Landscape Photography Tips
Landscape photography is often overblown and complicated.
Or, it is when you start reading about it in books and online.
So, I'm going to tell you how I go about it. Not because everyone else is wrong. But to provide another option.
For my photograph above, I was at The Roaches in Staffordshire, UK.
It is a beautiful and rugged landscape.
But, I also wanted to get some miles in for fitness.
So, I shot and moved at pace. No adding filters, setting up tripods and all that stuff.
Those things are common in landscape photography.
But I find all that a pain in the arse.
I like to be agile — to keep moving.
My photo above uses a simple technique I look for — depth. That view of the reservoir in the distance caught my eye.
Using the boulders to frame the scene only took a moment to spot.
But here's the thing:
I also noticed the texture in the boulders. The whisps of long grass and the detail in the sky.
I got all that in a few moments of weighing up the scene.
I reckon because I am also a street photographer. I need to keep moving and think fast on the streets.
Doing the same outdoors feels natural to me. Many landscape photographers would likely roll their eyes and tell me to slow down.
But, when you've trained your eyes to notice all the time, it becomes possible to do it wherever you are.
But...
By looking for a particular element (depth in this case) you start seeing quicker.
I'm not suggesting this happens overnight.
But, by training yourself to keep observing, you will be able to shoot photos without fuss.
By all means, if you like dragging all that gear with you — fine.
But, if you want photos that are more dynamic and instant, try the street technique I'm proposing here.