I remember spending hours in the darkroom in university tweaking nature shots to highlight the clouds or blurring out the further images to bring more focus to a spot in a stream or flower. But now, there are loads of resources and equipment to use that make it a lot easier to edit your landscape photos. Through my research on how to create fantastic landscape photos, I found this great article that really helped me along the way.
Check it out, but keep reading to discover the tips I found for creating some great pictures.
How to Take a Good Landscape Photo
Before you start looking into different nature photography equipment, you need to learn the basics of taking a good photo. You can achieve a great photo with any kind of camera or smartphone by abiding by some basic rules and tips. For instance, you will need to love walking around in nature, because you will need to have the patience to wait for the perfect photo. Additionally, you will want to learn the golden rule of photography, the rule of thirds. Basically, you have to see the image in nine equally divided sections. That way, you can place the focal point or subject on one of these lines or right in the middle of a section and achieve an outstanding and eye-catching photo. So, finding a resource for nature photography for beginners would be a good place to start and learn some basics.
Add to Your Photos with Some Equipment
Now that you feel confident in your skills for finding a good image, you can add to your arsenal by adding some quality equipment. For example, using a wide lens or wide lens feature is ideal for shooting landscape images. Specifically, a wide lens has a better depth of field, therefore, when you shoot a landscape photo with a wide lens the images in front and back will be sharper than using a normal lens. Additionally, you can upgrade your camera, camera app, or download some editing apps and become familiar with all the features so that you can learn how to manipulate the image.
Taking Your Image To The Next Level
Now that you have the basics down and added some apps and equipment to your toolbox, now its time to take some of your images and play with different filters and effects to take your photo to the next level. For example, you want to find an app that has a tonal contrast feature. This feature allows you to boost differences in the shadow, mid-tones, and lighter sections of the image giving it a more dynamic effect. Additionally, you might want to become familiar with retouching techniques and features. Let's say you took a brilliant photo of a sun setting on the beach, only to find later that the little kid playing in the water previously had walked into your shot. Not to worry, you can still keep this amazing photo by using editing features to take the kid out of the image. Or, if there was something in the sand you had not noticed before you can use features to blend over the object to make it look like sand. Moreover, you can change colors, make them brighter, soften sharp images or vice versa with different editing apps, so have fun and play with them to find the best one for you.
In Conclusion
To create an eye-catching landscape photo, you need to learn the basics. A basic photography app that gives you examples of the rule of thirds and other principles of photography is a great place to start. Then, learning about different lenses, equipment, and filters and effects will improve your images and give your photos a more dynamic look. Again, read the article linked above to find more ideas about how to create an amazing landscape photo, but take these tips and find the best apps that help you make the perfect shot, and have fun with editing after.