scared of that before... it sounded all icky technical.

DeV.

DeVore

My plan for my camera shots is at least in the realm of "technology" which is my pervue. Firstly, I'll be loading them from SD card to Ipad for PP, hopefully every day or two. As well as that my buddy is bringing his Mac Air so I'll dump them onto that and lastly, we'll use Dropbox to sync them all up to the cloud and hopefully that is enough to cover ourselves.


DeV.

pullandbang

DeVore wrote: »

4. PullandBang, what school did you go to?? ... if the mountain is a mile away, and the river bend is 1/4 mile away... how is that 1/3rd of the way into it??
Also, if a train leaves Cork at 3.30pm and another leaves Dublin at...
(thanks for the tips, I'll try F16.... why not higher out of interest?)

At f16 it'll make shag all difference. Also your lens has a sweet spot and it's rarely at the smallest aperture - it's usually a stop or two back. f11 or f8 is equally good.

Also you don't really need a hard neck for people shots in Asian countries. They have a different attitude to us Westerners and are happy to have their pics taken.

You do realise you've committed yourself to producing some stunning landscapes and some exceptional street stuff and we expect to see the results up here on your return. That's the price of our expertise!

BTW, bring us back a stick of rock

DeVore

Stick of Rock... check.


I'm determined to shoot some amazing stuff and to publish it (and my blog) online. I want to write and shoot my way around and I know that if I dont tell people, I'll just become a lazy sod and do nothing but drink cocktails and get Thai massages. I'm going to do that *anyway* but this way I am committing myself to producing writtings and photography too
Its kinda my way of throwing future-me into the deep end.


I'm really looking forward to it, but now that I have mentally committed to it, I have started to panic that I'm not really up to scratch on this *thing* which I both love and am confused by so much

It always seems to me that juuust as I get something like "exposure" in my head straight... something else like "aperture" gets knocked out. But I'm slowly getting there...


DeV.

Sleepy

I'd second the recommendation of a graduated filter. Great way of keeping your sky from being blown out and, best-of-all, imho, it's in-camera.

I got the Kood square filters on 7dayshop but they don't seem to have them any more. Lee / Cokin also do similar filters that can be held in a square bracket which screws into the front of your lens via an adapter. Lets you slide the filter up/down to vary the gradation of filtering or even layer filters so you can use an ND filter with a polariser or graduated filter or even all three together should the scene warrant it.

DeVore

So, this is going.... Ok to well. I'm very happy with the shots I'm getting but I fear that I'm taking average pics of amazing things rather than the other way around... I'll take it though.

The photo stream is here and there is about 3 pages of it.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/78645925@N00/

Would love some feedback.

T.

You're doing very well in my opinion.

Really like the first shot "Junk in Hong Kong". There are some excellent shots amidst the rest, too. I'd be delighted with that, so far, if it were me.

Keep it up DeVore.

ronanc15

Well done, the shots are looking good. I agree with KKV, I like the first one and also that nice sunset over the water, a very nice shot!!

P.s. that cave exploring at high tide made me claustrophobic just looking at it!!!

DeVore

Thanks, appreciate the feedback. The full collection is here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/78645925@N00/collections/72157629369179129/

I'm going to write up what I have learned about travelling, shooting and processing with as little equipment as possible in a new thread. I really knuckled down for these shots and I'm pleased with them myself. Even looking back over the set from Thailand to China I am actually kinda surprised that I can see improvement in them. Yeah, imagine that, practise something hard for a month and you get better at it, whodathunk!

Borderfox

Excellent shots Tom, the water dragon, the ritz roof ,the junk, hong kong sunset. So many great shots and good variety in there too. Cant wait to read your blog now

DeVore

The blog got canned, quiet simply because I didnt have time and I couldnt begin to convey the sensory overload that Asia is. I'll try to write something but seriously.... bonkers.


You want to hear something weird though? Everyone, almost everyone has picked utterly different favourites. Stuff I really thought about passing over has been really popular with some people (like the red chinese tea cups) while stuff I thought was nailing it has passed without comment almost (like West Lake for example).

The only commonality has been Junk in Hong Kong which seems to resonate with everyone

I learned a lot on this trip, photography and otherwise!