Landscape Photography – The importance of planning
In this tutorial I’m going to share with you the importance of planning for Landscape Photography, I’ll be going through the steps I took for capturing a long exposure landscape photo in Tenerife. Will look at location scouting, what equipment to use for landscape photography and also the settings needed to create great pictures.
We’re also giving away a free guide to ND filters and how to use them to improve Landscape Photography. Grab this guide below.
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Tips for Planning Landscape Photography
I think planning for photography is equal to Creativity, and knowledge. What I mean by this is that your creativity and knowledge are of course really important, but your planning is equally important, and you should treat it with the same attention as you do the other two. Don’t just go out with your camera and hope for the best, 9 times out of ten, it wont produce good results.
These three things have equal value when it comes to getting the best landscape shots.
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The Idea
The first thing when it comes to planning Landscape photography is to have an idea. What do you want to show? what feeling do you want to achieve?
If you’re going to take landscape pictures, or any pictures in fact, and you don’t have an initial idea, you’re going to start on the back foot!
In my example, I wanted to show the grandeur of these massive cliffs as the sun hit them during the sunset. I also wanted to get the water looking like glass and have some foreground interest in the shot.
Scouting a good location
If possible, make sure you have scouted the location in advance. This will give you more insight into where you might want to position yourself, what composition you might want to go for, what time of day is best for lighting, and if anyone else will be there to get in your way! To learn about composition and lighting for landscape photography, click here
Landscape Photography Settings
What setting will you need to put into your camera when you get to your location? You won’t know the exact settings for a landscape photograph until you get into position and set up, but you should have an idea of what settings are required for the effect you want.
In my example, I want sharp foreground interest leading into a sharp background. For that I will need an aperture of f11 or higher. To enable me to the foreground and the big cliffs in the same shot, I will need to use a focal length of around 16mm. To enable the waves to blend and give me that glass effect, I will need a long shutter speed.
All of this comes from your knowledge of photography and is an important part of planning for a certain look. To learn all about settings for landscape photography, click here.
Equipment for Landscape Photography
The look you want will dictate the equipment you use. For my example, I will need a camera that goes fully manual to enable me to control the settings. An ultra-wide angle lens to give me the focal length of 16mm I want. A 10 stop ND filter to enable me to get a long shutter speed.
As I want to use a long exposure I will also need to use a good sturdy tripod and remote trigger.
ND Filters – In-Depth Guide For Beginners
f/11 - 30 Seconds - ISO 200 - Focal Length 16mm
Here is my example. Creativity, Knowledge and ‘Planning’ are equally important in creating great landscape pictures.
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