• Home
  • Reviews Index
  • Best Gear
  • Inspiration
  • Learn
  • Disclaimer
  • Staff/Contact Info
  • Media Kit
  • Membership
Bridging Tech and Creative Photography
Bridging Tech and Creative Photography
Bridging Tech and Creative Photography
Sponsored

5 Tricks for Stunning Landscape Shots & an Online Photo Class Giveaway

Chris Gampat
No Comments
05/10/2014
3 Mins read

titleCard

Capture superior landscape photos during sunrise, midday and sundown with seven tips from award-winning photographer Rick Sammon, who has traveled to and photographed almost 100 countries. Plus, enter for your chance win Rick’s online Craftsy class Landscape Photography: Shooting From Dusk to Dawn here (a $59.99 value!)—an exclusive offer for The Phoblographer’s readers!

Editor’s Note: This is a sponsored post from Craftsy 

1. Catch blue light.

2 copy

Make the most of the blue-tinted lighting provided during twilight, the twenty minutes right before sunrise and just after sunset, for dramatic effects. This overcast light will illuminate your scene in a vibrant, stunning fashion. To capture the best photos during this time of day you’ll want to: shoot in manual mode for better control over exposure, use a longer exposure than normal daytime photos, and be sure your camera is stabilized to prevent shake. The best area of the sky for capturing the richest blues is directly opposite of the sun. During this time you’ll be able to get the best silhouette shots and amazing shadows; longer shadows will add more texture, depth and interest to your photos.

2. Chase golden light.

sunrise 4_Edited_HDR

The golden hour is the hour shortly after sunrise or before sunset when the sun’s intensity is reduced because it’s low to the horizon, producing soft, diffused light, allowing more dynamic colors to show. Soft light is preferable for landscapes, as you won’t lose any details to extreme shadows or blown-out highlights. When shooting during the magic hour use a wide aperture, and set your white balance to cloudy, otherwise you risk neutralizing the warm, golden glow.

3. You can get good photos, even in midday sun, any time of year.

b and w

Make sure your highlights aren’t over-exposed during midday shooting, and try to shoot with the sun behind you. If you’re shooting midday during winter, and having a hard time capturing the details in white snow without underexposing the other elements in the shot, try a natural-looking HDR effect by bracketing your shot.

4. Placement of the horizon line is important.

In landscape photography the horizon line is incredibly important, if the sky is interesting you want to place the horizon line at the bottom of the frame. If the foreground is the most interesting you want to place the horizon line near the top of the frame. Avoid placing the horizon in the center of the frame to avoid a boring composition (unless you have a reflection scene like a lake).

5. Think like a painter.

Cropping gives you a second chance at composition. Avoid placing your subject in the exact center of your composition as the viewer’s eye will get stuck on it; off-center works much better. Consider creating a vignette by darkening the edges of your scene just a bit to draw attention to the main subject.

Now that you know a few tricks, take the next step when you enter for your chance to win Rick Sammon’s online Craftsy class Landscape Photography: Shooting From Dusk to Dawn today!

peaking out

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to adventure through stunning vistas (in the convenience of your home!) as Rick reveals essential lens, filter and framing strategies that will help you get the perfect landscape photos any time of day. Plus get HDR, panorama and black-and-white style tips to elevate your shots. Rick will even critique your photos and answer any questions you have as you go.

What are some of your favorite tips for shooting landscapes throughout the day?

One winner will be randomly selected on May 19, 2014 at midnight MT. This has been a sponsored post kindly brought to us by Craftsy.

 

Shares
Written by

Chris Gampat

Chris Gampat is the Editor in Chief, Founder, and Publisher of the Phoblographer. He provides oversight to all of the daily tasks, including editorial, administrative, and advertising work. Chris's editorial work includes not only editing and scheduling articles but also writing them himself. He's the author of various product guides, educational pieces, product reviews, and interviews with photographers. He's fascinated by how photographers create, considering the fact that he's legally blind./ HIGHLIGHTS: Chris used to work in Men's lifestyle and tech. He's a veteran technology writer, editor, and reviewer with more than 15 years experience. He's also a Photographer that has had his share of bylines and viral projects like "Secret Order of the Slice." PAST BYLINES: Gear Patrol, PC Mag, Geek.com, Digital Photo Pro, Resource Magazine, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Finance, IGN, PDN, and others. EXPERIENCE: Chris Gampat began working in tech and art journalism both in 2008. He started at PCMag, Magnum Photos, and Geek.com. He founded the Phoblographer in 2009 after working at places like PDN and Photography Bay. He left his day job as the Social Media Content Developer at B&H Photo in the early 2010s. Since then, he's evolved as a publisher using AI ethically, coming up with ethical ways to bring in affiliate income, and preaching the word of diversity in the photo industry. His background and work has spread to non-profits like American Photographic Arts where he's done work to get photographers various benefits. His skills are in SEO, app development, content planning, ethics management, photography, Wordpress, and other things. EDUCATION: Chris graduated Magna Cum Laude from Adelphi University with a degree in Communications in Journalism in 2009. Since then, he's learned and adapted to various things in the fields of social media, SEO, app development, e-commerce development, HTML, etc. FAVORITE SUBJECT TO PHOTOGRAPH: Chris enjoys creating conceptual work that makes people stare at his photos. But he doesn't get to do much of this because of the high demand of photography content. / BEST PHOTOGRAPHY TIP: Don't do it in post-production when you can do it in-camera.
Previous Post

Suggestions for the Fledgling Street Photographer

Next Post

How I Modified A Satchel To Be My Own Personal Camera Bag

The Phoblographer © 2023 ——Bridging Tech and Creative Photography
Bridging Tech and Creative Photography
  • Home
  • Our Staff
  • Editorial Policies
  • Media Kit
  • Membership
  • App Debug