fbpx
Education

To Be Better at Landscape Photography, Try Going Wide, Close, and Low

Julien Matabuena
No Comments
09/03/2018
2 Mins read
Albert Dros landscape 1

Last Updated on 09/07/2018 by Mark Beckenbach

Looking to learn a new trick to up your landscape photography game today? Make it this one.

Landscape photography seems as straightforward as it can get: just aim your camera towards a nice view, get the right angle and framing, and press that shutter. However, learning a few tricks on technique and gear can certainly help you elevate your work and separate it from the rest.

Albert Dros, an award-winning professional photographer from the Netherlands, shared on the r/photography subreddit one simple yet incredibly useful tip that promises to “open up a whole new world.” All you need is 16mm wide angle lens or wider (full-frame equivalent), a small textured surface to serve as your foreground, and a good view (naturally).

Albert’s quick tip reads in full as follows:

Use a wide angle (preferably 16mm or wider, full frame equivalent) and get EXTREMELY close to objects. Get as close as the lens can focus (or even closer). With this technique, you can find foregrounds literally anywhere. Small textures can look huge in a photo. Try to get very low to the ground and look through your camera’s viewfinder or live view and see how the foregrounds look on the picture. When you get to a location, look for small details on the ground instead of the ‘main’ subject and view you will focus on.

To help you visualize, here’s how a photo taken using this technique looks like (above) along with a couple of behind-the-scenes shots to show how Albert did it (below):

Looks cool, no? By simply going wide, close, and low, you can easily offer new perspectives on your photographs.

Landscape photography is one topic we’ve discussed quite a few times in detail here on the site. We’ve dished out tips such as how to choose the right landscape photography lens for you, how to be better at landscape composition, and how to create and compose a great landscape photo. We also have the Ultimate Landscape Photographer’s Tutorial Guide for 2017.

Stuck in a rut? Let photographer and filmmaker Adam Karnacz tell you how you can rediscover your passion for landscape photography and be inspired by these incredible landscape photographs. Better yet, listen to the legendary landscape photographer Ansel Adams talk about himself and his craft in this series of interviews.

All photos and tip by Albert Dros via Reddit and used with permission.

You might also like
Education

So What Exactly is a Petzval Lens?

3 Mins read
07/25/2013

Ever seen portraits that had a fascinating swirl-like bokeh and field curvature, but never knew how it was done? Well it all lies in the Petzval lens design, and we’re sharing some of its storied past.

Pauleth Ip The Phoblographer Sony FE 24mm f1.4 GM Product Image 3 of 5
Education Learn

Can 24mm Prime Lenses be Used for Street Photography Successfully?

2 Mins read
12/14/2018

Many photographers will tell you that the ideal prime lenses for street photography are 35mm lenses, 40mm lenses, and the trusty 50mm lens. These three lenses are considered to be perfect for street photography because they closely replicate what the human eye sees naturally. Usually you’ll find that anything longer than 50mm just won’t capture enough of a scene to tell a story, while anything wider than 35mm can create images that lack intimacy. Recently photographer and YouTuber Pierre. T Lambert decided to try 24mm prime lenses for street photography. After the jump you can watch the video and can see what he found out.

McFalls Big Sur-S
Photography Culture

Long Nguyen Pushed Himself to Take “Epic” Landscape Photos

9 Mins read
05/06/2018

Photographer Long Nguyen is a financial accountant during the day who turns into a sun seeking photographer at sunrise and sunset–or at least that’s what he says about himself. “Currently I live in Seattle, Washington that provides me opportunities explore numerous areas of this ‘evergreen state’ and in addition to other beautiful places around the world.” he continues. Long is a previous winner of Outdoor Photographer’s American Landscape photography contest, and is always amazed at what nature gives him. Whether it’s the first light from mountains, Long says that he’s much more of a creative photographer than a technical one.