Seeking landscape tips

Terrence

I'm new to landscapes and am used to shooting very tight bird shots. I just bought a Tokina 12-24 for the upcoming Glacier National Shootout and I want to train for the big event.

Learning what hyperfocal distance and how to set it properly seems like an important technique to master.

I'm looking for practical tips or lessons to help me get used to ultra-wide angle shooting, rather than my usual fumbling around and hoping for good results.

Anyone able to give me a nudge in the right direction?

jdryan3

Shooting landscapes almost always requires a tripod. You will shoot at f/8 or higher to get good DOF, so you will need long(er) shutter speeds. The best contrast is early or late in the day, so your exposure range can easily exceed 5 stops between light and shadows. So bracketing comes into play - another reason for a tripod. Given this wide latitude, seriously look at least at a 3-stop graduated ND filter, expecially if bracketing won't be possible.

Take your time. Good composition, while always important, seems especially critical in landscapes. Maybe because 'anyone' can (and does) take a picture of a landscape, the quality needs to be higher. People seem to be more forgiving of moving nature shots (birds, lions, kids) because the photog has less control over those subjects. Don't forget the rule of thirds!

Look for opportunities for introducing scale and/or perspective, especially ones people haven't seen before. On my trip to the North Rim, the California Condors were out. I got several shots, but missed some opportunities to show them in comparison to the canyon. They either are in the sky, or look like crows.

Good luck and have fun! The shootout has some great folks going and I'm sure they will be of help. Hopefully Marc Muench chimes in here also.

Marc Muench

Terrence,

First off, I have a difficult time capturing good wildlife images while shooting landscapes as there is unique "heavy" equipment needed for capturing the wildlife and not to mention you tend to follow the subject no matter where it takes you. This is opposite of the way I approach finding landscape images. I place myself in a location where the subject is all around me and then follow the light. I carry one bag with just enough equipment to get by. That way I am able to move when the light is changing.


This wide zoom will simply be one tool of several when approaching the landscape. I don't suggest you go out an purchase several additional lenses, but longer focal length options are always in my bag, at least up to 200mm with a full size sensor.

Yes indeed hyperfocal length settings are not easy especially now with zoom lenses! However, with a wide like the 12mm, F 8 and shoot works well remember the sharpest point of a lens is two stops down from wide. For example if your lens is F4 then F8 is the sweet spot. I would rec, looking up what your nearest focus is at infinity and F8, I would guess at 12mm somewhere around four feet?


The wide shots are not easy in fact it can be quite frustrating, I have noticed, to beginners. You must fill the frame, and that means getting within inches of a subject sometimes. The typical near/far scene that I do places me within two feet of the foreground. This is one approach! The other is to use the distortion of the lens to your advantage by creating interesting compositions with the distorted shapes. This is most often scene in images where the POV is straight up in the forest.

Definitely shoot various points of view hand held until you understand what compositions work well before you begin using a tripod. This will help you become more fluid with your creative process. After you feel comfortable with your new lens POV, then perfect your skills with a tripod.

Terrence

Thanks for the tips fellas. I definitely need to break out of my long-lens-birding and medium-zoom-walkaround habits and learn to see a much much bigger picture.

Often (OK...always) I am way too analytical and forget to just get out there and "do it". I'll experiment at some local parks and colleges that have nice wide spaces.

Marc: Can't wait to meet you (and all the other Grinners) at Glacier. I appologize in advance for any newbie nagging I may perpetrate.

schmoo

Marc -

That was a most excellent and informative response. Thank you!

pyrtek

Terrence wrote:

Learning what hyperfocal distance and how to set it properly seems like an important technique to master.

www.dofmaster.com/hyperfocal.html

zacker

dont forget, use a good sturdy tripod and get your Panoramic skills down too.