How Much Does Sharpness Matter in Landscape Photography?

While most genres place a lot of emphasis on sharpness, it is often of particular importance in landscape photography. Should we be placing so much emphasis on it, though? Are there other factors that should take priority? This insightful video discusses the issue and all of the other factors besides sharpness that we should consider before we edit a landscape image.

Coming to you from Alister Benn with Expressive Photography, this excellent video discusses the issue of sharpness in landscape photography. We spend a lot of time discussing the different ways to maximize sharpness in a landscape image, including things like the choice of aperture, focus stacking, post-processing techniques, and more. No doubt, sharpness is a sign of technical competence and can bring out the detail in an intricate scene, but we often sharpen photos a large amount without considering what we want the image to convey and if sharpening is actively adding to that or working against it. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Benn. 

And if you really want to dive into landscape photography, check out "Photographing The World 1: Landscape Photography and Post-Processing with Elia Locardi," which is currently on sale along with the rest of the Fstoppers store! 

Alex Cooke's picture

Alex Cooke is a Cleveland-based portrait, events, and landscape photographer. He holds an M.S. in Applied Mathematics and a doctorate in Music Composition. He is also an avid equestrian.

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