14 http://www.digitalcameraworld.com
THEAPPRENTICE
Lens Canon EF 16-35mm f/4L IS USM
Exposure 190 secs, f/16, ISOPOLARIZER OFF POLARIZER ON
DREW’S TOP TEN TIPS
FOR LANDSCAPES
1
Invest in a sturdy tripod
I know I can rely on my Benro Mach3 TMA48CXL
to produce a sharp shot, even during exposures
that can take up to several minutes and are in
unfortunate windy conditions!2
Use filters to tame bright light
Bright skies are the culprit of many uneven
exposures. While this can be remedied, to some
extent, in post-processing with Raw files it’s
best to get the exposure right in camera. I use
a variety of Lee’s hard and soft graduated ND
filters to do this.3
Break the rules
Wide-angle lenses are usually what you’d
associate with landscapes, but I always carry a
telephoto optic to compress the scene, or pick
out specific details in the distance if I need to.4
Keep the edit minimal
My landscapes document the natural world,
so I don’t like to do any heavy editing. I usually
just work up the Raw file in Lightroom and let
it speak for itself.5
Double trouble
If your landscape has a body of water like the
moat of a castle, try to use this to reflect your
focal point, giving you two points of interest.6
Look for the quality of light, not quantity
There’s plenty of light around in the middle of the
day, but the beautifully soft golden light at sunset
and sunrise is much more striking for landscapes.7
Get the free Canon Camera Connect app
Download and start using Canon’s free Camera
Connect app, which lets you compose and make
small adjustments with your smartphone.8
Check tide times for seascapes
Aways know what the tide times are when you’re
shooting seascapes by checking the Tide Tables
on http://www.bbc.co.uk9
When to go mono
Sunny spring and summer days are ideal for
full colour photography. Save going mono for
drab overcast days and winter when colour
isn’t so abundant!10
Check the weather
I use the free Weather & Radar UK / Ireland app
to keep an eye on the weather when heading up
to and even during a shoot. This helps get a bit of
an idea on which way the clouds are moving and
to see if they will clear up as the day goes on.DREW’S COMMENT
The best feature of Ogmore castle was the cute stepping
stones – I had to include them... Standing at an angle
where they lead the eye towards the castle didn’t work because the
car park to the right would be in shot. In the end we used the stones
in the bottom half to add contrast to the water, which was blurred
with a long exposure – this helped remove people crossing the stones.