subscribe (^03303331113) Iwww.amateurphotographer.co.ukI 12 October 2019 31
tog raphy t ips 1884–2019
15
The magic three
To increase your shutter speed or
reduce glare keep three filters in your bag:
a Neutral Density, Neutral Density Grad and
a polariser. For how to make the most of
them, look out for our 26 October issue. AP
1 6
Ride the colour
temperature
Rather than relying on a pre-programmed
white balance value (like sunny or cloudy),
choose the K setting and set a white
balance to match the scene you’re shooting.
Higher values of K warm the scene up,
whereas lower values cool it down. It’s a
great idea to match your live-view screen to
what you see, as this really helps to provide
you with a great starting point when it
comes to processing. David Clapp,
http://www.davidclapp.co.uk
17
Leave out the sky
When I first started capturing
landscape photographs I would make sure I
had everything in the frame: the foreground,
background and the sky. This not only
made it a struggle to expose correctly, but
it also made my images quite ‘messy’. On
workshops, I often give the advice to avoid
including the sky in your compositions. This
allows you to concentrate on the scene in
front of you without the distraction of
dealing with the bright highlights often
found in the sky. Verity Milligan,
http://www.veritymilligan photography.com
18
Think outside the box
Whilst it’s tempting to set up your
camera in a well-known location there is
somewhat of an empty feeling knowing you
are copying a composition that has been
done to death. It takes time and effort to
find a strong composition but the reward
is so much sweeter when you get it. AP
19
Clean your tripod
It can be thrilling to explore the
great outdoors, but your tripod won’t thank
you for it if you don’t take care of it. If the
legs are covered in seawater rinse them
post shoot or the catches will erode far
quicker and seize up. AP
2 0
Bracket expose
If you don’t have a graduated
filter, bracket your exposures by taking one
shot for the highlights, one for the midtones
and one for the shadows. You can then use
elements of each image and blend them
together at the editing stage. A tripod is
essential for this technique. AP
8
Go slow
During the
middle of the day
in bright light it’s
still possible to
slow down time
and achieve a long
exposure time by
attaching an ND
fi lter. ND fi lters
come in a variety
of strengths that
measure in stops.
A 10-stop fi lter is
considered strong;
however if that
doesn’t reduce
your shutter speed
enough, you can
stack fi lters
together. Soften
moving clouds
and turn water
into soft silk. AP
4
Person in the landscape
There are times when the inclusion of a person can
better your landscape shot. People can be used in the
landscape genre to gain a better perspective of the scale
of the land or simply to create an ambience. You could even
include yourself in the distance as a landscape/self-portrait
mixture to create an interesting frame. AP
7
Textured
skies
A landscape
photographer’s
worst nightmare
is clear blue skies.
Look for textured
clouds to bring
another element
into the scene. This
image (left), taken
on Dartmoor,
shows where
textured clouds
add that touch of
magic and hold
the eye. AP
6
Change the aspect ratio
Although it’s tempting to shoot in
a 2:3 ratio, mix it up a bit from time to
time. The landscape genre works well in
a square format or as a long panorama,
so keep that in mind. AP
5
Dull days
Whilst glorious
sunsets and
heavenly skies
are an excellent
opportunity, don’t
forget you can still
get great results
with heavy clouds
and dull misty days.
Go for a minimal
approach and try
converting your
image to black &
white to enhance
the textures in the
land, which adds
another element
to the scene. AP
© CL AIRE GILLO
© CL AIRE GILLO
© CL AIRE GILLO
© ANUPONG SAKOOLCHAI / GETT Y IMAGES
9
Revisit
Be patient
and determined,
and keep revisiting
a location. Many
pros will head
back to a local
spot on numerous
occasions to
photograph it in
different weather
conditions. AP
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