Landscape Photography

Whether your subject is wildlife, landscapes, sports or some other type of distance-related photography, using a tripod is a must for stable, clear images. Yes, there are workarounds, and some photographers insist they don't need a tripod. Award-winning nature photographer Steve Perry has put together an easy to watch video on techniques that work for him when he's using long lenses to capture his subjects.

Four German body painters and photographers have teamed up to blend the human body and natural landscapes into an art project they call "Metamorphosis." Photographers Laila Pregizer and Uwe Schmida have been working with body painters Jörg Düsterwald and Léonie Gené since 2008 to integrate their subjects into various natural landscapes in all seasons. It's notable that the project does not rely on Photoshop to create the images, but rather on the skills of the artists.

Take three minutes, open this video full screen, and enjoy the beauty. "Aotearoa - New Zealand" is a stunning tour of a country chock full of natural wonders.

I always watch aerial videos; there's just something about them that really stands out to me, so my bad for another aerial video. In this video, "Perspective," we see nature in a very different way. Drones are tools that give us the freedom to film and photograph from the air. These tools allow us to change our perspective and create imagery that is new to our eye. In this video, Jay really captured some content that we don't get the opportunity to see. He does a great job controlling the camera, panning, flying and shooting in a unique way.

Professional Aerial Photographers Paul Hoelen, Emmanuel Coupé, and Scott Jon McCook are here with the ultimate guide to getting you started with aerials yourself. And of course, they shared some mouthwatering imagery that will make you ask the question: “Are these shot on Earth at all?”

Peter Stewart is an internationally published photographer that specialized in travel and fine art photography. To understand how to take awesome scenery photos, you must know the three basic qualities of light: intensity, direction, and color. Check out how a master does his work.

Drone Videos are slowly becoming more and more popular as the drone market seems to endlessly expand. Consumer drones now seem like one of the most popular items for people to buy for themselves or as gifts for others. I walk around and see “drones” in 7/11’s and other random stores with the advertising “HD Video.” These tools are becoming so popular that almost anybody can get one and start flying around.

If there’s one thing you can rely on us photographers for, it’s bleeding every last drop of quality out of our work. We feverishly pursue clarity like a commission-only ophthalmologist and over the last couple of years, time-lapse photography has been the most blatant exhibition of this.

You're about to become better at post-processing! Raiatea Arcuri, a landscape photographer from Hawaii, has an impressive portfolio. I was pleased to learn that he also shares some of his secrets to processing his landscapes. Arcuri teaches you how to process a stack of images shot at night to create a wonderful star trail nightscape using Lightroom and Photoshop, and I will share some additional tips to help you achieve stunning star trails.

Fripito is a new mobile application made for photographers, by photographers. With many travel guides catering to the casual tourist, the creators of Fripito wanted to have a resource where professional photographers could research and plan their shoots for a specific destination, while also offering information on transportation, food, lodging, and so on.

Leaving the car, mountains, and solid ground behind, we get into a small airplane to do some landscape photography over Western Australia with International Fine Art Photographer of the Year Scott Jon McCook, not only to cover more ground while we’re at it, but to gain a rather unique perspective of the landscape and the story behind it.

Now that everyone's feeds have been flooded with typical Earth Day stock imagery of beautiful rolling hills, ocean waves, and lush trees, Photographer Joe Freeman takes a darker tone and shows us the harsh reality of what future generations will see if humanity continues on the same devastating path.

"What lens should I buy?" It is the question I have seen countless times over the years in so many forums. It's the question I get from friends — the never-ending question. There is only one problem: the lens you should buy really all depends on you! What lens do you love? How do you like to photograph? Where do you photograph? Do you have space to back up so you can use a long lens? What do you like?

Documentary Filmmaker Janssen Powers makes me want to go to the mountains immediately. The beautiful Pacific Northwest is on amazing display in "Muir Song," an ode to naturalist and conservationist John Muir. Fittingly released on what would have been his 178th birthday, Powers takes us on a beautiful journey through the mountains and sea. If after watching this video you haven't booked your tickets (or if you're lucky to live there and don't go outside immediately), there is truly something wrong with you.

Following English landscape photographer Lee Acaster on his photographic journey is highly entertaining, but with Wex Photographic producing these quality videos, they're of an important educational value as well. Living on the Norfolk and Suffolk border, most of Acaster's images take their inspiration from the low lying beauty of the East Anglian landscape.

I recently purchased a drone, and I've caught the aerial bug. The new perspective afforded by it has been wildly addicting. However, I'm still very much an amateur in my newfound abilities. Films like Wild Scotland, in their beauty and seamless sense of evolving wonder, give me something to aspire toward.

To photograph nature is pure, to give back in the process is supreme. VSCO has given the opportunity to give back with the launch of the Limited Edition WWF Preset. Partnering up with Apple and WWF, VSCO has made it a mission to promote sustainability and conserve nature. The preset can be downloaded for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. Aimed at enhancing the lights and colors of natural settings, VSCO's latest creation is targeted at elevating landscape and wildlife photography. The presets will be available for purchase from now until April 24, and 100% of the proceeds will go to the World Wildlife Fund.

Think for a moment about the Tolkien-inspired visions flashing though the mind of Robert Plant as he penned the mystical lyrics to “Ramble On.” Vast landscapes with wandering figures, uncertain of their destination, but driven by their journey. Now get ready to scroll down and get the same feeling.

For years, videographers shooting in dark situations frequently ran into the issue of a ton of noise in darks and shadows that would oftentimes make some footage difficult or impossible to use. Many have heralded the release of the a7S II with applause due to its power for video in low-light situations and even to record bursts of high frame rates in HD, so we took one into the deep recesses of an abandoned power plant in New Orleans to see how it did.

I'm not a landscape photographer, but I am a photographer. At the heart of all us 'togs is a deep-seated yearning to capture the rare and the beautiful. Another concept I find overly enticing about photography is that of being a nomad; a wandering explorer with only a camera as a companion. Or, in the case of this video, three cameras, a DJI Inspire 1, and presumably a helicopter. Whatever, stop watering down my poetic vision.

Reportage seems to be a genre where feminine qualities are seen as an obstacle rather then as an asset. I sat down with French photographer Audray Saulem who proved them wrong and listened to her experience shooting an epic race of 210 kilometers in the Sahara over 6 grueling days.

In this series, I'm tying philosophy, post-processing and the nature of beauty together through the genre of landscape photography. We're going to take a closer look at what beauty actually is, before I propose a new definition for photography.

The processed photograph is growing more popular. Whether that has to do with the technology involved in image processing becoming more accessible to many is up for debate. Maybe it is a gradual shift of the human perception of what we call the art of photography. I have asked a handful of professional landscape photographers to contribute to the case of the processed photograph, making this second part in this series more practical than the rather philosophical first article.

In this video essay, Evan Puschak aka The Nerdwriter explains some of the techniques Ansel Adams used to achieve his technical and esthetic mastery. Using visualization and some other relatively easy to learn techniques, Adams learned to bring what he saw in his mind's eye to his photographs (yes, I said "easy to learn," but hard to master). It was Adams' commitment to taking photographs, with intent, that made him a master artist and led him to develop the tools he needed to bring his images to fruition.​

We have finally made it to the end of our behind-the-scenes series of Elia Locardi's “Photographing the World” tutorial. In episode 18, we continue our travels through New Zealand as we hike out 4 miles to the base of Mount Cook for an interesting astro photography lesson, the team celebrates the end of this trip with a skydiving session in Queenstown, and Lee and I say our final goodbyes to Elia and Naomi Locardi.

Let's take a step back and talk about the growing popularity of the processed photograph. Apart from some rather technical post-processing jibber-jabber, we’ll dabble in philosophy, astronomy, and the evolution of the human species. We will meet strange creatures along the way that see many more colors than we do, as we conclude this with a moral question in photography.

Don’t you just love the fact that nowadays, you can watch only the good shows? UK Landscape Photographer Thomas Heaton has his own "show" on YouTube, and in the latest episode, he takes us with him on a photography journey in Arctic Tromsø, Norwegian home of spectacular landscapes. Join him on his journey to the edge of the Arctic!

It is somewhat cathartic to know that creating something beautiful can leave a profound impact on the creator. It seems possible for the emotional impact we feel when viewing art to be measured in the volume of revelation the artist unloaded to create it. This is reassurance that something that resonates is real.

Toma Bonciu has a real sense for dramatic landscape photography, but what's more, the Romanian landscape photographer is willing to share his experience and knowledge through videos posted on YouTube. Check out his eight tips on taking photos in the fog.

Photographing The World Behind The Scenes continues today with Episode 16, our final few days in Cambodia. In this episode we visit a gun range, we fly in a hot air balloon, we ride an elephant, Patrick eats "happy" pizza, and we have dinner with our tuk tuk driver's family. We also get to see the most spectacular sunrise of our lives.