If you’re into landscape photography, shooting with a purpose can help you capture special photos. Why not set such a purpose for 2025? I suggest capturing twelve different natural phenomena. Of course, you can make a list of your own as well.
Sometimes it can be difficult to find inspiration for capturing great landscape photos. You can go out and let yourself be surprised by the things you encounter, or you might go out with a goal, detailed plans, and a specific photo in mind.
However, setting a goal can be done differently, extending over a longer period. The start of 2025 can be a great starting point for such an endeavor. You can choose something as simple as one photo in a predefined theme every month or a subject specific to that month, like blooming flowers or something similar.
You can make it as challenging as you want. However, don’t make it too difficult, or you may lose interest. On the other hand, don’t make it too easy either. Finding the sweet spot may prove to be a challenge. That is why I have made a list of subjects that aren’t too hard to achieve but still pose a challenge.
1. Rainbow, Moonbow, or Fogbow
A rainbow is not that difficult to capture. It’s also one of the most beautiful and most common natural phenomena. The challenge is to capture a rainbow in a great landscape. I believe this may prove to be the most difficult task.
If you want to take it to another level, try to capture a moonbow or even a fogbow. These are less common or even rare, but they might be a great challenge for those who have photographed a rainbow more than often.
2. Belt of Venus
When the sun has set, the Earth will cast a shadow in the atmosphere on the opposite side. This is visible as a darker bluish band beneath a reddish band. The latter is called the Belt of Venus.
It’s not rare, but the sky has to be clear. It can offer a great addition to a landscape photo. Often, we focus on the horizon and landscape of the sunset. But remember to look over your shoulder as well. There you may find the Belt of Venus. 3. Moon or Sun Halo
3. Moon or Sun Halo
A halo around the moon or sun is not that uncommon. However, it is always spectacular to see that circle in the sky. It appears at 22 degrees from the light source, so you need at least a 24mm lens on a full frame to capture that field of view.
Keep perspective in mind. The halo may get distorted. This can be corrected if you make a vertical panorama or use an ultra wide-angle lens and add some perspective correction in editing software. This way, you can capture a nice landscape as well.
4. Sundog or Moondog
If there isn’t a halo present, at 22 degrees left and right of the sun, a sundog can appear. The sun has to be low on the horizon for that. Sundogs can be extremely bright, with beautiful rainbow colors, or just a colorless spot.
It can also be spotted with the moon on rare occasions. In that case, it’s called a moondog, but it’s basically the same. Because the moon is much less bright compared to the sun, you need a full moon to have a chance.
5. Light Circles
Light circles are not rare and can be seen around the sun or any other bright light when looking through lots of grass or tree branches. The light reflects off the branches in such a way that the reflection is circular.
This is an optical illusion, obviously. But it’s nice to use it in a composition or to capture it as a subject. You can do this with sunlight through grass or with streetlights and branches at night.
6. Sun Pillar
If the conditions are right, ice crystals in the sky can reflect the sunlight in such a way that a sun pillar can be seen. The sun has to be low on the horizon or even below the horizon for this effect.
Sometimes these pillars can also be seen over cities. In that case, these are called light pillars, and it can be quite spectacular. However, a sun pillar has a more natural source of light.
7. Noctilucent Clouds
These clouds are relatively rare, although they occur more often than in the past. Whatever the cause, capturing these elusive clouds can be done when the sun has set. A higher latitude offers a greater chance of seeing these clouds. Make sure you use a proper shutter speed because these clouds often show visible movement.
8. Aurora Borealis and Australis
Speaking of higher latitudes, if you’re living near or above the Arctic Circle, you have a great chance of seeing and capturing the amazing aurora. Especially now, with the sun near its solar maximum, it promises to be spectacular at times.
Due to the solar maximum, lower latitudes also have a great chance of witnessing the aurora. Keep an eye on solar activity and aurora predictions and hope for a clear sky.
9. Meteor Shower
Why not try to capture one of the many annual meteor showers? The most active is the Perseid in August, but there are many more. There are the Geminids, Orionids, and Leonids, to name a few. These might not be as active compared to the Perseids, but you just have to capture that one bright meteor or bolide.
10. Shelf Cloud
For some, it might be a recurring phenomenon; others may witness a shelf cloud or roll cloud rarely. I count myself among the latter.
These clouds are impressive and make amazing subjects in a great landscape. It takes some luck and more than one attempt, but if you catch one, it’s amazing. Don’t forget to bring an umbrella.
As an alternative, you can try to capture lightning. It’s more common and thus easier to do. However, finding a beautiful landscape to capture the lightning might be challenging. Whatever you do, make sure you stay safe.
11. Witte Wieven
There is a Dutch legend that talks about the Witte Wieven. These are believed to be spirits of wise women or even elven beings. In reality, it’s a low mist over fields and swamps that shines bright in moonlight.
Despite the reality, the legend makes it more interesting. Especially when you’re standing in a moonlit night, looking over the fields where the mist flares are moving and swaying. It definitely feels supernatural, and you may wonder if the legend is not reality after all.
12. Wind Feather
Cirrus clouds can be formed into feather-like structures by the wind. These wind feathers can take on amazing shapes. Although not rare and easy to see, it might be challenging to capture the most impressive wind feathers in a landscape.
Make Your Own List
This list is a suggestion. It’s something I would like to capture in 2025. Your interest in subjects may be different from mine. Perhaps you can get inspired to make your own list of subjects. It doesn’t have to be a list of twelve. It can be as simple as photographing a scenery in four different seasons.
I invite you to share a list of your own in the comments below. It may help others who might struggle to find something interesting themselves. I’m looking forward to your ideas and suggestions.
Really good ideas. The challenge will be to place them in a pretty setting. Best thing about this is, you have to get out to do any of them!
I would put lunar eclipse on my list.
I wish I could do that as well. Unfortunately there is no lunar eclipse in my region.
During the winter months, we sometimes get temperature inversions where colder weather gets trapped in the valley and warmer temperatures are found in slightly higher elevations. Coinciding with that is morning fog which rises up from the river and valley floor through the canyons above. Standing at the top of Colorado National Monument, a federal park near the border of Colorado and Utah, one can look down at these clouds rolling in and around monoliths. I don't remember the temperature at where I shot this photo (probably high 20s), but I remember it was a chilly 8 degrees F back in town at our house.
Beautiful image. I wish there were mountains and valleys in my vicinity.
We live at the the base of the park I mentioned in my fog picture, so whenever we get an electrical storm that seems to stall over the area, I'll set up my tripod in the relative safety of my garage and shoot continuous 15 second exposures. Once in a great while, I get lucky and get two lightning strikes in one picture.
I wish there were more great electrical storms. But perhaps I have to go out more if they occur. :)
Great capture.
Great article, great examples. Always good to have a couple of projects "up one's sleeve", especially it they can get you out.Whenever I "have to go shopping" in our nearest city (Eindhoven, Netherlands, not very instagrammable), I take my camera and pick a random theme, like "red", "round", "letter B"or whatever. And then be happy to come home with a few passable shots...
Great idea.
Eindhoven does have great photo opportunities.
Great ideas. I would also add clearing or approaching storms to the list. Both provide a great deal of changing drama and lighting.
Thank you for the addition.
The iridescent clouds around the moon photo is actually a lunar corona. So you can check that one off you list. 😀
Both iridescent clouds and lunar corona involve diffraction but they are considered separate and distinct phenomena.
Thank you for the clarification.
You can do both, of course.
:)
I use TPE app to plan moon and sun in areas around my city and when ever on a trip i check rise and sets. just some info, the sun through out the year both from Dec. to Jun and Jun. to Dec. it goes north on the horizon then back south BUT in March and October both Moon and Sun rise and set 180 degrees apart. Knowing just this you can do a moon rise and turn around and do a sunset both above the horizon or if you are high up like atop a lighthouse you can do a panorama both north and south getting both in image. Another fact every full moon and new moon rises and sets in the same place saying plan for the full moon but as far as the new moon it is the setting crescent moon where you have the setting sun light way below the horizon glowing and lighting the darkness of the moon as well as lit part of the crescent being bright. For full moon rises always do the night before for the setting sun light will illuminate your foreground. I do a calendar every year but weather can spoil a plan.
The Sun will require bracketing to get detail of the foreground. To get surface texture of moon SS/ISO 125 and f/8 to f/11 for focus and a need to zoom in because the area in foreground will be dark but sometimes if bright just SS/ISO being equal.
As far as lunar eclipse just stay at 600mm this way you get stars around yes with a 2x teleconverter and in APS-C mode you get a full frame moon like a closeup and full detail in post. I think stars are extras where just cropping can get the closeup. Get the eclipse with foreground and just using Aperture mode due to ground lighting you will get surface texture also.
As far as moon one thing most all time you will have to do a blend to get a large size as you see it with the foreground the reason no lens other than a zoom from far away will capture it that way, so just like the film days it has always been a paste in post BUT to get the size you see it only paste no larger than the glow, everyone will know it is a paste if too large.
1 and 4 are true one shots also 4 was in winter and in a howling wind parked my SUV to block it.
2 is a Bracketed HDR
3 is a paste but size is as seen
A good lens for Solar eclipse is a 24-240, in great for the wedding ring and out for foreground also.
Ah! the unknown before hand a full Lunar is about a whole night but at full is straight up like high noon for a sun, you will be laying on the ground with lens pointing up and for a winter eclipse you will need a fan blowing over the end of the lens and a couple of heat raps around the lens and some no fogging lens cleaner if not you will be rolling out and trying to keep the frost buildup and tracking and finding again and tightening tripod, I did one in Jan at 20 degrees on a farm with frost on the grass, .Lucky I was in the garage area with a heater near. Just planning info.
Add nacreous clouds to the list. Also, light pillars are common when it's cold.