Landscape Photography

Landscape photography rewards patience, planning, and a willingness to be in the right place at the right time — which is harder than it sounds. This section covers the full landscape photography workflow: scouting locations, reading light, choosing the right filters and focal lengths, managing long exposures, and processing raw files to reflect what you actually saw and felt when you pressed the shutter.

How Ansel Adams Changed Photography

Though Ansel Adams may have died in 1984, his work and his impact on photography reverberates through the craft to this day. This video essay will explain how and why, in under ten minutes. 

Storm Chasing a Meteotsunami

Storm chasing on the Great Lakes can be a hit-or-miss enterprise. In particular, Lake Michigan presents a formidable challenge because the weather here typically travels west to east across the lake and often changes rapidly once over the water.  

The Relationship Between the Foreground and the Background

Using something in the foreground of your landscape image can add a lot of depth, but placing a foreground in your composition without consideration is not the way. It can be smart to give it a little thought. In this article, I will give you a couple of things to consider that may lead to a better composition. 

How to Photograph the Milky Way in 5 Simple Steps

Learn how to photograph the Milky Way galaxy by choosing the correct equipment, using the right camera settings, and planning ahead with precision to avoid disappointment. You can also use these tips to photograph other astrophotography shots such as meteor showers. 

Don't Overlook the Power of a Long Lens in Landscape Photography

No doubt, when most of us think about landscape photography, we think about using wide angle lenses to capture a lot of a scene in one shot. However, long lenses can be quite useful for landscape work as well, and this great video explores why you should consider using one for your own photos. 

7 Common Landscape Photography Mistakes

Landscape photography has a lot of potential pitfalls to it, and it takes the confluence of a variety of techniques and creative ideas to make a successful image. This great video details seven common mistakes landscape photographers commonly make and how you can avoid and/or fix them. 

Learn How to Use Focus Stacking for Sharper Images

Landscape photographers often want to maximize their depth of field to get everything from front to back entirely in focus and sharp. If you want maximum sharpness, employing focus stacking can be the key, and this great video will show you how it works.  

How to Selectively Expand the Background of Your Photo

Who hasn't had a photo that you wanted to print or post, but it wasn't quite the proportion that you needed? Even if you're not a Photoshop guru, Photoshop's Content-Aware Scale feature can help stretch a photo to fit perfectly without disturbing your subject.

5 Quick Tips for Photographing Sand Dunes With Michael Shainblum

Michael Shainblum creates some breathtaking landscape work and is kind enough to share his knowledge with those looking to up their game. Watch this video for some helpful tips on capturing one of his favorite subjects, the challenging yet beautiful sand dunes. 

Hiking on Your Own for Landscape Photography

Instead of waiting around for friends, or groups to go out on a photo walk, why not take matters into your own hands and try hiking alone to capture landscapes. After all, without anyone else around you can make the decision on when to shoot, and when to pack up. 

How to Give Skin a Golden Glow Using Photoshop

Giving skin a nice golden glow can be a great finishing touch on a portrait to put the image over the top. This fantastic video tutorial will show you how to add the effect to a portrait using Photoshop. 

'Moments in Time' Photo Editing Breakdown

In the latest episode of "Moments in Time" in the Philippines, I traveled to Legazpi along with Win Magsino to capture images of Mt. Mayon, a very beautiful and iconic volcano on the island of Luzon. In this post, I will take a more in-depth look at the post-processing that went into creating the final image. 

How to Edit Your Comet NEOWISE Astrophotos

Comet NEOWISE has been hanging around in night skies around the world for a little while now, and most photographers who have been blessed with clear skies have captured at least one shot of the comet. Beyond getting a good exposure, how do you process your astro shots for the best effect? In this tutorial, I'll show you how I edit mine. 

Do You Have a Bucket List Photo?

Do you have a bucket list shot — a photo that you have always wanted to take? This great video follows a photographer as he gets to take a shot on his own personal bucket list.  

The Power of Moving 12 Inches

Photographers are obsessed with improving their work through new gear purchases, extra lighting, and better retouching, but there's one trick that's often overlooked: the power of moving 12 inches. 

What I Learned Shooting the Neowise Comet

I strive to capture moments in time with my photography, and one thing I like is once in a lifetime or very rare moments. The Neowise comet (aka C/2020 F3 NEOWISE) is one of those moments that won't happen again for about another 6,800 years.

A Simple Way to Photograph Comet NEOWISE

If you have not realized it yet, Comet NEOWISE is on the night sky. This is a big event for astrophotographers and photography enthusiasts alike. 

Hurry and Photograph Comet C/2020 F3 Neowise Before It Fades Away!

Earlier this year, there were two hyped comets that made headlines but did not live up to expectations. Then, in June, stargazers held hope that the third comet c/2020 F3 Neowise would deliver a show, and it has surpassed expectations as the best Northern Hemisphere comet in decades. 

Is the Sony a7R III Still Worth It in 2020?

When Sony released the full-frame mirrorless a7R III in 2017, it was to generally positive reviews. Three years later, a newer version has been released, but the question is if this camera still holds up? 

The Importance of Foreground in Landscape Photography

Landscape photographers often deal with vast, expansive scenes, and as such, they need to think about many different areas and layers of the frame. This excellent video discusses the importance of adding foreground elements to your landscape photos and how they can improve your images.  

A Different Experience for a Landscape Photographer: Fires at Night

I'm mainly an Arizona based golden time landscape photographer, and I also mix in Milky Way and telescope based astronomical photography of galaxies and nebulas. On June 5th, a lightning storm struck the Catalina Mountains near Tucson, and almost literally, all hell broke loose.

 

A Review of the Fujifilm X-T4 for Landscape Photographers

Over the years, Fujifilm's X series has become a highly refined set of tools popular with a lot of photographers across a wide range of genres. This great video review takes a look at the X-T4 and what you can expect from a landscape photographer's perspective.  

The Science Behind Sunrise

Why is it that we get more reds, oranges, and yellows when the sun is at the horizon at either sunrise or sunset, and how does the sky remain blue during the day anyway? Let’s look briefly at the chief principles at play when it comes to changes of color at the golden hours. 

Can Luminar 4's AI Sky Replacement Beat Photoshop?

Replacing the sky in a photograph is traditionally a fairly tedious process, particularly if you are dealing with a complex structure consisting of things like tree branches and the like. However, Luminar 4 brought with it a new AI sky replacement tool that promised to drastically reduce the amount of time and effort that goes into the process. Can it hold its own with Photoshop?

Travel Photographer Uses Food and Everyday Objects to Create 'Outdoor' Landscape Photos

Keen to keep herself busy during lockdown, photographer Erin Sullivan began working on a new series, which involves using everybody objects, usually food, to create photos that give off the illusion they’re of huge landscapes. The series includes watermelon, broccoli, and onions, which are angled to look like mountains, caves, and hot springs. 

How to Take Perfect Sunset Landscapes

Why is it that certain sunsets stand out more than others? After all, it’s not every day we see a good one. Well, that depends on a few different things that must come together to produce the kind of sunsets we want to capture in camera. In this piece, I'll outline what to look for and when. 

Which is Better, the Sigma 14-24mm Art or the Sony 16-35mm GM?

Wide angle zooms are incredibly popular and a staple of most photographers' kit bags, whatever their genre. But with brands like Sigma offering alternatives to the camera manufacturer's option for significantly less money, it's not an obvious decision. 

How to Shoot Sunrises and Sunsets

It’s summer now, and that means we have good temperatures and conditions to go out and shoot. Sunrise and sunset are especially great moments to get good photography conditions, not only because you can catch incredible colors but also because the light can be too harsh during the day.  

5 Simple Tips to Instantly Improve Your Landscape Photography

I live and breathe landscape photography and there are so many great tips you can test and try out yourself. Here are five tips I benefit a lot from in my work that you can implement to improve your landscape photography right now.