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Written by Raquel Mendoza on September 29 2016

Landscape Photography: What you need to know before you shoot!

1. The golden rule of landscape photography

Follow the golden rule by shooting either at dawn or dust. These times are ideal for landscape photographers as they provide soft, warm light and shadows that capture the true lighting of your landscape. 


2. Make your tripod your best friend

Since you will be working mostly in low light settings (remember the golden rule) it’s important to use a tripod to prevent your pictures from looking blurry or out of focus. Using a tripod will save you a lot of time correcting flaws during post production editing. 

Shoot in Aperture Priority Mode

Take control of your camera settings by shooting in aperture priority mode. With this mode, it’s you who decides how to creatively capture a landscape. Familiarize yourself with simple f-stop settings - use low numbers (f/2.8, f/4, etc.) for a focused subject and blurred background. Use high numbers (f/8, f/16, etc.) for sharper images and depth of field.  


Invest in a polarizing filter

Want to know the secret for richer, more vivid colors? Use a polarizing filter. This small, but effective filter is a must have for landscape photography. This filter screws onto the ends of your lens and cuts unwanted reflections from water, rocks, etc. which result in richer and more vivid colors to your image. 


Enjoy the process

Don’t get overwhelmed with the process of shooting a landscape. Have fun, experiment and learn from your photo shoots. It takes time to understand how to use your camera’s settings, composite unique landscapes and work with a wide range of weather conditions. Stay patient and keep shooting! If you would like to learn more, sign up for our Landscape & Architecture 101 photography workshop!  



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