Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

ReFlections Loc: From LA to AL

Thank you so much. As a landscape photographer I found that to be very informative.

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

--Bob

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

You are welcome.

junglejim1949 Loc: Sacramento,CA

Thanks for the link, always like learning!

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

deanfl Loc: Georgia

Good video. I am subscribed to Mr. Turner but had not seen this one. Thanks for posting.

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

You are welcome.
It is a good help.

camerapapi Loc: Miami, Fl.

If we seat comfortably in a porch or living room to talk about landscape photography we could be talking about it till the final trial. I can only talk from my own experience and I can tell you that landscape photography is not that difficult but it requires careful placing of the camera. I hope you noticed that the author was always using a tripod. The tripod is not an accessory, it is a necessity. If you want properly composed images just use a tripod. It will slow us down, perhaps it will make us think about what we are doing.

Exposure today is not a problem with mirrorless cameras. I seldom use matrix metering, my favorite meter for landscapes is center weighted metering. I understand what it does and I know when I have to compensate the exposure. At times spot metering is the best alternative. It is very possible to use matrix and check the histogram to be sure about the exposure because matrix is a computerized meter and it compensates the exposure. Nobody knows when it does. When shooting sunrises or sunsets the meter tends to give extra exposure to the foreground and if you have in mind a silhouette you are not going to be very happy about the exposure.

Are filters necessary? Yes, at times they are. The ND filter and the polarizer are in my opinion the two filters every landscape photographer should have in his or her arsenal. I used with film graduated neutral density filters but since using digital they have not seen much use. Because of the wide dynamic range of modern cameras opening the shadows up to two stops is very possible. Any encountered noise can easily be dealt with using a denoise editor. I have never been intimidated using a high shutter speed. A few years ago I was shooting in the Solly Dods Wilderness area of West Virginia just before the sunrise and I was shooting with my D7000 at ISO 800. None of the images showed excess noise in post to the point that denoise was not necessary. With the sunrise I went to ISO 400 while using the Nikon 28-105 lens, camera on a tripod. I never had an issue with that combo.

Manipulating RAW data in post is where I agree we have to be conservative. I am sure that RAW editors add a certain amount of sharpening to the images, perhaps also an improvement of colors. Although it is said that RAW data has no manipulation of any kind I am convinced it has when we edit the data. Many times the image has a very acceptable degree of sharpening not requiring more of it in post. It is very possible also that the AA filter used on top of the sensor is very thin avoiding degradation of the image. I find myself using less and less sharpening with RAW data in post.

Dead space is something that could add or kill a photograph. I tend to control my dead space to my taste. A zoom lens of good quality is ideal for this type of photography but if I had to select a single focal length the 35mm lens or equivalent lens offering a similar view would be my choice. I use a zoom and on purpose I set it to the 35mm focal length. If it helps the composition I zoom with my legs, not the lens. A lens like the Nikon 18-70 f3.5-4.5 DX is a very practical lens for landscapes and I can say the same for any midrange FX lens. I have used my 28-105 f3.5-4.5 D lens very successfully with my D610. Just remember that we are in control of our gear and in general lenses are of excellent quality. If something fails do not blame the camera, look at your technique first.

If using only a part of the landscape, as you saw in the photograph of the trees in the video shot at the tele setting now we are talking about the "intimate landscape." The intimate landscape is better shot with a tele to isolate the subject. If using the lens at maximum wide opening aperture helps the composition so be it. Depth of field is something we always keep in mind because the majority of landscapes require it. If the subject is at a certain distance using apertures like f5.6 offers plenty of depth of field although a majority of photographers will work their lenses between f8 and f16. I know refraction could be a problem with small apertures but I have never had issues with it. With a dSLR do not be afraid to use f22, be more conservative with mirrorless.

To repeat again, those have been my experience shooting landscape, most probably they are not all here but I am sure I discussed the most important ones for my shooting. Composition is very important, nobody taught me that, I learned from my mistakes.

Thank you for the interesting video.

jack schade Loc: La Pine Oregon

Thanks for the post

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

scooter1 Loc: Yacolt, Wa.