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Introduction 73rd Edition TheEssential Guide to LandscapePhotographyADAMBURTO

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THEBASICSCAPTURE STUNNING LANDSCAPES – we all want to be able to do it. Fantastic landscapes inspire morephotographers than any other type of image and on the face of it, well, it should be easy to do. Find an awesomevista and point your digital SLR at it, press the shutter and that should do the trick. This simple approach will probablybag you a decent snap, but often the image you capture will not do justice to the glorious scene in front of you.We’ve all been a little bit disappointed by a photo that doesn’t quite live up to our great expectations. The differencebetween a decent snap and a stunning image is often down to a few versatile ideas, some easily-learned expertknowledge, the right equipment choice and careful planning. This inspirational guide will provide you with an excellentgrasp of these fundamentals and help you transform your shots from the ordinary into something very special indeed.

photographers than any other type of image and on the face of it, well, it should be easy to do. Find an awesomevista and point your digital SLR at it, press the shutter and that should do the trick. This simple approach will probably

REVISED&UPDATEDTECHNIQUE&ADVICEFROMTHEEXPERTS!

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1) The‘rule-of-thirds’This is a simple way of organising the elements in theframe so that they make a balanced composition. As acompositional tool, it’s been around for a few centuriesand is a simplified version of the ‘golden section’ whichis used in art and architecture.

Imagine two vertical lines dividing the viewfinder intothirds. Now do the same with two horizontal lines. Youthen organise the main elements of the picture withinthis grid. For example, with a simple landscape, place thehorizon on one of the lines, so that you have two-thirdsland and one third sky, or vice-versa.

If you have a strong focal point, such as a tree orbuilding, you can place it on one of the points where thehorizontal and vertical lines intersect. This will make amuch more dynamic composition than if you were toplace the focal point centrally, which can make a picturelook rather static. Inexperienced photographers often putthe subject right in the middle and it rarely works.

Moving an element of a scene to a differentintersection can create a startlingly different image,such is the power of the rule-of-thirds. Don’t be afraid toexperiment with different variations on a theme.

RULE-OF-THIRDSGRID: This image follows the rule-of-thirds quite closely. There is approximately two-thirds land/sea and one-third sky. The lighthouse and obelisk aredivided by the left vertical, each equi-distant from it.

MORE THAN ANY OTHER factor, composition can turnan OK image into a masterpiece. There are a smallnumber of techniques that, once learned, will serve youwell in many different situations.Composing the elements in the frame is the real ‘art’

of taking great pictures. Carefully consider how points ofinterest are arranged and how they relate to each other.Placing a subject centrally in the frame usually results

in a static rather than dynamic composition. Placingthe subject off-centre, encourages the eye to movearound the frame more. One way of dividing the frameup to achieve harmony is to use the ‘rule-of-thirds’ (seebelow). This proportion often occurs in nature, and thereis research to suggest that our brains are ‘hard-wired’ tofind these arrangements more attractive.

COMPOSITIONThe Basics#1

2) ForegroundinterestYou see, the problem is, the world is three-dimensional and a photographis two-dimensional. One of the main reasons that landscape images fail isthat they don’t convey the sense of depth that our eyes see. Fortunately,there are a few compositional tricks that we can employ to get round thisrather frustrating little problem.A very effective way to create depth in a photograph is to include

a strong foreground, often in conjunction with a wide-angle lens.Emphasising the foreground in this way will add depth to the picture bycreating an ‘entry-point’ for the eye, pulling the viewer into the scene andgiving the picture a sense of distance and scale.Wide-angle lenses help this technique because they stretch perspective,

exaggerating the elements close to the lens and opening up the viewbeyond the foreground.But be careful, this can result in the middle distance looking empty

and lacking in interest so the trick is to shoot from a lower viewpoint.This compresses the middle distance, so that there isn’t too much emptyspace in the composition. You’ll also need to use a small aperture andfocus carefully to maximise depth-of-field, keeping foreground and distantobjects in focus (we’ll explain how to do this later).

3) Lead-inlinesLines represent depth in a picture and can be used to lead your eye intothe picture and guide it around the scene.

Lines are everywhere: man-made, such as roads, paths and hedgerows,or natural, such as rivers or the coastline – all will add dynamism to yourphotographs. Lines don’t have to be real, they can be ‘implied’ like thepatterns created by waves over a longish exposure, or objects pointing intothe frame. Lots of things can bring linear energy into your work.

Straight, converging lines are very dynamic and can give a lot ofimpact to a picture, but there is always the danger that the eye followsthe lines into and then very quickly out of the frame again. Pictures withonly converging lines might have immediate impact, but can still beunsatisfying. It’s a good idea to try and place some object of interest withinthe frame – a figure or a tree, for example – to give the eye something tosettle on within the scene.

Lines that curve gently in an ‘S’ shape lack the immediate impact ofstraight, converging lines, but can result in a more satisfying image.They can lead the eye gently through the whole picture, allowing theviewer to take in other elements within the composition.

4) LayersandplanesAnother in-camera technique that can be used to add depth to an imageis to create a ‘layered’ effect. Layers in an image can be created by havinga series of overlapping shapes (see right) or by strong side-lighting,creating alternative bands of light and shade that can give the effect of a‘layering of light’.This kind of technique works particularly well with longer lenses that

have the effect of compressing perspective and ‘stacking’ overlappingforms. Each layer, or plane, appears thinner and closer to the next,exaggerating the effect. Just remember longer lenses will produce lessdepth-of-field so you’ll need to use smaller apertures, such as f/16, ifelements are in the foreground or near middle distance.This shot was taken at dawn near Lyme Regis using a 70-200mm zoom

at around 100mm. The longer focal length compresses the distancesbetween the layers and the strong, directional light helps emphasise thelayers – the early morning mists add bags of atmosphere.

GettinG itriGht: the cowparsley and gorse bothmake an attractive foregroundto lead the eye into the scene and provide suitable frames for the viewbeyond. Awide-angle lens and a small aperture of f/22 provides plenty of depth-of-field.

BiG foreGroundorsmAlldetAil: it’s not always necessary to have a ‘big’foreground; colour, texture and patterns can all provide attractive foreground interest.the delicate carpet of flowers is as effective as the strong shapes of rocks, opposite.

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Composition is all about what you chooseto include in the frame – and also whatyou choose to leave out. Often, less ismore and compositions that areuncluttered can be themost successful

Keepitsimple!eepitsimple!

5) Breaktherules!Like all rules, the rule-of-thirds needs to be appliedwith judgement rather than as a matter of course andthere will always be situations where it can be ignored.For example, when shooting a scene where the sky isreflected in water, you might want to place the horizonacross the middle of the frame, giving the two elementsof the shot – sky and reflection – equal weighting.If there is no interest in the sky, place the horizon

higher in the frame or crop it out altogether. To increasea sense of emptiness and isolation, the horizon can beplaced very low in the frame. The beauty of shootingdigitally is the ease at which you can review your effortsand experiment to ensure the perfect composition.

12 Composition TheEssentialGuidetoLandscapePhotography 3rdEdition

6) FindnaturalframesA popular compositional ‘trick’ is to use something toframe the view beyond, such as an archway, doorway,window or the overhanging branches of trees.

Try using frost-covered plants and gateposts to createa ‘natural’ frame for the main subject of your shot. Usethe ‘frame’ to lead the viewer’s eye into the shot forsome truly eye-catching results.

Control the amount of sharp focus carefully. Very out-of-focus framing leaves help keep attention on the mainsubject, slightly soft leaves might look like a mistake.

Use this idea with care as it can often be detrimentalto the scene and can suggest to the viewer that the viewbeyond the natural frame is even more spectacular.

7) ExperimentwithviewpointsFinding the right viewpoint is key to successful landscapecomposition. Rather than shooting everything from headheight, experiment with high and low viewpoints.

Higher viewpoints have the effect of opening up theplanes in the image and is useful with standard andtelephoto lenses. When photographing well-knownlandmarks, it’s tempting to use the established viewpoints,but spend time looking for a fresh view, as it’s much moresatisfying to capture something original.

While there’s nothing wrong with the first picture, it’sthe ‘standard’ view of Old Harry Rocks in Dorset. Withouthaving to move very far, however, a less photographed andmore dramatic viewpoint has been found.

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Composition 133rdEdition TheEssentialGuidetoLandscapePhotography

Using foreground interestwithAdAmburton Because I’m hooked onwide-angle photography, big foregrounds are aconstant feature in my landscape images. Whenselected carefully and photographed well, a goodforeground will bring a landscape shot to life and

maximise its impact. Photographs with detailed foregrounds cangive the viewer a sense of ‘being there’, instantly drawing theirattention and gaze into the image. I should point out that I don’tgo out primarily searching for foregrounds. The most importantthing is always the main subject in your image, but for me, theforeground comes in a close second. So whenever I head out totake landscapes, I look for a location that has a lot of potentialshooting opportunities. On arrival, I’ll scout around the area,looking for the most appealing subject and the best angle toshoot it from. Once I have chosen the area in which I want toshoot, I begin to search around for foreground interest.There are no rules as to what qualifies as good foreground

interest but, as always, there are a few points to consider.Only you can be the judge of what you want to focus on and,obviously, this is also determined by which objects are closeat hand. But it is important to pay careful attention to whichobjects you include, rather than just shooting the first thingyou stumble across. As I favour landscapes, I almost alwayslook for natural elements to make a foreground – rocks, flowersand water being the usual suspects. These, I know, will fit intothe bigger picture that I am composing, whereas a man-madeobject could look unbalanced.Once you’ve decided what to include as foreground, consider

how to compose your shot to give the strongest possible result.Ideally, the foreground leads the eye into the main subject, butif composed wrongly, can become a distraction. One mistakemany photographers make is to always shoot at eye-level; ifyou are including low-level rocks and shooting from a standingposition, your resulting image will lack impact. Try moving lowerand closer to your desired foreground, and your image willspring to life! Having said that, be careful not to move too lowand close or you risk unbalancing your image by making theforeground more dominant than your background. For this samereason, try and keep your subject matter clean and simple – afantastic background will be lost behind a cluttered or messyforeground! Finally, it’s important to use a small aperture andfocus a third of the way into the scene to provide a good depth-of-field. By following these simple measures, you can greatlyimprove the composition of your landscape images.

noForEGroundintErEStwithout a foreground,the image lacks impact and can look dull anduninteresting.whilewater canmake an attractivesubject, itsmuddy colour in this shot lacks appeal.

withForEGroundby including a foreground, theimage immediately looksmore balanced andeye-catching. however, don’t just settle on the firstthing you find. this plant is quite unattractive.

LowViEwPointComposing froma low viewpointhelps to pick out details in thismossy rock. it issimple, uncluttered and provides a satisfactoryforeground; but it still lacks something special...

toP:while your natural instinctmay be toextend your tripod and shoot froma standingposition, it’s worth trying low viewpoints too.

AboVE&riGht:using a tripod really helpswith landscape photography. i adjusted theheight until i was happywith the compositionand used a polariser to improve the colours. byreviewingmy shots on the LCdmonitor, i wasable to check the exposure and depth-of-fieldto ensure i got the best possible result.

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14 Composition:Foreground interest TheEssentialGuidetoLandscapePhotography 3rdEdition

FinalimageAdding a few leaves to therock adds interest and impact;and by slightly adjustingmyviewpoint, the foregroundinterest ismoved into anoff-centre position, whichstrengthens the composition.

Foregroundinterest1)DOYOURHOMEWORKSpend some timesearching for the bestforeground interest in yourchosen area. Don’t justshoot the first thing thatyou stumble across2)AVOIDCLUTTERTry to keep the foregroundsimple and clutter-free3)GETDOWN!Get lowdownand close to theforeground to add impact4)ENSURESHARPNESSSet a small aperture andfocus a third of theway in5)USEYOURLCDReviewresults on theLCD, revisecompositionand reshoot

Summary

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1) GetthebalancerightThis image presents the landscape photographer with the greatestchallenge – extreme light levels with a need to capture detail in thebright sky and the shadows. And don’t be fooled by that wet sand in theforeground. It’s reflecting a lot of light from the sky.Of course, it will be possible to manipulate the image on your

computer, but first you must make sure the exposure settings are goingto capture the maximum amount of information across the whole image.Overexpose and you will lose cloud detail and the blue sky; underexposeand the shadows on the pier will fill-in and become solid. If your digitalSLR doesn’t capture the information, you will have nothing to work withon the computer. There will be an optimum exposure setting but it couldbe a compromise, so if in doubt, use your camera’s bracketing functionto take several images, some underexposed and some overexposed.

PERFECTEXPOSURESTheBasics#2

DIGITAL SLRS HAVE EXTREMELY ACCURATE, multi-zone meteringsystems, with a histogram function to help us check accurate exposure,so getting it right has never been easier. However, for more creativecontrol, you need to take things into your own hands.The basic problem is that as we gaze at a beautiful landscape our

eyes adjust constantly to register detail in the highlights and theshadows. Our pupils open and close according to the level of lightand our optic nerve has impressive range and latitude. Our cameras,

despite their impressive technical specifications, make exposureswithin fairly limited parameters – the aperture and shutter speedcombination will be chosen for the level of light in the scene. Aperfectly-exposed sky results in gloomy shadows; detail in the shadowsresults in a burned-out sky. We need to help our camera to expose theright part of the scene, or find the right balance. The following experttechniques will help you capture perfect exposures by knowing whattypes of scenes causes problems and what action you’ll need to take.

Introduction 173rd Edition TheEssential Guide to LandscapePhotography

2) GettingtherightexposureMark Bauer was looking for a ‘different’ viewof Corfe Castle in Dorset, so he saunteredalong to the graveyard in the village. Havingfound a composition based around one of thecrosses, the next problem was sorting out theexposure. Mark explains, step-by-step, how hetackled the challenge:

1) “This is what the camera’s multi-zonemeter came up with, without the aid of anyfiltration. The scene is very contrasty, andthe camera has struggled to capture all thetonal information.”

2) “Spot meter readings from the base ofthe cross and the sky revealed a differencein brightness of about 4½ stops. Setting anexposure for the land, I fitted a 0.9ND gradfilter (three stops) and pulled it down belowthe level of the horizon, to the edge of thedarkest shadow area at the bottom of theframe. I used a soft grad, so that it wouldn’tcut into the cross. But there is loss of detailin the brighter parts of the sky so I reducedexposure by two-thirds of a stop and reshot.”

3) “The result is ‘exposed to the right’ (seeover the page) as far as possible withoutclipping the highlights – the histogram showsthere are still dark tones, but also plenty ofinformation in the top section, and crucially,no ‘clipped’ shadows.”

4) “A straight conversion of the Raw filelooks dull, the picture lacks contrast. For thefinal version, I’ve brought the exposure downslightly and added more contrast, especiallyin the shadows, to recreate the drama ofthe original scene. I’ve also tweaked thewhite balance to add warmth and increasedsaturation too.”

5) “For comparison purposes, I also took ashot underexposed by one stop. This leavesthe shadows muddy and lacking in detail,which is very apparent in the crop.”

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ShadowsThese two examples onthe right showwhy it’snot a good idea tounderexpose and then tryto pull up the shadows inthe processing. Thenearest image is aroundone stop underexposed(tomaintain highlightdetail) and the shadowcurve has beenpulled uptomatch the exposure inthe correctly exposedversion on the right. Asyou can see, not only isthere ‘posterisation’ inthe shadows, ratherthan smooth tonaltransitions, and tons ofnoise, but also thesensor has recordedsignificantly less detail.

✘Underexposed ✔Correctexposure

Exposure

Metering systems in digital SLRs are calibratedto an 18%greymid-tone. Basing exposurereadings on amid-tone, such as grass, providesa good starting point for accurate exposures

Mid-tonemeteringg

ExposingtocapturemovementOneof the great things about taking photosby the sea is the opportunities it gives forcapturing themovement ofwaves andadding atmosphere. In low light, with thelens stoppeddown to extenddepth-of-field,long exposures are a necessity. Theymayrange fromseveral seconds tominutes,depending on lighting conditions. Aswaveswash around rocks or up anddown theshorewhile the shutter is open, theywillrecord as a romantic,mysteriousmist. Tocapture the dramaofwaves breaking on theshore, speeds of¼sec or slowerworkswell.

LONG EXPOSURES

3) ExposureforcoastallandscapesAchieving the correct exposure in coastal shots can be a bit trickierthan for inland landscapes, as there are several things that can fool thecamera’s meter: bright highlights on water or bright white foamy wavescan lead to underexposure. On the other hand, if you have chosen a large,dark rock for your foreground, this could cause the camera to overexpose.So you need to keep an eye out for any large areas of particularly brightor dark tones and apply exposure compensation accordingly. It is goodpractice to check the histogram after each shot and be prepared tore-shoot if necessary.There can also be a huge range of contrast within any one scene, with

bright skies, dark rocks, and bright highlights on water. Neutral Density(ND) graduate filters are essential, and depending on the conditions andthe brightness of the sky and sea relative to your foreground, you mayneed to pull the grad down very low in the frame. This could even bebelow the horizon, to the top of your foreground. If you don’t, you mightend up with a correctly-exposed sky and foreground with a band ofover-bright water in the middle of the picture. So when metering the sceneto choose the strength and placement of the filter, remember to takereadings from the foreground, sky and sea.

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Exposure 193rdEdition TheEssentialGuidetoLandscapePhotography

THEBASICS In basic terms, a histogram is a two-dimensional graph, often resembling a range ofmountain peaks, that represents an image’s tonal extent. Whilst, at first glance, histograms mightappear quite complex and confusing, they are actually very simple to read. They are an essentialaid for digital SLR photographers striving to achieve consistently correct exposures in-camera andare a more accurate method of assessing exposure than looking at images you’ve taken on the LCDmonitor. Therefore, if you are not already in the habit of regularly reviewing your images’ histogram,it is time you did so. With the help of this guide, you will soon feel confident assessing histograms.

WHAT IS AHISTogrAm? A histogram is a visual representation of an image’s tonal range. Thehorizontal axis indicates the picture’s extent from pure black (0, far left) to pure white (225, far right).The vertical axis shows how many pixels have that particular value. Looking at an image’s histogram,you can tell whether the picture is made up of predominantly light, dark or mid-tones.Although its appearance is also dictated by the colour and tone of the subject, a histogram

with a large number of pixels (or a sharp peak) grouped at either edge is an indication of poorexposure. For example, a histogram with a large number of black pixels (grouped to the left) oftensignifies underexposure – subject detail will be obscured in the shadow areas. A large number ofpixels grouped to the right of the histogram normally indicates an image which is overexposed. Theimage’s highlights will burn out (or ‘clip’) and this detail is irretrievable. A graph with a narrow peakin the middle and no (or few) black or white pixels indicates an image lacking contrast.

4) Histograms:Anaidtocheckingexposure

SoWHATSHouldAHISTogrAmlook lIkE? This is a tricky one to answer. Despite what somepeople may say, there is no such thing as the ‘perfect histogram’. It simply tells us how a pictureis exposed, allowing photographers to decide whether – and how – to adjust exposure settings.Therefore, a histogram of a light scene will be very different to one with predominantly black tonesor one with a mix of both. However, generally speaking, a histogram should show a good spread oftones across the horizontal axis, with the majority of pixels positioned near to the middle, (100, mid-point). Normally, it is desirable to avoid peaks to the right-hand side of the graph, as this is usuallyan indication of ‘burnt out’ (overexposed) highlights, resulting in lost detail.

When assessing a histogram, it is important to consider the brightness of the subject itself. Forexample, a scene or subject boasting a large percentage of light or dark tones – like snow or asilhouette – will naturally have an affect on the overall look of the resulting graph. Therefore, whilst itis possible to make recommendations, it is impossible to generalise about what is and isn’t a goodhistogram. Whist an even spread of pixels throughout the greyscale is often considered desirable,you will also need to use your own knowledge gained through experience.

HoWdo I CHECkApICTurE’S HISTogrAm?Most digital SLRs allow you to view the histogramon the LCD monitor during playback. To do this, press the playback button to view the image andthen cycle through the additional photo info screens until the histogram is displayed. It’s worthmaking this your default setting, so that you can quickly access the histogram and assess exposureimmediately after taking the picture when required.

If the histogram indicates underexposure, apply positive exposure compensation. If pixels aregrouped to the right hand side and the image appears overexposed, dial in negative compensation.Using the histogram is a far more reliable method of assessing exposure than looking at imageson the LCD screen, particularly when trying to view images outdoors in bright light when the lightreflecting from the LCD can prove deceptive.

pEAkSToTHElEFTThe histogram is skewed to theleft, as the dark backdropmeansmany of the pixelsare in shadowareas, but the image iswell exposed.

pErFECTEXpoSurEA typical landscape scene givesa so-called ‘perfect histogram’ as it has a good spreadof tones and peaks through themid-tones.

pEAkSToTHErIgHTAwell-exposed shot of anoverly-light scene gives a histogram skewed to theright,much like that of an overexposed image.

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ExposurewarningsThemajority of DSLRs are designedwith a playbackfunction known as the ‘highlights screen’. Whilsthistograms provide a graphic illustration of animage’s tonal extent, helping you assess exposureoverall, the highlights screen – or highlights alert –is aimed specifically at helping photographers toavoid highlights burning out.White or very lightsubjects in direct sunlight are especially prone tothis. A histogramwith a sharp peak to the far rightwill normally indicate that an image is sufferingfrom areas of overexposure. However, the highlightsalert actually identifies the pixels that exceed thevalue for pure white (255). Pixels that do so are notgiven a value,meaning they cannot be processedand are effectively discarded – having no detail orinformation recorded.When the image is replayedon the camera’s LCDmonitor, the pixels fallingoutside the camera’s dynamic range flash or blink– providing a quick and graphic illustration of wherepicture detail is ‘burned out’ and devoid of detail. Torectify this, set negative exposure compensation sothat the next image is recorded darker.

Adigital camera’s highlights alert is not alwaysswitchedonbydefault. Therefore, consult your user’smanual and switch it onwhenyou feel this typeofexposurewarningwouldproveuseful. Normally thisis done via the camera’sPlaybackMenu.

Don’t panic!

5) Exposetotheright‘Exposing to the right’ is fast becoming a widely-accepted approach tohelp maximise image quality – although it only applies if you shoot inRaw. With this technique you effectively push exposure settings as closeto overexposure as possible without actually clipping the highlights. Theresult is a histogram with the majority of pixels grouped to the right of midpoint – hence the name ‘expose to the right’. So, when you’re confidentyou understand exposures well enough, give this technique a try andtry pushing the exposure as far to the right of the histogram as you can,without clipping the highlights. The image will probably look a little lightonce in the Raw converter, but this is easily corrected with the brightnessand contrast controls and will give much better results than trying tolighten a darker image.

CCD and CMOS sensors count light in a linear fashion. Most digitalSLRs record a 12-bit image capable of recording 4,096 tonal values oversix stops. But the tonal values are not spread evenly across the six stops,each stop records half the light of the previous one. So, half of the levelsare devoted to the brightest stop (2,048), half of the remainder (1,024levels) are devoted to the next stop and so on. As a result, the last anddarkest of the six stops, only boasts 64 levels. This might seem confusingbut, simply, if you do not properly use the right side of the histogram,which represents the majority of tonal values, you are wasting up to halfthe available encoding levels. So if you deliberately underexpose to ensuredetail is retained in the highlights – a common practise among manydigital photographers – you are potentially losing a large percentage ofthe data that can be captured.

MAIN IMAGE& INSET:Exposure to the right of the histogramwillcapturemaximumdetail andminimumnoise. Once in theRawconverter the imagewill look too light andwashed out so use thebrightness and contrast controls to adjust the image’s appearance.

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SomeDSLRs allow you the option toview separate histograms for the red,green and blue channels. You’re betteroff ignoring this option and using thestandard greyscale histogramoption

Colourhistogramsolourhistograms

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Aperture-priority gets its nAme because itallows you to decide which aperture (f/number) youwant to use to take a photograph, while the cameraautomatically sets a shutter speed, based on lightlevels, to achieve the correct exposure. in other words,it lets you prioritise the aperture selection, and itchooses the shutter speed accordingly.

As the lens aperture is the most influential factor overthe depth-of-field (the zone of sharp focus) in aphotograph, aperture-priority mode is the most practicalchoice of shooting mode if you are photographing asubject or situation in which control over depth-of-field isimportant.

Landscape photography is the best example. generally,when shooting landscapes, you’ll want to make sure yourdepth-of-field is broad enough to record the whole scenein sharp focus, from the immediate foreground to infinity,which means that you’ll need to set a small aperture, suchas f/11. Aperture-priority mode lets you do that easily,because you have to actively set the required aperture.

When shooting portraits, the opposite tends to apply– you want shallow depth-of-field, so that your subject isrecorded in sharp focus but the background is thrown outof focus. that means making sure you take the picture ata wide aperture such as f/4 or f/2.8, which again is easywhen shooting in aperture-priority mode because it’s youand not the camera who decides which aperture to use.

that said, you can still control which aperture is setusing other exposure modes, but it just requires a slightlydifferent (and longer) way of working. in shutter-priority (sor tv) mode, for example, all you need to do is change theshutter speed until the camera sets the aperture you want.similarly, in program mode, you can use the program shiftfunction to change the aperture and shutter combinationthat the camera has set until you get the right aperture.

Where aperture-priority triumphs over these alternativemodes is that once you’ve set a particularly aperture,the camera won’t change it, even if light levels change.instead, the shutter speed adjusts to maintain the correctexposure. this wouldn’t be the case if you set the camerato shutter-priority mode – if light levels change, your DsLrautomatically adjusts the aperture to maintain correctexposure, giving the shutter speed priority, so your controlover the depth-of-field is diminished. similarly, in programmode, the camera would change the aperture/shutterspeed combination in response to changing light.

Aperture-priority is also a handy mode to set for generaluse, when you’re just wandering around,shooting anything that takes your fancy, whether it’sarchitecture, details, abstracts or candids. Depth-of-fieldrequirements will vary depending on the shot – oneminute you need lots of it, the next, as little as possible– but this can be quickly altered with the flick of thecamera’s input dial, and the viewfinder display willkeep you fully informed of exactly which aperture (andcorresponding shutter speed) you’re using.

Aperture-priority isthemodeforyou!

TheeffecTofaperTuresWith depth-of-field having such an effect on the final image,it’s no surprise thatmany experienced photographers rate aperture-priority as their favouritemode. These two shots showhowdifferent apertures can produce very different results.

sowhat is it thatmakestheaperture-prioritymodemoreuseful thananyof theotherexposuremodeswhenshooting landscapes.readon,andallwillberevealed

f/4 f/22

Olympus Pentax Samsung

Canon Nikon Sony

Settingaperture-priorityonyourcameraChoosing aperture-priority mode is simple – all you need to do is turn your exposure dial(or in some cases push the exposure mode button) and select A or Av. Your DSLR willthen be set to aperture-priority mode and all you need to do is rotate the small adjustmentdial (found either on the handgrip or on the top-right corner of the rear of your camera)to change your aperture. If you lightly depress the shutter button to activate the exposuresystem, you can keep a check on the shutter speed the camera has selected.

22 Exposure theessentialguidetoLandscapephotography 3rdedition

HowotherexposuremodesworkWe’ve already establishedthat in aperture-prioritymode, you set the desiredaperture and the camerasets the accompanyingshutter speed to give thecorrect exposure. Here’s aquick rundownof how theothermodeswork.

The camera sets theshutter speed andaperture to achievecorrect exposureand you can’tchange thecombination to usea specific apertureor shutter speed.

Full-autoMode

programworks in asimilarway to fullauto, but you canusually alter theaperture/shutterspeed combinationif you need to use aspecific aperture orshutter speed.

ProgramMode

You set a shutterspeed and yourDsLr sets theappropriateaperture. If lightlevels change, thesame shutter speedis used and theaperture changed.

ShutterPriority

Youmanually setboth the apertureand shutter speedindependently ofeach other, soneither changesunless you adjustthem, even if lightlevels fall or rise.

MeteredManual

These programmodes are tailoredto suit a specificsubject, withvarious camerafunctions like theaf, flash andexposure systemsset accordingly.

SubjectModes

MARKBAUER

Aperture-priority allowslandscape photographers to

control howmuch of thescene is sharply in focus.

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Most cameras allowyou to change th

e

aperturesin 1/2-stop increments. Che

ck

the custom functionmenu on your DSL

R

–manymodels allow you to also set it to

1/3-stopincrements if you

sowish

ApertureincrementsApertureincremen

withrossarmstrong Landscape photographersunderstandably give priority to apertures, but in somesituations, shutter speed is just as important, as it can be usedto capture the effect of movement within a scene. Because youwant to maintain sharpness in landscape images by maximising

depth-of-field, you can really make shutter speeds work for you as thesmaller apertures you’ll require also mean slower shutter speeds. Thisis easily done by setting your camera to shutter-priority (Tv or S) on themode dial. This ensures you get the right exposure as you set the shutterspeed for the desired length of time, while your DSLR adjusts the apertureaccordingly. So why choose the shutter speed rather than the aperture?Well, setting the slower speed means anything moving when you fire theshutter, such as flowing water or foliage blowing in the wind, is captured asa soft blur, while anything static, like a fence or rock, remains sharp and infocus. The effect of setting a long exposure is to give images extra depthand dimension whilst illustrating a real sense of movement. The resultis usually closer to how you remember the scene, rather than a lifelessimage of grass with every blade in focus.But remember, even digital SLRs can be fooled. Be careful not to

overexpose an image when shooting, for example, a field of goldensweeping grass in the evening sun. As you lower the shutter speed,the camera’s chosen aperture will eventually flash, indicating that theimage will be overexposed. You can, of course, check the image and thehistogram on the LCD monitor for blown-out highlights.For even slower shutter speeds and the chance to lift your landscape

photography to another level, use filters. A polariser will cut out reflectionsand darken blue skies to give clouds that ‘wow’ factor, as well as reducethe amount of light reaching your sensor by two stops at the same time.You can further enhance movement and blur by using a Neutral Densityfilter, which is a neutral grey filter that doesn’t affect colour balance buthas the effect of reducing the amount of light passing through it, allowingyou to select slower shutter speeds as a result.For optimum results shoot at dawn and dusk and always use a tripod.

Shoot on darker, cloudy days, and let nature work for you – less lightmeans you’ll get slower shutter speeds. On windy days, hang your camerabag from the tripod to keep your outfit stable. A helpful hint is to use aremote release/self-timer and mirror lock-up to avoid contact with thecamera during the exposure to gain the maximum effect. Wait for thewind, open the shutter and whatever happens, don’t get blown away!

Shutter speeds&landscapes

above, PolariseranDnDgraD:“i used a polariser combinedwith annDgrad filter to hold back the bright sky andensure awell balanced, long exposure.shooting in raw, i used the self-timer andan exposure of 1.6 seconds.”

shuttersPeeDcomParison:“For thisseries, the lens (10-22mmset to 13mm)was focused on the longmarramgrass inthe foreground. the only thing i changedwas the shutter speeds in a sequencefrom 1/50sec to 1.6sec. note how themovement of the grass in the breezebecomes increasingly blurry as theshutter speed is slowed.my favouriteimage from the sequence is the longestexposure, which captures themovementin themarramgrass exactly like iremember it, in the low,winter sunshine.”

1/50sec 1/20sec 1/10sec

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1/5sec 0.3sec 0.8sec 1.6sec

FinalimageDunstanburghCastle, Northumberland.“Themovement in the foreground reallyadds to the impact of the image. I usedthe histogramand the image on thereview screen to check the exposureand any blown-out highlights.”

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LANDSCAPE LIGHTING IS always changing. Sometimesit changes slowly, as with the seasons. Throughout theday it changes more quickly, but at dawn and dusk it’schanging quite fast. Weather can transform the lighton a scene in a matter of seconds and by choosingbetween shooting into or with the light you can instantlymake a massive difference. Over the next few pageswe help you to predict the light, handle and control iteffectively and understand how to make photography’smost critical element work for you, not against you.

LIGHTINGTheBasics#3

1) LightdirectionThe direction of light has a dramatic influence on how the landscapewill appear behind the lens. Front lighting, with shadows fallingbehind the subject away from the camera, can make a scene lookflat and uninteresting – although with the sun low over the horizon,it can provide good colour saturation. With low front lighting andwide-angle lenses, an added problem is that you have to be carefulto avoid getting your own shadow in the picture.Side-lighting is a favourite with many landscape photographers,

because it reveals texture and shadows falling across the scene thathighlight shape and form, therefore adding more depth to a scene.Backlighting can be very dramatic, with shadows racing towards

the camera and the emphasis is very much on shape and form, withobjects being recorded as silhouettes. Depending on the conditions,these objects might be placed in front of a boldly coloured background.Trees, backlit by the rising or setting sun, can look very effective.

2) WeatherandlightIn theory, there’s no such thing as goodor bad weather in landscape photography– good images can be produced in anyconditions. Of course, certain conditionswill produce more dramatic shots andthe trick is learning how to recognise andanticipate them.If you’re planning a sunset or sunrise

shoot, don’t cancel it if there’s cloud cover.If there’s a break on the horizon, there’s apossibility that the clouds will be lit frombelow when the sun is very low, giving avery dramatic sky.

Sunshine and showers can be stunningin the moments when the rain stops andthe sun breaks through, with foregroundobjects spot-lit against a dark, broodingsky. These moments are fleeting, however,and don’t last for long, so you need to haveyour camera prepared beforehand.If the weather is bad – grey, overcast

and raining – there are still shots tobe made. In these conditions head forwoodland: the diffused, less contrastylighting suits this type of location.Surprisingly, using a polariser can reallyenhance a picture, by cutting out thereflections and glare from wet foliage aswell as saturating the colours.

3) CapturetherightmoodforthesceneShoot in lighting conditions that willenhance the natural mood of your subject.For example, some scenes are naturallymore tranquil and will look best in thecorresponding soft light of dawn and withpastel colours. Others have a naturallybrooding atmosphere and demanddramatic, theatrical and directionallighting. And the best light might bemonths away.Look at the pictures of the Norman

Chapel at St Aldhelm’s Head in Dorseton the right. The chapel has a broodingpresence, which, as can be seen fromthese pictures, is best suited to low lightand heavy skies.

4) EnhancelowlightwithreflectionsPre-dawn and twilight are very moodytimes for landscape photography, but theland itself can be almost completely inshadow, with very little detail.Near water you can include reflections

as a foreground, which will help to balancethe shot and throw more drama andimpact into your image. The more still theconditions the more mirror-like a surface.

With the sun yet to appear above thehorizon, the wonderful colours in the skycan be used to add colour and impactinto the foreground. The slight breezeof this scene in Mudeford (right) had todrop before the water was still enough toprovide this perfectly clear reflection.

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5) Backlightforimpact!There’s a fancy name for this. It’s called

‘contre-jour’, from the French for ‘againstthe daylight’. If you want to avoid thefunny looks, stick with ‘backlighting’.

Objects are turned to silhouettes, shadows,rays and reflections explode into the lensand create that powerful feeling of beingthere. Expose carefully, mind, it’s tricky.

6) SeasonallightIn winter the landscape is more exposed and the low sun casts longshadows throughout the day. The air has less dust, giving the light clarity.Clear, cold nights lead to frosty mornings with pastel skies.

The light in summer is often less favourable for landscape photography,with the high sun creating harsh light for a large part of the day, withmore dust and heat haze meaning the light is generally less clear.In early spring and late autumn, the light and clarity are better than

in summer and it’s possible to shoot for most of the day. The weather ischangeable, which can create moody and dramatic photo opportunities.In late spring and early autumn, after a cool night, mist can often form atdawn as the land begins to warm up.

Springlight

Autumnlight Winterlight

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KeepcomparisonsincameraDigital SLRsmake seasonal comparisonslike the set of four, above,much easier.When you revisit a location every threemonths, carry the previous images on thememory card to help you to recreate theexact distance and crop.

Kit watch!BEREADYTOGO:Acoveringof snowmightonly last a fewhours,evenathighaltitude. It’s agood idea tohaveabagpackedand ready togowhen theweather forecastmentions thewhite stuff.Time saved not having tohunt for your filters or acharged batterymightmake the differencebetween a shot like this(below) and a later onewithslushy footprints all over it.

7)Lighting‘ontheedge’A lot of the action in landscape photography happens ‘on the edge’ –the transition between one state and another. In terms of light, thismeans the transition from day to night and night to day; the changefrom one season to another, the transition from calm to stormyweather and so on. Capturing these moments can result in powerfulpictures, especially when combined with other themes, such as theboundary between land and water, wilderness and civilisation etc.

Several ‘edge’ themescome togetherhere: the interval betweenonestormpassingandanother arriving, theedgeof landandwater and the transitionbetweennight andday.

In the first shot (left), the storm is still clearing as the sun is setting and in the second(above) therewas a fantastic afterglowbefore the next storm rolled in.

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erLighting 313rdEdition TheEssentialGuidetoLandscapePhotography

Before After

TIME OF DAY is one of the key factors that influences themood of a landscape image. The low sun in the mornings andevenings can add warmth and colour to a scene, but it’s equallyimportant to know how different seasons and certain weatherconditions can provide particular types of lighting.

Remember that some locations work better at certain times of theyear – the position of sunrise and sunset varies throughout the year, soresearch your location first.Arrive early and learn to pre-visualise and spot the potential in a scene.

This is a key ingredient to capturing great landscape images, as it givesyou time to find the best composition before the most photogenic light ofthe day arrives, so you can prepare without having to rush.

This location at Botallack in Cornwall looks its best in the evening light,especially in August when the high sun during the day can make it looka bit boring. In the sequence shown here, I arrived at late afternoon,anticipating attractive evening light. I found my spot and took a frame at5pm to use as a comparison shot for my time of day sequence. As youcan see, the light is harsh and the scene appears ‘flat’ and colourless.At 6pm, it’s improved a little – a break in the cloud meant that the blue

sky was reflected in the sea, adding to the colour intensity. I had to waitover 2½ hours for the perfect light – the sun broke through the clouds,bathing my view in a beautiful warm light for all of ten minutes, before theclouds merged again.The sun had set but I hadn’t finished yet, as the twilight was still to

come. At this time, there is no directional light and the scene now takeson a new dimension – a more surreal, calming quality. This is all down tothe light, or should I say lack of light. Shooting the scene at this time ofday means a longer exposure, and this creates a calming effect. The seaappears smooth, the colours are cooler and more subtle and there is akind of harmony between the two.

Successful landscape photography is as much a state of mind as atechnical skill. Patience and dedication are as important as the rightcamera, lenses and tripod. It felt good knowing that it was worth the wait,and it really does prove that although patience is a virtue, you shouldalways give yourself plenty of time to find a good viewpoint. Waiting isthe name of the game, as light can be very fickle and difficult to predict –you can never know how it will turn out.

Thiswas a test shot to check composition. I rarely shoot during the time of daywhen the sun is so high in the sky, but it allows us to see how light improves later.

Thiswas the last shot of the day and shows how the twilight canmake even theroughest of seas seemcalm. The longer the exposure, the calmer it looks.

The second in the series shows a difference, the scene hasmore colour and becauseit was taken at a later time, the light is already starting to get better.

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‘Goldenlight’“This is the image that I hadbeenwaiting for. The lighttransformation iswhy I dosomuch photography atthese times. Towatch itunfold is truly breathtaking.”

Therightlight!1)PLANAHEADCheck outtheweather forecast and ifyou are visiting the coast,check the tide times2)PREPARATIONMakesure that your gear is ready:batteries charged,memorycard in the camera andspares packed. Check theISO rating,WhiteBalanceand that the lens is clean3)ARRIVEEARLYGiveyourself plenty of time. Thelast thing youwant is to berushing around looking fora suitable compositionwhile the best light fades!4)TESTSHOTSTake sometest shots. Are youhappy?Is the exposureOK?Checkthe imagehistogram5)COMPOSITIONAre yousatisfiedwith your initialcomposition?Reassess andrelocate if necessary

Summary

WITHHELENDIXONWaking a coupleof hours before sunrise, which is oftenin the middle of the night, is not mostpeople’s idea of fun. But if you’reprepared to make the effort, you will

almost always reap the rewards. To do it right,planning is essential. Check the weather forecastand the sunrise times on the internet. Rememberto check the tide times if you are travelling to thesea – a low tide is usually the best time to visit.If the light fails to materialise, you can always dobeach close-ups.I try to be on location at least half an hour

before the sun rises – if not earlier – because it’soften before the sun appears that the real magichappens. This also gives me time to set up thecamera and to find the best viewpoint. Don’t justlook for clear days, it’s better to have cloud aroundas this creates wonderful colours in the sky as thecloud reflects the light of the sun. Try to pre-visitand research your location before the day of theshoot. I use Ordnance Survey maps for detailedinformation on rights of way and parking. Look forappealing places where there will be opportunitiesfor shots that include foreground interest.Mist mainly develops during a cold night and

it will only linger for a short time during themorning or until the heat of the sun burns it away.Something to bear in mind is that during mistyconditions, your camera’s metering system willoften underexpose the scene, resulting in a dull,lifeless landscape. To compensate for this, alterthe exposure by +½ or +1 stop as this helps bringthe scene to life. Check the histogram on thecamera’s LCD monitor to make sure you haven’toverexposed the scene.The use of Neutral Density graduate filters is

pretty much standard in landscape photography.They help to control the brightest part of theimage, which is usually the sky. Early in the day,there is a noticeable difference between the light inthe sky and the light on the land.

Be aware of lens flare if the sun is included in theframe. To help eliminate this make sure that yourfilters and lens optics are spotlessly clean. I rarelyuse a warm-up filter. A disadvantage with thesefilters is that it will make any green foliage appeara yellow-brown colour. Instead I set my camera’sWhite Balance to cloudy or shade to help warm thescene. Try to avoid using the Auto White Balance(AWB) setting as you are sure to cool down thelight, unless of course this is the effect you want.There are a number of reasons why I personally

prefer dawn light over sunset. I like to captureatmosphere in my shots if I can, and early morningis the best time to do this as you are more likely tohave a misty or frosty start to the day. The light isoften diffused and softer at this time, but it’s moreof a challenge to include the sun in the shot duringthe morning than in the evening, because at sunsetthe pollution levels have risen throughout theday, which helps to diffuse the brightness slightly.Another great advantage of early morning is thatit’s so peaceful, I rarely see another soul. The worldbelongs to me – it’s so satisfying to watch the dayunfold and witness the magical light of dawn.Once the sun has risen and become too strong

to photograph, turn away to the side or even putyour back to the sun, but be careful not to cast ashadow in the foreground.It’s now time to start using the warm light

illuminating the land. Light is never static butcontinually changes – it’s the main ingredient thatallows us to create something beautiful.

Getupearlyfor ‘magichour’ lightingEXPERT TUTORIAL

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SHININGTHROUGH“I waited for the sun to riseabove the horizon – I usedthe small clump of trees tohelp diffuse the sunlight.”Exposure: 0.5secs at f/22.

Many digital SLRs have a facility thatallows themirror to be raised prior to the

exposure, tominimise shakewhen theshutter is fired. You’ll most likely find it’s

activated via a Custom Function

Mirrorlock-upMirrorlock-up

Helen’smagichourkit“Considerwhat equipmentyouwill need. An absolutenecessity is a good sturdytripod as at this timeof theday you’reworkingwith longexposures. I use aManfrotoMF4 carbon-fibrewith322RC2head–it’s a lightweight butstable support and Ican hangmybag fromthe centre postfor extra stability onreallywindy days.

“I always use a remoterelease but if you don’t haveone, use the self-timer tostop any vibrations andusemirror lock-up if yourSLRhas this facility.

“I findmy 17-40mmwide-angle zoomandmy70-200mmtelezoomparticularlyuseful. These twolenses covermost ofmyrequirements.

“I use thewide-angle zoomwhenincluding plenty of foreground elements.The telephoto zoom is especially goodfor compressing perspective andcreating layers onmistymornings.”

Kit watch!

WITHMARKBAUER Although it’spossible to take landscape photographsat most times of the day, there are twotimes when most landscapers agreethe light will give the best results – the

first and last hours of the day. What makes thesetimes of day special is that the low sun casts longshadows and helps to pick out the features of thelandscape. If you’re out pre-dawn or post-sunset,you can also see some spectacular skies as theclouds are lit from below.The light is quite similar at these two times of

day, and whether you prefer one or the other oftendepends on which direction of light will best suityour chosen subject. So, for example, the southcoast in winter will look best at the end of the dayrather than the start. Having said that, the light inthe final hour of the day tends to be warmer, andas the sun sets, the landscape is often bathed in agolden glow. And, of course, the nice thing aboutsunset compared to sunrise is that you don’t haveto force yourself out of bed at a ridiculous hour tomake the most of it. Let’s be honest, not everyonehas the will-power and enthusiasm for sunrises asHelen Dixon (see previous page)!Almost any type of landscape looks good in the

magic hour, but some features really benefit, suchas stone buildings or rocky cliffs. When the low sunwarms everything up and picks out the texture ofrock and stone, scenes that might look dull at anyother time of day can be lifted out of the ordinary.Water is also an excellent subject at this time,

because if you have an interesting sky, you candouble the impact by using reflections. Movingwater can sparkle like diamonds or be made toblur during long exposures. Again, the amount andtype of light falling on it will determine the result.

The direction of the light can have a stronginfluence on the mood of pictures taken at thebeginning or end of the day. Front lighting can lookflat, as the direction of the shadows doesn’t help topick out the details of the landscape.

With the sun to one side, shadows help createdepth in the picture and reveal form and texture.Side-lighting is best if you want to use a polariserto saturate colours, as it will have its strongesteffect if the camera is at a 90º angle to the sun.Backlighting can be very dramatic, but exposure isdifficult to control and you will have to be careful toavoid flare as light falls directly onto your filters orthe front element of your lens.

So, with weather being notoriouslyunpredictable, how can you tell if the magichour will live up to your expectations? Looking atweather forecasts is a good idea. The Met Office’swebsite (www.metoffice.gov.uk) is reliable andyou can get a fairly detailed forecast for specificregions. Remember that the longer the range ofthe forecast, the less reliable it will be. Checkingthe forecast online the night before a dawn shootgives you the best guide to what to expect.

If you drive to your location, listen to local radiostations in the car, rather than national ones andkeeping an eye on what’s happening in the sky cantell you a lot.

For sunsets you’ll need to look to the west, asthis is where the sun will be at magic hour. Most ofour weather fronts come from the west too, so bykeeping an eye in that direction, it’s possible to seeif cloud is likely to break up or thicken.

Being aware of wind direction, the points ofthe compass and weather patterns will helpenormously and you will eventually start torecognise the signs of a magic moment.

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OSMINGTONMILLSBEACH“The low sun picks out the details ofthe rocky ledge and gives the cliffsa warm glow. A 0.6ND grad, angledso as not to cut into the cliff, helpsretain details in the sky.”Canon EOS 5Dwith 17-40mm lens.

TheWhite Balance you set has amajor

effect on the final result. Avoid using the

Auto setting. If you shoot in Raw, you can

try out all the settings later on yourcomputer and choose your favourite

Whitebalance

MarkBauer’smagichourkit“Wide-angle lenses are themost popularfor landscapework, but longer lensescan also be useful for picking out thekind of patterns and textures that themagic hour can reveal.

“A polarising filterwill help youmakethemost of side lighting by improvingoverall saturation, but is especiallyeffectivewhenusedwith blue skies.

“A sturdy tripod is another essential.If you’re shooting in the period aftersunset, light levelswill be lowandhand-holdingwill be out of the question.But it’s goodpractice to use a tripodwhatever the lighting conditions – it willslow youdown, itmakes you think and itenables you tomake small but often vitalchanges to composition.

“Neutral density graduate filters areessential, especially if clouds are lit frombelowand there is no direct light on theland.NDgrads help control contrast.”

Kit watch!

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nSharpness:TheBasics 37

Let’s imagineyou’ve justfocusedon an object that is fivemetres away.How sharpwill something be at sixmetres?or even five-and-a-halfmetres?the answer is governed by depth-of-field – the distance either side of the pointof focus that is deemed to be acceptably in focus. as long as you control theaperture that you are shooting at, then you are in control of depth-of-field, andyou can use it creatively. therewill be occasionswhen you don’t wantmuch ofit at all, and you’ll get that effect by shootingwith a large aperture like f/4.However, formost of the time that you’re shooting landscapes you’ll want tomaximise depth-of-field to get asmuch of a scene in focus as possible. .

foregrounddetail is important and has to be in focus, but so does the restof the scene. thismeans using small apertures to get good sharpness eitherside of the focus point. But just consider this last phrase for amoment, andthen think aboutwhere youmight focuswhen shooting a landscape.manynovice landscape photographers are happy focusing at infinitywhenshooting a landscape, but don’t forget that depth-of-field extends either sideof the point of focus. in fact the area of depth-of-field extends one-third in

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front of the focused point and two-thirds behind, in otherwords, you getmoredepth-of-field behind the subject than in front of it. obviously there is nobenefit to having acceptable sharpness extending beyond infinity, butwhatyou can do is pull the point of focus back towards you, so it’s the end of thedepth-of-field zone that is at infinity instead. thisway you’ll getmore of thescene sharp. this technique is called hyperfocal focusing, and has been usedby professional landscape photographers for decades. the optimumpoint offocus for any particular scene relies on the choice of aperture setting and thefocal length of the lens you use – and changes for full-frameand croppedsensordsLRs! there are calculators and pocket reference tables you canstash in your camera bag, or you can use a dependable rule-of-thumb thatsuggests you aima third of theway into the picturewith your lens set to a smallaperture.We’ll be covering both focusing techniques, aswell as providingyouwith other expert advice to ensure youmaximise image sharpness.this includes revealingwhy using the smallest aperturewon’t necessarilyproduce the sharpest results, even though it gives themost depth-of-field!

One Of the fundamentals of successful landscapephotography is being able to control and assess depth-of-field to ensure that the image is sharp from front-to-back.aperture-priority mode helps you to achieve this, not

only by forcing you to think about which aperture to set,but also by making sure that once it is set, that aperturewon’t change if light levels fluctuate or you put filters onthe lens. If the exposure has to be adjusted when shootingin aperture-priority mode, the camera does it by changingthe shutter speed, so the aperture remains constant. thisis vitally important because achieving extensive depth-of-field is not just about aperture selection, but also focusingdistance, and a careful balancing act between the two isrequired to ensure the best possible results. You couldtake every picture at f/22 with the lens set to infinity andmost wide-angle shots would be sharp from front to back.unfortunately, this simple approach won’t always work –so you’re not going to get the best results. Wide-anglesand zooms tend to give their worst optical performancewhen at minimum aperture and their best around f/11,so ideally you should shoot as close to f/11 as you can toachieve optimum optical quality, and focus the lens at adistance that maximises depth-of-field at that aperture.Over the page, helen dixon provides a simple focusingmethod along these lines that yields excellent results.my favourite technique is based around something

known as hyperfocal focusing, which involves focusingon a point known as the hyperfocal distance, wheredepth-of-field is maximised for the aperture in use. lensesused to feature a hyperfocal distance scale on the barrelbut virtually none do today. there is an equation forcalculating hyperfocal distance for any lens and aperture,so in true Blue Peter fashion, I did just that and createda hyperfocal distance chart, which you can copy andrefer to when you’re on location. the distances in feet (ft)represent the hyperfocal distances for each focal lengthand aperture. If you focus your lens on that distance andset the corresponding aperture, depth-of-field will extendfrom half the hyperfocal distance to infinity. so, if you’reusing an aPs-C-sized sensor, shooting at 24mm and f/11,focus on a point 9ft away and depth-of-field will extendfrom 4.5ft (half the hyperfocal distance) to infinity – whichis more than enough depth-of-field in most situations.

Focusingwiththehyperfocaldistancelandscapespecialistleefrostexplainshowtousethehyperfocal focusingdistanceandaperture-priority forsuper-sharpscenics

Aperture-priorityandmulti-zonemeteringBefore finally ‘going digital’ back in the spring of 2008, I’dspent 20 years shooting with film cameras that had no internalmetering, so I used a handheld spot meter to determine correctexposure – which then had to be manually set on the camera.Thankfully, those days are long gone. Digital SLRs havefantastic integral metering systems that are capable ofproducing perfectly exposed images in all but the mostdemanding situations, so I can’t see the point in making my lifemore complicated than it needs to be. These days my digitalSLR is set to aperture-priority mode and multi-zone meteringand generally stays that way. Combined with the feedbackprovided by the camera’s preview image and the imagehistogram, I’ve got all I need to ensure I get perfect exposuresin any shooting situation. The same applies to you.

f/4

f/16

f/8

f/22

f/2.8

f/11

38 Sharpness

don’tpanic!

Focal length 12mm 15mm 17mm 20mm 24mm 28mm 35mm 50mm 70mm 100mm 135mm

Aperture f/8 3.2ft 5ft 6.4ft 8.9ft 12.6ft 17ft 27ft 55ft 105ft 218ft 395ft

f/11 2.3ft 3.5ft 4.5ft 6.2ft 9ft 12ft 19ft 39ft 75ft 155ft 280ft

f/16 1.7ft 2.5ft 3.3ft 4.4ft 6.4ft 8.6ft 14.5ft 27ft 54ft 110ft 198ft

f/22 1.2ft 0.9ft 2.3ft 3.2ft 4.5ft 6ft 9.5ft 19.2ft 38ft 77ft 140ft

Hyperfocaldistance:apS-csensors

Focal length 16mm 20mm 24mm 28mm 35mm 50mm 70mm 100mm 135mm

Aperture f/8 3.8ft 5.6ft 8.0ft 11ft 17ft 35ft 68ft 138ft 250ft

f/11 2.6ft 3.9ft 5.8ft 7.8ft 12ft 25ft 48ft 98ft 178ft

f/16 1.9ft 2.9ft 4.0ft 5.5ft 8.5ft 17.5ft 34ft 70ft 125ft

f/22 0.4ft 2.0ft 2.9ft 3.9ft 6ft 12.5ft 24ft 49ft 89ft

Hyperfocaldistance:Full-framesensors

theessentialGuidetolandscapePhotography 3rdEdition

Sharpness 39

If you’re an absolutebeginner, start off byshooting at f/11 if youcan, to optimise imagequality, and only usea smaller aperture ifyou need to getmore

depth-of-field.Howeasy is that!

Finalimage:f/11

3rdEdition TheEssentialGuidetoLandscapePhotography

If youwant to shoot great landscapes in

good light, without compromising image

quality, mount your camera on a tripod so

you don’t have to worry about slowshutter speeds causing camera shake

AlwaysuseatripodAlwaysuseatripod

SOFTBACKGROUNDFocusing on the postkept the foregroundsharp but the boats inthe distance are soft.

FOREGROUND FOCUSEXPERTTUTORIAL

INFINITY FOCUS

SOFTFOREGROUNDFocusing on infinity,asmany beginners do,gives a soft-lookingforeground.

BlurryviewfinderWhenusing the hyperfocal distancemethod, you’llnotice that the viewfinder image looks unsharpwhen you’ve focused a third of theway into theframe. This is because your lens is always set tothewidest aperture to provide a bright viewfinderimage –depth-of-fieldwill beminimal. Use thedepth-of-field previewbutton or take a shot at yourchosen aperture and you’ll see that the imagereally has farmore depth-of-field, because thelens has closeddown for the exposure.

TAKINGTHESHOTS:Helen sets up a tripod, essential for preventing blurred shotscaused by shake, then uses LiveView to check the depth-of-field of the shot on her LCDmonitorwhile selecting the aperture. After taking the shot, she can then check theimage’s sharpness on the LCD screen bymagnifying different parts of the frame.

Focusathirdoftheway intothesceneforsharpresults!

WITHHELENDIXON The normal practice for beginners shootinglandscapes is to place their DSLR on a tripod, focus on infinity andset a very small aperture to give enough depth-of-field to keepmost or all of the scene in focus. It’s a tried and tested methodthat works well, but can be improved upon by fine-tuning focusing

technique and the choice of aperture.Looking at focusing first, when you focus on ‘infinity’, i.e. on the distance,

the depth-of-field will extend a third of the way in front of the focusing pointand two-thirds behind. So while part of the foreground is sharp, the areaclosest to you may well be out of focus. Also, you’ll have wasted two-thirdsof the available depth-of-field, which stretches beyond infinity. Instead, byfocusing part of the way into the frame, you can maximise depth-of-field sothat it covers the foreground and the distance.The optimum distance at which you should focus is termed the hyperfocal

distance and there are various elaborate ways of calculating it. The simplestmethod for focusing by far (and one that works 99% of the time) is tofocus one third of the way into the scene. By doing this, and setting a smallaperture, you’re ensuring that the depth-of-field in front of the focusing pointcovers most, if not all, of the foreground, while the area behind is kept sharpby the other two-thirds of the depth-of-field. If you want to be as precise withyour focusing as possible, use the table on the previous page.With the focusing technique taken care of, we’ll move onto your choice of

aperture. While setting the smallest aperture (e.g. f/32) gives the most depth-of-field, it doesn’t necessarily give the sharpest results. That’s due to twomain reasons: most lenses are optically designed to give the sharpest resultsat apertures of around f/8 to f/13, while at smaller apertures the effects ofdiffraction softens the image, thus negating any benefits provided by depth-of-field. The optimum aperture to use varies from lens to lens so the only way todiscover for yourself is through trial and error, shooting at different aperturesand comparing the sharpness on your LCD monitor or ideally at home on youcomputer, where you can magnify images for close scrutiny.For the sharpest possible results, using the hyperfocal distance method

explained by Lee Frost on the previous pages is best. Of course, you mustmake sure that you set your camera up on a tripod, to reduce the riskof camera shake. But this process can be time-consuming and for mostpeople, my technique is ideal. The images shown here were shot using afairly dominant foreground to emphasise the effect of changing the focusingdistance. The aperture was f/13 for all three images.

40 Sharpness

DON’T PANIC!

TheEssentialGuidetoLandscapePhotography 3rdEdition

Sharpness 41

HYPERFOCALFOCUSFocusing a third of theway into the scene andusing f/13 ensuredmaximumsharpness.

BESTMETHODBEST METHOD

SHARPSCENEFocusing a third of theway into the scene andusing f/13 ensuredmaximumsharpness.

Howtomaximiseimagesharpness✔Set yourDSLRuponatripod tominimise shake✔Focusone-third of theway into the scene✔Choosea small aperturelike f/13-f/16 to get thebestpossible optical quality✔Checkdepth-of-fieldusing LiveView✔Check image sharpnessby zooming in to the imageonyour LCDmonitor

3rdEdition TheEssentialGuidetoLandscapePhotography

Summary

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Sharpness 43

EFFECTSOFDIFFRACTION: This image shows the fullframe. The box shows the cropped section used toillustrate the effect of diffraction. It was taken with aCanon EOS 20D and 17-40mm lens.

COMPARISONRESULTS:The results may not be soobvious in magazine reproduction, but are very clearin large prints. At f/8, everything looks pretty sharp,with good detail in the background foliage. Things stilllook good at f/11, but once stopped down further thanthis, instead of becoming sharper as depth-of-fieldincreases, the image becomes noticeably less sharpand detailed. This is crucial in landscape photography,especially whenmaking large prints, and it is this‘mushy’ looking foliage that spoils digital landscapesfor many photographers.

TheeffectsofdiffractionThe more you close the aperture down, the greaterthe depth-of-field, so the usual advice given forsharp results is to use very small apertures, such asf/16 and f/22. However, stopping down too far canactually be detrimental to image sharpness and thisis due to an optical effect called ‘diffraction’.The simple explanation of diffraction is that

when light passes through the aperture of a lens,the edges of the hole disperse the light waves.As the aperture is stopped down, the amount ofdiffracted light becomes a larger percentage of thetotal amount of light being recorded and the imagebecomes noticeably less sharp, meaning less detailis resolved on the image.APS-C and full-frame sensors are affected slightly

differently, and certain lenses will be more proneto diffraction than others. But in general, with anAPS-C-sized sensor, you’ll start to notice the effectsof diffraction if you stop down beyond f/11 and witha full-frame camera, once you go beyond f/16.Of course, you can use apertures smaller than

that and decide between overall sharpness anddepth-of-field relevant to the amount of fine detailyou think it’s necessary to record in any oneparticular image. That said, it’s worth rememberingthat a 17mm lens on an APS-C-sized sensor willgive you a depth-of-field from 2¼ feet to infinitywhen set to the hyperfocal distance at f/11 –enough for most situations.To illustrate the effects of diffraction at different

apertures, we’ve shown a series of pictures at f/8,f/11, f/16 and f/22 – focusing and overall exposureremained constant – the only change was the lensaperture. The pictures were all processed using thesame software and settings when post-processing.More sharpening than usual has been used to makethe effects more obvious.

MARKBAU

ER

f/8 f/11 f/16 f/22

3rdEdition TheEssentialGuidetoLandscapePhotography

This optical term refers to a loss in image

detail. In simple terms, it occurs whenlight rays are dispersed by the iris in the

lens, so diffraction becomesmorecommon the smaller the aperture used

Whatisdiffracton?

ALTHOUGHYOUPROBABLYdon’t realise ityet,producingtop-notch images iseasiernowthanatanystage in theentirehistoryofphotography, thanks todigital technology.Chancesaremanyofyouwillhavecomeintophotographyduring thedigitalera, inwhichcaseyou’llhave littleornoexperienceofwhat lifewas likepre-pixels.Well take it fromus–takingpicturesusingdigital isawalk in theparkcomparedtoshootingfilm.Beingable toseeyourshotssecondsafter taking themisa

fast-track tosuccessbecauseyoucan learnasyougo,correctingmistakesandmakingchangesso thatyouneednevermissagreat shot.This immediacy, and the fact thateverypressof thecamera’sshutterbuttondoesn’t costmoney,also

encouragesyou to takecreative risks,which isby far thebestway tomasternewtechniquesandfine-tuneyourskills.Ofcourse, tripping theshutter is just thefirst stage in the

creativeprocess, asoncehomeyour imagesare thendownloaded toacomputerwhereyoucan turn thosemillionsofcoloureddots intoamazingworksofartwith theaidof the latesteditingsoftware.Successfuldigital imaging therefore requiresacombinationof solidcameraworkandsympatheticprocessing.Formanycreativephotographers, there’sonlyoneway to

achieveboth: shooting inRaw. If you’ve favouredJPEGuntilnow,andcan’t seehowswitching toRawwouldbenefityou,readonasweexplain themanybenefitsyou’ll gaingoingRaw.

RAW&LANDSCAPESTheBasics#5

46 Raw TheEssentialGuidetoLandscapePhotography 3rdEdition

THEMAINDIFFERENCEBETWEENaRawfileanda JPEG is thatwhenyou shoot inRawformat, the images recordedonyour camera’smemory card consist of the rawdata from thesensor.Nothing is added, takenawayorchanged. If you shoot in JPEG, the camerarecords all the rawdata thendevelops thefilein-camera; applyingpre-set parameters toWhiteBalance, sharpening andcustomcamerastyles etc, deleting anyunnecessary informationand thenerasing remaining rawdata aswell.

In film terms, aRawfile is a bit like anegativewhereas a JPEG is similar to a colour slide.Slides are convenient because they comebackfrom theprocessing labfinishedand ready toview. The samecanbe said for JPEGs,which aresupposedly ready toprint straight from thecamera.However, this conveniencemeans thatyouneed to get everything right in-camera, sothere’s less room for error.Negatives aremoretime-consuming than slides as youneed todevelop themhowyou seefit in thedarkroom,but aremuchmore versatilewithmore latitudefor error. Rawfiles are the same. They alwaysrequire ‘processing’ using suitable softwarebefore they’re consideredfinished, but thisallows you tomake changes to enhance theimages andcorrect in-cameramistakes. Thekeyparameters you can control inRaware:Colour temperature canbeadjusted to get rid

of unwanted casts or to change themoodof animage. This canbedonewith JPEGs inPhotoshop, but notwith the sameprecision.Exposure canbe corrected–or adjusted for

creative reasons–without compromisingimagequality.Whereas if youmakea JPEGlighter or darker, imagequalitywill be affected.You canalso optimise imagequality byoverexposingRawfiles in-camera to just beforethehighlights becomeblown, as shadowdetailis increasedand the effects of noise reduced.The exposure can thenbe ‘pulledback’whileprocessing theRawfile. This is only possiblebecause theRawfile containsmoredata thanyouneed,whereas a JPEG is alreadycompressed ,so ‘spare’ data hasbeendeleted.If youdoaccidentally overexpose aRawfile so

thehighlights ‘blowout’, you can recover detailduringprocessing. This isn’t possiblewithJPEGs, soblownhighlights appearwhite and if

you try to darken them they simply gogrey.Sharpening canbeappliedusing the

sharpening tools inRawfile processing softwareor via third-party applications. JPEGs, however,are already sharpened soextraworkmust bedone carefully so not to spoil the images.Any changes youmake to aRawfile arenon-destructive, becausewhen it’s converted to,ideally, a TIFFfile, the original Raw imageremains unchanged. Thismeans you can returnto the sameRawfile in the future to process itagain. Rawfiles also contain somuchdata theycanbeprocessed several times then combinedeither to address exposure andcontrastproblems, or usedas thebasis for creativetechniques suchasHDR (HighDynamicRange),whichwe’ll showyouhow todo later.

Ultimately, if optimum imagequality iswhatyouwant, your best chance is to shootRaw.Rawfiles support 16-bits of data per colour channelwhereas JPEGs support 8-bits. Thedifference inimagequalitywon’t be obvious initially, butheavy editing reducesquality and8-bit fileswillshow thismore readily than 16-bit.

Manyphotographers areput off shootingRawas they assume it’s complicated.But usingRawprocessing software is very intuitive (seepanel)andany changes youmake caneasily bereversedor cancelled. A JPEG, on theotherhand,while seenas themore convenient formatfor beginners, actually leavesmore room formistakes,whichbeginnerswill surelymake.

What are thedownsides to shooting inRaw?Well, aside fromspendingmore timeat yourcomputer processingfiles, there aren’tmany.And if youget asmuch right in camera as youcan, aRawfile canbeprocessed in amatter ofseconds. Rawfiles are around four timesbiggerin termsofmegabytes than JPEGs, so takeupmore storage space.However,memory cardsandexternal harddrives are cheap thesedays,so if you’ve spent a fortuneonyourDSLR, it’sfalse economy to choose an image formatsimply to saveon storage space.Bigger imagefiles alsomeanyourDSLR’s bufferwill fill upfaster if you shoot inRaw.While thismightprove frustratingwhen shooting subjects suchas sports andwildlife,where lots of shots aretaken in quick succession, it isn’t a real concernfor the landscapephotographer.

AnintroductionToRawIfmaximumdetailandcontrol iswhatyouneed,thenshootinginRawistheanswer.Wecoverthebasicsyouneedtogetstarted...

Shoot & process Raw

TroubleshootingQ I can’topen theRawfiles frommynewDSLR?AThat’s because cameramanufacturers keepchanging Rawfile formats as they launch newcameras. Adobe release regular upgrades forAdobeCamera Raw (ACR) for new cameras.Go towww.adobe.comand see if the latest upgradeincludes your camera.

Q I justprocessedsomeRawfilesandsavedthemasTIFFs,but thefilesare reallysmall.Whathappened?A If you’re using ACR, open aRawfile and below thefile number for the preview image you’ll see a line oftext. Click on it and aWorkflowOptionswindowopens.Choose AdobeRGB (1998) for Space, 16 Bits/Channelfor Depth, 300 pixels/inch for Resolution and for Size,choose the closest size thatmatches your camera’smaximumpixel resolution.

Setting your DSLR to shoot in Raw is easy: simplyselect the ImageQuality setting via the LCDmenu screen and choose Raw (or Raw+JPEG).In terms of how you use your camera and itscontrols, that remains prettymuch the same.The only difference is that when shooting Raw,you give the image asmuch exposure as you canwithout ‘clipping’ or overexposing the highlights.By doing this you’ll record asmuch shadow detailas possible and better image quality as a result.It doesmean that the images in their raw stateappear overexposed, but this is easily resolvedduring Raw file processing, which you’ll find astep-by-step guide for later in this guide. You’llalso note that the number of shots you can fit onyour card drops dramatically, so carry spares!

RawprocessingsoftwareYouneed special software to processRawfiles.When you buy a digital SLR, it comeswith aCD-ROMcontaining the cameramaker’s ownRawprocessor, Canon has itsown system, so doesNikon etc. However,themajority of photographers prefer to usea third-party Rawprocessor. By far themostpopular is AdobeCameraRaw, found inall versions of AdobePhotoshop fromCS2onwards, PhotoshopElements since version3.0 and all versions of Adobe Lightroom.AppleAperture also has its ownRawconvertor, while CaptureOne fromPhaseOne is popularwith somephotographers.SilkyPix is less knownbutworth trying thefree trial download.

ADOBECAMERARAWwww.adobe.com/products/photoshop/family/APPLEAPERTURE

www.apple.com/ukCAPTUREONE

www.phaseone.com/4/SILKYPIX

www.isl.co.jp/SILKYPIX/english/

Rawprocessingsoftware

If you’re uneasy about shootingRaw initially, whynot set your camera to record every image in bothRawand JPEG?Thatway,while you get used toprocessingRawfiles, you knowyou’ve also gotJPEGsof the same images, for reassurance

ShootRawandJPEGJP

Rawgivesyoumore!Ever lookedat imagesandwonderedhow thephotographer captured somuchdetail in the scene?Nodoubtshooting inRawplayedabigpart.Image: adamburton

48 Raw TheEssentialGuidetoLandscapePhotography 3rdEdition

HSL: (Hue, Saturation andLuminance). The controls on theHSL/Grayscale tab allow you totarget specific colours in a similarfashion to Photoshop’s SelectiveColor. Use theHue Tool to change acolour, the Saturation to alter itspurity and Luminance forbrightness. It’s a good idea toincrease a colour’s saturation anddecrease its luminance, rather thanjust pumpup the saturation.

Grayscale Mix:Under theHSL/Grayscale tab youhave theoptionofchecking theConvert toGrayscalebox,whichwill bringupanewset oftools labeledGrayscaleMix. Aswellas anAutooption, you can takecontrol over the tonal rangeof yourblack&white conversionbyadjusting the level of each colour’stone in your original image.

Color Rendering:By selecting theCameraCalibration tab, you can pickfroma selection of yourin-camera profiles to apply toyour image. Locate the differentprofiles such asNeutral, Vivid,Landscape andPortrait byclicking the drop-downmenulabeledName.

TheAdobeCameraRawinterfaceFacedwithaplethoraof editing tools anddon’t knowwhere to start?Findoutmoreabout the functions featuredonPhotoshopCS3’s interface

WhiteBalance: Shooting inRawmeans you can control theWhite Balance in post-production,rather than have to select the rightWhite Balance preset in-camera.Under the Basic tab you have allthe in-cameraWBpresets availablein a drop-downmenu to pick from(e.g. Auto, Daylight, Cloudy etc).You can also use the Temperatureand Tint sliders to create your ownCustomWB. Alternatively, youcould use theWhite Balance Tool(found in the tool bar – see theadjacent page) to click on a purewhite part of the image, whichwillthen set theWBaccordingly.

NoiseReduction:Under theDetail tab is a section dedicated toNoise Reduction. It is divided intotwo features: Luminance,(grayscale noise that tends tomakean image look grainy); andColorthat copeswith Chromanoise. Tosee the effects, enlarge your imageto at least 100%.

SplitToning: Give your shot acompletely different look using thistraditional darkroom treatment oftinting the highlights and shadows.You can do this simply by selectingthe Split Toning tab and thenmoving the applicable Hue slider tochange the colour and theSaturation slider to set theintensity. Don’t neglect the Balanceslider either as this will allow you toputmore emphasis on the intensityof the shadows’ tint or thehighlights’ tint, depending onwhich direction youmove it.

LensVignetting: Found underthe LensCorrection tab, this is acorrective and creative tool thatallows you to darken or lighten theedges of an image. As light fall off isa lens defect that causes thecorners of an image to darken,somephotographers prefer tocorrect it. But others like toenhance the effect,making itstronger. You can control themidpoint, feather and roundness ofthe vignettewith this tool.

VibranceandSaturation:This tool is an alternative to theSaturation slider, which adjusts allthe colours in an image equally.TheVibranceTool on the otherhand affects colours that needboosting, having less affect on thecolours already high in saturation.

Recovery:This is an imagesaver for anyonewho has slightlyoverexposed their highlights. Thisnifty tool should obviously not berelied upon but is definitely one ofthemost invaluable features inACR. It can recovermid-tone detailfromblown highlights.

FillLight: Fill Light can be foundunder the Basic tab and attempts torecover details from shadows,without brightening any blacks.Similar to if youwere to use fill-inflash, this tool will cast some lightinto your foreground – use it with theBlacks slider to addmore punch.

RAWCONVERSIONSOFTWAREhas an abundanceof editing tools that can rescue an image or unleashits creative potential. Themargins for adjustment aremuchwiderwith aRawfile than for JPEG, due to thesheermass of information packed in, so theopportunity to experimentwithout damaging imagequality is vast. Here, usingAdobeCameraRaw’s(ACR) interface, we hope to help you to understandmore of the features at your disposal and open youreyes to the power of Rawphotography.

While somephotographersmaydo the bareessentials in ACR, and continue processing inPhotoshop’smain body, you could domost – if not all– of your post-production inRaw if youwanted to.Tools such as Exposure, Contrast, Clarity andCurvesareworkhorse sliders that youwillmost likely useevery time you open a new image, and thereforewe’lladdress these in our step-by-steps in the next fewpages. Instead, here are ten of the lesser knownadjustment tools that arewell worth discovering...

ToptoolstotryforPhotoshopRawconversion...

1

4

7

Raw 493rdEdition TheEssentialGuidetoLandscapePhotography

Photoshop CS4 & CS5

CS4Features all the tools of CS3with theaddition of anAdjustmentBrush andGraduatedFilter, found on the tool bar. TheAdjustmentBrush isthe niftier of the two, allowing you tomake veryspecific adjustments to selected areas of the imagedepending on the size and radius of the brush you set.

CS5Aswell as a fewnewfine-tuning sliders toNoiseReduction and the addition of an Effects tab,which allows you to add grain to your image, the toolbar nowhas aTargetedAdjustment control forphotographerswhofindworking directly on an imagemore intuitive. Users can control the adjustmentsdirectly on the image by dragging their cursor up ordown to increase or decrease the effect, respectively.

CameraRawinterfaceOpen a Raw file in Photoshop and you’represented with the following interface.Here we explain the main commandsthat are displayed.

1)TOOL BAR Contains all selectabletools such as Zoom Tool, Hand Tool andCrop Tool. Users of the latest version ofPhotoshop also have access to theAdjustment Brush and Graduated Filter.Like the main Photoshop program, allthe tools have single letter keyboardshortcuts that are worth getting to know.

2)HISTOGRAM The histogram tells youexactly what is happening to your Rawinformation in real time as you alter thedialogue controls. It takes the form of agraph, representing colour in numbersfrom 0 to 255, going from left to right,darkest to lightest. The white shaderepresents the combined red, greenand blue channels and gives you theforemost indication of exposure.

3) INFO PALETTE Shows the pixelreadings for red, green and bluechannels from 0 to 255 when thecursor is placed in the main window,and also contains image metadatainformation such as aperture inf/stops, shutter speed in seconds,ISO rating and focal length.

4) IMAGEWINDOW The mainpreview window for the open image.You can zoom in using the Zoom Toolor the plus and minus buttons ordrop-down menu underneath and canmove around the image using theHand Tool or by holding down theSpacebar and dragging. Check thePreview box to see your image withand without current edits.

5) CONTROL TABS You can negotiatebetween the different control tabs byclicking on each. The first tab is labelledBasic and contains the controls that youwill use most often, such as theExposure and Blacks sliders. Othertabs are Tone Curve, Detail, HSL/Greyscale, Split Toning, LensCorrections, Camera Calibration andPresets. Elements users have only Basic,Camera Calibration and Presets.

6)CONTROLWINDOW This is themain dialogue window that containsthe controls for each of the specificcontrol tabs. They’re all slider based,other than the Point Curve section of theTone Curve tab (which allows youto plot points on a curve) and thePreset tab, which involves simplyselecting listed Presets.

7)OUTPUT BUTTONS Along the bottomyou’ll find all the buttons for doing whatyou choose once you have finished youredits. You can Save, Save As, Open,Open a Copy or use Done to store youredits without actually processing theRaw file. Holding down Alt/Option givesyou access to the extra options.

2

3

6

5

Windowofopportunity!While you experimentwith the various editingfeatures, you can judgetheir effect on yourimageby viewing it inthe preview screen tothe left of your tools.

Remember to note the default setting ofyour adjustment tool before you startusing the sliders so, if youmake amistake, you know how to correct it.Some tools have a Default button though,which can revert any changes back,leaving you room to experiment

Notethesettingsg

Processingrawfiles is a straightforward task, though how long ittakes and howmany adjustments you need tomake to the imagedepends on how close you get it to finished image in-camera.Photographerswho are used to shooting filmbefore switching to digital,tend to domorework on their images at the time they’re taken becausethat’s what they had to dowith film. old habits die hard, and that’s not abad thing in this case. if you’ve only ever used a digital camera there’s a

greater chance you’ll relymore on software to sort out yourmistakes,whichmeans spending far longer at a computer than you need to.

our step-by-step guide shows you how to process rawfiles usingadobecamera raw (acr) andwhat the different tools do to the image.we’ve intentionally chosen a rawfile that needed plenty of work, butideally it shouldn’t take longer than a handfulminutes to open a rawfile,process it and turn it into a high-quality JPegor Tiff file.

HowtoprocessRawfilestoperfectionourstep-by-stepprovidesasimpleandeffectivewaytoconvertarawfile intoastunningJPegorTiff

2Rawfiles produce the best imagewhen the tones areweighted to theright side of the histogram.But if they touch the right side highlightswill

be ‘clipped’, whichmeans somearea of the imagehaveno recordeddetail.Click the red triangle above the histogram to showoverexposed areas in red.

1Whenyouopen yourRawfiles youmaybedisappointedbecause theyoften look rather flat andwashedout. This is because you’re seeing the

image in an unadulterated state,whereas the preview image you see on yourcamera’s LCD is a small JPEGof theRawfile and so tends to look better.

5Clicking on theToneCurve icon in the tool bar brings up aCurveswindowwith sliders forHighlights, Lights, Darks andShadows. In this case,

increasing the values for theHighlights andLights and reducing the values forDarks andShadowsboosts contrast andbrings the image to life.

6Check theColour Temperature next. Our shotwas takenwith the cameraset toAutoWhiteBalance andhas a slightwarmcast. Normally that

would be a good thing, but in this case it gives the imageamuddy look so thecolour temperature is changed toDaylight (5500K) to cool it downa little.

3‘Clipped’ highlightsmainly happen in the sky andare quite commonwhen shooting landscapes.Overexposedhighlights canbe recovered, to

an extent, using theRecovery slider inACR. In this case, applying it to a levelof 20 sorts out the sky. Recovery flattens contrast so use it sparingly.

4Thenext job is to tackle the exposure as the image is still lookingwishy-washy. Pulling theExposure slider to the left to -0.75makes a

noticeable differencebydarkening the image, though it still looks a little flatand lifeless. Again, this is commonwhen you shoot inRawbut easily solved.

50 Raw TheEssentialGuidetoLandscapePhotography 3rdEdition

9Rawfiles always need sharpening to optimise imagequality. There areseveralways to do this andphotographers have their own favourites, but

whenusingACR, zoom in to the image 100%andadjust the sliders, keepingRadius at 1.0.Watch out for noise creeping in.

10 Images shotwith ultra-wide lenses or zoomsoften exhibit vignettingwhere the corners of the image comeout darker than the rest.

This canbe corrected inACRusing the LensVignetting slider in the LensCorrectionwindow.ChromaticAberration can also be corrected.

7Now it’s time to boost the colours. There are two sliders you canuse inACR–Vibrance andSaturation. Vibrance ismore subtle because it

affects lower-saturated colours and leaves those that are alreadydeeplysaturated alone.Here settingVibrance to 20boosts does the trick.

8Another handy slider inACR isClarity,which adds depth to an imagebyincreasing local contrast. Zoom in to 100%whenusing it, increase the

level until halos appear near the edgedetails then reduce it slightly. Or simplyapply in a low level – in this case+10– to give the imagean extra boost.

FinalimageThe imagewas saved as a16-bit TIFF and opened inPhotoshop, where sensorblemisheswere removedusing theHealingBrush

and Levels tweaked to addimpact to the sky.

52 Raw

ONEOFTHEMOSTUSEFUL properties of aRawfile is it contains farmore information anddetail than you actually need to create asuccessful image. You can’t see this detail, ofcourse, because it’s beyond the dynamic rangeof a single TIFF, PSDor JPEGfile.What it doesmean though is that in imageswhere thecontrast is too great to hold detail in thelightest and darkest tones (shadows), you canprocess a Rawfile twice – oncewith theexposure correct for the dark tones and oncewith the exposure correct for the light tones– thenmerge the two in Photoshop to create asingle imagewith extended brightness range.Here’s a step-by-step guide to how it’s done.

MaximisedetailfromRawfilesShooting inRaw lets youusePhotoshop todrawoutmoredetailfromascene, in this instancebymerging twodifferent exposures

Kit watch!UseanNDGrad

You’ll save yourself heaps of time at thecomputer if you use aNeutral Density (ND) gradfilter when taking this type of shot, as it will tonedown the sky so it doesn’t blow out when youexpose for the darker foreground. In this case a0.6 ormaybe even a 0.9ND gradwould havedone the trick, capturing an image close to thefinal one here but in a single frame.Manyphotographers assumeND grads aren’tnecessary with digital SLRs, but they are!

3CloseACR then open the twoTIFF files you’vejustmade in Photoshop. Click on the darker

image, go toSelect>All, thenEdit>Copy and theimagewill be copied. Close the darker image,click on the lighter image tomake it active thengo toEdit>Paste and the darker imagewill becombinedwith it as a layer.

1Open the original Rawfile inAdobeCameraRaw (ACR), then adjust the exposure of the

image until the sky looks correct. Thiswillmakethe foreground really dark but don’t worry. TheExposure slider in ACR can be used, and/or thesliders in the ToneCurvewindow.Once you’rehappy, save the image as a 16-bit TIFF file.

4With the darker image layer active, click onthe SquareMarqueeTool near the top of the

Photoshop tool bar, and select the darkforeground from just below the horizon. Then gotoEdit>Cut and the dark foregroundwilldisappear to reveal the correctly exposed one.The image already looks a lot better.

2TheRawfilewill remain open inACRand thefirst version of it will be saved to your

computer’s desktop. Nowyou need tomake asecond version of the original Rawfile, this timeadjusting the exposure until the foreground lookscorrect. Doing thiswill burn-out the sky, as youcan see. Save this image as a 16-bit TIFF file.

5Now it’s time to clean up the edges left fromthe dark foreground, so select the Eraser Tool

from the tool bar. Choose amedium-sizedsoft-edged brush andwith theOpacity set to40-50%, start erasing the last unwanted bits ofthe darker image to reveal the correctly exposedforeground from the layer beneath.

6With the sky and foreground lookingmuchbetter, it’s a case of fine-tuning the image’s

contrast and colour. First the colours are given aboost by going to Image>Adjustments>Hue/Saturation andmoving the Saturation slider to+25%.Anymore than that and the coloursmaystart to look unreal, so don’t go over the top.

7Attention is now turned to selective exposureand contrast control. The left side of the

image is noticeably darker than the rest so it’sselected using thePolygonal Lasso Tool inPhotoshop, set to a feather of 100pixels, thenLevels are adjusted. Further selections and Levelsadjustments aremade to other areas.

8Finally, theDodgeTool is selected from thetool bar, with an Exposure set to around 10%.

The smaller areas of the image are then carefullylightened, in a similarway to dodging areas of aprint in the darkroomduring exposure to preventthembecoming too dark. It’smuchmorecontrollable and precise in Photoshop, though!

FinalimageThefinal image is dramatic and

atmospheric,with perfectly-exposedforegroundand sky. Itwas only by

capturing the scene inRaw that sucha radical transformationwaspossible.

54 Raw TheEssentialGuidetoLandscapePhotography 3rdEdition

TakeThe idea ofmergingmore than one image astep further and you enter the amazingworld of hdR(highdynamic Range); a creative technique that canproduce stunning results, where detail is recorded ineverything from the darkest shadows to the brightesthighlights andmundane scenes are transformed intosomething extraordinary.Many photographers havealready discovered the delights of hdR, andworkingwith Rawfiles increases its potential even further aseach file containsmasses of information, andwhenyou combine several of themyou’ll take yourphotography literally into another dimension. here’sa step-by-step guide to creatinghdR images usingone of the best pieces of software on themarket –Photomatix Pro (see panel).While you’ll have tospend a little to use this software, we think theexpense is fully justified as it’s a fantastic package.

ExperimentwithHDRhdR imagesstill polariseopinionbut there isnodenying its effects areuniqueandeye-catching. Tryour step-by-step to see if you likewhat it does Which package?

Photoshop or Photomatix Pro?Versions of AdobePhotoshop fromCS3 onwards have anHDR feature– found at File>Automate>MergetoHDR. It’s okay, but the resultingimages tend to be rather flat andthe controls to improve themarelimited. A faster,more versatileoption is Photomatix Pro, specialistHDR software fromwww.hdrsoft.com. The latest version, 4.0, costs$99 as a standalone application orthere are various other purchaseoptions, including plug-insfor Photoshop, Aperture andLightroom. It works brilliantly, andthe ToneMapping controls give youloads of control over the final result.

6Changing Light Smoothing totheVeryHigh settingmakes the

image farmore realistic but theHDReffect is still visible. At this stage it’salsoworth experimentingwith theother sliders to seewhat they do –try tweaking Strength, ColourSaturation, Luminosity,White Point,BlackPoint andGamma.

2LaunchPhotomatix Pro softwareand aWorkflowShortcuts

windowappears. ClickGenerateHDR Image at the top of thewindowand a secondwindowappears,GenerateHDR–Selecting sourceimages. You can drag and dropRawfiles on thiswindowor use theBrowse option. ClickOKwhen done.

7The image should be takingshape now, but before saving it,

take a look at the control beneaththeHistogram: Tone, Colour,MicroandS/H. Thesemakemore subtlechanges and let you fine-tune theHDReffect until you’re happywiththe look of the image. Playwith all ofthem to seewhat they do.

3Yet anotherwindowappears:GenerateHDR–Options. This

allows you to choose how the sourceimages are aligned, how thesoftware reduces ghosting artefacts,White Balance, colour space and soon. You can experimentwithdifferent settings here, but thedefault settings usuallyworkwell.

5TheTone-Mapped imagesometimes look great and you

can save it withoutmaking changes,but often it will look rather surreal.Themain control that changes theappearance of aHDR image is theLight Smoothing. Here the lowestsetting has been applied by default,butwe’ll change that.

1Shoot a sequence of imageswithyourDSLRon a tripod, varying

the exposure for each over a rangethat captures detail in the darkestshadows and brightest highlights. Inthis case -2 stops, -1 stop,meteredand+1 stop did the job. Inmorecontrasty conditions, youmay needto shoot from -2 to +2 or +3 stops.

8Click Process and all the changesyou’vemade are applied. Save

theHDR image as a 16-bit TIFF filethenmake any final adjustments to itin Photoshop – you can adjust LevelsandCurves selectively or to thewhole image, tweak colour saturationand so on until you’ve got just theeffect youwere looking for.

4After aminute or so an imageappears on yourmonitor.

Usually it looks dreadful but don’tworry about it as this isn’t a trueHDR image – you’ve a littleway togo yet. To get a better idea ofwhatyou’ve got toworkwith, hit the ToneMapping button in theWorkflowShortcutswindows.

HDRfromasingleRawfileAlthoughyou’re advised to shoot a sequenceofRawfiles at different exposures to create aHDR image,you canproducepseudo-HDReffects byprocessingoneRawfile three or five times andchanging theexposure for each. For example, open theRawfile inACR, set theExposure slide to -2 then clickSave, settheExposure slide to -1 and clickSave again. Repeatthiswith theExposure slider set to0, +1 and+2andyou’ll have a set of five ‘bracketed’ images that areready forPhotomatix. Dependingon your subjectmatter, youmayfind that this approach is preferable.Itworks brilliantly onportraits andother non-staticsubjectswhere itwouldbealmost impossible toshoot a sequenceof individual imageswithout thesubjectmoving slightly between frames.

FinalimageYou can see howeffective theHDR technique is. The scenewashigh in contrast so a singleexposure failed to capture itsdrama.However, by combiningfour separate exposures usingPhotomatix Pro, the detail andcolour has beenbrought out.

Combining RawfilesWITH LUKEMARSH Setting your DSLR to shoot in Raw means you’re able to recoverhidden detail from areas of the scene that are overexposed, such as bright sky. Photoshopexpert Luke Marsh shows how to use the Photoshop Elements Raw converter to createtwo different images at different exposure levels exposures from the same Raw file andthen recombine them for the perfect result. Techniques used in this easy-to-follow step-

by-step tutorial include exposure adjustment, layer creation and editing, level adjustment, sharpnesscontrol using the High Pass filter, opacity effects and colour adjustment. This technique is especiallysatisfying as you are only working with image data captured in the original single exposure.Elements 4.0 was used here, but more recent versions are suitable too.

3 I now have two files open. One contains the original exposure andthe other is the new underexposed image.With the underexposed

file active, I go Select>All then Edit>Copy placing the image into thepasteboardmemory. Now I can close this file and use Edit>Paste toplace this image into a new layer on the original file.

4With the two exposures in place I want to combine thecorrectly-exposed foregroundwith the newly-exposed sky. With the

sky layer active and using theRectangular Marquee I select a large area offoreground, just short of the horizon, and use Edit>Delete to remove thearea noting the effect in the layer palette preview (inset).

5Now it’s time to tidy up the horizon, so with the Eraser tool set to amedium-sized, soft-edged brush at an Opacity of 55%, I gradually

erase areas of the newly-exposed layer, revealing the original horizonexposure. The slight feathering effect between the two layers creates amisty effect which further enhances the image’smood.

6The initial layer work is complete, so to savemywork so far, I goLayer>Flatten Image then File>Save As to create a new file. With

both layersmerged, it’s time for some overall enhancement, so I goEnhance>Adjust Lighting>Levels to lighten up the image and improvethe definition. I clickOK to apply the changes.

56 Raw TheEssentialGuidetoLandscapePhotography 3rdEdition

Original

1 If you’ve never used the Elements Raw converter before, the firstthing you’ll notice on opening files is the image opens in the Raw

control window (above). For the first step, I simply clickOpen, leavingthe settings as they are, then go File>Save As and create a Photoshopfile (.psd) as we are going to be working with layers.

2 I reopen the original Raw file, and again the Raw control windowappears with the image. This time, I use the Exposure control

(circled) andmove the slider left, to underexpose the image, pullingback the detail from the sky area hidden on the original image. Happywith the results, I clickOpen to take the image into Elements.

9The image is predominately blue in hue and I’d quite like to inject adifferent tone to the sky area. Using theRectangular Marquee tool,

I select the area above the horizon and Select>Feather, entering anamount of 50 pixels to soften the selection, then I go Edit>Copy thenEdit>Paste, placing the selection into a new layer.

10Change theBlendMode of the new layer to Soft Light, and thengo to Enhance>Adjust Colour>Adjust Hue/Saturation. In the

window, I start by clicking the Colorize box and immediately see theeffect in the preview. Finally, I adjust theHue and Saturation slidersuntil I am happy with the colour, and clickOK.

7TheHigh Pass filter is a far more forgiving way to enhance detailthan sharpening. To use it, I first go to Layer>Duplicate Layer to

preserve the original image. Then I go to Filter>Other>High Pass,adjusting theRadius to around 20 pixels before clickingOK. I changetheBlendMode in the layer palette to Soft Light.

8Use Layer>Flatten Image again, saving a copy if required. Now, usingtheBurn tool (inset right) with a large soft-edged brush and the

Opacity at approximately 25%, I darken the exposure of specific areas,which helps to improve the depth of the image. I focus on the edges of theframe and build the effect up gradually.

FinalimageSTORMYSKIESAHEAD!It’s clear to see the benefits ofshooting your images in Raw,as it’s possible to rescuemoredetail than if you’d capturedthe scene as a JPEG.

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Filters:TheBasics 59

Screw-in filterSThese attach via the filter thread onthe front of most lenses. They offerthe advantage of using high qualityoptical glass, while their small sizemeans they’re easy to store and carryaround in their protective cases. Thedisadvantage is that each only fit onediameter of lens, so if your lensesrequire different filter thread sizes,you’ll need extra filters. Using morethan one filter together risks vignetting(dark corners on your images).

Slot-in SyStem filterSIf you plan to use a number of filtersor own several lenses, a slot-in systemis more cost-effective. You only needto buy one of each filter type, which isinserted into a holder attached to thelens via an appropriately sized ring.You need a ring for each lens but swapthe holder between them. Most slot-infilters are made from a tough resin,which is of high optical quality, butyou need to take more care than withglass filters to avoid scratches.

3rdEdition TheEssentialGuidetoLandscapePhotography

THE HUMBLE FILTER OFFERS offers arguably more creativepossibilities for making the most of your digital SLR than any otheraccessory. We’re all aware that digital SLRs are a great way ofcapturing wonderful images, but some photographers are stilloblivious to how filters can dramatically improve their results.Take a look at the work of established photographers and you’ll see

most regularly use filters like polarisers or ND Graduates to capture

the best possible results. There is a reason why dedicated landscapephotographers spent time and money using filters: they give betterresults. This section looks at the main filter formats, which types offilters you’ll find most useful and explains how you should use them.With image manipulation software such as Adobe Photoshop available,the question of whether or not you need filters any more is a fair oneto ask. Our answer is simple: Yes. Read on to find out why.

landScape filterSTheBasics#6

PolarisingfiltersIf you only ever buy one filter, buy a polariser. By simply rotating it inits mount, you can bring your images to life. A polariser is designed toeliminate glare, minimise reflections and enhance saturation.

Polarising filters are best known for their ability to darken blue skies.However, they are equally useful for reducing reflections on non-metallicsurfaces (in particular water) and the glare from foliage.

Not only does an enriched, blue sky look appealing as part of alandscape photograph, but a polarised sky can also create an attractivebackdrop. Try shooting buildings, people, trees or flowers contrastedagainst a polarised sky – the results will be bursting with impact.

To understand how polarisers work, it’s necessary to get a little technical.Basically, light is transmitted in wavelengths. Light travels in straight lines,vibrating as waves in all directions and at all angles.

When light strikes a surface, a portion of the wavelengths are reflectedwhile others are absorbed. It is the absorbed wavelengths of light thatdefine the colour of the surface it’s striking. For example, a red-colouredobject will reflect red wavelengths of light whilst absorbing others.

Polarised light is different. It occurs due to the reflection or scattering oflight waves and only travels in one direction. It is these wavelengths thatcreate glare and reflection, reducing colour intensity. A polarising filter isdesigned to block polarised light, thus restoring contrast and saturation.

Polarisers are made from a thin sheet of polarising material, sandwichedbetween two circular pieces of glass and screwed onto the front of yourlens. The front part of the mount can be rotated, affecting the angle ofpolarisation. As a result, the amount of polarised light passing throughthe lens can be altered to control the amount of polarisation. Lookingthrough the viewfinder while rotating the filter (or using the LCD monitorwith Live View), reflections will come and go and the intensity of colour willstrengthen and fade again. Simply stop rotating the filter when you feel theeffect is at its best for the scene or subject.

One last thing. A polariser has a two-stop filter factor and, while yourcamera’s automatic metering will allow for this, it’s worth bearing in mindhow this will affect the range of shutter speeds and apertures you haveavailable. It’s worth ensuring you mount your DSLR on a tripod wheneveryou use a polariser to ensure you avoid the risk of camera shake.

GetthebestfromreflectionsReflections can either be good or bad. Forexample, rolling hills or snowy mountainpeaks will be enhanced if they’re mirroredin the still, reflective surface of water.But the light and glare reflecting fromshiny non-metallic surfaces or glass, in acityscape or on a skyscraper, can be uglyand distracting. A polariser can be used toeither emphasise reflections – by reducingsurface glare – or eliminate them.However, the strength of the effect willdepend on the camera angle in relationto the reflective surface. The maximumeffect is at an angle of 30-45º.

No polariser With polariser

60 Filters

Polariserchoice:Linearorcircular?There are two types of polarising filter on themarket – Linear andCircular. Only theCircular typewill work properlywith your digitalSLR. Althoughboth varieties are physically circular and similar inappearance, the Linear varietywill affect the accuracy of yourcamera’smetering system. This is because digital SLRs polarisesome light inside the camera. If this light has already beenpolarised by a Linear polariser, a falsemeter reading is given.Circular polarisers are constructedwith awave-retardation plate,allowing the lightwaves passing through to rotate and appearunpolarised to the camera’smetering system.BuyCircular.

Kit watch!

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DON’T PANIC!

AvoidingpolarisingproblemsUNEVENPOLARISATIONNatural light polarisation is

uneven across the sky; itsmaximumeffect iswhen facing90º to the sun and itsminimum is at 180º. Sowhen takingpictures at certain angles, youmayfind that the colour ofthe sky darkensmore noticeably in one area – this regionof the sky containsmore polarisedwavelengths. Thiseffect can look odd and is best avoided. Ultrawide-anglefocal lengths (10-14mm)aremost prone to this problem.To try and side-step this problem, use a lenswith a longfocal length lens or adjust your shooting angle. However,if this just isn’t practical, you could try positioning aNeutral Density graduate filter at an angle so that it filtersthe lighter region of the sky. Although this isn’t a faultlesssolution, anNDgrad can greatly reduce the effect.

OVER-POLARISATIONAdeepbluepolarisedskymaybeappealing, but it is possible tooverdo theeffect. In somesituations, apolariser isn’t neededat all –oronlypartialpolarisation is required– toproduce thebest-looking result.If theeffect is toogreat, the skycanappearalmostblack incolour. Thiswill lookunnatural anddegrade theaestheticsof the image.Souse imageplayback tocheck theeffectandadjust the rotationof thefilter accordingly.

PolarisingresultsYou can see increased saturation

and the greater contrast levelscreated by the polariser. This is oneof the reasonswhy it’s amust-have

for landscape photographers.

Uneven polarisation

Kit watch!

62 Filters

Graduatedfilters(grads)Grads are half-coated, half-clear, with atransitional zone where the two halves merge.There are two distinct types of grad: NeutralDensity (ND) and colour grads. ND graduatedfilters are designed to darken bright skiesand lower contrast levels, whilst the colouredvariety are intended to add a splash of colour tootherwise dull, nondescript skies.ND grads work by absorbing all the colours in

the visible spectrum in equal amounts, with nocolour cast. This is necessary as the contrast inlight between sky and land is often greater thanthe dynamic range of the sensor – making itimpossible to capture a correctly-exposed scene.

They are available individually or in a set ofdifferent strengths to suit different conditions.Their strength, or density, is indicated on thefilter: 0.3 equals a one-stop exposure reduction,0.6 a two-stop and 0.9 equates to three stops.ND grads are also available in both hard- andsoft-edged transitions.Soft NDs are designed with a feathered edge,

providing a gentle change from the coatedportion of the filter to the clear area, whilst ahard ND grad has a more sudden transition.Both types are useful; soft grads are bettersuited to shooting landscapes with brokenhorizons as they don’t noticeably darken objects

like buildings or trees. Hard grads are designedso the full strength of their specified density isspread over a greater proportion of the coatedarea, allowing you to reduce the brightness ofthe sky with greater accuracy.Whilst colour grads are not as useful on a day-

to-day basis, they shouldn’t be overlooked. Toan extent, they also lower contrast, but insteadof having the practical role of an ND grad, colourgrads are designed for creative effect. There area wide variety of different colours available, fromsubtle looking shades of blue, coral and orange,to the artificial look of red, pink and tobacco.Some, such as the wholly-coloured sunsetfilter, lack a clear area. Instead the whole filtergraduates from a strong to weak colour tint.Colour grads may not be for the purists, but

combined with a suitable scene, they can helpproduce eye-catching results. However, a quickword of warning. They should be used with careand in moderation. Only employ a colour gradwhen its effect genuinely enhances the imageyou are about to capture – if you have anydoubts, take an unfiltered shot as well. You alsoneed to ensure accurate placement; if you pushthe filter too far down in the holder, the coatedarea of the grad will stray over the foreground,ruining the realism of the result.

0.3NDGRAD 0.6NDGRADNOGRAD

AngleyourgradWhen using graduated filters, a slot-in filter holder – like the CokinP system– is virtually essential.Whilst circular, screw-in typegraduated filters are available, they are hugely restrictive. This isbecause, unlike a slot-in filter, the position of the graduation zonecannot be adjusted up or down to suit your composition, greatlylimiting your creative possibilities. Another advantage of using aholder is that, if the scene you are photographing has a slopinghorizon, it is possible to adjust the orientation of the holder tomatch. This will avoid the graduated area of the filter overlappingyour foreground, whichwill either artificially darken or colour partof your scene. Youmay alsowish to position a grad at an angle tohelp alleviate uneven polarisation. However, by angling the holder,there is an enhanced risk of vignetting (darkening at the corners ofthe image)withwide-angle lenses. Therefore, check imagesthrough both your viewfinder and via your LCDmonitor.

lter holder – like the Cokinlters, a slot-in fiWhen using graduated fi

Angled grad

NeutralDensity(ND)?Neutral Density filterswork using asimilar principle to a graduatedND.However, unlike a grad, the entirefilter is coated.

They are designed to limit theamount of light passing throughthe lens. Therefore, if after adding the filter theshutter speed is kept the same, a largeraperturemust be selected to obtain thecorrect exposure. You can use this to reducedepth-of-field and control howmuchof ascene is out of focus.

Alternatively, if the f/stop ismaintained,a slower shutter speedmust be selected toachieve the right exposure. This can help toblurmovingwater during longer exposures.

NDfilters are available as both slot-in andscrew-in types and also in progressivestrengths (densities).Whilst they canbeemployed to compensate for toomuch light –in situationswhere you’d like to increase theaperturemore than the light or cameracapabilities permit – anNDfilter ismorecommonly usedby landscapephotographersto emphasisemovement, especiallywater.

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TheEssentialGuidetoLandscapePhotography 3rdEdition

NdgradresultsThe sky in a scene such as thiswill be several stops brighterthan the shaded rocks in theforeground. AnNDgrad filter

means detail in both is captured.

0.9NDGRADTo capture the full effect of the grad,we’d recommend you take and lock theexposure reading before slipping thefilter into place, rather thanmeteringwith the filter already in position

Meteringforgradseteringforgrads

3Using the hard grad filter has resulted in amuchmore even exposure,but there is a problem. The top half of the lighthouse, where the filter has

cut into it, is a bit too dark. The effect is fairly subtle, but it's definitely there,and doesn't look natural. Fortunately, this commonproblemcan be easilysorted outwith a spot of post-processingwork.

2With a four-stop difference between the rocks and the sky, I chose athree-stopNDgrad filter, as it would leave the sky a little bit lighter than

the foreground. The next choicewas to use a soft or hard grad (see panel).Soft grads aren't always the best choice for seascapes, as the brightest partof the scene is often across the horizon line, so I decided on a hard grad.

1Arriving at Portland inDorset just before dawn, I took a spotmeterreading from the foreground rocks and the sky, which revealed a

difference in brightness of around four stops. Although this falls within thedynamic range of the sensor, shadowdetail has been compromised a little,and lifting this in post-processing could reveal noise in the image.

64 Filters

WIThmArkbAUerOne of the main technical challenges inlandscape photography is controlling the contrast in a sceneso that you can accurately record detail in both the land andthe sky. Often the sky is a lot brighter than the land, and thecontrast in the scene is beyond what the camera’s sensor

can record, resulting in either a well-exposed sky and underexposedforeground, or the opposite. The usual way around this is to use a NeutralDensity (ND) graduated filter. These filters are brilliantly simple – they aredark at the top and clear at the bottom and all you do is position the darkhalf over the brighter area of the picture, reducing the contrast betweenthe light and dark areas and therefore enabling you to capture detail inboth the foreground and the sky. The only problem is that the dividingline between the dark and light areas of an ND grad is a straight line, andnot all landscapes have a straight horizon – often the horizon is brokenby an object such as a tree, a hill or a building, and the filter can cause anunnatural-looking darkening of the top of these objects. However, help isat hand as, most of the time, post-processing will rescue the shot. Here Iexplain how to use an ND Grad and remove its effect from specific areas.

NDgradsandPhotoshop

exPert tutorial

AnNDgraduatedarkensskies foramorebalanced imagebutpost-processingcanbenecessary incertainscenes

TheEssentialGuidetoLandscapePhotography 3rdedition

5There are variousways of lightening or darkening images, such asCurves and Levels, but for this selection I decided to use theDodgeTool,

as I could paint the effect on gradually and build it up in the areas thatneeded itmore. I set the Exposure value to 10%,which enabledme toworkgradually on lightening the selection.

4Using theMagnetic Lasso Tool in Photoshop, I selected the darker tophalf of the lighthouse, so that I couldwork on the problemareawithout

affecting any other part of the image. I decided not to apply any feathering tothe selection, as this could leave a 'halo' around the lighthouse once I'dfinished lightening the selection.

FinalimagegThis is the final result, whichexhibits good detail and colour inboth the sky and foreground, anda natural-looking lighthouse withno darker section at the top.

Filters 65

HardandsoftgradfiltersNeutral density graduatedfilters come in two varieties:hard and soft. Hard gradshave a very obvious andsudden transition from thedark to clear areas, whereassoft grads have amuchmore gradual transition.Hard grads aremore usefulin situationswhere thehorizon line is fairly straightanddoesn’t have any largeobjects breaking it. Softgrads on the other hand area better optionwhen youhave an uneven horizon.

Also, opt for a hard grad ifyou intend to shoot a scenewith a straight horizon atsunset or sunrise, as thehorizon linewill be thebrightest part of the scene,and soft gradswon’t holdback enough light.Sowhat do youdowhen

you’re shooting a scene atsunrise/sunset, which has alarge object such as a treeor building breaking thehorizon?Here’smywayaround this.

TECHNIQUE WATCH!

3rdEdition TheEssentialGuidetoLandscapePhotography

AddadigitalgraduatedfilterWITH LUKE MARSH Using Photoshop to recreate the effect of a graduate filterallows a variety of effects to be created in minutes. Photoshop expert Luke Marshexplains how to create a stunning graduated effect using adjustment layers, so theeffects can be repeated and adjusted until the combination of layers and originalimage is perfect. In this easy-to-follow step-by-step tutorial, Luke introduces you to

Adjustment Layers, Gradient Fill, Gradient Editor, Color Picker, Blending Mode and Photo Filterfor mood. Photoshop isn’t an alternative to optical filters, it’s a complementary skill. Use it toproduce images that are not possible on location or when you forgot your grad. PhotoshopElements 4.0 was used here, but more recent versions are suitable too.

3The sliders at the bottom of the gradient control colour, the leftrepresenting black. Click the black slider and note that the colour

now appears in the field below, clicking here opens theColor Pickersub-window. Use the vertical spectrum (centre) and themain window(left) to select the desired colour then clickOK.

4ClickOK in the subsequent windows to apply the gradient, thenchooseMultiply from theBlendingModemenu situated to the top

of the layer palette (inset) to create amore natural merging of thegradient to the original image. ThisAdjustment Layer Gradient can betweaked at any time by selecting it in the Layers palette.

5 It’s quite often necessary to createmore than one gradient layer tobuild up the filter effect. Here, I duplicate steps 1 and 2 creating a

gradient that is black to transparent, then, choosing Soft Light in theBlendingModemenu and reducing the layerOpacity (inset) creating anatural darkening effect that can easily be adjusted.

6The final gradient layer is going to add a subtle fall-off to the rocksleading out of the image to the bottom of the frame. Again, I repeat

steps 1 and 2, this time leaving theReverse box unticked so thegradient runs from bottom to top. Once again, I set theBlendingModeto Soft Light and reduced theOpacity.

66 Filters:Photoshopskills TheEssentialGuidetoLandscapePhotography 3rdEdition

Original

1The aim is to create a similar effect to a conventional grad filter, butusing a series of digital graduated layers instead. I createmy first

gradient by clicking theCreate Adjustment Layer icon ( ), situated atthe top of the layers palette, and scrolling toGradientwhich opens theGradient Fillwindow.

2 In theGradient Fillwindow, tickReverse so the gradient runs top tobottom, then click anywhere within theGradient field (situated top)

to open theGradient Editor sub-window. The sliders at the top of thevisible gradient control opacity, andmoving theWhite slider willincrease the transparent ratio of the gradient.

FinalimagegRADUATESUCCESS

After a fewminutesin Photoshop, I’ve

managed to give theplain sky extra interest.

AddingthefinaltouchwithFilter>Adjustments>PhotoFilter

7Photoshop Elements and CS havemood filters that can be used to change the overalltone of your image, much like using a coloured gel or filter on your digital SLR. This

handy action, found in the topmenu under Filter>Adjustments>PhotoFilter, has severalpreset filters includingWarming, Cooling and Sepia or you can choose tomanually filterthrough theColor Picker. The intensity of the selected tone can then be adjusted with theDensity slider to allow for some very subtle effects, giving far greater control than that ofan optical lens filters. When you’ve finished adding a grad effect to an image, it’s well worththe time trying some of these out to see if the image can be improved upon further.

AbovE:Choose from a range of preset filters available in thePhoto Filter function or use the Color Picker to customise.

RIghT:FINALCoLoURSELECTIoNAlthough happy with theresults of my grad filter effect, I found the image could beimproved upon further with the use of the Photo Filteraction. After a little experimenting, I began to favour the useof the Deep blue preset filter at about 60%Density, makingthe overall mood of the image slightly cooler, which I thinkworks better with the subject matter.

Cooling

Violet Emerald

Finalcolour

Warming

WATERINLANDSCAPESWATERISONEOFLIFE’Sessentialsandcanalsobeusedasakeyingredientforsuccessfullandscapephotography.Asweliveonanisland(albeitaverylargeone!)wecanheadinanydirectionandsoonerorlaterwe’llreachacoastline,thefavouritelocationforthemajorityofUKphotographers.Dependingonyourlocation,you’llbeabletousetheseaasabackdropandincludeallmannerofforegroundinterest,fromrockpoolstosandybeachesorruggedcliffs.Ofcourse,therearemanyotherbodiesofwaterthatcanbeusedinyour

landscapecompositions.Lakes,streams,riversandwaterfallsallofferavarietyofcreativeoptionsforyoutoexploreandeachhavetheirownchallengesforyoutomaster.Aswellaslookingforthebestviewpointsanddiscoveringthebesttimeofdaytocapturewaterinlandscapes,you’llneedtotakeparticularcarewiththeexposure,andifthewaterinyoursceneismoving,yourchoiceofshutterspeed.WeenlistthehelpoftheUK’sbestlandscapephotographers,whosharetheir

expertiseandtechniquesonshootingwaterinlandscapes.Packedwithpracticaltechnique,ourguideissuretohelpyouimproveyourlandscapephotographyandprovideyouwiththeconfidencetoshootbetterpictures.

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70 Waterinlandscapes TheEssentialGuidetoLandscapePhotography 3rdEdition

Essentialgear

ChoosingshutterspeedsThe shutter speed you use to capturewaterwilldepend on a number of factors: if it’smoving,howquickly it’smoving, howmuch of it thereis andwhether youwant to stop it dead or letit blur. For bigwaterfalls and breakingwaves,a shutter speed of 1/1000-1/2000secwillguarantee you freeze every droplet. For fast-flowing rivers and smallerwaterfalls like theone here, try 1/200–1/500sec, while for slowerrivers and streams 1/125–1/250sec shoulddo the trick.When it comes to blurring, onesecondwill have a good effect on bigwaterfallsor try two seconds for smallerwaterfalls. Riversand streamsneed a slower speed of two to fourseconds, though you can gomuch slower –10-20 seconds – if you like. Overexposure canbe a problemwhen large volumes ofwater areconcentrated in certain areas, so keep and eyeon the histogramanduse a slower speed if youstart to clip the highlights. For coastal scenes,one to two secondswill blurwaves, while20-30 secondswill produce a ‘milky’ effect.

We’renotsure if you’ve ever noticed, butthemajority of stunning landscape imagesusually has some formofwater in the scene.Whether it’s as subtle as a small river tricklingthrough, or as obvious as a dominating sea in acoastal seascape,water represents a keyelement inmany landscape images.

one of themain reasons for this is becausewater is such a photographically pliableelement. By using filters and/ormanipulatingthe shutter speed, it’s possible to recordwaterin allmanner ofways, from freezing itsmovement so droplets are suspended inmid-air, to using a long exposure to transform itinto an etherealmist.While potentially causingproblemswith our exposure, the reflective

nature ofwater also plays its part in improvingimages too. ondayswhere there is little or nowind, by heading to a lake, reservoir or anyother large body ofwater, it’s possible toproduce a striking result by capturing a cleanreflection of the scene on its surface. thepossibilities don’t stop there – rivers canbeused as strong lead-in lines through the sceneor, alongwith the likes of secluded rockpoolsandmeandering streams litteredwith rocks,can formhighly effective foreground interest.

the list is endless, but in this section, weprovide the essentials you need to start goingout to shootwater in landscapes and returningwith brilliant results.What are youwaiting for,keep on reading and get exploring!

The basics forshootingwater in landscapesGetpreparedtoheadoutintothegreatoutdoorstoshootstunningscenerybyensuringyouhavethebesttechniquesandtherightgear

Wide-anglezoom:Anultra-wide zoom like a12-24mmor similar isideal as it will allow youto fill the foregroundwithwater and deliverplenty of depth-of-fieldfor scenes that aresharp throughout. TheSigma 10-20mmlens is hugely popular due to it’s excellentperformance and value-for-money price tag.

Filters:If you’re seriousabout landscapephotography, invest ina slot-in filter system.Cokin’s P-system(www.intro2020.co.uk) represent greatvalue formoneywhileif quality is paramount, look to Lee Filters’superb 100mmsystem– the choice of thepros. (www.leefilters.com). A polariser helpsboost blue skies and deliver clear reflectionsoff thewater’s surface. A0.6 or 0.9NDfilter(notNDgrad!) is alsoworth considering, asit will allow you to use long shutter speeds indaylight to blurmovingwater.

Tripod:When shootingwater you’ll be lookingto use small aperturestomaximise depth-of-field and the slowshutter speeds requireyou to keep the camerastable to avoid shake.Further on in this guide, we recommend aselection of tripods at various price points.

Spiritlevel:If yourtripod kit has a spiritlevel, use it to ensurehorizons are even – youdon’t want to spendages in Photoshoplevelling them.Otherwise buy a basic£10 spirit level to slip into a hotshoe or treatyourself to a funky £30SeculineActionLevel (www.intro2020.co.uk)

Photobackpack:When you’rewalkingmiles, a photobackpack is a far betteroption for protectingyour kit than a gadgetbag. Thosewith anall-weather coverwilloffer better protection fromwater and theelements.We’ve a number of top backpackshighlighted later in this guide.

Clothing:There’snothingworse thanslipping into a riverand having to spendthe day inwet clothes.Wear decent footwearfrom reputable brandssuch asBerghaus andconsiderwaterproof trousers or gaitersfrombrands such asParamo, as they allowyou to step into rivers and stay dry.

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Shootwaterthewayyououghtto!Dramatic coastlines are theperfect place to

put theory intopracticewhen it comes tophotographing sceneswithwater. Followour

adviceon thegear touse, the techniques to tryand the settings tomakeandyou’ll soonbe

taking landscape images like apro.helendixon

72 Waterinlandscapes

WaterandcompositionYou won’t have to travel far to find water. In hilly regions, waterfalls are relativelycommon, whilst rivers and streams meander through our countryside. In towns andcities, waterways and canals are a common sight and large bodies of water,like lakes, lochs and reservoirs, are dotted around all over the country.

In the UK, you are never that far from the coast and the sea providesphotographers with a huge number of opportunities. It creates the perfect backdropto sandy or rocky bays and rugged cliffs. Whilst the sea is photogenicon calm days, it is at its most dramatic in rough, stormy weather when large,crashing waves bring energy and movement to coastal landscapes. A river,winding its way through your composition, will guide the eye through the image– effectively increasing the photo’s depth and interest. Streams and rivers areperfect subjects to create an ‘S-curve’ or ‘lead-in’ line. Small puddles can also helpcomposition, creating ideal foreground interest. For example, the shallow poolsexposed at low-tide are very photogenic. They will help to add a three-dimensionalfeel to your pictures if you attach a wide-angle lens and photograph them fromnearby to emphasise their curves and reflections.

Water works well when photographed as the main subject. A wide-angle lens,such as an 11-22mm, together with a low viewpoint close to the surface of a river,will create the impression that the water is practically flowing into the camera –but only do this if it’s completely safe. To ensure maximum sharpness, ensuresufficient depth-of-field by choosing a small aperture, such as f/13-16, and focusone-third of the way into the scene, using the LCD monitor to check the result.

ReflectionsinwaterOn calm, still days the surface of any body of water will act like a mirror, perfectlyreflecting its surroundings and the sky above. Reflections are a favourite subjectamong landscape photographers, particularly on large bodies of water when strongcolours are also evident – during sunrise or sunset, for instance.

Rocks jutting out of the water, tall reeds, a jetty or rowing boats are among theobjects that work well as part of a reflected landscape, adding scale and context tothe image. The ‘rule-of-thirds’ states that landscape photographers shouldn’t placethe horizon centrally in the frame. However, when photographing reflections of areservoir or loch, a centred horizon will often create a symmetrical result and actuallystrengthen composition.

Be careful if you are using a polarising filter to saturate colour and deepen blueskies. A polariser can also reduce the intensity of reflections – although to whatdegree will depend on the camera angle in relation to the reflected surface. In somesituations, you may have to decide what is of higher priority – a deep blue sky andsaturated colours, but poor reflections; or strong, vivid reflections, but sky andcolours that are weaker. A polariser can actually intensify reflections by removingthe sheen from the water’s surface. Therefore, continue using a polariser, justcarefully regulate its effect on the reflections within the scene, by peering throughthe camera’s viewfinder as you rotate the filter in its mount.

If there are distracting ripples on the water, consider using a solid ND filter tolengthen exposure time. A shutter speed exceeding a second will help to eliminategentle ripples and help maximise the strength of the reflections.

motionslicknessBy leaving theshutter open for along exposure,movingwaterbecomes amistthat is spreadacross the scene atthe average heightof thewaves andripples. Flowingbubbles (right)form streaks thatfollow the stream.the longer theexposure, theless defined thewaves become.

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onReFlectionthese two imagesfeaturing reflections inwater showhowapplying therule-of-thirds (left)and ignoring it (right)both have their place.As the shot of themountain lakedemonstrates, runningthe far shorelineacross themiddle ofthe frame creates apowerful symmetry.Don’t be tempted toskim stones!

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USEANNDfiltErSometimes youmighthave to reduce theamount of light cominginto the lens to forcedown shutter speedsand create the blur.Neutral Density (ND)filters will do the trick.Polarising filters alsoreduce the light level bytwo stops, facilitatingslow shutter speeds, butwatch out for the effecton reflections.

rEviEwyoUrDSlr’ShiStogrAmthese two histograms show thedifference between an overexposedscene and one that has been exposedcorrectly. the top diagram, showing allthe peaks to the far right of thehorizontal scale and crashing the top ofthe vertical scale, indicates ‘clipping’ oroverexposure. the highlights haveexceeded the ability of the sensor toretain image information and this datais lost forever. Post-processing inPhotoshopwill not be able to get itback. look for amore even spread ofpeaks in the histogram,withoutclipping, as shown in the bottom image.

WaterandexposureMoving water has a tendency to appear white.As a result, accurate exposure is essential –overexposure will lead to white water being ‘burntout’ and devoid of detail. Even if you shoot in Raw,such detail cannot be retrieved during post-processing, which is why it is important to achievethe correct exposure at the time of capture.

Your camera’s multi-zone meter can normally berelied upon to achieve the right exposure. However,don’t rely on the replayed image on your DSLR’sLCD monitor to assess exposure. Instead, viewthe image’s histogram. The graph represents thedistribution of tones within the scene. Far left (0)represents pure black; far right (255) pure white;whilst the middle area covers mid-tones. If water isoverexposed, this will be indicated by sharp peaksto the far right of the graph.

Most DSLRs also have a ‘highlights’ screen. Thisalert causes groups of pixels that have exceededthe sensor’s dynamic range to flash as a warning. Ifwater within your landscape is overexposed, applynegative exposure compensation.

Problems occur in very bright daylight –particularly around midday. Brightly lit, frothywhite water can prove very intense and there is nosimple way to achieve an overall correct exposurein-camera. This is why the softer, less intense lightof early morning and evening is better suited toshooting water.

The quality of light on overcast days is alsoexcellent for photographing water, particularly ifusing a long exposure to blur its movement. So, ifit is a dull day, don’t stay indoors thinking you can’tshoot landscapes, head to your nearest river orcoast instead and start shooting!

Watermovement–freezeorblur?How best to capture water’s motion is acontentious issue. Some photographers like tocapture water authentically, freezing its movementusing a fast shutter speed. Others prefer tointentionally ‘blur’ it, in order to create the feelingof motion. Both techniques work well in the rightsituation. However, it is important to do one or theother – somewhere in between, when the wateris neither blurred or sharp, will usually just lookmessy and unintentional.

If you wish to suspend water movement, youwill normally need to employ a shutter speed of1/500sec or faster – although the exact speedrequired will depend on the speed of the water.

Landscape photographers normally use a smallaperture (large f/number) to achieve a depth-of-field big enough to render both foreground andbackground detail in sharp focus. As a result, theyare often working with relatively slow exposures,especially when light levels are low.

This is one reason why many photographersgo to the other extreme, employing a lengthyexposure to blur the water’s flow. To many eyes,this ‘blurred’ effect, creates more pleasing results –adding life and movement to images.

An exposure of ½ second should do the job,but a speed of several seconds is preferable – thisis guaranteed to create an attractive silky, whiteblur. In order to generate a long exposure, employthe lens’s minimum aperture (typically f/22) andensure that the camera’s lowest ISO setting isselected. If the resulting shutter speed still isn’tsufficiently slow, you will need the help of filtration.

Neutral density (ND) filters are designed toblock light entering the camera – basically, theyalter the light’s brightness, but not its colour. Theyallow photographers to employ artificially longexposures in order to blur subject movement. Theyare available in different strengths – commonly 1-,2- and 3-stop densities – and as both screw- andslot-in types. A two-stop version will normallybe sufficient. Your camera’s TTL metering willautomatically adjust for the density.

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74 Waterinlandscapes TheEssentialGuidetoLandscapePhotography 3rdEdition

ONSTILL, CALMDAYS, a large body ofwater,such as a lake or loch,will providemirror-likereflections, allowing photographers to captureboth the landscape and its upside downreflection inwide-angle views. This type ofsymmetry is a powerful composition aid, andone of the fewoccasionswhenplacing thehorizon centrally – opposed to on adividingthird, as per the ‘rule-of-thirds’ – can actuallystrengthen composition.

Regardless ofwhether you arephotographing a lake, loch, river, stream, canal,or puddle as part of the landscape, thetraditional rules of composition remain. Try toplace key elements, such as a cascadingwaterfall, breakingwaves orwater crashing onrocks, on a dividing third to create themostinteresting and compelling composition.

Scenic photographers, however,mostcommonly usewater as a formof ‘lead-in line’that directs the viewer’s eye into the image andthrough the scene. Rivers, streamsand canalsare particularlywell suited to this approach.Regardless ofwhether the body ofwater isstraight or twisting and turning through thelandscape, the effect is the same. By includingthewater so that it leads from the bottomof theimage into the frame, it provides a natural‘entry point’ to the photograph. The viewer’seyewill then follow thewater’s journey throughthe landscape, creating a strong composition.

A river or stream, flowing through the shot,also creates great depth, life and canprovidethe impression ofmotion. Often a slightlyelevated viewpoint suits this approachwell: ifyou get too lowand close to thewater, youwillnormally begin to lose thewater’s shape andeffect. Shooting froma footbridge above thewaterwill allow you to shoot directly down itslength. This can look very striking, with thewater disappearing in the distance and creatinga ‘vanishing point’.

Diagonal lines can alsomake for strongcompositional tools, so try placing a streamora canal so it cuts fromone corner of the frameto the other. Lens focal lengthwill also have agreat bearing on howwater is recorded in yourscene.Wide-angles, in the region of 14-24mm,will stretch perspectivemaking foregroundobjects appear larger andmore prominent anddistant ones look further away. This canworkwell if youwant to place extra emphasis on aspecific point,maybewater cascading over ansmooth boulder in the image’s immediateforeground. Alternatively, attach a longer focallength, upwards of 55mm, to condenseperspective, as this can prove useful if youwantto photograph a riverwinding itsway through avalley from the hills above.

Without a doubt, waterwill give yourlandscape images addeddepthand interestand can greatly enhance your compositions.

Step1 I try shooting in landscapeformat, which enhances the shape ofthe river. However, I’m left with thechoice of either including quite a lot ofbland sky, or chopping the tops off thetrees, neither of which is entirelysatisfactory. Time for a rethink.

Step2As the sun starts to risein the sky, it bringswith it a touchof colour, and some layering andtexture to the clouds, so Ichangemy focal length toaround45mm to include the sky andalsomake themost of the interestingbends in the stream.

Step3As the colour strengthens inthe sky, I decide to switch to portraitformat, which allowsme tomakemoreof the sky and also includemorewaterin the foreground. These adjustmentsmake themost of the streamas alead-in line.

1)USEAVARIETYOFFOCALLENGTHSEvenwithout changingposition, in a river scene, it’ssurprisinghowmanydifferent compositionsyoucanfind just bychanging focal length.2)WATCHYOURHIGHLIGHTSBright highlightson thewater can fool your camera’smeter intounderexposure, so check your histogramandbeprepared to add exposure compensation. Bright,reflective highlightswill always blowunless youunderexpose the shot severely, so ignore themand expose for the rest of the scene.3)FILTRATIONUsing the right filters can reallyimprove river shots. Polariserswill help reduceglare off thewater, and solidNDfilters allow youto use slower shutter speeds to capture a senseofmotion. You can use this as a compositional aidby, for example, having streaks ofwatermovinginto the frame to lead the eye into the picture.4)SHOOTINTHERIGHTCONDITIONS If there ispartial cloud at the beginning or end of the day,there’s a chance therewill be some colour in thesky, whichwill be reflected in thewater, addingimpact to the scene.

Top tips forshooting water

UsingwatertocomposeasceneNotonlycanwateraddvisual interestormoodtoyour landscapeimages,but itcanalsoproveaveryusefulcompositional tool

Mark Bauer uses a river as a lead-in lineI headed to theNewForest nearRhinefield onemorning to try andcatch the early light reflecting in astreamas itmeanders through thelandscape. Upon arrival, I soonrealise the potential for basing acomposition around the streamasit curves gently through the fields.The landscape is quite flat, so Ishoot fromabridge, as the elevatedpositionwill help to reveal theplanes in the landscape.

1

Set-up

2

3

Don’t forget to turn your camera vertically. Anupright composition can help emphasise heightor length, so is particularly well suited to shotstaken down the length of a long river or canal tohelp emphasise the impression of distance

Landscapesinportrait!pesinpo

Useariverasalead-inlineLook for rivers in strong settings.The rocks scattered through the

water and themanymini-waterfallsall add to the foreground interest.Wearingwaterproof clothingand

usingadurable tripodallowsyou toset-up in themiddle of a shallowriver toboost the composition.

76 Waterinlandscapes TheEssentialGuidetoLandscapePhotography 3rdEdition

7Onemore attempt, with the light levels a bit lower, I get the shot I want ataround0.6 of a second. There’s enoughmovement to create a sense of

dramabut thewaves still keeps their shape.6Opening up the aperture to f/11, and swapping the four-stopND for a

two-stop enablesme to shorten the exposure time to 0.3 seconds. Theresult is almostwhat I wanted, but thewave is frozen just a little toomuch.

There’s a lot of debate about howbest tophotographwavemovement. Long exposuresresult in a ‘misty’ look that is popularwithmanyphotographers(see over the page) but iscertainly not to everyone’s taste as it’s notauthentic.Whenwewatchwaves rolling on tothe shore, we see thewholemovement –wedon’t see amoment frozen in timeormistdrifting over rocks. Oneway to truly appreciatewavemotion as the eye sees it is to use videorather than a stills camera, but by payingcareful attention to shutter speeds, it is possibleto record natural-lookingwaves on yourDSLR.

The trick is to record the right amount ofmovement; if the shutter is open too long therewill be toomuchmotion blur, not long enoughand thewavewill appear too static. You need tofind amiddle groundwhere there’smisty blurbut thewaves still keep their shape.

There is no simple recipe for this; the bestshutter speeddepends on the size and speedof thewaves, how they’re falling onto the shore,and also personal taste. Experimentation is thekey –beprepared to shoot a lot of frames andspend a lot of time looking at the review screenand tweaking the camera controls.

Although there’s no ‘ideal’ shutter speed forcapturing a breakingwave, as it depends onthe conditions at the time, a shutter speed ofbetween¼second and a couple of secondsusually provides the result you’ll want.

It’s not just amatter, however, of putting thecamera into shutter-prioritymode and settingthe shutter speed. Youwill also needmake sureyou’re using the right aperture in order to achievethe appropriate depth-of-field and an accurateexposure. For landscapes this is usually betweenf/8 and f/22 formaximumdepth-of-field.

There are other ways you can control theshutter speed too. Apart fromwaiting for the lightto change, for a faster shutter speed, you shouldincrease the camera’s ISO rating. Normally thiswill raise the level of noise, so you do not wantto gomuch above ISO800 unless you’re using aprofessional DSLR that handles noisewell.

For shutter speeds ofmore than 30seconds, youwill need to set your camera toBulbmode and time the exposuremanually.However this can often result in overexposedshots, so youmay need to add a ‘solid’neutral density filter to reduce the amount oflight falling onto the sensor. NDfilters comein various strengths, themost common beingone, two and three stops and you can useseveral together, alongwith a polarising filtertoo, for extremely long exposures.

Controllingshutterspeeds

Capturing‘natural-looking’wavesProfessionalphotographerMarkBauerexplains thebest techniqueforcapturing themovementofbreakingwavesas theyhit theshore

5This time the exposure is still not long enoughto give an etherealmisty look to thewater,

but it doesn’t capture the dramaof the scene byfreezing thewater either.

4In the hope of lengthening the exposure, Iwait for the light levels to drop and replace

the three-stopNDfilterwith a four-stopNDfilter,givingme a ten-second exposure at f/22.

3Set to shutter-prioritymode, I try 1/100secbut it freezes themovement. For largewaves

thismight convey drama, butwith small waveslike this it completely fails.

2As the sky ismuch brighter than the ground, Iadded a three-stopND soft grad filter to

balance the contrast. A soft gradmeans thetransition linewon’t be too obvious.

1I compose the shot so that thewaves arefalling onto the foreground rocks and then

check the exposure for the sky and groundseparately usingmyDSLR’s spotmeter.

imageFinalimageFinalOpeningup theaperture to f/11 allows

me to set a shutter speedof½second,while still retainingplentyof

eld. The result createsdepth-of- fidramaviamovementbut avoids thewaves looking likemist. I particularlylike theway the spray is risingover

the rocks in themiddledistance.

78 Waterinlandscapes TheEssentialGuidetoLandscapePhotography 3rdEdition

Blurrywater – you eitherlove it or loath it. I love it.

To rendermovingwatermilky, the rightexposure time isessential; too fast andthewater can lookmessy. A good rule ofthumb is to select ashutter speed of aroundone secondor longer.This should create anattractive level of blur. Even lengthier exposureswill createmore atmospheric, surreal results.

In order to generate the longest exposuretime for the available light, select yourDSLR’slowest ISO togetherwith the lens’s smallestaperture (eg f/22 or f/32). In low light,achieving a lengthy exposure is relatively easy,with exposure times naturally longer. However,when the light is good, it is not often possible toselect a shutter speed sufficiently slowwithoutoverexposing the image. The solution is to useaNeutral Density (ND) filter. The stronger thedensity of theNDfilter, themore light itabsorbs, the longer the exposure and thegreater the level of blur. For extremeeffects,Lee Filters’ ‘Big Stopper’ (ten-stops) cangenerate exposure times of severalminutes,requiring the use of your camera’s Bulb settingand a remote release.When shootingwater’smovement using long exposures, every imagewill be different. Sometimes the differencewillbe great; sometimes subtle. Take a sequence ofimages anddecide laterwhich one is best.

Blurringmotion inwaterRegularcontributorRossHoddinottdemonstrateshowtorendermovingwaterasatmospheric,etherealmist forcreativeeffect

2To blur thewatermovement, take controlfrom the camera by selecting either

shutter-prioritymode and the slowest shutterspeed available, or aperture-prioritymode andopt for the smallest aperture. Eithermethod setsthe longest exposure obtainable in the given light.Also, select your camera’s lowest ISO rating,typically ISO 100on themajority of DSLRs.

3Having selected ISO 100and aperture-prioritymode, I set theminimumaperture of

f/22 andwaited for a largewave towash aroundthe foreground rocks. The exposure of 1/8sec atf/22was longer, but as thewater still didn’trendermilky, I added a polarising filter to helplengthen the exposure.

4Apolarising filter has a filter factor of twostops, so can be used as amakeshift NDfilter

by extending the exposure – ideal if you don’t ownaND. It also helps remove glare, in this case fromthe rocks. The result is better, but in this instance,the exposure of 1/2sec at f/22 is still not longenough for the ethereal result I was after.

5For the blur I want, I had to add aNeutralDensity filter. I left the polariser in place and

attached a three-stopNDfilter. The camera’s TTLmetering automatically adjusts for the filter, but italso darkens the viewfinder so youwill need tocompose and lock the focus for the shot beforeattaching the filter to yourDSLR.

1It was evening and the tidewas high.To blur thewater as it washed over the rocky

outcrops and pebbly shore, I carefully arrangedmy composition, using a tripod to keepmyimages shake-free. Firstly, with the camera set toprogrammode it automatically set a shutterspeed of 1/80sec at f/8 based on the availablelight – not slow enough to blurwater.

Set-up

Using long exposures to blur watermotion

is a technique that relies on a sturdy tripod

otherwise shakewill ruin the results. Quite

simply, a tripod is essential not optional

Essentialkit

Xxxxxx 0003rdEdition TheEssentialGuidetoLandscapePhotography

imageFinalimageFinallter, andalso the loweringThanks to the solidNDfi

light, theexposure timewasnowsix secondsatf/22.Again, Iwaited for a suitablewave, andreleased the shutterwhile thewaterwashedaround the foreground rocks. I useda remote

sharpness inmy image.release tomaximise the

SelectaslowshutterspeedThe key to successwhen shootingmovingwater is to use a shutterspeed that’s slowenough to blur thewater, so it recordswith a smooth,milky appearance, but not so slowthat areaswhere thewater ismoreconcentrated start to overexposeandburn out. This is amatter of trialand error, but an exposure of onesecondusuallymakes a good starting point. The great thing about digitalcapture is that you can check each shot you take to see how it looks, thenshorten or lengthen the exposure timeuntil you get the perfect result.

If tiny areas ofwater burn out, don’t worry –when youdownload theimages and view themas full-size files, chances are those highlightwarningswill have disappeared. And if they haven’t, it’s a simple job touse theCloneStamp tool in Photoshop to copy andpastewater fromadifferent part of the image over the overexposed areas.

TECHNIQUE WATCH!

80 Waterinlandscapes

1Because a slow shutter speedwill be used toblur thewatermovement, alwaysmount your

camera on a sturdy tripod to keep it nice andsteady. It’s also a good idea to attach a remoterelease so you can trip the shutterwithouttouching the camera, which risks vibrations thatcould lead to your images being ruined by shake.

2In dull weather, stopping your lens down tof/16 or f/22 and setting a low ISOmay give you

a shutter speed slow enough to blur thewater. Ifnot, use aNeutral Density (ND) filter to increasethe exposure. A polarising filter can also be used toincrease the exposure by two stops –so 1/4sec becomes one second, for example.

3Before taking a shot, check the lens or filter forwater droplets. If you’re shooting close to a

waterfall splashes or spraymay get on the lens. Inthis case, drizzlewas the culprit.Wipe thewaterawaywith a cleanmicrofibre cloth otherwiseimage qualitywill suffer. Holding an umbrella overthe camera can help in rainyweather.

4Take your first shot and review it. I was initially attracted to this spout ofwater hitting a rock and cascading in all directions. Shooting side-on

proved to be a good angle and a shutter speed of one second offered enoughblur. The shotworked, but thereweremany other options to explore.

5I decided to try awider view, using thewater spout in the previous stepas foreground interest, carrying the eye up the ravine towards the distant

peaks of theCuillin Ridge. It took a few attempts to get the shutter speed justright so no areas of themovingwaterwere overexposed.

WITH LEE FROST Although it has become something of acliché, using a slow shutter speed to record moving water as agraceful, milky blur is an undeniably effective technique, whichis why so many photographers, including myself, like to useit. From tumbling mountain streams to bubbling brooks and

thundering waterfalls, wherever you find moving water, the same basicapproach can be used to capture it and turn an ordinary scene into acreative image that’s full of atmosphere. Even better, moving water isbest shot on an overcast day with soft light so there are no blindinghighlights to contend with, caused by sunlight reflecting on the water.This makes it a perfect subject for those dull, grey days photographersin the UK know so well!

ShootmovingwaterEXPERT TUTORIAL

LeeFrost revealshowchoosingthecorrectshutterspeedisessentialwhen includingrunningwater in landscapes

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FinalimageHere’s the end result, shot with anexposure of 1.3 seconds at f/22(ISO 50), usivng a 0.9ND filter toincrease the exposure and a 0.6NDhard graduate to hold detail in thesky. The dull weather and soft lightworked well, perfectly revealing thesubtle colours in the scene, whilethe blurred water captures the feelof the tumbling mountain stream.

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82 Waterinlandscapes TheEssentialGuidetoLandscapePhotography 3rdEdition

Reflectionsmake great subjects for landscapeimages. There’s something unique about thesymmetry of a perfect reflection in a still lake,but reflections canwork equallywell on asmaller scale, in ponds, puddles, or rockpools.

Theymaynot alwayswork as themainsubject in a coastal shot, but rockpoolsmakeexcellent foreground interest inwide-anglelandscapes, with reflections creating extradepth in a shot and adding brightness andcolour, which canbreak updark foregrounds.

You’ll find rockpools at any rocky coastlinewhen the tide is low– the trick is to findonethatwill photographwell. If they’re too small,theywon’t have enough impact, and if they’retoo shallowor if the bottom is sandy and light,the reflectionswon’t be strong enough. Theideal time to arrive is as the tide is going out,so that you can set up as rockpools are beingrevealed, and shootwhile the surroundingrocks are still wet and shiny. This is also easierthan having to rush your pictures before anincoming tide covers up the perfect rockpool.

Weather conditions are also important.It needs to be still enough that there are noripples on the surface of thewater to break upthe reflection, and there also needs to beinterest in the sky – dramatic clouds or colours– as unless your rockpool is very close to apoint of interest such as a lighthouse, it’s thesky thatwillmake the reflection. In termsoftechnique, accurate focusing anddepth-of-fieldare crucial, as this type of image looks bestwhenboth the immediate foreground and thereflection are sharp. This isn’t as easy as itmayseem, as the focal plane of the reflection ismuch further away than the reflectivemedium.One last thing to be aware of is correct

filtration, which canbe usedboth to balancethe light in the scene overall, and to alsoenhance the reflection itself.

RockpoolreflectionsProfessionalphotographerMarkBauergoespaddlingamongrockpools toshowushowtomaster reflections inwater

Reflective surfacesare by their verynature bright, andthis can fool yourcamera’smeter intounderexposure.Add+0.5 to +1stops of exposurecompensation, andcheck the histogramafter shooting tomake sure.You need to be careful when focusing, as the focalplanes of thewater’s surface and the reflectionare not the same. If you leave your camera onautofocus, it could focus on the surface of thewater, whichmeans themore distant reflectioncould fall out of focus. Tomake sure the sceneis sharp from front to back, switch tomanualfocusing and focus a third of theway into thescene and use a small aperture, such as f/16.

Exposure and focusing

1Arriving at dawn, I look for suitableforeground interest. I quite like the foreground

in this shot, but the rockpool doesn’t work – it’stoo small and shallow to reflect the sky properly.

2This oneworks a little better, butwithout anyfiltration, the highlights in the sky have blown,

and the shadows in the foreground are beginningto block up.

3AnNDgrad enablesme to retain detail in thesky and rays of light are starting to break

through in the background, adding drama to thescene. But I feel the reflection can be enhanced.

EquipmentforreflectionsANULTRAWIDE-ANGLEZOOMwill help youget in close andfill the foregroundwith yourrockpool of choice.

ATRIPOD that allows low-level shooting.A low viewpointwill revealmore of the sky inthe reflection andmake for a balanced shot.

APOLARISINGFILTER to enhance thereflection. Contrary to popular belief,polarisers don’t simply remove reflections,but reduce glare too, which can actuallyenhance reflections. You have to be carefulto set the correct polarisation, though,because you can kill the reflection if you getit wrong. Look through the viewfinder androtate the polariser slowly. Stopwhen yousee the effect youwant.

NDGRADShelp balance contrast in thescene. Take care not to ‘overgrad’ the scene,however, because in real life reflections areusually darker than the sky and your picturewon’t look natural if it’s the otherway round.

SOLIDNDFILTERS If conditions aren’t stilland there are ripples on thewater, you canadd aNeutral Density filter to lengthen theexposure and ‘smooth out’ thewater.

Framingtheshot

By taking a low viewpoint, youare able

to fill the framewith the rockpool and

also include the reflected sky.

Landscape-format images usually w

ork

better than portraits in these situations

CompositionadviceCompositionadvi

Waterinlandscapes 833rdEdition TheEssentialGuidetoLandscapePhotography

4Mynext step is to add a polariser. However,as you can see, if you set it incorrectly, you

can kill the reflection rather than enhance it. It’stime to tweak the polarising effect.

5Just half a turn of the polariser helps tomakethe reflection stand out. However, I feel the

image can be improved by smoothing out thewater in themiddle distance.

6Adding a solidNDfilter allowsme to increasethe shutter speed to ten seconds, which

smooths out the sea in themiddle distance andimproves the look of thewater in the rockpool.

FinalimageAll the components come

together for aperfect image.Asyoucan see, there’s always

abit of time for reflection.

ADAMBURTO

NColourinlandscapes:TheBasics 85

UNDERSTANDINGCOLOURTheBasics #8

1) HarmonyandcontrastThere are basically two types of relationship betweencolours – harmony and contrast. Looking at a colourwheel helps us to understand this. Colours that arenext to each other, for example blue and green, areharmonious, while those that are opposite, for exampleblue and yellow, contrast with each other.

Also, colours that are on the ‘warm’ side of the wheelharmonise with each other, while all those on the ‘cool’side also harmonise. Harmonious colours are morecalming to look at, and blues and greens in particularare very tranquil. Contrasting colours are moredramatic and create a tension that can challenge theeye – blue and yellow is a strong contrast.

A LOT OF TIME, energy and thought has been devotedto the study of colour, its practical applications andits psychological effects. Often those applications andeffects are linked. It’s not an accident that stop signs arered, cool settings on air conditioning are blue or that theenvironmental movement has adopted the colour green.Much can be learned about the relationships between

colours, too. Colours work together in different ways,with certain combinations creating energy and tension,while others harmonise and create calm. When a colourappears in nature with a greater than normal intensity,the stage is set for great landscape photography.Learning their relationship will reap rewards.

THECOLOURWHEELContrasting colours such asyellowandblue, or red andgreen create tension anddrama. Colours adjacent toeach other are calming.

THECOLOURWHEEL

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86 Colourinlandscapes

R

2)ColourandemotionAs well as having visual impact, colours can suggest different moods,evoke different emotions and can have symbolic significance related to ourculture and background. Think about the effect a dominant colour mighthave on your image. It might be appropriate to subdue a colour,or emphasise it. Consider colour in the composition, the lighting andthrough careful use of filtration.

Y

B G

R RED is an intense colour, especially when contrasted against a darkbackground. It is a colour universally used for warning or danger and

is hard to ignore. Red is the most powerful and attention-grabbing colourin photography, though it can prove distracting if included small within thelandscape, for instance, a distant car, boat or letterbox.

B BLUE is a retiring colour, which can be employed to conveyrestfulness, sadness or tranquility. In photography, it is commonly

used to convey coldness, which works especially well when combined withwater and wintry scenes. Blue is a very important colour for landscapephotographers as a saturated sky creates a flattering backdrop.

G GREEN is often used to signify health and life. Obviously, green is thepredominant colour of vegetation and therefore it is dominant in

many scenic images. Green is easily overwhelmed by bright advancingcolours, like red and, generally speaking, has less impact. However, whenisolated, green can still create strong, interesting images.

Y YELLOW is another bold, advancing colour, often used to representhappiness or brightness. It will add warmth to your image and works

particularly well when combined or contrasted with blue. Yellow, along withsimilarly rich colours, like gold and orange, epitomise autumn. It can provea good background for still-life images.

TOMMAC

KIE

ROSS

HODDINOTT

MARKBAU

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CRAIG

ROBERTS

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Colourinlandscapes 87ALL

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4)ColoursaturationOK, if were going to be strictly technical about this,the term ‘saturation’ refers to how pure any givencolour is. But over time and in practical terms,saturation has come to mean how intense or stronga colour appears in an image.

Producing saturated images involves more thansimply boosting colours in Photoshop – althoughmuch can be done that way, with great results –there are plenty of options at the picture-takingstage. Let’s consider those first.

The time of day has an impact on coloursaturation. Early-morning and late-evening light, withthe sun low in the sky and less glare, will producemore intense colours than at other times, as willfront lighting rather than side or backlighting.

A polarising filter, by reducing reflections andcutting down on glare, also improves saturation. Apolariser has the maximum effect when the camerais at 90˚ to the sun. Polarisers are simple to useas the effect is clearly visible through the camera’sviewfinder – the most obvious one being theincrease in saturation of blue skies.

There are couple of things to watch out for. Itis possible to ‘over-polarise’ a scene, resulting inskies appearing almost black, and also, when usingwide-angle lenses (wider than 28mm on a full-frameSLR or 17mm on an APS-C-type SLR) the degree ofpolarisation can be uneven across the frame.

Of course, it’s not always desirable to have strong,vibrant, saturated colours. Muted, pastel tones aremore subtle, but can be just as effective with theright subject matter, creating an atmosphere of calmand tranquility. Early morning mist will drain colours,and also give a cold, bluish hue to a scene, whichyou can enhance by tweaking the White Balanceeither in camera, or later, if you’re shooting Raw, atthe conversion stage.

Of course, a lot can be done at the processingstage. Experiment with different White Balancesettings to try to fine-tune the overall atmosphereand find an overall cast that suits the image best.Over the page, we’ll show how varying the WhiteBalance of a Raw file can have give dramatic results.

3)UsingonlyonecolourSingle colours often give an image a particular moodand it’s possible to make successful compositionsusing just one colour – or shades of one colour.

Certain lighting conditions can create this effectand add atmosphere to a scene. An intensely orangeor red sunset will give every neutral colour a strongbias, bathing a scene in a fiery warmth.

Also, strong backlighting can desaturate colours,creating an almost monochromatic effect; while atpre-sunrise and post-sunset, there is no single stronglight source and the light is diffused and reflecteddown from the sky.

The two images on the right are really goodexamples of monochromatic images. Starting overon the far right you can see how backlighting hasdrained the colours from this scene, resulting in animage that appears almost devoid of colour.

The pre-dawn light bathing the lake and deadwood in the near right picture is diffused, falling onthe scene from virtually the whole sky. It has giventhe whole scene a fairly cold cast, but the moodis very tranquil. It really suits the cold, wind-freestillness of a winter morning.

Withpolariser

Pre-sunrise

Withoutpolariser

Mid-day

BacklitdesaturationPre-dawnmonochrome

3rdEdition TheEssentialGuidetoLandscapePhotography

TypesofpolariserThere are two types of polariser: circular and linear.This doesn’t refer to the physical shape – they’re bothactually circular – but theway the light is polarised.Make sure youbuy a circular polariser for usewithyourDSLRas linear types interferewith your camera’smetering, which can’t handle linearly-polarised light.

Filter choice

88 Colourinlandscapes

1Thefirst thing you need to do is to find a suitable scene. Ideally, thelocation you choose should have somewell-defined shapes and areas of

strong shadows andbright highlights, such aswoodland. However, thiscolourful field of poppies caughtmyeye and I hoped to be able to use theVaseline to create a strong abstract effect based around the bold reds. ImountedmyDSLRon a tripod, to ensure imageswere shake-free, and usedSigma's excellent 70-200mmf/2.8 lens to crop fairly tightly on the poppyfield.

2With the camera supported on a sturdy tripod, it's important to 'lock' thefocus before smearing the filterwith Vaseline – theAF systemwill

struggle to focus once it's been applied. To do this, focus on the scenenormally and then switch the lens fromAF tomanual focus, sowhen you pressthe shutter button later on, to take a shot, it won't affect the focusing.

3With everything prepared, it's time to apply theVaseline. Rather thanscoop bigwedges from the tub, gently smear relatively thin lines of

Vaseline across the frame. Here, you can see how just a single smear affectsthe scene. I looked through the viewfinder thewhole time Iwas applying theVaseline, to see how it was affecting the overall scene.

WITHDANIEL LEZANO Photoshop has allowed all sorts of weirdand wonderful effects to be applied to images in post-production,but I still prefer to get as close as possible to the final imagein-camera. Much of this is because I’m not particularly goodwith Photoshop to be honest, but mainly because I actually

find it fun (as well as occasionally frustrating), to go ‘old-school’ and usemore traditional photographic techniques to give the results I’m looking for.I’ve recently started experimenting with producing unusual soft-focuseffects by smearing Vaseline on a filter. As I discovered, it’s very easy to try,so why not give it a go this month and see how you get on.

Blur your vision!EXPERT TUTORIAL

SmearingVaselineonafiltermightnotsoundsensible,butitcanhelpyoucapturecreativeresultsofcolourfulscenes

TECHNIQUE WATCH!

ApplyingvaselineAs you'll discover, getting adesired effect requires lots of trialand errorwhen it comes tosmearing the filter. Start off byapplying a thin line of Vaselineacross the central part of thefilter, and apply further smearsuntil you've covered thewholesurface. Take a few shots, rotatethe filter so the smears arediagonal and shoot again. Applythicker smears of Vaseline tocreate randompatterns, and thenwipe the filter clean and try again!

TheEssentialGuidetoLandscapePhotography 3rdEdition

Filter,Vaseline&clothTheminimumof additional kit isrequired, so it’s an affordable techniqueto try. A tub of Vaselinewon’t break thebank, but you’ll need aUVor skylightfilter to screwonto the front of yourlens. I cannot over-emphasise howimportant it is that you apply Vaselineto the filter and not to the front elementof your lens, as it could permanentlydamage the optics. You should alsokeep a clean lens cloth handy, forwiping awayVaselinewhen youwant toclean the filter and try again, or at theendof your day’s shooting. That’s aboutall you need in termsof accessories,with the exception of a tripod,whichwill keep your camera steadywhenyou’re preparing the composition andfocusing on the scene.

Kit watch!

Colourinlandscapes 89

5Aswell as horizontal smears, I also rotated the filter so as tomake thesmears run diagonally and then vertically – thismade a big difference to

the result. I also tried a variety of smear patterns, such as criss-crossed linesandwavy lines to seewhat effect it had on the scene. It's worth trying this,as it's impossible to predict whatworks best.

4Once I'd applied theVaseline across the filter, I fired off a few frames,choosing a variety of apertures from f/5.6 to f/13, so that I could see how

the results varied (in truth, itmade little difference). After a few frames, I usedmyfinger to applymoreVaseline, to see if a thicker layerwould improve theeffect. However, I found that using toomuch of it led to too soft a result.

FinalimageMy favourite imagewas one taken

towards the end ofmy session.After refiningmy composition,

angling the camera down towardsa smaller area of the field (to

make the poppies larger in theframe), I carefully applied very

thin smears to the filter.

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90 Colourinlandscapes

1)wb:Daylight

4)wb:flourescent 5)wb:custom

2)wb:clouDy

3)wb:shaDe

expert tutorial

colourtemperature and whitebalance(wb)withmarkbauer Different light sources produce differentcolour casts, basically in terms of how ‘warm’ or ‘cool’ the lightis and how much green or magenta is present. For example, ahousehold tungsten light bulb will produce a much warmer lightthan you will find outside on a cloudy day. Fluorescent lighting

will have a green colour cast.The warmth or coolness of a light source is referred to as its ‘colour

temperature’, which is measured in degrees Kelvin (K). The lower thenumber, the warmer the light – for example, a sunset will have a colourtemperature of around 3000K, neutral daylight (noon on a sunny day) isaround 5000–5500K, and an overcast sky around 7000–8000K.Our eyes adapt very quickly and easily to the colour of different light

sources and will see a white object as white whether we view it undertungsten light or outside on a cloudy day. To render colour accurately with

a digital SLR, however, you will need to set the correct White Balance,which can either be done when taking the picture or when processing theimage in your Raw converter. Personally, I’d always recommend shootingin Raw, as it provides a lot more flexibility.

If shooting subjects such as portraits, colour accuracy and correctWhite Balance is essential, to achieve natural looking skin tones. Withlandscapes, however, absolute colour accuracy is not always what westrive for – capturing pleasing colours is more what it’s all about. So, in theold days of film, landscape photographers would use films like Fuji Velviafor its vibrant colour and use colour correction filters – amber warm-upsand blue cooling filters – to enhance mood and atmosphere rather thanproduce neutral, accurate colours. For example, a warm-up filter could beused to enhance the already warm light of a sunset. Digital photographerscan use different White Balance settings to achieve similar effects.

EnhancemoodwithWBFor this series of pictures, I took the sameRaw file and applied different White Balancesettings to find out which one best suitedthe overall mood of the picture.

1) Daylight (5500k) The dusk light was coldand blue. There was just a hint of a glow fromthe sun below the horizon, picked up by theclouds over the distant headland. The daylightWB has rendered the scene well, with coolblue shadows that suit the mood of the image.

2) ClouDy (6500k) The cloudy setting haswarmed things up and added some magenta.This works well for the sky, but for my taste,has failed to enhance the water and shadows.I suspect a lot of people will like it, though.

3) ShaDe (7500k) Too warm and magenta,and doesn’t reflect the mood of the scene.However, some people will probably like this.

4) FluoreSCent (3800k) I actually quitelike this, as it’s true to the mood of the actualscene, though it is a bit over the top and thesky has lost a lot of ‘oomph’.

5) CuStomwb (4800k) As a compromise,I went back to the daylight WB and cooledthings down just a little. I felt that this was agood representation of the mood of the scene,though the sky lacked punch.

TheEssentialGuidetoLandscapePhotography 3rdedition

FinalimageFor the final result, I blended the skyfrom the cloudyWB into the custom

WB image, then faded the sky alittle, so that it looked natural withthe cooler bottomhalf. The result

was a picture that had the cool, blueshadows and amore dramatic sky.

expert tutorial

withhelendixon I always shoot mylandscapes in colour and convert to black& white afterwards (see the feature onconverting colour images, over the page).This provides me with the full three channels

of information to play with at the Raw processing stage,rather than just one. I do know some people who shootJPEGs and use the in-camera monochrome setting,often in combination with a red filter to darken greensand blues to give really dark skies, but to get an imagewith the potential to give the best possible mono results,shoot in colour and convert to black & white on your PC.You’ve got to try and visualise a scene in black &

white; it’s much more challenging than a regular colourlandscape. You need a good range of tonal detail, or youwill end up with a scene lacking in contrast.

I wouldn’t normally shoot an image with a plain bluesky, for example, as you’ll just end up with a flat shadeof grey. You’re looking for an active sky, somethingwith plenty of cloud drama – a scene as a whole thathas plenty of shadows and highlights, and separationbetween foreground and background.A beach scene, for example, doesn’t tend to offer

much tonal contrast. You’ve got the sand and the sea,maybe some cliffs, and the sky; each of which is fairlyuniform in tone and texture and can end up looking fairlydull. It’s for this reason that I tend to gravitate towardscountry scenes for my black & white photography, asthere’s a lot more variation going on in texture and tone.

I also look for more lead-in lines with monochrome;the composition needs to be that much strongerbecause of the absence of colour. The viewer’s eye ismuch more focused on other aspects of the shot, suchas shape, form, and texture. The viewer’s imaginationhas to work harder. Another great thing about shootinglandscapes in black & white is that you don’t need thebest weather. A dark, brooding sky can add a lot ofdrama to an image, and you don’t need to worry aboutusing ND grad filters either, though I do still make sure touse a polarising filter to enhance the sky.

I don’t think enough people dedicate time towardsblack & white photography anymore. You need to seethe image in print, hanging on a wall, to really appreciateit. It seems to have that much more power in exhibitionthan on-screen. The other advantage is that a black &white image will sit nicely on any interior wall, withoutthe risk of it clashing with the colour. Monochromeimagery really does lend itself to display.

BelowleFt:east head,westwittering. this type of ‘scruffy’locationworks far better in black&white than it would in colour.

Below:StMichael’sMount,Cornwall. lead-in lines are animportant visual aid inmymonochromephotography, astypified by the cobbled path in theforeground leading towards thedistantmount.

RiGht:Although the tree providesthe foreground interest, the cloudsreally draw the eye in thismonochrome image. the starkand barren landscapewith bareand lifeless fields all add to thedrama.noisewas added to thesky to keep the graininess goingthroughout thewhole scene.

Shootinglandscapes in black&white

“Anothergreatthingaboutshootingblack&whiteisthatyoudon’tneedthebestweather.Adark,broodingskycanaddalotofdramatoanimage”

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Convertingtoblack&whiteOne of the wonderful things about digital isthat it is easy to convert your colour imagesto black & white. There are numerous waysyou can go about the conversion usingimage editing software like Photoshop, eachoffering a different level of control over thetonality. For the ultimate in image qualityand flexibility, learning how to convertcolour images to monochrome is crucial.Most cameras have a monochrome modebut you’ll always get superior results byshoot in colour and then converting it laterfor a number of reasons. The main oneis that a colour images holds a lot moreinformation than a b&w image, so you havemore control over refining its contrast,plus you have a colour image to work withtoo. Here we cover the four most popularmethods to convert colour to black & whiteand we’d suggest you give each one a tryto find your favourite.

2)Grayscale1)DesaturateThis is a good starting point and we’d recommend using this methodmost of the time if you’re a beginner. Within a couple of clicks youcan get a high contrast black & white image, however in doing so youdiscard all the image’s colour information so there’s less room forrefinement. Go to Image>Mode>Grayscale.You can see that the image looks less muddy and that the blues area little darker. The tonal separation has created an interesting image.From here you can tweak using Curves/Levels, especially if youselect areas like skies or backgrounds beforehand.

This is one of the quickest and easiest routes to convert a colourshot and you’ve guessed it, the least favourable! Use the shortcutCmd/Cntrl+Shift+U or Image>Adjust>Desaturate to remove colour.Alternatively slide the desaturate slider to 0 in the Hue/Saturationdialogue box (Image>Adjustments>Hue/Saturation).Looking at the Swatch colour chart, all tones are distinctly muddy

– especially yellows, which go more mid-grey than light grey. It canbe fine for occasional use but spending a little more time and effortusing one of the other methods will yield much better results.

GRAYSCALECOMPARISON:Using Grayscale is very easy and usually deliversvery good results. Here, there is excellent tonal range and good contrast.

DESATURATIONCOMPARISON:The Desaturatemethod is very quick andeasy but, as you can see here, it produces a flat b&w imagewithmuddy tones.

Full-colourimageROSS

HODDINOTT

TheEssentialGuidetoLandscapePhotography 3rdEdition

Use Layer>NewAdjustment Layer>Channel Mixer orBlack &White. Itcreates a layer that can be edited if youchange yourmind later on. Use thistechnique for Curves and Levels, too

Adjustablelayersju y

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3)Black&WhiteAdjustment 4)ChannelMixerChannel Mixer is one of the most

powerful ways to convert an image. It’savailable for Photoshop CS and PaintShop Pro, with a less sophisticatedversion in Elements accessible viaEnhance>Convert to Black & White.The results are very similar to using ared, green or blue filter in front of yourlens and you can mix the sliders tocreate an orange or yellow filter effect.Go to Image>Adjustment>ChannelMixer to open the dialogue box. Youwill have a choice of Red, Green or Bluechannels in the Output Channelmenu.Now tick theMonochrome box toconvert to mono. The Red channel is agood starting point but check out eachbefore deciding.

You can mix a bit of one channel withanother to create new effects. Whenadjusting the sliders you should aim tokeep the combined values of all threesliders to about 100%. For example Red-20%, Green +140% and Blue -20% –some strange effects can be created byignoring this! The Constant slider actsas a general brightness control. Try boosting colours beforehand byincreasing saturation using Hue/Saturation, this will boost contrastsignificantly in the black & white version. You can even pick a singlecolour to boost like Blue from the Editmenu if you like.

Black&white: it’s quite amazing to see how by adjusting the differentcolour channels you can alter the tonality of the image. Go on, have a play!

channelmixer:the channel mixer is themost involved and time-consumingmethod but your efforts will be rewardedwith the best results.

Channelmixer

3rdedition TheEssentialGuidetoLandscapePhotography

One of the easiest to use and producesbrilliant results, the Black & Whiteadjustment offers users of variedabilities more comprehensive controlover an image’s tonal range.

Go to Image>Adjustment>Black& White... to open the dialoguebox and to instantly turn the imagemonochrome. As well as having anumber of Presets for controllingcontrast to pick from, you have sixsliders – each targeting the strengthof a specific colour in your image. Agood place to start is the Auto buttonas this alone can deliver attractiveresults for most images by setting agreyscale mix based on the colourvalue of the image. You can then usethe sliders to tweak the grey values tosuit the style of image you want.

It’s an excellent tool if you want todarken a blue sky while keeping fluffywhite clouds for more impact. Or if youhave a scene of yellow flowers amongstgreen grass, both of which will render asimilar shade of grey, and want to target each colour separately. Thefine-tuning of your image can be time-consuming but well worth theeffort. Be sure to play with all the sliders as you might be surprisedat how much the Red slider alters yellows, the Yellow slider altersgreens and the Cyan slider affects any blue tones in your scene.

Black&white

96 Colour:Black&white TheEssentialGuidetoLandscapePhotography 3rdEdition

Getdramaticwithyourblack&whiteconversions

WHENSHOOTINGLANDSCAPES,most of us give littlethought to how resultsmay appear inmono. This isunderstandable, as formost of us, the vastmajority of shotswe takewill remain in colour. Nowwe’re not suggesting thatin future you imagine howevery scene you shootmight lookin black&white, butwewould suggest you consider it fromtime to time. Shooting images to convert tomono canbesomewhat of a discipline andwhen youdoplan to capture ascenewith the intention ofmaking itmonochrome, youshould bear inmind factors thatmay affect the impact ofyour picture, or the lack thereof, once it’s converted. To stopan image appearing lifeless once the colour is strippedaway, you need to pay particular attention on thecomposition, tonal range, shapes and foreground interest.

First of all, it’s worth avoiding areaswith highly saturatedcolour, like sunsets, or fields of bluebells, poppies andcanola, because a black&white image simplywon’t dothem justice. Remember that every colour has its ownshade of greywhen converted tomono, so you’re lookingfor scenes that showa range of lights anddarks, otherwiseyou risk the image looking flat and lacking tonal range.

Form is a vital ingredient ofmono landscapes, so look forsceneswith textures, strong lines andbold shapes that canhelp create contrast in black&white, and foreground

interest that can lead the eye in to the scene.Wet rocks arebrilliant for achieving contrast as you can get specularhighlights fromwhere the sunbounces off their wet surface.Roughweather often adds drama to scenes: stormy skiesarewonderful. You should avoid cloudless skies, as thesegive grey, lifeless results. If clouds aremorewispy thansubstantial, you can use theBurnTool to selectively adjustthe exposure; darkening them to add somedrama.

While directional light is better for creating contrast,MotherNature doesn’t always bless uswith the perfectphotography conditions, but don’t worry, aswe’ll showyouhowyou can selectively adjust the exposure using theDodge andBurnTools to transformyourmellowmid-tonesin to highlights and shadows for extra impact.

Converting your image tomono inAdobeCameraRaworusing a black&white adjustment layer are both brilliantways to get great results (both ofwhichwe’ll cover in detaillater), butwe shouldn’t neglect theChannelMixer, whichwas a favouritemethod formany until CS3. It’s a step up inquality and a lotmore controllable than a simple grayscaleconversion. Andwhile not as advanced as the othermethods, it allows you toworkwith the colour informationin the image to enhance the tonal rangemore precisely, andis still one of the bestways to get extreme contrast.

Withsomanywaystoconverttoblack&white,weshowyouafantastictechniquetobringflatlandscapestolifeandgetthebestoutofyourpicture’sblack&whitepotential

3Nowduplicate the layer (Layer>DuplicateLayer) and rasterize the image so that you

can edit it by clicking on the image, and then hitOKwhen the dialogue box shows up. Next clickon Layer>NewAdjustment Layer>ChannelMixerto open its dialogue box. Using anAdjustmentLayermeans if youwant to undo your conversion,you can just delete the layer as you haven’taffected the original image.

1Open your image usingPhotoshopAdobeCameraRaw.The first thing that you should do is tomake any necessary

exposure adjustments to get the image howyouwant it tolook. For this image,we adjusted the Exposure slider by addinga positive value to lighten the picture and theBlacks slider toslightly increase contrast.

2When you come to open the image in Photoshop, holddownShift (Mac) or Cmd (PC) to change theOpen Image

button intoOpenObject. Thisway, if youwant to edit theRawfiles again later – say youwant to adjust the exposure further– you can double-click on the layer in Photoshop to revertback toAdobeCameraRaw.

4To start with, click on theMonochromeboxto turn the image black&white. Nowuse the

sliders to adjust theRed, Green andBluechannels to improve the contrast. For the bestresults, avoid clipping any highlights or shadowsbymaking sure the total value of the sliders is100%.You can check this under the sliders,where you’ll see the total amount changing asyoumodify the colours.

5This is hownot to do it. See how the totalvalue is 200%–while the shadows arewell

exposed, the highlights have been clipped andwe’ve lost detail in the sky and thewater. It’s allabout finding the right balance. If you find youhave a couple of hotspots or dark areas that youcan’t get right using channels, you’ll be able tocorrect that in the next step – just try to avoiddoing it in excess.

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FinalimageBy using theDodge andBurnTools you can bring over and

underexposed areas back from thebrink for a brilliantmono result.

6Click back to the Layers Palette and on to theduplicate layer. If you have some areas that

need lightening a little, select theDodgeToolfrom the toolbar. Youwill thenwant to select alarge, soft brush (we use a diameter of 900px and0%Hardness) from theOptions bar (the toptoolbar) and select Shadows from theRangedrop-downmenu, set the Exposure as low as 4%and checkProtect Tones.

7Brush over the area youwant to lighten. Ifyour brush is too hard or your Exposure is too

high, you’ll find you’llmake circles over the areasyou’re brushing on. For the best results youwantto build the effect up softly. Zooming in to thearea by holdingCmdand+ can help. Now switchtheRange toMidtone and, adjusting the brushsize and Exposure as necessary, work onlightening the grey areas.

8Repeat Step 7with theBurn Tool, foundunderneath theDodgeTool in the toolbar. Set

a lowExposure, select a soft, large brush andMidtone for your Range. Focus on the shadowareas and the darkermid-tones, increasingcontrast by getting rid of asmuch grey aspossible, without losing any detail, and boostingthe blacks. If done right, this step canmake theclouds look particularly dramatic.

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CONVERTINGASPAREDSLR to shootinfrared images canbe costly – that’s if youhave a spare camera lying around,which fewof us do. There are cheaper alternatives, suchas filters that block visible lightwhile onlyletting infrared light through to the sensor. Butas these filters are opaque, it’s virtuallyimpossible to see through,whichmakes itdifficult therefore to compose your shot.Now, thanks to our top technique, there is aneasyway to achieve themono infrared effectfromacolour image: you can simulate for free,via a few steps inPhotoshop, or by applying aplug-in filter from the likes ofNik Software.

Those shootingonan infrared-convertedDSLRendupwith aRawfile imageexhibiting apink cast,which requirespost-processing toconvert it into the ethereal black&white imagethat hasmade it suchapopular technique.

The creative effectworks particularlywellwith landscape scenes that have lots of greenfoliage, as the green turnswhite, creating greatcontrast. Blue skies also add impact as theyturn dark,making any clouds look dramatic.You can get some very interesting results if thephotograph already hasmilkywater fromalong exposure too, adding to the etherealquality of the infrared, like the imagewe’reusing for this step-by-step by professionalphotographer AdamBurton. It has vibrantgreen foliage, which should turn starkwhiteonce the effect has been applied, and a goodtonal range that ensureswe’ll have a strongratio of blacks andwhites.

ConvertcolourtomonoinfraredYounolongerneedtohaveyourDSLRconvertedtoinfraredtocreatemonoinfraredresults.UsingPhotoshop,youcantransformyourimagestoaddmonoIRmagic!

1Open your JPEGor TIFF image in Photoshop and apply aBlack&WhiteAdjustment Layer to convert tomonochromeby clicking Layer>New

Adjustment Layer>Black&White…Thisshould thenopenanAdjustmentLayerdialoguebox, if not,double-clickon the thumbnail in theLayersPalette.

3While the filter does a pretty good job, it’s just a starting point. Use thesliders to refine and improve the effect further if you think it needs it.

Herewe adjusted theBlue slider slightly to pop thewhites in thewater. Becareful that you don’t overdo it though and burn out the highlights, creatinghotspotswhere you lose toomuch detail.

2You can apply an infrared effect bymoving the sliders tomodify thecolours in the black&white image. You’ll probably find that the Yellow,

Green andBlue sliderswork best. But start with the Infrared preset filterlocated in a drop-downmenu at the top of theAdjustment Layer.

4Next create an adjusted layer by holding down theAlt (Mac) orOption(PC) key and select Layer>MergeVisible to create a black&white

version of your image. Then convert the layer to a Smart Filter by clicking onthe layer and going to Filter>Convert to Smart Filter. Thisway you can editany filter you apply after you commit to it.

If youwant to convert a camera so that it onlycaptures infrared light, we’d recommendACSinNorfolk due to their expertise in this area.Visit: www.advancedcameraservices.co.uk

UseDiffuseGlow

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5For the image to replicate a true film infrared look, thewhites need aslight glow,which you can easily achieve by applying someGaussianBlur.

With the Smart Filter layer selected, go to Filter>Blur>GaussianBlur. Goheavy on the blur –we set a radius of 27.0 pixels – as you can always lowerthe layer’s opacity later bymoving the slider at the top of the Layers Palette.

6Next, change the layer’s blendingmode (located in a drop-downmenu atthe top of the Layers Palette) toOverlay, so the top layer interactswith

the layer underneath and boosts contrast. If you need to bring somedetailback in to the shadows, go to Image>Adjustments>Shadows/Highlights andadjust the sliders as needed.

FinalimageThe blur and popping

whites has given astandard colour imagean eye-catching and

ethereal look of a fine-artinfrared photograph.

To reallymake your whites pop, youcould try applying a small amountof the Diffuse Glow filter (Filter>Distort>Diffuse Glow) but don’toverdo it and lose toomuch detail

UseDiffuseGlow

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SEASONALLANDSCAPESLANDSCAPESTAKEONcompletelydifferent coloursandcharacteristicsdependingon theseason, somakesure to visit yourfavourite locationsatdifferent timesof theyear.Winter ismany landscapephotographers’ favourite timeof year.

Thebare treesmean that the textureof the land itself is fullyrevealedby the low, raking sun that characterises this timeofyear. Thewinter air is clear, and thesun is lowenough in the skytomakeall-day shootingapossibility.Keepaneyeon theweatherconditions–aheavy frost or, if you’re really lucky, ahoar frost, cancreatea fairy-tale scene.Takecarewithmetering– the light tonesandreflectivenatureof a frosty landscapecan fool thecamera’smeterintounderexposure.Snow looks its best underablue sky,whichcanbeenhancedwithapolarisingfilter.Spring is characterisedby freshnessandanabundanceofflowers

likedaffodils, tulips andbluebells. Spring is also the time for showeryweather,whichexperienced landscapephotographers love, as thelight immediately after a showerpasses is oftenverydramatic,withthe sunbursting throughanddark, threateningclouds still in the sky.

Summer is the least favourite season formany landscapephotographers. Formuchof theday, the sun is toohigh in the skytoprovideany textural relief on the scene, the land itself is oftenobscuredbydense foliageand there is a lot of dust andhaze in theair.However, all is not lost, and thereare shots tobe found.Although there is less varietyof flowers than in spring, those

that arearoundhaveplentyof colour–poppiesandsunflowers, forexample, or theheather that starts toappearat theendof summer;the timewhenstrawandhaybales start appearing infields. Thesemakegreat subjects, especially as theyhavebecomeoneof thegreat symbolsof theBritish summer.Autumn isadreamseason toshoot. Thesun is relatively low in the

sky formuchof theday, soyoucanbeout takingpictures forhours.Thecoloursare fantastic, sofill the framewithautumnaloranges, redsandyellows. Inearlyautumn,aclear skyandacoldnightwill oftenresult inearlymorningmist-filledvalleys, riversand lakesas thesunappears.Mist can lookeffective if youshoot into thesunbut takecaretoavoidunderexposurebysetting+1exposurecompensation.

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1)WinterwonderlandA layer of frost adds an instantmagical atmosphere to your landscapepictures. You’ll find a wide-angle lenswill allow you to fill the frame with themagic of a winter wonderland. Thecold weather usually brings a clearblue sky, which complements thecrisp, frozen landscape and the pastelcolours that can be seen in fields andwoodland. Go in low and close witha wide-angle lens and remember toinclude interest in the foreground.

2)FrozenwaterfallsPartially-frozen waterfalls can makestunning abstract shots. Use a longlens to get close to the base of thefall. Most winter water shots areeither flowing water or ice, so includeboth to add some contrast. A longexposure will soften the water, andcreate a stark division between thestatic ice and flowing water.

3)Low-lyingsunThis kind of image is worth gettingup early for. You can capture a similarimage at sunset, but you won’t havethe added appeal of frost. Polarisersperform well on sunny winter days,mainly because the sun remainsrelatively low in the sky all day longduring winter. As well as deepeningblue sky it also takes glare off snow.To get the best results, rotate it slowlywhile looking through the viewfinder.When using wide-angles, take care notto get unevenly polarised skies.

4)WintersunsetsAlthough winter light can be harsh,especially in strong sunshine, wintersunsets can be some of the mostspectacular of the year. They tendto be very brief, so make sure thatyou get to your location early, leavingyourself plenty of time to set up andprepare for your shot.

5)AtouchoffrostThe best time to take winter scenicsis without doubt shortly after sunrisewhen the landscape is covered witha coating of frost. If you’re willing towake up early and head into the greatoutdoors, you could be blessed with aview like this.

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WinterclothingThebestmethodofstayingwarmanddry is towearlightweight layers– thermals,followedby along-sleevedshirt, a lightweight fleece top, aheavier fleece and finally a decentwind/waterproof jacket. Avoid jeans and insteadwear cotton trousers. Hat and gloves are amust and sturdywalking boots to keepyour feetwarmanddry. In long grass,wearwaterproof leggings or gaiters.

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1)SpringflowersGo in low and close with a wide-anglelens to get maximum impact fromflowers as foreground interest. Makesure the flowers are in good condition,once petals start to wither anddis-colour, you’ve missed your chance.Pin-sharp flowers tend to work best,so try to shoot when they are perfectlystill. Experiment with moving flowersand slow shutter speeds too, but makethe blur effect really obvious.

2)ChasingrainbowsThere is no time like spring forshooting rainbows. When you see darkrainclouds hovering above brightly litlandscapes, there’s a good chance thatyou’ll also see a rainbow. Bracket yourshots to give you the best chance ofcapturing the bands of colour at theirbest. You could combine these laterin Photoshop to create an image withan extended range, which will allowyou a greater degree of control overthe details, colours and textures of thefinal image. Finally, a polarising filterwill add contrast to the scene, as wellas saturating the colours.

3)BluebellwoodsOne of Britain’s most popular flowers,bluebells usually flower from earlyApril until the end of May. They arepredominantly found in the west ofBritain, usually in or around woodland,but can also be found near heath, seacliffs and even mountain tops.When you’re deep in the woods,

shooting with the sun in front of youcan create stunning lighting effects, asit allows you to capture the beams ofsunlight penetrating the canopy above,projecting rays of light into the image.

4)AprilshowersLots of spring showers offers you thechance to capture scenes packed withmoody storm clouds, although youwill probably find yourself waiting forbreaks between the showers. It canbe quite tricky to get the exposureright if there is a dark sky with a brightforeground. A weak Neutral Densitygraduated filter can help even outthe exposure across the frame andadd mood. We recommend you try a0.3ND or 0.6ND Graduate filter.

5)In-cameraeffectsZoom burst With your camera on atripod, set a low ISO rating (eg ISO 100)and a shutter speed of around 1/6sec. Firethe shutter and during the exposure zoomin from the widest setting. Zoom evenlyover the exposure time, to reduce the riskof a jagged zoom burst. Experiment withshutter speeds to vary the results.motion blur This technique worksreally well with bluebells, and the effectis reminiscent of an impressionistwatercolour. To achieve this, mount yourDSLR on a tripod with a tilt head. Set anexposure of around one to two secondsand a low ISO rating. Use a remoterelease (or self-timer) to fire the shutter,and smoothly tilt the tripod head downthroughout the exposure.

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Tripod:Serious landscapephotographersdon’t set outwithout a tripod. Thiswill helpyouwith composition, to keep thehorizon level and to reduce therisk of unwanted shake,whichcould ruin your shots. They’realsouseful if youwant to try oneof our creative techniques.

Polarisingfilter:Polarisingfilters are ideal forenhancingdetail and saturatingcolours. For thebest results,shoot at 90º to the sun.Makesure youbuya circular andnot linear polariser.

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108 Summer:ExpertGems

1)BlueskiesofsummerWe’ve written it before and you’llcertainly read it again, nothing deepensa blue sky better than a polariser. Butdon’t overdo it. On a bright day withgood light on the foreground, a slightlyunderexposed (i.e dark) blue sky canpack plenty of punch. Pure blue skiestend to disappear by mid-morning.

2)SeasidesunsetsFirst of all, if you are visiting the eastcoast, make that sunrises. There arerare coastal areas that loop back onthemselves (Hunstanton in Norfolkenjoys sunsets across The Wash) butmake sure you head to your locationat the right time! Halos around cloudsmake the very best sunrises andsunsets. Check the exposure via thehistogram to ensure you get it right.

3)EveningmoodsEvening light stretches very late insummer. The sun hits the horizon atan oblique angle and there is a longafterglow that will produce stunninglandscapes long after sunset. Longexposures will capture this soft dreamytime allowing clouds to paint theirprogress across the sky, emphasisingthe mood.

4)FieldsofdreamsTake a break from the ubiquitous rapefields and their powerful yellow energyand find out what else is growing in thearea you’re photographing. Lavenderfields are appearing across the country,thanks to the plant’s essential oils,said to aid sleep. Keep awake to thepossibility of trespassing and don’t betempted to pick the flowers. In latesummer, shoot wheat fields in morningor evening light.

5)BoldcoloursLet’s shake you out of your lavender-induced reverie and smack youbetween the eyes with strong coloursat lunchtime. We just mentioned theyellow rape field under clear blue skycliché, but it’s still a great shot. Thesepoppies look stunning, contrasting withthe green. This shot can work evenwhen the sun is high and thethin cloud softens the light like a greatbig studio softbox.

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UVorskylightfilter:Althoughwewould alwaysrecommendfitting a clearfilter to your lens to protectthe front element, it’s duringthe summermonths thatthese protective filterswillmakemost difference to yourphotographs. The ultravioletfilter and the skylight filter both help toremove the haze fromsummerlandscapes. Somefilmphotographersused to fit a gentlewarm-upfilter to dealwith the cool blue cast in shadowsonsunny days, but digital technology hasmade this unneccessary.Seepage59formorefilteradvice

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1)MistymorningsAutumn is a great season for shootingmisty scenes, and some areas, suchas parts of the New Forest, seem toact as ‘mist traps’, so head out inthe early morning to see what thedawn light reveals. Using the longend of a 24-105mm zoom lens, thiscomposition is based around theoverlapping shapes of the hills risingout of the mist. A 0.6ND graduatedfilter helped keep detail in the sky, anda tripod kept everything steady.

2)Nature’smirrorUse reflections in areas of stillwater such as ponds and lakes toaccentuate the season’s goldencolours. A beautiful display of colouris emphasised by the late afternoonsunshine in this image, taken besidea small brook in the New Forest. AnND graduate filter was positionedover the upper half of the image, toachieve a balanced exposure over thewhole picture. After converting theRaw image to a TIFF file, the picturewas tone-mapped using Photomatixsoftware to help bring out some detailin the darker areas of the scene.

3)BlanketofcolourResearch areas renowned for autumncolour, such as Westonbirt Arboretumin Gloucestershire, with its spectaculardisplay of Japanese maples. Hereyou’ll find colours ranging frombright golds to deep reds. Revisitlocations during the season as coloursconstantly change. Return late seasonand take advantage of the opportunityto shoot the fallen leaves creating acarpet of colour on the woodland floor.

4)IsolateasingletreeAdmit it, you want to climb this tree,don’t you? Its gnarly roots and angleof the trunk and branches providea perfect lead-in to the scene. Thecomposition takes your eye on ajourney that your feet want to follow.

5)BlurwaterOnly a shutter speed of two secondsor more will blur a woodland streamthis much. A long exposure needs asmall aperture, giving front-to-backsharpness and the sprinkling of goldenleaves adds interest to the moss.

TheEssentialGuidetoLandscapePhotography 3rdEdition

wide-anglezoom:Awide-angle zoomlens, suchas theSigma 10-20mm,willallowyou tomake themost of themajorityof autumnalpicture-makingopportunities.On thispage, only themistymornings shotwas takenwith a telephoto.When thewider endof your ‘standard’zoom isn’twide enough, autumn is a goodtime toopenupevenmore.Seepage136formore lensadvice

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CreatingautumnalcolourWITH LUKEMARSH In this tutorial we show you how to turn a lush green scene into amisty morning with soft autumnal colour. All from the relative comfort of your desk.There is a hint of diffused light in the original image, around the second curve in theroad. This got Luke imagining what the scene might look like with the same brightsunlight but even more mist. Then, using the magic of Photoshop, he made it happen.

In this easy-to-follow, step-by-step tutorial you will learn the value of the Adjustment Layer inpost-processing, how to adjust Hue/Saturation and Gradient Fill. Luke will show you how to select asection of the tree trunk and then, using layers, create mist that appears to be in front and behindthe tree. Photoshop Elements 4.0 was used here, but more recent versions are suitable too.

3Selecting the Eraser tool (inset) with a large soft brush, I begin to‘paint’ out the areas of the foreground that look odd due to the

change in hue, allowing the original image to be seen from beneath. Thethumbnail preview in the Layers palette allowsme to checkmyprogress, with the erased areas indicated in black (inset).

4To create the fog effect, I’ll use aGradient Adjustment Layer.The gradient will be based on the foreground colour, which by

default is black, so to change it to white I click the Switch ForegroundColor icon at the base of the tool palette (inset). I selectGradientthrough theAdjustment Layer ( ) and name it.

5TheGradient Fillwindow appears and the gradient is previewed liveon the image. Click in theGradient Field and theGradient Editor

opens. Youmust ensure thatColor to Transparent is active, the colourbeing white as set in step four, then clickOK to close and return to thecanvas, complete with gradient.

6 I need another identical gradient to build some depth to the fogeffect so I go to Layer>Duplicate Layer, naming the new layer

accordingly. I won’t be using the new layer yet so I want to hide it. To dothis I click the Layer Visibility icon – note that the eye disappears (inset)to indicate that the layer is no longer visible.

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Original

1The best way to alter the hue of an image is with Hue/Saturationthrough theAdjustment Layersmenu. Adjustment layers are good

because they allow you to edit and re-edit your imagewithout actuallyaltering the original. So, go to theAdjustment Layer symbol ( ) in thelayers palette (inset) and scroll toHue/Satuation.

2 In the Hue/Saturation window I drag the Hue slider left (–),changing the hue of the image. I stop when I reach the desired

autumnal mood and click OK. Because this command affects the entireimage, certain areasmay look a little odd, such as the road. This iswhere theAdjustment Layer comes in handy.

9 I’m going to use theBrush tool to add some depth to the fog behindthe tree so I go Select>Inverse to select the background. I’ll now

need a new layer as Adjustment Layers only allow for application ofspecific tasks, in this case, gradients. I go to Layer>New Layer andwiththe brush set to 20%opacity, I create denser fog areas.

10 I use Select>Deselect to remove the trunk selection, thenactivate a second gradient in the layers palette, clicking the

empty box opposite tomake it visible. This gives a denser fog effect,which I tone down by setting the opacity to 45%. Using the Eraserwithopacity at 35%, I erase creatively to complete the effect.

7Beforemoving on I ensure that the original gradient layer I createdis active by clicking on its thumbnail in the Layers palette (inset).

With thePolygonal Lasso selected from the tool palette, I draw anaccurate selection around the trunk of the foreground tree usingSelect>Feather at three pixels to soften the selection.

8Back to the Eraser tool, this timewith a smaller soft brush and theOpacity to 25%, which allows for a gradual removal and so offers

more control. I begin to ‘paint’ out the ‘fog’ from the gradient layer,the polygonal selection ensuring only the trunk is affected, givingthe illusion that the tree is in front of the layers of fog.

imageFinalimageFinalGOLDENBROWN...

veminuteThere we have it. A fiIandparktheinwalkautumn

didn’t even leavemy seat!

LANDSCAPEPROJECTSSIMPLESTEPSTOTAKINGBETTERPICTURES

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IMPROVEYOUR SKILLSLEARNNEWPHOTOTECHNIQUES!

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2Once I reviewed the composition, I found it wasn't strong enough; theskyline lacked impact andwas too far away. I felt a little filtrationwould

help the scene, so I added a0.6 (two-stop)NDGraduate filter to even out thecontrast between the sky and the land and a polarising filter to add somedrama to the sky bymaking the clouds stand out.

1Simple compositions that have plenty of space around the focal pointwork best for this technique, as it provides plenty of room formoving

elements to enable them to contrastwith the static subjects.With this inmind, I decided to use a clumpof beech trees as the focal point in the scene,placed towards the bottomof the frame, tomake themost of the dramaticsky thatwas forming towards sunset.

3After somemore searching, I found the right treeswith a strong sky andan angle on the hill thatmade amore dynamic composition. I shot at f/11

at about half a second. Despite the strong sky, the scene still lacked energyand drama,which I knew could be added by simply capturing somemovementin the skywith a slower shutter speed.

Thesky'snotthelimit!

The sky is one of themost important elements in a landscapephotograph, as it is amajor factor that defines themoodof a scene.Try taking a shot of the same scene taken under a plain blue sky andthen under one that'smore threatening, to see the difference itmakes.A strong sky and the right light can transformeven themost

featureless landscape, but sometimes youneed extra interest – usinga long exposure to capturemovement is oneway to do this.Most of usare familiarwith this techniquewhen it's usedwithmovingwater orfoliage, but it can also be used to good effectwith skies.The ideal conditions for capturingmoving skies are stormyor

showeryweather, with broken cloud and ablusterywind to blow themaround. If there's low sunbreaking through the clouds that's evenbetter, as thiswill help to bring out the texture of the land. Results arehard to predict as it depends on the speed anddirection the clouds aremoving in. Generally, though, themost pleasing results arewhencloudsmove towards the camera as they fan out across the frame.To put all this technique to the test, I grabbedmycamera and a set

ofNDGraduate andNDfilters and travelled toWiltshire, to photographa scene on theRidgeway, nearHackpenHill.

MarkBauershowshowyoucanaddmoodandmovementtoskiesbyusingaverylongexposure

Set-up

AvoidingcamerashakeDuring longexposures, it’s vitalthat your camera remains steadyto avoid any camera shake thatcould ruin the image.A solidtripodwith agoodhead isessential, as is a remote release.Avoid extending the centrecolumnof the tripodas thiswillhinder stability and try to set it upas low to thegroundas youcan.Some tripodshaveahookon thebottomof the centre column tohangyour camerabag from forextra stability. For exposureslonger than30seconds, you’llneed to set your camera toBulbmode.Onsomecameras this is aseparate settingon the exposuremodedial, but for others you’llneed to accessmanual exposuremodeand then scroll downthrough the shutter speedsuntilyou reachBulb,which is usuallystatedon theLCDasBorBulb.

DON’T PANIC!

With filters, each factor of 0.3 isequivalent to adding one-stop ofexposure. For instance, a 0.6 filteris two stops and a 1.2 is four stops

Filterfactors

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4To achieve the desired shutter speed, I stopped the aperture down to f/22and added a four-stop solidNDfilter. I set the camera toBulbmode and

opened the shutter for 60 seconds. On reviewing the image, there seemed tobe the right amount ofmovement but therewas toomuch empty space in thetop right of the frame, breaking the cloud pattern.

5Before shooting again I reviewed the histogram,which showed that theimage had been exposed reasonablywell. However, to allow for the

lowering light levels, I decided to add half a stop to the exposure so this timeopened the shutter for around90 seconds.Withmy exposure set correctly,I took a few shots to seewhat the cloud looked likewith the new settings.

FinalimageThefinal image showed a similaramount ofmovement, butwith amuch better cloud pattern; the

clouds streaking diagonally acrossthe frame add a sense of dynamism

to the image,making for amuchmore dramatic result than theoriginal image,which had no

movement in the clouds.

2Before you start your ‘sweep’, choosewhetheryou’re going to shoot the pano in landscape or

portrait format. If you choose portrait, turn thecamera onto its side. Re-check the spirit-level tomake sure everything is level.

1Once you have picked out a scene you feel isappropriate for a panorama, it’s time to get

your camera settings correct (you don’t want to bechanging themhalfway through the series). Forthis scene, I went for 1/8sec at f/11 (ISO 100).

Therulesofpanoramas!Panoramasare simple enough to create,providing you followa fewbasic rules:1)Always keep the camera completely level, sothe vertical linesdon't converge.2)Set focus, exposure andWhiteBalancemanually, so theydon't change fromone frameto another. Toget correct exposure across thewhole stitch, take exposure readings from thewhole scene you're shooting, average themoutand set this inmanualmode.3)Overlap framesbyabout 25%(seebelow),as itmakes themeasier to line upandensuresnoareas aremissing.4)Usea remote release andmirror lock-up toensure all framesare as sharpaspossible.5)Don'twaste timebetween shooting frames,in case something changes– for example, lightlevels or clouds.6)Don't use apolarisingfilter, as the effectwillchangeas youmove the camera in relation tothe light source.7)Shoot slightlywider than you think youneed,to allowsomemargin for errorwith liningupthedifferent frames.

Tripod&aspiritlevelFor panoramic landscapes, specialist equipment isn’tcompletely necessary, but there are a few essential items. Atripod is vital for stability and for lining up images, as is a headwith a panning action. A remote releasewill help you keep allframes equally sharp and, finally, a hotshoe-mounted spirit levelwill keep the camera level (if your camera has an electronic level, youcould use this instead). You can buy specialist panorama heads, which pivotaround the lens's nodal point (the point where the light paths cross insidethe barrel). This prevents lines fromconverging andmakes it easier toline-up frames. It's useful when shooting sceneswith lots of straight lines,such as cityscapes, but isn’t so vital for shooting landscapes.

118 Landscapesprojects TheEssentialGuidetoLandscapePhotography 3rdEdition

There’s something compelling aboutpanoramic landscapes, especiallywhen yousee themas abig print. Forme, it’s the closestyou can get to re-creating the experience ofactually being on location to see the vista. Asspecialist panoramaequipment is veryexpensive,most photographers prefer tocreate panoramasby taking a series of shotswith their DSLRand then stitch them togetherusingPhotoshop.However, one shouldremember that not all scenes lend themselvesto a panoramic treatment. Sceneswith stronghorizontal planes, particularly those that‘flow’ naturally from left to right, are ideal. Italso helps if there’s a strong focal point, suchas a building, to break up the horizon line andslow the eye downas it travels across theimage. For these shots, I used the distinctive,conically-shapedColmer’sHill nearBridportas the focal point formypanoramic image.

PanoramicimageslookamazingandasMarkBauerexplains,theyareeasiertoachievethanever

Theworldinwidescreen

Set-up

Kit watch!

TECHNIQUE WATCH!

FinalimageWhat a view!Now that you’ve

captured the beautiful scene inwidescreen, why not consider

framing your perfect panorama.

5You have five options for howPhotoshop canpiece your files together, but for best results

stick to Perspective or Cylindrical. Nowclick on theBrowse button and select the images fromyourdesktop or folder. Finally, clickOK.

6Your computerwill chug away as it processes the files, giving you time forawell-earned cup of tea. After a couple ofminutes youwill be presented

with your panorama. The first thing you’ll probably notice is that there’s someblank space around the edges of the image.

4Once you’ve returned home from the location,upload your images to your computer. Next,

openPhotoshop and then click File>Automate>Photomerge, whichwill then open up a dialogueboxwith various choices.

3To sweep, unlock your tripod's panningfunction. Take a shot and then start to rotate

yourDSLR fromone side of the view to the other.Be sure to overlap each frameby around 25%sothat there are nomissing gaps.

7Select theCropTool fromyour tool bar and crop the image so youeliminate the blank space from the edges of the frame.Once you’re happy

with the crop, click the tick icon or hit OK and the cropwill be complete.Flatten the layers (Layer>Flatten image) and save your file.

Landscapeprojects 1193rdEdition TheEssentialGuidetoLandscapePhotography

Try shooting vertically (in portrait orientation)

rather than horizontally (in landscapeformat). It means you takemore shots to

cover the same area, but there is usually less

edge distortion and a better-looking result

Landscapesinportrait!Landscapesinportrait!

120 Landscapeprojects TheEssentialGuidetoLandscapePhotography 3rdEdition

2Using the long end of a 70-300mm telephoto zoom, I cropped in tight tothe church. However, cameras can’t predict what effect the photographer

is looking for. As a result of usingmulti-zonemetering, unwanted detail isrecorded in the church and foreground. The exposure of 1/2sec at f/11 is toolong and the sky is also 'washed out’ as a result.

1Bold subjectswork bestwhen shooting silhouettes, togetherwith a clean,simple composition. This small church, perched on a tor, proved an ideal

subject. I opted for a low viewpoint, allowingme to contrast the buildingstarkly against an uninterrupted sky. I positionedmyself so I was shooting inthe general direction of the setting sun.

3When shooting silhouettes, youwill normallywant to correctlymeter forthe sky. By basing exposure on a reading fromabright region of the sky,

you ensure thiswill be correctly exposed, while everything elsewill beunderexposed – or silhouetted. The bestway to do this is to switch to the spotmetering pattern as this gives themost precisemeter reading.

HISTOGRAMSWhenshootingsilhouettes, expectcorrespondinghistograms tobemorebiased to the left of the graph.Whilenormally youwould try to avoidhistogramsshowingahighpercentageof pixels on theleft; in this instance thegraph is justreflecting thenature of the technique.

histograms tobemore

Silhouette ascene

Asphotographers, we are always striving for the ‘perfect’ exposure,aren’t we?However, in practice, is there really such a thing? Exposurecanbemanipulated for creative or artistic effect – a ‘technically correct’exposurewon’t always produce themost visually pleasing result. Takesilhouettes, for example. They are one ofmy favourite subjects, buttechnically speaking, a silhouette is the result of poor exposure, with thesubject being grossly underexposed. However, there is no denying thatthey are capable of producing striking, eye-catching results.A silhouette is when a subject is captured as a black outline, devoid

of colour or detail. It is themost extreme form of backlighting and,combinedwith a suitable scene or subject, results can be stunning.Bold, easily identifiable objects, like buildings and trees, work bestwhen photographing silhouetted landscapes – particularly if they arecontrasted against a dramatic or colourful sky. They are best capturedearlymorning and late evening, when the position of the sun is low inthe sky. By shooting toward the light’s direction, objects between youand the light source will be rendered as inky silhouettes. One of themost appealing things about shooting silhouettes is that they are soeasy to achieve and you don’t require additional kit. However, as you'llsoon see, there are a couple of functions on your DSLR that can helpyou to achieve great silhouettes.

RossHoddinottrevealshowtoaddimpacttoscenesbyunderexposingmajorfeaturesinthelandscape

MeteringtechniqueYourdigital camera’smulti-zonemeteringsystem isdesigned to render subjects as amid-tone.While it proves accurate in themajorityof situations, it can strugglewhenphotographinga sceneor subject that is considerably lighter ordarker in tone. Silhouettes are one subject thatcan foolmetering systems.Althoughcamerasarehighly sophisticated, they cannot predict thetypeof effect youare trying to achieve. Therefore,the camerawill normally attempt to rendersilhouetted subjects as amid-tone, givingmoreexposure than is required. This results in skiesbeingoverexposedandunwanteddetail beingrecorded in the subject. Thankfully, achieving thecorrect exposure for silhouettes is simple enoughtodoby switching to spotmetering. It calculatestheoverall exposure from just a small portionofthe frame–usually a central circle coveringaround3%of the frame.Aim the spotmeteringsensor at abright areaof the frameand thenpress the shutter releasebuttonhalfway to take areading.Next, press theAuto-Exposure Lock(AE-L) button to ‘lock’ your newsettings.Recompose your imageand release the shutter.The result shouldbeaperfect, inky silhouette. Ifanydetail remains, set a negative value via theexposure compensationdial (start at -1 EV) toreduce the exposure further.

Kit watch!

Landscapeprojects 1213rdEdition TheEssentialGuidetoLandscapePhotography

FinalimageHappywithmy composition, I decided toexperimentwith a ten-stopNDfilter.With

the filter in place, exposure timewasartificially lengthened to 30 seconds.

During the exposure, themovement of thecloudwas recorded like artistic

brushstrokes. As the sun finally set, somecolour radiated in the sky, givingmyfinal

silhouette furthermood and impact.

5While the exposurewas nowproven to be correct for capturingmysilhouette, the composition needed tweaking. Instead of filling the frame

with the church, I opted for awider focal length. This allowedme to includemore sky and interesting cloud. The result lookedmore balanced, and showedthe churchmore in contextwith its environment.

4I aimed the spotmetering circle at a bright region of the sky. I half-depressthe shutter release button to take a new reading of 1/30sec at f/11 and

lock this setting by pressing theAuto Exposure Lock (AE-L) button. I placemycamera on a tripod and, usingmynew settings, took another picture. Theresult again proved correct to give a silhouette.

122 Landscapeprojects TheEssentialGuidetoLandscapePhotography 3rdEdition

1Having checked the forecast the night before, I arrived on location in thePurbeckHills in Dorset about 30minutes before sunrise. A thick fog had

formed in the valley overnight, and towards sunrise, this started to burn off,revealing the shapes of trees and buildings in themist. I set upmy kit andsought out a suitable composition.

2The church steeple rising out of themist seemed a natural focal point, so Ibasedmy composition around this beautiful landmark. The bright tones of

themist, however, fooled the camera'smeter into slightly underexposing thescene. Although detail would be recoverable in post-processing, I prefer to'expose to the right' tomaximise image quality.

3To expose to the right, I applied two stops of exposure compensation,which kept the bright tones in themain part of the picture, but resulted in

the bright sky blowing out, without all the detail being fully recoverable. Youcan see frommy image that the sky is far too bright and, subsequently, ruinsthe image. This problemwould need fixing!

Grabamistopportunity!

Autumn through to early winter is one ofmy favourite times forlandscape photography. The low sun reveals texture in the landscape,the clarity is better than in the summer and sunrise is at amorehumane hour, so there's a better chance that I'll get up for themagicalpre-dawn light. But an even greater attraction is themist and fogcommon this time of year. It can add amystical, romantic atmosphereto an otherwise ordinary scene, with the tops of trees and buildingspoking up through a layer of white lying at the bottomof a valley.There are different types of fog andmist, but for this type of shot, the

onewe're interested in is 'radiation fog'. Radiation fog is formed onclear, still nights when the ground loses heat by radiation, and cools.The ground in turn cools the nearby air to saturation point, thusforming fog. This fog is often confined to low ground, so if you get upon a hill youmight find you're able to shoot across amist-filled valley.Ideal conditions for this type of fog are light winds, clear skies and

long nights, so keep a close eye on theweather forecast and get upearly enough to find a suitable spot before themist dissipates.

Exposure:Becauseacamera'smeterassumes thatwhatit's looking at is amid-tone (18%grey), if there is alot ofwhite in ascene, as is the casewithmisty scenes,this can fool even 'intelligent'meteringpatterns into underexposing the scene, soit's a good idea to addaround+1 stopofexposure compensation. The techniqueof'exposing to the right', i.e. pushing theexposure as close to overexposure as youcanbutwithout actually clipping thehighlights, hasbecomepopular in recentyears and theoretically should create afilewithmore tonal information and less noise.If youuse this technique, youwill need toaddevenmore compensation.

Processing:Processing shots ofmistyscenes canbea little different from 'normal'scenes,where youwould set theblackpointso that it lines upwith the left sideof thehistogram. Images taken in fogormistrarely have trueblacks, andhavea limitedcontrast range, so to keep the scene lookingnatural, you should set theblackpoint lessaggressively than formost other images.

CaptureatmosphericlandscapesbygettingupearlyandfollowingRossHoddinott’sexpertadvice

Inmisty conditions, condensation canform on your lens and/or filters, which canruin images. Keep a constant eye on thefront element and filters, and wipe themdown frequently with amicro-fibre cloth

Moisturealert!

TECHNIQUE WATCH!

Landscapeprojects 1233rdEdition TheEssentialGuidetoLandscapePhotography

5I zoomed in a little closer and re-shot. Cropping out the bland sky tightensup the composition nicely, but themist hasmoved, revealing just a little bit

toomuch detail formy liking. I changed position slightly again, andwaited fora littlemoremist to drift into the scene and cover up someof the distractingelements in the frame. After a littlewhile, it all came together.

FinalimageMyfinal shot is packed

with atmosphere and themist helps give the image

a timeless quality.

4I added a two-stopNeutral DensityGraduate (0.6NDGrad) filter and tookthe shot again. The addition of the filter allowedme to push the exposure

to keep the bright tones in themist aswell as retaining tone in the sky, but onreviewing the image, I decided that as therewas notmuch interest in the sky,it would be necessary to tweak the composition.

3Evenwith thewaves intruding into the foreground area, there are still toomany dark tones, especially to the right of the frame, so I tweak the

composition,moving the camera's view to the left. Now it's just a case ofwaiting for the light to drop further and the rightwaves to come in.

1This isolated cove on thePurbeck coast is ideal for low-light seascapes,with its jagged, rocky ledges and boulders on the foreshore. However,

with the sun only just below the horizon, the light is still a little harsh, and thetide is too far out andwould be too far away in the frame.

2Spotmeter readings from the foreground and the sky tellsme that thereis a five-stop difference in brightness between them.A three-stopND

grad brings it all within the camera's sensor range.Waiting a fewminutesmeans thewaves are nowwashing up onto the foreground.

WITHMARKBAUER Seascapes are a hard subject to resistphotographing, especially during a sunset when you can getbeautiful blue and purple hues from the sky and silky waterfrom a long exposure. When planning your shoot, rememberthat location and composition are important elements to

determine the success of a seascape image. I try to pick places wherethere are rocks, so the bold shapes and jagged edges contrast with thesoftness of the water. Leave plenty of space around the static objectstoo, to allow you to capture movement in the water. I try to shootlow-light seascapes with an incoming tide, so that the waves washup around the foreground, adding brighter tones. If you shoot whenthe tide is falling, you could end up with rocks being rendered as darkmasses in the foreground because there is not enough light to showtheir wet, shiny surfaces. Getting the timing right for individual wavesis important too; time the exposure so that there is water movement inthe frame for at least some of the time the shutter is open.

Evenings bythecoastAswellas risingearly, landscapeenthusiasts tendtostayoutuntil the twilighthours tocapturemoodanddrama

CalculatingexposureMostDSLRsallowyou to set amaximumexposure timeof 30seconds. Youcould raise the ISOto stickwithin this limit but, toget thebest imagequality, stickto ISO 100andswitch to theBulb setting,which allows you tokeep the shutter open for as longas youwant. To calculate howlong that shouldbe, inaperture-prioritymode, increasethe ISOuntil youget ameterreading. Thenworkoutwhat theequivalent exposure is at ISO100, switch toBulb and take theshot. For example, if at ISO400the correct exposure is 30seconds, the equivalent at ISO100 is twominutes. At dusk, lightlevels drop so keepcheckingandadjust accordingly.

TECHNIQUE WATCH!

124 Lighting TheEssentialGuidetoLandscapePhotography 3rdEdition

Spotmetering NDfilter

ProtectyourgearProtect your equipment with a raincover. You can improvise by using afreezer bag, or there are severalwhich are commercially available. Ifavour the Optech Rainsleeve –they’re cheap, do the jobwell andyou can see all your camera settingsproperly, which isn’t true of some ofthemore pricey alternatives.

Kit watch!

4The low light levels produce a lovely blue-purple in the sky and the sea.This one's almost there but just needs a littlemorewaterwashing up

on the right-hand side of the picture, to break up the dark tones and help tobalance out the foreground interest.

5The incoming tide forces a change of position. By this time, the light is lowenough to allow a45 second exposure (ISO 100 and f/16)without having

to use anNDfilter. A three-stop grad is still necessary because there is nodirect light falling onto the land or sea, but the sky is lit frombelow.

Lighting 1253rdEdition TheEssentialGuidetoLandscapePhotography

Three-stopNDgrad

FinalimageThis has the samebeautiful

hues and tones as the previousshot, but just a littlemorewater

adding interest to the foregroundand the right side of the picture.

126 Landscapeprojects

1FINDTHELOCATIONIf you can, it helps to find your

location in advance, in the daylighthours.Mid-day is a good time to dothis for a couple of reasons. One isthat it's often dead-time in thelandscape photographer's daywhen the light is too harsh forshooting. The other is that, with thesun to the south, shadowswill pointnorth towardswhere the starswillbe circling roundPolaris later.Previsualising thatwill help youcreate a good composition. You'llneed to ensure that you're a decentway frommajor light pollution too.

2SETTINGUPPick your night (a nightwitha half-moon is a good choice if possible)

and set up the camera on the tripod. If it's toodark to see properly through the viewfinder,you can take a few shotswith a high ISOandwide aperture, graduallymaking adjustmentsto fine-tune the composition. Autofocus isunlikely towork in very low light, so you'llneed to focusmanually – either by using thedistance scale or by placing a torchsomewhere in the scene to focus on.

3METERTHESCENEYou canmeter thescene before taking the final shot by

taking test shots at a high ISOandwideaperture. I’m using ISO 1600and f/4 here.Set the camera tomanual and start with anexposure time of around 20 seconds. Take ashot and check the histogram, then simplyalter the exposure time and re-take test shotsuntil the histogram looks correct. After a bitof experimentation I find that one stopunderexposedworks best.

WITH JOHNPATRICK Star trails are rewarding subjects that canadd an element of magic to a landscape shot, revealing the scenein a way that isn’t visible to the eye. They allow you to extend theday’s potential shooting time, and to get out with your camera –especially if you work through the week and can’t get outdoors

during the daylight hours in winter. If there’s any ‘secret’ to the technique,it’s getting the exposure right, but that’s simple when shooting digitally...

ShootingstartrailsIf you’re inaremote location, takeadvantageofclearnightskiesbyaiminghighandtryingtocapturestar trails

TheEssentialGuidetoLandscapePhotography 3rdEdition

The glow fromurban areas is known as

light pollution and can be seen frommiles

away on a clear night. Thismight not be

obvious to the naked eye but will show up

clearly on a long exposure

GetawayfromthecityGetawayfromthecity

Manfrotto055ProBTripodYou’ll need to keep theshutter open for the longexposure and the bestway to do that is to use aremote releasewith alock to hold the shutteropen. This helpsavoid inadvertentlyknocking ormoving the camera.A sturdy tripod isimportant too andawide-angle lensis handy as it helps youget plenty of sky in theshot. Other than that,star trails don’t needany particularlyspecialist kit. Don’tforget plenty ofwarmclothing though. Even ifyou’re used to being out in coldweather, standing around for half anhour ormore in the dark in sub-zerotemperatures canbring awhole newlevel of chilliness, so pack a fewextralayers to keep you comfortable.

Kit watch!

Landscapeprojects 127

4SettingSforthefinalShotWhen you're happywith the exposure,set the camera to 'Bulb'. Select iSo 100 and set awide aperture. i tend to

use f/5.6. nowyou can use the exposure time from step 3 towork out the timeneeded for the final shot, compensating for the change in iSoand aperture byincreasing the time. for instance, if you needed a 30 second exposure in step3: 30secs x 2 (for a one-stop change from f/4 to f/5.6) x 16 (for the changefrom iSo 1600 to iSo 100) gives a 16-minute exposure.

5taketheShotturn all lights out, note the time and lock the shutter openwith the remote release. get out some coffee and chocolate, have a break

for awhile and enjoy staring at the stars. Just don't dowhat i did and discoverat this point that the coffee's back down the road, still in the car!if you need to put a light on at any point to read the time, be careful not toilluminate the foreground at all, as it will showup in the final shot (unlessyou're deliberately attempting light painting, but that's another topic).

Finalimagei've given the final image a little

bit of curves adjustment, acolour balance on the cool sideof daylight and applied someUnsharpMask in Photoshop.

3rdedition TheEssentialGuidetoLandscapePhotography

LANDSCAPEGEARESSENTIAL KIT FOR ALL

LEVELSOFPHOTOGRAPHER

Equipment 1293rdEdition TheEssentialGuidetoLandscapePhotography

LEVE

REVISED&UPDATEDTHELATESTKIT

&ACCESSORIESADDED!

EXPERTADVICE!

THEG

EARYOU

NEEDTO

CAPTURE

YOUR

BESTEVERLANDSCAPES

THE NOVICEPHOTOGRAPHER

Gearadvice#1

Screw-infiltersWhile there is little doubt thatsquare slot-in filter systemsmakebetter sense in the long run for keenphotographers, when starting out,screw-in filters are very tempting.Without any doubt, the circularpolariser should be top of the list,as it’s by far themost useful forshooting landscapes. Check outfilters fromHoya, Kood and Jessops

DigitalSLR&kitlensENTRY-LEVELDSLROUTFITThere is awide choice of entry-levelDSLRoutfits available forbeginners, all priced alongwith a kitlens (eg 18-55mm)around£500.DSLRkits thatwe’d recommendinclude the followingmodels:CanonEOS 1100D;NikonD3100;PentaxK-r andSony’s Alpha 390

Tripod&headAs you’ll findwhen you read ourreviewof tripods, the key factors toconsiderwhen choosing a tripod isweight and stability. You’ll findseveralmodels available for under£150,which provide a very sturdysupport for your kit. As you spendmore, you find thatmodels providea couple of extra features butmoreimportantly, they’ll weigh far less

AdditionalaccessoriesWhile you should look to keep yourbag as light as possible, especiallyif you are heading outdoors only fora fewhours, there are still someaccessories that you shouldconsider essential. These includeextramemory cards, a lens cloth tokeep your optics clean, amapandamobile phone, for emergency useshould you get lost or hurt

NovicephotographerThe gear options presented tonewcomers to digital SLRphotography is nothing short ofintimidating. However, to getstarted, all that is needed is a basicoutfitmadeupof a camera andstandard zoom, a decentbudget-priced tripod, one or twoscrew-in filters and a small bag tohold all this kit, alongwith somesnacks, water,maps etc

PhotodaypackIf you’re new to photography, it’svery likely that you’ll only have amodest outfitmadeupof yourcamerawith kit lens (andpossiblyone other zoom), alongwith a fewother photo accessories, aswell asother essentials such as clothing.A £50photo daypackwith separatesections for kit and other itemsshould provemore than suitable

THE ENTHUSIASTPHOTOGRAPHER

Gearadvice#2

DigitalSLREnthusiastswith a couple of yearsexperience under their belt willmost likely be looking to upgradefroman entry-levelmodel tosomethingmore durable andsophisticated.Models to considerinclude theCanonEOS550DandEOS600D,NikonD5000, PentaxK-5 and theSonyAlpha 55.

ClothingWith the early starts and latefinishes and adventures thatwillsee you sit through showers,storms and sunshine, you’ll need todress appropriately. A lightwaterproof jacket like this Paramo,plus fleece beneath and sensiblewalking shoes, like Patagonia’sThatchers, arewell worth investingin. Headwear like this Berghausbeanie hat is important, as iskeeping handswarm–check outOutdoorDesign’smitten gloves

PhotobackpackThededicated photographer is likelytowant to spendhours outdoors,evenwhenweather conditions aren’tgood, so awell-made,waterproofpack is essential. And the additionalkitmeans youneed extra capacity.Backpackswe recommendcheckingout include the LoweproVertex200AWandTamracExpedition 8

EnthusiastphotographerAnatural consequence of developing apassion for photography iswanting toinvest in amore sophisticatedDSLR,better optics andmore accessorieslike a lightmeter and remote release.Thismeans specialist lenses like awide-angle zoom,more filters, a bettertripod andmore accesories

Slot-infiltersystemWhile screw-in filters are fine if youonly have one lens, once you startadding lenses to your system,whichmost likely have differentfilter thread sizes, you’ll have tochoose between additional screw-infilters or a slot-in system. Thelatter’s the better choice, especiallyas you’ll want to useNDgrads.Check outCokin’s P system,whichis affordable and very goodquality

Carbon-fibretripodIf you’re looking to invest in yourfirst ever decent tripod, it’sworthspending the extra on a lightweightmodelmade fromcarbon-fibre.While youmight think the fewhundred grams you’ve saved inweight aren’t worth the extra costnow, once you’ve trekkedmilescarrying your three-leggedbeast,you’ll soon change yourmind

AdditionalaccessoriesAs you getmore andmore into yourphotography, you’ll find your outfitslowly expand as youbuymore andmore accessories. A remote releasewillprove useful when shooting longexposures, youmaywant to protectmapswith awaterproof cover, such astheAquamap,while a decent lightmeterlike Sekonic’s L-308s,may appeal too

Ultrawide-anglezoomWhile the 18-55mmkit lens does areasonable job, it’s time to upgradethe optics to something better. Anultrawide-angle zoomshould betop of your list as they provide awider field-of-viewand sharperresults. Youmight alsowant toinvest in amodestly-pricedtelephoto zoom forwhen youwantto pick out details in the scene

THE SEMI PRO/PROPHOTOGRAPHER

Gearadvice#3Proslot-infiltersystemAll pro landscapephotographers adecent set of slot-in filters.Most usea 100mmsystem,which aresuitable for usewithwide-anglelenses to avoid vignetting.Many useLee Filters (www.leefilters.com),which offer an excellent range ofsuperb quality filters, includingNDgrads, colour grads andpolarisers

ClothingHave aquick chat about clothingwith any professional outdoorphotographer and you’re left in nodoubt as to the importance ofwaterproof outers and layers ofwarm, breathable inners. Paramo’sCascada jacket is complementedby its trousers, whilewarmgloves,thickBerghaus fleece and socks byBridgedale andquality Berghauswalking boots ensures comfortabledays shooting outdoors

ProphotobackpackWhenmost professional outdoorphotographers head out to shootlandscapes, they’ll spend a coupleof days at least on location, stayingat a local B&B, sowill need to keepeverything they need in one bigpack. Therefore they’ll usually owna large backpackwith excellentcapacity (aswell as protection),such as one from the LoweproVertex or TamracExpedition range

ProfessionalphotographerAfter years of shooting for a hobby,many enthusiasts find they start tofind amarket for their images,allowing them to class themselvesas a ‘semi-pro’. Others throwthemselves into a full-time careeras a professional photographer.One thing that’s common for allphotographers looking tomakemoney is awish to invest in top kit

ProdigitalSLR&lensesAn inevitable consequence ofstarting tomakemoney fromyourphotography is the need toupgrade gear. For landscapepros,thatmeans investing in a full-frameDSLR like theCanonEOS5DMkIIorNikonD700. Larger sensorsreveal the inadequacies of budgetoptics, so lenseswill needupgrading too

SturdytripodheadIt’smost likely that a prowill alreadyhave invested in a carbon-fibretripodwhile theywere a seriousenthusiast. Once they’ve invested ina proDSLR, it’s possible theymayupgrade the head for onewith alarger platform that can support aheavierDSLRand lens combo

DigitalaccessoriesMost proswill carry a back-upDSLR in case theirmain bodydevelops a fault. Aswell as theultra-wide zoom, they usually havea ‘fast’ 70-200mmf/2.8 zoomandamacro lens for close-up details.A personal storage device allowsthem toback-up images, while alaptop offers the same functionalityaswell as allowing post-processingon the go. Add lens and sensorcleaning systems, spare batteriesandmemory cards andmaps andthey’rewell prepared for the job

Understandingfocallengths:Wide-anglesThe focal length stated on a lens relates to SLRs using 35mm film and full-frame sensors. Ifyour camera has an APS-C-sized sensor (most have), then you’re effectively cropping the imageand increasing the focal length of the lens (by 1.5x with Nikon, Pentax and Sony; 1.6x withCanon). The chart below shows popular wide-angles and the change in effective focal length.

Focal length Sensor size Four-Thirds&on lens Full-frame APS-H APS-C APS-C(Canon) MicroFour-Thirds

1x 1.3x 1.5x 1.6x 2x8mm 8mm 10mm 12mm 13mm 16mm14mm 14mm 18mm 21mm 22mm 28mm15mm 15mm 19mm 22mm 23mm 30mm20mm 20mm 26mm 30mm 32mm 40mm24mm 24mm 31mm 36mm 38mm 48mm28mm 28mm 36mm 42mm 45mm 56mm10-17mm 10-17mm 13-22mm 15-25mm 16-27mm 20-34mm10-20mm 10-20mm 13-26mm 15-30mm 16-32mm 20-40mm10-22mm 10-22mm 13-29mm 15-33mm 16-35mm 20-44mm11-18mm 11-18mm 14-23mm 16-27mm 18-29mm 22-36mm12-24mm 12-24mm 16-31mm 18-36mm 19-38mm 24-48mm16-35mm 16-35mm 21-45mm 24-53mm 26-56mm 32-70mm17-35mm 17-35mm 22-45mm 25-53mm 27-56mm 34-70mm17-40mm 17-40mm 22-52mm 25-60mm 27-56mm 34-80mm

Wide-anglelensesIf you’re serious about landscape photography, the first addition you should invest in is a decentwide-angle lens. The exaggerated perspective and wide angle-of-view that these lenses givesallows you to fill the frame with your scene and reveal an incredible amount of detail. When you’reconfronted by a beautiful landscape, there is nothing like a wide-angle lens to ensure the wholescene is recorded, from foreground interest through to distant subjects. Experienced landscapephotographers have learned how to use the way that wide-angle lenses stretch perspective to theiradvantage to give images with strong foreground interest and incredible depth. Another reason whywide-angles are wonderful choices for landscapes is because they have an apparent abundanceof depth-of-field, even at mid-aperture settings, to produce images with an excellent amount ofsharpness. So, now you’re sold on wide-angle lenses, you’ll need to decide which type is best for you.

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Choosingawide-anglelensIf your DSLR was supplied with a ‘standard zoom’ kit lens, such as an18-55mm, then you’ll already have a lens that is capable of shootingdecent wide-angle images. However, its capabilities are restricted, as itsfield-of-view is not wide enough to really make the most of landscapephotography, so while it’s a good enough choice to get started with,you should add a better wide-angle at your first opportunity. You’ll bepresented with two main options: a fixed wide-angle lens or a wide-anglezoom. If you want the absolute sharpest possible results, then in theoryyou want a prime lens, with a 15mm being the best choice if your DSLRhas an APS-C sensor, or a 20mm or 24mm if you use a full-frame model.While marque lenses offer the ultimate optical performance, they’re veryexpensive and your choice is very limited. If your DSLR uses the smallerAPS-C sized sensor, we’d strongly recommend that you steer clear of fixedlenses and instead go for an ultra wide-angle zoom, as you have far morechoice, they’re relatively affordable and they deliver excellent quality.

Advances in optical technology saw the development of high-qualityultra-wide zooms in the late ‘90s and the arrival of DSLRs has seenthis group of lenses become increasingly popular. That’s no surpriseas the range they cover offers incredible versatility in such a small andinexpensive lens. In fact, the ultra wide-angle zoom is arguably one ofthe best value lenses you could own. There is a variety of focal lengthsavailable, with those around 11-22mm being the most suitable for DSLRswith an APS-C sized sensor. In truth, all cover a very similar range,although there are one or two exceptions to note. The Pentax 10-17mmfish-eye offers a 180º angle-of-view at its widest end, so in a sense you’regetting a fish-eye and ultra-wide zoom rolled into one. It’s also worthnoting that, unlike most ultra-wide zooms, the Sigma 12-24mm can beused on full-frame and APS-C SLRs. Finally, while 16-35mm lenses arepopular with film and full-frame DSLR users, the effective focal length of24-53mm (26-56mm on a Canon) it covers when used with an APS-Csensor is quite limited, so we’d suggest you avoid it.

So which wide-angle lens should you buy? There’s little doubt thatzooms represent superb value for money and you’re spoilt for choice asthere aren’t any poor performers in this category. Here we recommendour favourite zooms, all of which will deliver great quality results. Whileprimes offer the ultimate in quality, zooms are better value and deliverexcellent results. We’ve stated average street prices at time of publication.

Zeiss 21mmf/2.8DistagonLENSCONSTRUCTION:16 elements in 13 groupsAPERTURERANGE: f/2.8 to f/22FILTERTHREAD:82mmDIMENSIONS:87x109mmWEIGHT:600gFITTINGS:Canon,NikonandPentaxWEBSITE:www.robertwhite.co.ukThis is an almost legendary lensfor connoisseurs that has onlyrecently becomeavailable inCanon,Nikon andPentax fittings.It ismanual focus only, with asmooth focusing action and ituses amanual aperture ring. Thedepth-of-field scale is clear andallows for accurate depth-of-fieldcalculations. This is an expensivelens but boasts an exceptionaloptical performance, resolving anamazing amount of detail. Theultimate choice for quality.

Canon24mmf/1.4LIIUSMLENSCONSTRUCTION:13 elements in ten groupsAPERTURERANGE: f/1.4 to f/22FILTERTHREAD: 77mmDIMENSIONS:93.5 x 86.9mmWEIGHT:650gFITTINGS:CanononlyWEBSITE:www.canon.co.ukThis newaddition to theCanonrange is designed for pro use, as itsprice tag suggests. Aswell asoffering anextremely fast aperture,it boastsweather anddust seals toprotect it from the elements.Optical quality is superb, thanks tothe aspherical andUDglasselements, which ensure imagesharpness is crisp throughout theframe. Adream lens for those thatcan afford it, but the Zeiss 21mmf/2.8Distagon,whilemanualfocus, offers a superior opticalperformance to theCanon.

DIGITAL-ONLYLENSESWhen you’re choosing alens, check to see if it’sfor usewith film/full-frame and digitalSLRs, or for DSLRs only.Thosemade for filmanddigital are usuallymoreexpensive; thosedesigned exclusively forDSLRs are opticallyoptimised for digital.Therefore, if you’reusing aDSLRwith thesmaller APS-C sensorand never plan to buy afull-frameDSLR, go forfor a digital-only lens.

FIXED (‘PRIME’)WIDE-ANGLELENS✔Simpler optical design generallymeanssharper resultswith better contrast✔Fastmaximumaperture gives brighterviewfinder andbetter low-light capabilities✔Smaller andmore compact than a zoom✔Most have a smaller filter thread✘Limited to one focal length✘Relatively expensive

WIDE-ANGLEZOOMLENS✔Covers several focal lengths, so you’respoilt forwide-angle versatility✔At itswide end, it offers far bettercoverage than a fixed lens✔Most zoomsare optically excellent✔ Lots of flexibility at a very goodprice✘Not as sharp as a fixed lens, especiallytowards the edges and corners of the frame✘Suffers frommore distortion✘Maximumaperture isn’t as fast as fixed lens✘Most have a larger filter thread, soscrew-in filters aremore expensive

Fixedorzoomlens?It’s the age-old question –whybuy a fixed lenswith only one focal lengthwhen a zoomofferssomuchmore versatility?Well, here’swhy...

Wide-angleanatomy1) PETALHOODUltrawide-angles comesuppliedwith a dedicated hoodto avoid vignetting and flare.

2) LARGE, CONCAVEFRONTELEMENTThe front elementnormally has a prominentcurve, leaving it exposed todust and scratches, so takecare to keep it clean.

3)MANUALFOCUSRINGNormally towards the front of thelens and reasonablywide. You’llrarely need touse it, aswide-anglelenseshaveexcellentAF.

4) ZOOMRINGThese are normallyfound towards the back of the barrel.Most arewidewith a groovedsurface to allow you to grip it easily.

5) FOCUSDISTANCEMany lenses have the focus distancescalemarked on the barrel, whilesomeof themore upmarketmodelshave a focus distancewindow.

6)HYPERFOCALSCALE(see inset)This scale allows youto estimate howmuchof the scenewill appear sharp thanks to thedepth-of-field created by thechoice of aperture that you set.

7) INTERNALFOCUSINGSYSTEMIf you’re planning to use filters,lenseswith an internal focusingsystemoffer the benefit that thefront of the lens doesn’t rotatewhen focusing, so youdon’t haveto keep readjusting them.

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Sigma10-20mmf/4-5.6EXDCHSMLENSCONSTRUCTION:14 elements in ten groupsAPERTURERANGE: f/1.8 to f/22FILTERTHREAD: 77mmDIMENSIONS: 83.5 x 81mmWEIGHT: 470gFITTINGS:Canon,Nikon,Pentax, SigmaandSonyWEBSITE:www.sigma-imaging-uk.comA real favouritewith landscapelovers thanks to its compactdesign and sharp optics. Like allSigmaEX lenses, it’s very nicelyput together and it feels and looksthe part. The barrel sportswidezoomandmanual focus rings,both ofwhich have a smoothaction. Optics deliver highsharpness andonly slightevidence of distortion oraberration. It’s a better choicethan the newer f/3.5 version.

NikonAF-S DX12-24mmf/4ED-IFLENSCONSTRUCTION:11 elements in seven groupsAPERTURERANGE: f/4 to f/22FILTERTHREAD: 77mmDIMENSIONS: 82.5 x 90mmWEIGHT: 485gFITTINGS:Nikon onlyWEBSITE:www.nikon.co.ukThis excellent zoom, forDSLRswithAPS-C-sensors only, iscompact considering the f/4maximumaperture. It’s partlymadeof plastic but feelswellmade. The zoom ring iswide andthe focusing ring is adequatewithboth offering a smooth action. Thebarrel sports a focusingwindowand internal focusing. Imagequality is very high, delivering verysharp results throughout therange. Chromatic aberration andflare is barely noticeable but slightbarrel distortion is evident.

CanonEF17-40mmf/4LUSMLENSCONSTRUCTION:12 elements in nine groupsAPERTURERANGE: f/4 to f/22FILTERTHREAD: 77mmDIMENSIONS:83.5 x 96.8mmWEIGHT: 475gFITTINGS:CanononlyWEBSITE:www.canon.co.ukTheCanonL-series lenses offerhigher than normal performance,so this zoom,with its constant f/4aperture, is one of themostpopular optics in theCanonstable. Suitable for usewith allEOSmodels, it’s larger thanmostbut robustly built, with greathandling and fast AF.Optics areexcellent, althoughwith full-framesensors edgedetail becomes alittle soft. It’s a great lens, althoughthe EF-S 10-22mm is a betterchoice for thosewithDSLRsboasting anAPS-C sensor.

3rdEdition TheEssentialGuidetoLandscapePhotography

Voigtlander20mmf/3.5Color SkoparSLIILENSCONSTRUCTION:Nine elements in six groupsAPERTURERANGE: f/3.5 to f/22FILTERTHREAD: 52mmDIMENSIONS:63x28.8mmWEIGHT: 205gFITTINGS:Nikon andPentaxWEBSITE:www.robertwhite.co.ukThis is one of themost affordableprime lenses on themarket andalso one of the smallest andlightest, aswell as beingmanualfocus only. This last point generallyisn’t an issue for landscapephotographers, Themanual focusaction is smooth and the barrelboasts a clear hyperfocal scalethatmakes achieving a gooddepth-of-field a breeze, aswell asan aperture ring. Optically, thislens is a very goodperformerwithexcellent sharpness once stoppeddown. A great budget prime lens. £475

£850 £700

Tamron 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5DiIILDLENSCONSTRUCTION:12 elements in nine groupsAPERTURE: f/3.5-4.5 to f/22FILTERTHREAD: 77mmDIMENSIONS:83.2 x 86.5mmWEIGHT: 406gFITTINGS:Canon,Nikon,Pentax andSonyWEBSITE:www.intro2020.co.ukTamron’s 11-18mmzoomhasbeen apopular choice for yearsbut this recent addition,with itsextremelywide focal lengthrange, brings evenmoreversatility towide-angle fans.It’s a compact and lightweightoptionwith goodhandling and aninternal focusing system thatwillplease filter users. Optical qualityis very good, thanks to theinclusion of aspherical and LD(LowDispersion) elements andenhancedmulti-coatings. £450

£450

Sigma8-16mmf/4.5-5.6DCHSMLENSONSTRUCTION:15 elements in 11 groupsAPERTURE: f/4.5-5.6 to f/22FILTERTHREAD:NoneDIMENSIONS: 75x105.7mmWEIGHT: 545gFITTINGS:Canon,Nikon, Pentax,Sigma&SonyWEBSITE:www.sigma-imaging-uk.comWith an effective focal length of12-24mm(12.8-25.6mmonaCanon), theSigmaprovideswide-angle opportunities notpreviously available for APS-CDSLRs. Build quality is excellentandAF is fast and responsive. Itsmost impressive aspect is theoptics. It boasts four elements inFLD (‘F’ LowDispersion) glassand three aspherical elementsanddelivers very sharp results.A versatile, high quality zoom. £590

Makethemostofyourwide-anglelens

withAdAmburtonWide-angles arethe lens of choice for the vast majority oflandscape photographers and for very goodreason. These lenses allow you to squeeze asmuch of a location into your viewfinder as is

possible and capture a scene absolutely brimming withdetails and interest.This can work to the advantage of the landscape

photographer, particularly when using wide-angles toinclude foreground subject matter. Interesting foregroundsubjects will spring to life when captured with a wide-angle lens, quite literally grabbing the viewer’s attentionand pulling them in to explore the rest of the picture.Using wide-angle zooms can be so addictive that you

automatically zoom out to the widest setting at everyopportunity. But this can have its problems too. Suchlenses can be set so wide as to sometimes show up thecorners of your equipment (lenses, filters and holders) inthe frame; this is known as vignetting. Another problemwith using extreme wide-angle lenses is barrel distortion,which shows up in the form of bendy horizons andbuildings leaning over.All this can be avoided by training yourself to set your

wide-angle according to your subject matter. If shootingover water, then setting the focal length a few mm’s upfrom the widest setting will reduce the chances of abendy horizon. But when shooting mountainous terrainwith an already uneven horizon, you can get away withshooting as wide as possible.As well as focal length, pay attention to the height and

the angle from vertical at which you have the camera setup. Trees will lean over when composed from low to theground, so try setting the camera at head height and youmay notice a big difference.The benefits of a wide-angle lens far outweigh these

issues. The impact a wide-angle can bring to yourphotographs is astounding and is the reason why mostlandscape photographers couldn’t shoot without them.

AboVE:ChooSEYourFormAtmyfirst imagewas taken in ahorizontal format. itmay seemnatural to shoot landscapes in thisorientation, butwide-angle shotscanwork betterwhen composedvertically. this allowsmore roomfor large foreground details whilestill including lots of sky.

FArLEFt:don’tGotoowidEif you go to thewidest end of yourzoom, you can suffer not only frombarrel distortion, but alsovignetting. barrel distortionwillmean that a horizon in the top halfof the framewill curve downwards,especially noticeable if you areshooting seascapes.when younotice dark areas appear in thecorners of your frame, you aresuffering froma spot of vignetting!thewider your focal length thegreater chance that the camerawill include parts of your kit(e.g. filter holders). both theseproblems can be avoided by nottaking your lens to its absolutewidest setting.

LEFt:GoLowthe scene could dowith something to focus attentionon the rockpool. it’s common formany photographers to shootwiththe tripod legs fully extended. buta viewpoint closer to the grounddramatically increases the impactof the foreground subjectmatterand can provide for amoredynamic composition.

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FinalimageWide-angle landscapes areat theirmost effectivewhensome interesting foregroundis featured up close to pullthe viewer in to the rest ofthe scene. Don’t be afraidto compose so that yourforeground is big and bold!

You shouldn’thave a pr

oblem ensuring

the entirescene is s

harp. Setaperture-

priority, use a small apertu

re like f/16,

focus a third of theway

into the scene.

Make sure to set your D

SLR on a tripod

MaximisesharpnessMaximisesharpness

142 Equipment:Telezooms

withmarkbauer Technically speaking, telephoto lensesdon’t ‘compress perspective’, but practically speaking, youdo get a different feeling of perspective from a telephoto shotthan from a scene captured with a wide-angle lens. Wide-anglelenses seem to open up perspective and create a sense of

depth, because nearby objects appear big, and further objects appear tobe very small, suggesting distance. Added to this is the fact that wide-angle lenses create strong diagonals, which enhance the sense of depth(if arranged carefully within the frame). On the other hand, telephotosmake distant objects appear larger, apparently compressing the planes ofthe image and therefore reducing the impression of depth. Lines tend notto stretch into diagonals, and parallels remain parallel, which increases thetwo-dimensional feel. Compared to a wide-angle view, this all adds up toan image that has a more static feel. And of course, the longer the lens, thegreater the effect. So what kind of images benefit from the compressioneffects of longer lenses? The static character of telephoto images suitstranquil scenes, so hilly landscapes are ideal, especially where there areseveral planes or ‘layers’ that can be visually pulled together, so that theyappear to be almost stacked on top of each other. The feeling of tranquillitycan be enhanced by early morning mist, with the tops of the hills risingabove a sea of mist. More dramatic images can be created in the rightlighting conditions – look for alternating bands of light and dark, creatinga ‘layering of light’. Urban landscapes also work well, as you can usecompression to juxtapose elements or to suggest a crowded environment.

PerspectivecompressionPhotographersoftentalkaboutusingatelephototocompressperspective,butwhatdoes itmean?

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28mm

telephotozoomsThere is no argument that landscapephotographers should place a decentwide-angle lens (be it prime or zoom) atthe top of their wishlist. However, that’snot to say that there shouldn’t be a littleroom allocated in the gadget bag for atelezoom. While you’ll predominantly befilling the frame with wide-angle vistas,you’ll also find times when a telephotocan prove useful. This will usually bewhen you want to isolate a specific areaor feature within the scene or when youwant to create a layering effect throughperspective compression (see below). Thereare a variety of telephoto zooms available butwe’d recommend you opt for a focal lengthof around 55-200mm if you use a DSLR withan APS-C-sized sensor, or a 70-300mm orsimilar zoom if you have a full-frame DSLR.You’ll find the Tamron 55-200mm f/4-5.6 DiII inparticular to be very good value for money, alongwith Sigma’s 70-300mm f/4-5.6 DG zoom. Both these types oftelezooms are also great lenses to have available to fill the framewith any wildlife you may encounter as you roam the countryside.

28-35mmThe apparent

distance betweenthe foreground and

castle creates asense of depth,

with the hills andvillage behind thecastle stretching

away into thedistance.

60-85mmEven atmoderatetelephoto settings,

the perspectiveseemsmuchflatter,

and the castleseems to loomoverthe distant hills and

the village.

105-200mmAs the focal length

increases,perspective seems

to flatten out, sothat the castle and

the hills behindseem to be almostin the sameplane.

120mm 200mm

While telephotos appear to compressperspective, the truth is that they don’t.

Magnify an area of a shot takenwith awide-angle lens and you’ll see that itgives a virtually identical effect!

It’sjustanillusion!t’sjustanillusion!

144 Gear:Filters TheEssentialGuidetoLandscapePhotography 3rdEdition

Filtershavelongbeenthesimplestandmostinexpensivewaytoimproveoralteryourimagesin-camera.Eveninthedigitalage,theyhavetheirplaceineverylandscapephotographer’skitbag.Weexplainthemaintypesoffiltersystems,ourrecommendedfiltertypesandthemajorbrandstoconsider...

THeworTHof filTers, now that wehave Photoshop, is a topic that stilldivides opinion amongst amateurphotographers. But for those that like toget it right in-camera, filters are stillinvaluable tools, in particular withoutdoor photographers.while some filters can give an image

a colour cast, other popular types areneutral in tone and instead enablephotographers to balance bright anddark areas of a scene, or havemorescope for their choice of apertures andshutter speeds. There aremanydifferent uses for filters to suit all typesof photography but in this guide, wehelp you decidewhich type of filter, aswell as what filter system, is the bestchoice for landscape photography.filters come in twomain types:

screw-in, which attach directly to thefilter thread at the front of your lensbarrel; and slot-in, which slip into aholder held in place on the front of yourlens by adapter rings screwed on to thefilter thread. Both have their pros andcons, which you should consider beforedecidingwhich to buy. As you’ll nodoubt discover as you read on, acombination of both types is often thebest solution formost photographers.

Landscapesfilters:Systemsandtypes

Screw-infiltersThese are quick and easy to attachand remove fromyour lens, so are avery convenient choice. As they’remade fromglass, they are of highoptical quality andmore difficult toscratch. screw-in filters come invarious sizes, with 52mm to 77mmbeing themost common. if you owna number of lenses, eachwithdifferent filter threads, youwill eitherneed a filter in each size or take themore affordable option of a stepping ring (see tip below).Another negative point worth considering is that grad filtersaren’t well suited for use as a screw-in, whichwill be off-puttingfor landscape photographers in particular. You also need to takecarewhen usingmore than one screw-in filter at a time, as yourun the risk of vignetting (darkening at the image corners),especially withwide-angle lenses. Another disadvantage is thatoccasionally youmay find a filter won’t budge, inwhich caseyou’ll need a filter clamp to help remove it.

Toptip:SteppingringsAcheaper option than buying the same type offilter in various sizes is to buy the largest sizeyou need and a step-down ring, which allowsyou to fit a large filter on a smaller thread. forinstance, if you have a 72mmfilter and buy a72-67 ring, you can screw the filter to the ring,which attaches easily to the lens. Don’t go for astep-up ring for attaching smaller filters tolarger lenses, as these can cause vignetting.

Slot-infilterswith these systems, you only need tobuy one filter even if you have severallenses of different sizes. This isbecause the filter slips into a holder,which attaches to the lens via anadapter ring. so, instead of needingcostly screw-ins in various sizes, youcan simply buy affordable adapterrings in the sizes you need and swapthe holder between them. it doesmean the initial investment is higherbut over time, it proves to be a farmore economical, especiallyif you have several lenses. You’ll find there are an extensiverange of filters available, in particular graduates, which areamong themost popular types of filter for landscapes. Unlikescrew-in filters, slot-in filters aremade fromoptical resin, whichis incredibly tough and lighter than glass, althoughmore proneto scratches. optically, they offer excellent quality, with littlediscernible quality to screw-ins. for the ultimate quality, look atpro-brands like lee filters, which use the very bestmaterials.

Toptip:CompatibilityYou’ll findmost brandsmakemorethan one size of slot-in system to suitdifferent types of Dslrs. The standardsize is 67mmbut if you havewide-angle lenses, we’d recommend youconsider the 85mmor 100mmformats. Note that as these sizes arestandard, similarly sized holderswillaccept filters fromother brands.

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Close-upfiltersOnbright dayswhen the sunis high in the sky and notparticularly suitable forlandscape photography,many photographers turntheir attention to shootingdetails in the scenery. Close-up filters areuseful if you don’t own amacro lens andwant to shoot small objects at highmagnification.

NeutralDensityThese aren’t essential filters,but are very useful. ANeutralDensity filter is grey in colourand doesn't alter the colourbalance of an image butinstead reduces the amountof light passing through to the lens. Theyaremainly used in bright sunlight, whenyou need to use awide aperture tominimise depth-of-field, or a slowershutter speed to emphasisemovement.

OurfavouritefiltertypesThereare literallyhundredsofdifferent typesoffilteravailable,butourshortlistbelowhighlights thosethatwillprovemostbeneficial toyourphotography

Skylight/UV/ProtectionfiltersThese are essentially clearglass filters that protect thefront element of your lensfromdust,marks and damage.TheUVfilter also aids in theremoval of haze but all three aremore orless the same.We’d recommend youattach one to each of your lenses.

NDGraduatefilterGraduates have a dark areathat fades to clear and areused to balance bright skywith a darker foreground.They’re available in a varietyof colours, but we’d say theonly grad to buy at first is theND (NeutralDensity) graduate. These have a gradualNDeffect that does not change the colourbalance of the sky, but allows detail to berecorded in the scene. NDgrads areavailable in various densities, with the0.6NDgrad being a good first choice.You’ll find that there are soft- or hard-edged variants too, relating to how thegrad effect falls off –we’d suggest youbeginwith a soft-edged grad.

NDfilter factors:This table explains therelationship between exposures andfilterfactors. Light loss is stated in stops.Density Filter factor Light loss0.3 2x 10.6 4x 20.9 8x 31.2 16x 4

PolariserIf you shoot outdoorsregularly, buy a polarisingfilter. It saturates colours, inparticular blue sky, aswell asminimising glare andreflections fromshinysurfaces like foliage orwater.The effect of a polariser can’t be replicatedaccurately in Photoshop, which iswhymost landscape photographers neverleave homewithout one. Avoid linearpolarisers – you need a circular polariser;otherwise your camerawon’tmetercorrectly. Polarisers have a filter factor of4x and reduces the exposure by two stops,sowatch out for camera shake.While oneof themost expensive types of filter,they're definitelyworth the investment.

UV Polariser NDB+W52mm £32 £68 £2255mm £32 £77 £2558mm £35 £79 £2562mm £38 £83 £2867mm £45 £99 £3572mm £53 £114 £4077mm £70 £129 £55

Hoya52mm £16 £35 £2655mm £18 £40 £3058mm £20 £45 £3562mm £27 £50 £3567mm £34 £55 £4072mm £40 £60 £5577mm £45 £65 £65

Jessops52mm £15 £32 -55mm £16 £34 -58mm £20 £38 -62mm £20 £44 -67mm £26 £52 -72mm £32 £54 -77mm £36 £62 -

Kood52mm £8 £18 £1255mm £8 £21 £1358mm £8 £22 £1562mm £9 £30 £1567mm £9 £30 £1972mm £10 £36 £2877mm £12 £38 £29

Tiffen52mm £12 £30 £2355mm £12 £30 £2558mm £15 £35 £3062mm £15 £40 £3067mm £18 £45 £3572mm £25 £55 £5077mm £25 £60 £50

ScrewinfiltersGuideprices forpopularbrands

Usingslot-infilters

1) Screw in the appropriate adapter ring2) Attach the holder to the ring3) Slide the filter into the holder

0.9NDGRADNOGRAD

NDGRADNOGRAD

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This prestigious German brand isrenowned for producing screw-infilters with optimumquality, both interms of themetal filter ring and themanufacturing process behind itspremium, optical glass. It’s a verypopular brand with pros but it doescost around twice asmuch as otherbrands. If you need the ultimate inquality from a screw-in filter, then B+Wis the option for you, otherwise, Hoyais a great choice. One string in its bowis the ten-stop ND filter, which hasproven incredibly popular for daytimelong-exposure photography.

Hoya produces around 60 percent ofthe world’s optical glass, so you can beassured it offers excellent quality andvalue. Hoya offers themost extensiverange of any screw-in filter system,with literally every type of filter you canimagine. What’smore, for populartypes of filter such as polariser or UV,it has a number of options to suit alllevels of photographer from amateurthrough to pro. Its filters boast severalcutting edge technologies, for instancethe HD series boasts hardened glassand several layers ofmulti-coating toimprove contrast and reduce flare,while the Pro 1 Digital series have beenexclusively designed for use withdigital cameras. The extensive SuperHMC series covers themajority of filtertypes and provides fantastic quality ata great price. It’s worth downloadingHoya’s filter brochure to get a betteridea of the full range of filters on offer.

B+Wwww.daymen.co.uk

Hoyawww.intro2020.co.uk

Lee Filters is the ultimate choice forthe discerning photographer. Loved bypros and relished by enthusiasts, LeeFilters are as good as it gets in terms ofoptical quality, but due to the stringentmanufacturing processes involved,expect it to command high prices. Itsbrilliant 100mmsystem is thecornerstone of its success, with a highquality and versatile holder that can bemade to your own specification to holdvarying numbers of filters. The filtersthemselves are brilliant quality and aremanufactured from a number ofmaterials, including glass, resin andpolyester. Various kits are available andwe’d recommend the £187DigitalStarter kit, which comprises of anassembled holder, 0.6NDProGlass NDhard grad, 0.6 ND and cleaning cloth,all packed neatly into a pouch. Theother kit is the £132 Starter kit, whichincludes an assembled filter holder,0.6ND grad, cleaning cloth, Coral 3grad and pouch. Its ten-stop 'BigStopper' ND (around £100) is the beston themarket. Adaptor rings from49mm to 77mmcost £17, 82mmand86mmare £36while 93mm, 95mmand 105mm rings are £52. The filterholder (the Foundation kit) is £50.If you intendmaking a living from

photography and investing inexpensive lenses, then these are thefilters you should aspire to own.

Formany photographers over thedecades, the search for high-qualityand affordable slot-in filters startedand endedwith Cokin. This isn’t asurprise, because thismanufacturerwas the innovator of creative filters foramateur photographers and has ledthe way ever since. Cokin offers fourfilter sizes as follows: 67mm (A-series);84mm (P-series); 100mm (Z-Pro) and130mm (X-Pro) . The A-series is aimedmore for use with compacts orcamcorders, so the P-series is the bestintroductory option. If you usewide-angle lenses with a focal lengthwider than 28mm, you shouldconsider the Z-Pro range, while theX-Pro ismore formedium-formatphotographers. All the ranges offerplenty of options but the P-series haseverything the DSLR photographermay ever need, with over 140 filters tochoose from, including polarisers anda variety of ND grads. Filter rings areavailable for threads up to 82mmandthe P-holder accepts up to three filtersat a time. The Z-Pro series is a betterchoice for landscape photographers inparticular those with ultra-widezooms. Adaptor rings are availablefrom 49mm to 96mmand filters are100mmsquare, except for the gradswhich are 100x150mm.All the filters aremade fromCR39

optical resin and deliver high-qualityresults and because it’s such a popularrange, filters are very well priced. TheNDGrad Kit for the P-series isaffordable at £50 and consists of aCokin P filter holder, one P121L ND2Light Grad, one P121MND4Grad andone P121S ND8 Soft Grad filter. TheCokin P164 circular polariser is around£80while for the Z-Pro, you’re lookingat around £275 for the Z164!Adapter rings cost as follows:

A-series: £8; P-series: £11; X-Pro: £52and Z-Pro: £22.

Cokinwww.intro2020.co.uk

LeeFilterswww.leefilters.com

FilterbrandsThere aren’t toomany brands of filter but the choice they offer canbe confusing.We’ve highlighted the tried and tested filter brandsthat offer great value as well as high-quality products

Jessopswww.jessops.com

Its range of screw-in filtersmay belimited to 21 protection and polarisingfilters, but with prices starting at £15for a 52mmSkylight or UV, it’s a goodplace to start your filter collection.They’re well made too, so you won’thave to worry about quality. Mostfilters are kept in stock in-store as wellas being available for home delivery.

146 Gear:Filters TheEssentialGuidetoLandscapePhotography 3rdEdition

Kood has its own range of filters, withscrew-in filters imported from Japanand slot-in filtersmanufactured in theUK. The range of screw-in filters isn’ttoo large but includes polarisers,protection and close-up filters, as wellas various special effect items such asstarburst and colour correction filters.Kood also has a good range ofstepping rings too. Kood offers foursizes of slot-in filters: 67mm, 84mm,100mmand 130mm, so its filters arecompatible with all themajor slot-inbrands. Made fromCR39 optical resin,they offer decent quality and are agood budget buy. Kood isn’t availablefrom all high street outlets, so visit itswebsite for your nearest stockist. KoodCircular Polariser and ND grad in sizes84mm to 130mmcost between £20and £30 and can be purchased fromKood direct as well as a number ofcamera dealers.

Formattmakes a range of filters formovies and stills photography. ItsHitech filters are aimed specifically atdigital SLR photographers, made fromoptical resin and aremanufactured inthe UK to extremely high standards toprovide excellent optical quality. The67mm, 85mmand 100mmfiltersystems are compatible with otherslot-in brands and include an extensiverange of graduates. As well as hard-and soft-edged ND grads (from0.3-1.2), it offers a huge choice ofcolour grads, as well as the Blender,which graduates the effect through theentire length of the filter. Hitech isn’t aswell known or as widely available asCokin, but is a good alternative. An NDgrad kit with 0.3, 0.6 and 0.9 ND gradscosts £30 (85mm); £65 (100mm) and£85 (100x150mm). The circularpolariser costs £106 (85mm) or £110(100mm). A plastic holder costs under£10 and plastic adaptor rings costsaround £5 from 49mm to 77mm.

Koodwww.kood-international.com

Formatt(Hitech)www.formatt.co.uk

Tiffen is an American brand that hasbeen around for decades and isparticularly popular in themoviesindustry. Its range of screw-in filtersisn’t as comprehensive as Hoya’s, butit does cover all the key typesincluding protection filters, polarisersand Neutral Density filters. It also hasa number of special effect filters, inparticular lots of diffusion filtersincluding soft-focus, mist and fog, butthese aren’t filters you’d use on aregular basis. While the range isrelatively small, quality is high andTiffen filters comewith a ten-yearguarantee. You’ll also find that pricesare competitive too, making them adecent alternative to brands like Hoya,although the latter ismore likely to bestocked by your local photo dealer.

Tiffenwww.tiffen.com

FilteraidDonot underestimate

howfilters can be used toimprove your images,

especially if you're keenon shooting landscapes.

Search theweb and you’ll find filtersfrom little known brands like Helios. Moststem fromChina and as there are noofficial UK importers, it’s hard to qualifyhow good the optical quality will be

Unknownbrands

ROSSHODDINOTT

148 Equipment:Tripods

£150

£110

ChoosingtherighttripodFOR LANDSCAPES, A TRIPOD should be viewed as an essential part ofyour outfit. You’ll usually be using a small aperture setting to maximisedepth-of-field, along with a low ISO rating to give the highest qualityresults, which will result in long shutter speeds. Hand-holding might befeasible with some shots but with a tripod you never need to worry aboutthe shakes. You’ll also find that by placing the camera on a support, youcan spend more time and attention on fine-tuning the framing of thescene to get the best possible composition.You’ll find a huge variety of tripods on offer, so choosing one isn’t

straightforward, but there are two key factors to consider. The first isstability – while cheaper models may be tempting, the fact is if a tripoddoesn’t provide a stable platform, it fails. So ensure you pick a modelthat is sturdy enough to keep your camera kit totally still when shooting.The second factor to think about is howmuch a tripod weighs, whichis important as you’ll be carrying it, along with the rest of your gear, forconsiderable distances. Most tripods are made from aluminium, whichis very sturdy and fairly lightweight, although you’re looking at tripodsweighing around 2kg or more for decent models. If you want a tripod that’sjust as sturdy but far lighter, you’ll want to check out tripods made fromcarbon-fibre, although you’ll have to be prepared to pay a premium for one.

The selection of tripods recommended here have all received thehighest ratings in Digital SLR Photographymagazine. We’ve chosenexamples that cover various price ranges to ensure you find a model thatsuits your budget. Bear in mind that with the more expensive models, youbuy the tripod and the head separately, so you can mix and match to suityour needs. We’ve stated average street prices at time of publication.

Features1) HEADThere are varioustypes of tripod headavailable, fromball andsocket to three-waypan andtilt. Somehaveinterchangeable heads.Wehave tested all the tripodsherewith three-waypan andtilt heads,which are themost popular for general use.When choosing a tripod,attach yourDSLR securelyand ensure the head is freefrommovement.2)QUICKRELEASEPLATEThese allow you to quicklyattach anddetach yourDSLR to/from the tripod.All of the tripods in thisreviewhave one.3) LEGLOCKSMost of thetripods in this test feature‘clip’ locks, which are easy touse andprovide a firm lock.4) LEGSECTIONSTripodswith three leg sections orless tend to be themoststurdy, as themore sectionsyouhave, the less stable theycanbecome.5) SPIRIT LEVELSUsefulfor landscapephotography inparticular,many tripodsfeature built-in spirit levels,but if not, you your localphoto store should sell onethat slots on to your hotshoe.6)BAGHOOKSome tripodshave hooks on the centralcolumn, fromwhich a bagcanbehung, using itsweightto add stability to the tripodinwindy conditions.7) TRIPODFEETSpikes aregood for grip outdoors butwill scratch flooring. Rubberfeet offer goodgrip indoorsandoutside and are the bestchoice for general use.

GiottosMTL9351B+MH5011headLENGTH (CLOSED):64cmNUMBEROFLEGSECTIONS: 3HEIGHT (LEGSEXTENDED): 159cmTYPEOFHEAD:Three-waypan and tiltWEIGHT: 2.1kgWEBSITE:www.daymen.co.ukTheGiottos has very solid aluminium legswith foaminsulators, to keep’ hands from freezing to themoncold days. The nuts and locks are a combination ofplastic anddie-cast aluminium, and are as solid ascould be hoped for at this price. The three-way head iseasily controllable and features three spirit levels inaddition to the one on the legs, so there’s no excuse forwonky horizons! It has a lockable rotational centralcolumn,which canbe removed and re-insertedhorizontally or inverted formacro or copywork. Thetripod is very sturdy for the price, and comeswith itsown tool kit in case youneed tomake any adjustments.There is also a hiddenbaghook underneath the centralcolumn. TheMTL9351Bhad absolutely no problemscopingwith our test camera (NikonD80) andwouldprovide a very suitable platformonwhich the amateurlandscaper couldmount hisDSLR.

GiottosMTL3361B+MH5001headLENGTH (CLOSED):68cmHEIGHT (LEGSEXTENDED): 165cmNUMBEROFLEGSECTIONS: 3MAXIMUMLOAD:8kgWEIGHT: 3.3kgWEBSITE:www.daymen.co.ukThebuild quality of theGiottos is very good. It’s heavy,but very solid. The thick aluminium legs offer goodstability, even in strongwinds. The joints and locks arebuilt to a high quality, and comewith a tool kit shouldthey need adjusting. At itsmaximumheightwith thecentral columnextended, it still feels stable, and keptour test camera very steady. The tripod has rubberfeet, which are slightly pointy,making it perfect forbeaches and fields, but it takes a bit longer tostabilise on tarmacor hard surfaces; althoughonce itis set up, it is perfectly steady. The central columncanbe removed and replaced horizontally, which,whencombinedwith the three-position lockable legs (andthey open reallywide), allows the camera to get downreally low formacrowork.With this head fitted, thereare three spirit levels to keep your shots straight, andpanning is a breeze. There is also a bag hook.

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InterchangeabletripodheadsMost high-end tripods aren’t suppliedwith ahead. This allows users to choose theirpreferred legs and a specialist orgeneral-purpose head. The twomostcommon types of heads are as follows:

Ball and socket:These range fromverysimple headswith one control to complexunitswith panoramic locks andgauges,grip-locks, and hydraulic ball-locking systems.Usually stronger andquicker to adjust thanpan and tilt heads, they allow freemovementin all directions. ‘Slipping’ used to be aproblem, not somuchnow, though.

Three-way heads:Commonly available aspan and tilt heads, these are good forprecisionwork likemacro photography, butare great for all types of photography. Panninggauges, showing the shooting angle, areuseful for panoramic shots, although there arespecialised headsmade for this too. Fluidheads have the smoothest panningmotion,making them ideal for sports photographers.

TheEssentialGuidetoLandscapePhotography 3rdEdition

TECHNIQUE WATCH! Ball&socket

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Manfrotto190XPROB+460MGheadLENGTH (CLOSED): 57cmHEIGHT (LEGSEXTENDED): 146cmNUMBEROFLEGSECTIONS: 3MAXIMUMLOAD: 5kgWEIGHT: 2.25kgWEBSITE:www.manfrotto.comThis aluminium tripod fromManfrotto is one of thelightest in this price category. The legs are very sturdyand supports the camera perfectlywell in all positions.The flip locks are easy to open and close and verysecure, and there are vari-position locks to keep thelegs secure at different settings. Perhaps themostinteresting feature of the legs, is that the centralcolumncanbe switched to horizontal position, formacro shots, without removing it from the legs. This isan excellent feature, as itmakes the process very easyand fast to carry out. The head is very versatile, as itcan pan, tilt and swivel in just about any direction, andis very easy to operate. The lack of panning handlesmaynot be to everyone’s taste, but the head is soversatile that itmore thanmakes up for it. Spiritlevels canbe foundon the head and central columnbrace, and abaghook is located on the legs.

VelbonSherpa435WithPHD-41QheadLENGTH (CLOSED): 53cmHEIGHT (OPEN): 161cmNUMBEROFLEGSECTIONS:3WEIGHT: 1.49kgMAXLOAD: 3kgWEBSITE:www.intro2020.co.ukAt themore affordable endof themarket is thiscombinedhead and legs set fromVelbon. The tripod’sblack aluminium legs have three sections, locked inplacewith easy-to-open clip-style locks. The centrecolumn is adjustable and reversible for low-angleshooting. For an entry-levelmodel, thePHD-41Qhead is a goodbuy too. It’s bigger andmore sturdythan others in this bracket andwill take loads of upto 3kgwith noproblem.We like the head’s relativesimplicity: using it quickly becomes secondnature. Twopaddedhandles controlmovement,and one of these unscrews andfits inside theotherwhen the tripod is stored. Awell-designedquick-release plate completes the package. This is acracking buy for the beginner or intermediatephotographerwhowants a general purpose tripod toimprove their images andopenmore options.

Manfrotto055XPROB+322RC2headLENGTH (CLOSED):65.5cmHEIGHT (LEGSEXTENDED): 178.5cmNUMBEROFLEGSECTIONS: 3MAXIMUMLOAD: 7kgWEIGHT: 3.15kgWEBSITE:www.manfrotto.comThebuild quality of this die-cast aluminium tripod isexcellent. It is very sturdy, and very reassuring. The055XPROB features the samedual positioning centralcolumnas the 190XPROB, aswell as a spirit level, baghook and foam leg grips, which help to protect theuser’s handswhenusing the tripod in coldweather.The legs each have a four-position lock,whichmakes it versatile and secure. You’ll either love orhate the trigger-style grip head, butwe found itincredibly quick and easy to adjust, getting yourcamera into just the right positionwith theminimumof fuss. Not having to tighten levers alsosaves time, and reduces the risk of knocking the headout of place. The headhas its own spirit level, allowingyou tomake sure that your camera is level. This head isparticularly useful when combinedwith the versatilityof the central columnof the tripod andwhen shooting

SlikPro700DXwith700DXpan&tiltheadLENGTH (CLOSED): 76cmHEIGHT (LEGSEXTENDED): 190cmNUMBEROFLEGSECTIONS:3MAXIMUMLOAD:6.8kgWEIGHT: 3.2kgWEBSITE:www.intro2020.co.ukThe largest tripod in this category is very sturdy andfeels as though it couldwithstand any treatment. Thedesign is simple but stylish, and it certainly looks like atripod for serious use. Although it is quite heavy, it isstill very portable for its size. The locks are strong andsecure, yet easy to open,while the reversible centralcolumnallows users to take low level andmacro shotswith ease. This is particularly effectivewhenusedwith the legs openwide,which canbedone easilyusing the three-position locks, which hold themfirmlyin position. The pan and tilt head features a panninglock, and has a very smooth panningmotion. Thequick release plate is circular, whichmakes it very easyto attach anddetach the camera. There are two spiritlevels, which help to keephorizontals and verticalsstraight. Although there is no baghook, the tripod is sosturdy you are unlikely tomiss it.

GiottosMT8246B+MH1302-652headLENGTH (CLOSED): 51cmHEIGHT (LEGSEXTENDED): 148cmNUMBEROFLEGSECTIONS: 4MAXIMUMLOAD: 3kgWEIGHT: 1.375kgWEBSITE:www.daymen.co.ukThis tripod is exceptionally light, especially for its size,yet it is sturdy, although themaximum loadmayproverestrictive for some. The rubberised twist locks aresecure and comfortable to use and foam leg grips givea comfortable grip in coldweather. The three-positionangle locks ensure that the legs don’t slip, which isreassuring to those using expensive kit. The centralcolumn is reversible for low level andmacro shots,and has a baghook. The ball and socket head is alsovery secure, and it is easy tomanoeuvre the headinto just about any position. It has a variable frictioncontrol, allowing the user a great deal of control, whichmeans that precision adjustments are quick and easyto implement. The three spirit levels help to ensurethat horizontals and verticals are perfectly aligned,making this a great all round tripod for almost any typeof photography, not least landscapes.

Manfrotto190CXPRO3+484RC2headLENGTH (CLOSED): 58cmHEIGHT (LEGSEXTENDED): 146cmNUMBEROFLEGSECTIONS: 3MAXIMUMLOAD: 5kgWEIGHT: 1.62kgWEBSITE:www.manfrotto.comThisManfrotto is exceptionally light, and its sleekdesign looks fantastic. Despite its thin legs, it wassturdy and supported our test camerawith ease. Thetwist locks are very strong andprove quick to use. Thecentral columncanbe raised andmoved intohorizontal positionwithout removing it from the legs,making the tripodperfect formacro and low levelshots, and very easy to use. Themulti-position leglocks have a depressable button,making themmucheasier andnicer to use than those that have clips thatmust be lifted. The ball and socket head is very smoothand easy to use, as one switch controls everything. Thisis ideal for quick positioning, but not as precise assomeof the other heads in the test. There is a spiritlevel, to ensure that your tripod is level, and the centrecolumnboasts a bag hook, allowing extraweight to beattached for stability in highwinds.

3rdEdition TheEssentialGuidetoLandscapePhotography

150 Equipment:Bags

GadgetbagsandbackpacksYOUR MAIN CONSIDERATIONS should be how much kit can it hold andwhether to go for a bag that hangs over the shoulder or a backpack.Most outdoor photographers prefer backpacks as they distribute weightover your shoulders and back, making it far easier to carry gear overlong distances. The daypack holds photo gear in the bottom section andgeneral items in the top compartment, while dedicated photo backpacksare designed with larger kits in mind. Consider the following:Comfort: As you carry more kit, the weight increases, so shoulder strapsare important. The wider and more padded they are, the less they diginto your shoulders. Waist straps are useful, as they relieve tension fromthe lumbar region and help keep your back straight. Another importantfactor is the bag’s frame. Some are sturdier than others, which may seemuncomfortable at first, but can help keep your back straight on long treks.Capacity: Think about how much kit you plan to carry. This will ultimatelydetermine the size of bag you need. All the bags in this test haveadjustable compartments, so they are quite versatile. We also list internaldimensions, so you can see exactly how much space they offer.Features (see panel below): Some photographers just want a bag withlots of space, others are more demanding over specific features. Mosthave have front pockets, designed to help you organise your memorycards and batteries into used and unused. Many of the bags have waterbottle holders, tripod clips or pouches and rain covers.Build Quality: How well the backpack is put together, including thestitching, zippers and weatherproofing, determines how long it ought tolast, how strong it is and how well it protects your equipment.Price:We’ve stated average street prices at time of publication.

Features1) STRAPSCheck to see ifthe straps are adjustable,padded andwide, to stopthem fromcutting into yourshoulders on long journeys.Also look forwaist straps.2) PADDINGSomebagshave pressure pads on theback,whichwill take a lot ofthe strain out of long journeysand spread theweight of thegear over a larger area.3) STORAGE/CAPACITYDoes the baghold all theequipment youwill need foryour photography? If there istoomuch empty space, the bagwill be unbalanced,which canbebad for your back. All thebags in this test featureadjustable dividers andofferquite a bit of versatility.4)WEATHERPROOFING/RAINCOVERMost bagsareweather resistant. Someareweather proof, andothers have all-weathercovers that canbepulled outfromahidden compartment,usually on the base.5) LAPTOPCOMPARTMENTMake sure that the laptopcompartment is big enoughfor your computer, as theyvary in size. The padding isalso important here.6)ACCESSORYCLIPSSomebags allow you to attach furtherbags, tripods andmonopods,but someare only compatiblewith themanufacturer’s ownclip systems.7) ZIPS If you goout a lot inbadweather or nearwater,make sure that the zips are upto it.Wildlife photographersshould also consider the noisemadeby the zips, as animalscanbe easily frightenedoff.

Tamrac AdventureMessenger5DIMENSIONS:37x30x22cmWEIGHT: 1.07kgWARRANTY: Five yearsCONTACT:01628674411WEBSITE:www.intro2020.co.ukIf youwant to carry a laptopwith you, then thisis a goodbudget choice, as it has awell-padded,laptop compartment at the rear. There is lots ofinternal space and comfortably holds a largeDSLR, like aNikonD700with 24-70mm lensattached, a 70-200mmf/2.8 zoom lens andflashgun. There are four dividers to changethe layout, so you could easily keep a smallerbody, extra lenses, and other accessories inthere too. It’s not short on features either,with a paddednon-slip strap, a carry handleand slots to addon components from theTamracStrapAccessorySystem.A largepocket at the front has sections for pens,stationery or note pads, a pocket in the lid forsmaller itemsand adedicatedmobile phonepocket. If you have amediumor largeDSLR,extra lenses and a laptop, this is a great buy.

LoweproClassified250AWDIMENSIONS (OUTER): 46.5x28x35.5cmWEIGHT: 1.9kgWARRANTY: LifetimeCONTACT:01902864646WEBSITE:www.daymen.co.ukAdiscreet camera bagwith room for lots ofcamera gear aswell as a laptop. The interior ofthe bag is very deep, so you candouble-up onstorage by stacking itemson top of each other.The bag’s depth alsomakes it very suitablefor cameraswith long lenses. A paddedsection provides storage for a 15in laptop.Leather is used to good effect throughout thebag and the grab handles and shoulder strapare verywell designed. Entry into themainsection of the bag is through a clever roof zipthat is easy to access on themove and isprotected by the handle buckling over it.You’ll be able to fit at least twoDSLRswith anadditional twoor three lenses in the spaciousmain section. A luggage sleevemeans that youcan attach this bag to the handles of awheeliecase. The bag is hand-luggage friendly too.

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TheEssentialGuidetoLandscapePhotography 3rdEdition

BESTBUY

Gadgetbag Backpack

FittingandwearingabagproperlyIf you’re carrying a lot of heavy kit, it’s important that your bag sitscorrectly on your back or at your side. This advice can prevent all kinds ofback and posture problems.With a backpack, ensure that both straps areover your shoulders and tightened so that the bag sits in the centre of yourback. If it has waist and chest straps,make sure you use them to distributethe weight evenly across your back, rather than just your shoulders. Forshoulder bags, pull the strap over your head to the opposite shoulder. Thiswill distribute the weight better than if it were on the closest shoulder andstops it from slipping off your shoulder, or being easily snatched.

Kit watch!

Equipment:Bags 1513rdEdition TheEssentialGuidetoLandscapePhotography

£135

TamracExpedition7xDIMENSIONS: 33x34x50cmWEIGHT: 2.9kgWARRANTY: Five years (limited)CONTACT:01628674411WEBSITE:www.intro2020.co.ukTheExpedition 7x boasts lots of roomandacomfortable harness system. There’s loads ofpadding on the shoulder straps, lumbersupport andwaist belt, togetherwith airflowchannels to keep you cool. There’s no rain cover,butwater-resistant zips and a lock-down rainflaphelp protect your gear. The dual hingedivider systemhelps you carry one or twoDSLRs,with zoomsattached;with room tospare for other lenses, and and you canboostcapacitywith Tamrac’sModular AccessorySystemandStrapAccessorySystem. There’s a15in laptop compartment and two ‘wing’accessory pocketswith Tamrac’sMemory andBatteryManagement System for organisingthose essentials. There’s also a plasticreinforcedpocket, which provides protection forfragile accessories and acts as a tripod footrest.

HIGHLYRATED

£100

LoweproVertex100AWDIMENSIONS: 30x25x42cmWEIGHT: 2.3kgWARRANTY: LifetimeCONTACT:01902864646WEBSITE:www.daymen.co.ukThis is a traditional photo backpack designedpredominantly for carrying camera gear. It haswater-resistant zippers, a seam-sealedAllWeather finish anddedicated rain cover. Theadjustable harnessmakes it very comfortableto carry, and there’s sternumandwaist supportbelts to help spread the load. Internal spacemakes it possible to squeeze in twoDSLRswithlenses attached and at least threemore lensestoo, and there are plenty of dividers to alter thelayout. There is also a 13in laptop compartment,not tomention a detachable tripod foot, and theexterior dimensions conform to themaximumhand luggage specifications for airlines too.The front pockets feature pouches for sparebatteries andmemory cards, there are a coupleofmeshpockets for other essentials and adocuments pocket, too.

BESTBUY

£120

LoweproProRunner450AWDIMENSIONS: 34x29x50.5cmWEIGHT: 2.7kgWARRANTY: LifetimeCONTACT:01902864646WEBSITE:www.daymen.co.ukTheProRunner 450AWholds a lot of gear,with room for two largeDSLRswith zoomsattached, and space for several extra lenses,flashguns, a third body and a 17in laptop too.The shoulder straps are thickly padded andadjustable, and thewaist belt and carry handlewill be appreciatedwhen carting about all thatweight. The compression straps help reducethe bulk on the 450AW for easiertransportation, there’s a built-in AllWeathercover and you can carry a tripod using theloops and tripod foot. The front pocketwillhold a fewpersonal items, the three internalpockets featurewindowpanepanels to helpkeep things like filters ondisplay, and there aretwodedicatedmemory card pouches, too.This bag is a great option for carrying a largeoutfit aswell as personal gear.

HIGHLYRATED

£70

TamracAeroSpeed85DIMENSIONS: 36x23x50cmWEIGHT: 1.6kgWARRANTY: Five yearsCONTACT:01628674411WEBSITE:www.intro2020.co.ukWith space to hold personal and camera gear,theAeroSpeedPack85 is similar to theAdventure 7, but a bit bigger, and the alternatelayout allows you to carrymore gear. It can holda largeDSLR, at least three lenses and it’s alsocompatiblewith Tamrac’s SAS system to slip onextra pouches. There’s both side and front entryaccess,whichmakes getting gear out a littlequicker, although you still need to take thisbackpack off first. The top of the bag has roomfor a light coat, lunch and a fewother essentials,but there’s no laptop compartment. Otherpockets are limited too, there are a couple ofsidemeshpockets, andVelcro and zippedpouches for storingmemory cards andbatteries. Padding on the rear andnon-slipstraps is thin and there’s no sternumstrap,waist belt or rain cover either.

HIGHLYRATED

£60

LoweproFastpack250DIMENSIONS: 31.5x24x46cmWEIGHT: 1.6kgWARRANTY: LifetimeCONTACT:01902864646WEBSITE:www.daymen.co.ukAvailable in black, blue or red trim, the Fastpack250 features two compartments and is ideal fortravelling light. The camera compartment iswell padded, holds a largeDSLRwith zoomattached, alongwith one or two small lensesand flash. There’s no room for a secondbody orlarger lenses though, but the rear paddedpocket does hold a 15in laptop. The side entrycompartment helps you get at your gearquickly, but youdoneed to take it off to get gearout safely. The top compartment isn’t aswellpadded, so is not designed for camera gear, butit does include twopockets formemory cardsandpens. Thanks to the generous padding onthe shoulder straps andback, the Fastpack 250is comfortable to carry, the sternumandbacksupport straps hold it nicely in place and there’sa carry handle to boot.

BESTBUY

£80

HamaDefender170ProDIMENSIONS: 40x26x45cmWEIGHT:2.8kgWARRANTY: 30yearsCONTACT:08452304262WEBSITE:www.hama.co.ukThis large backpack has two compartments,both ofwhich feature generous space. Thelower compartment fits a largeDSLRwith24-70mmf/2.8 attached, a long zoom,flashgun, two small primes and even a secondbody. The flexible dividersmake it versatile too,as thewhole padded section can also beremoved, and there’s a large 17in laptopcompartment. The construction is robustwithUltraDobbyNylon, protected zips, toughbelts,strongmetal hooks and a rubber base thatcovers the bottom, so noproblems leaving it onwet ground. The shoulder straps are adjustable,but not verywell padded, and there’s awaistbelt, lumber support andpadding on the rearfor improved comfort. Features are good too,with a detachablemicrofibre cloth,memorycardwallet, rain cover and several pockets.

BESTBUY

1) NavigatioNal aids There are a number of useful tools availableto make sure you head in the right direction. A simple compass and anOrdnance Survey map are the basic requirements – both are availablefrom high street camping shops. If you use a map, we’d recommend awaterproof casing, such as the Aquamap case from Outdoor Designs(www.outdoordesigns.co.uk). Handheld GPS units have becomefar more commonplace and if you’re serious about your outdoorphotography, one that we’ve found to deliver a superb performance isthe Active 10 by SatMap (www.satmap.com). It’s expensive at around£300 but is incredibly accurate and is preloaded with maps for thewhole of the UK, with additional maps available on SD cards. If you’rekeen on shooting sunrises and sunsets, there are a number of suncompasses that do a great job, from the credit-card sized £3 Depssicard by Blue Pond (www.bluepondimages.com) to the £21 FlightLogistics Sun Position Compass (www.flight-logistics.com).

2) MeMory cards The price of memory cards has fallen to such alow that there is little excuse for not having a small collection of themin your kit bag. In terms of capacity, we recommend going for a set oftwo to six 8GB cards, depending on the length of your trip. Choosefrom a reputable brand like Lexar or SanDisk to minimise the risk ofa card developing a fault and losing any images stored on it.

3) leNs hood As well as preventing flare from the sun, which canruin picture quality, a lens hood also provides suitable protectionfor your lens in the rain, so leave it fitted at all times. Watch out forvignetting on ultra wide-angle lenses.

4) reMote releases Long exposures mean camera shake is a realproblem. Using an electronic remote release helps minimise cameramovement when firing the shutter. Check your instruction manual forbranded remotes or consider one of the many excellent remotes byHama, Hahnel and Seculine. Prices start at around £15.

5) PersoNal storage device If you plan a trip running any longerthan a weekend, you’ll most likely need some form of image back-up.A laptop’s the ideal choice if you want to Photoshop your images whileaway, but for most, a personal storage device is a better option. Choosea model with a large LCD monitor so that you can review and editimages. In our opinion, the best models are made by Epson, with ourfavourite being the £550 80GB Epson P-7000, which has slots for SDand CompactFlash cards and a bright, sharp 4in screen.

6) cleaNiNg kit Keep one or even two lens cloths in your gadgetbag. As well as being perfect for cleaning dirt marks and dust fromyour lens surfaces, they’re also ideal to wipe away raindrops. Two clothsallow you to use one just for moisture and heavy soiling.

7) hotshoe sPirit level Avoiding uneven horizons is relativelyeasy. Use a tripod with an integral spirit level or slip a cheap andcheerful spirit level onto your hotshoe. Alternatively, buy a SeculineAction Level (www.intro2020.co.uk) and use its colour LEDs andaudible beeps to help you straighten up your camera.

8) light Meter For perfect exposures, you can’t beat the precision ofa handheld meter. While your camera’s integral meter is very accurate,many pros still swear by the extra versatility and precision given bya handheld meter. For those looking for absolute reassurance, we’drecommend the Sekonic L-308s, which is the latest version of thelandscaper’s favourite. Small, accurate and easy to use, this tidy littlenumber represents excellent value for money at £130.

9) sPare batteries Make sure you take your charger away with youand charge your batteres the night before. If you can, carry a spare setwith you. If your DSLR uses a lithium-ion cell, as well as the brandedbattery, there are various third party options too. Ask your dealeror check the classified and dealer ads in Digital SLR Photographymagazine for details. If your DSLR uses AA batteries, you’ll findrechargeables from the likes of Energizer are superb, as is the range ofEneloop batteries from Sanyo ((www.intro2020.co.uk).

10) safety Pack It’s worth keeping a small selection of high-energysnack bars in your kitbag to keep you going beyond meal times or inan emergency. You should also pack a whistle and a torch just in caseyou get lost or have an accident while on your own. If you’re heading toisolated areas, make sure you take your mobile phone and ensure it’sfully charged before you leave. Always tell someone your plans.

EssentialaccessoriesCHOOSInG WHAT YOU nEED to take with you or leave behind isn’teasy. You have to balance the fact that you don’t want to be walkingaround with a heavy load with that of not wanting to discover milesfrom your base that you’re missing a vital piece of kit. Here we runthrough the items that make up a shortlist of accessories to consider.

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152 Equipment:Generalaccessories TheEssentialGuidetoLandscapePhotography 3rdedition

Equipment:Clothing 1533rdEdition TheEssentialGuidetoLandscapePhotography

1) KEEp your hEad warm wITh a BEanIE haT! You lose closeto a third of your body heat through your head and so it’s importantto wear a hat or cap in cold conditions. While baseball caps are OK,their peak will get in the way when you hold the camera to your eye.You can always spin it round but maybe opt for a beanie hat instead,which will help keep your head warm and won’t take up much spacewhen you take it off. You’ll find them available in plain or patterneddesigns to suit your fashion sense (or lack of it!).

2) KEEp your fIngErs nImBlE! Cold winds can really freezeup your fingers and make it more difficult to press buttons andtweak controls on your DSLR. The easiest solution is to wear gloves,although standard types are quite thick and still make it difficultto operate your camera. Our favourites are both made by OutdoorDesigns (www.outdoordesigns.co.uk) and are well worth tryingout. The Takustretch has a grip palm and is made from wind-resistant materials to keep your hands warm. Better still is theKonagrip convertible, a windproof fleece glove with leather grippalm and flip-over finger mitt.

3) wEar good fooTwEar! You’re more than likely going to covermiles in pursuit of stunning landscapes, so your average trainers aren’tthe best choice. Depending on how far you plan to walk, the typeof terrain and time of year, you should look to wear shoes that arecomfortable, hard-wearing and practical. Walking boots are best forserious treks and the likes of the £90 Berghaus Explorer(www.berghaus.com) are ideal, offering comfort, durability andsupport. You’ll find them available for men and women invarious colours. Another great option is Patagonia’s Thatcherhiking shoes (www.patagonia.com), which are extremelycomfortable and lightweight and incredibly durable. They’refashionable too and very well priced at around £60.

4) don’T forgET your socKs! Cold or wet feet makewalking around a real misery, as can wearing too thick asock in warmer conditions. It’s worth buying a couple ofpairs of decent socks to suit the season and type of shoeyou wear. Bridgedale (www.bridgedale.com) are leaders inthis department, offering socks to suit cold weather, lighttreks or longer walks where comfort is essential. They’vea bewildering choice on offer, but we’d recommend theEndurance Trekker and Comfort Trekker for longer walks, andthe lightweight Bamboo Crew in warmer weather.

5) KEEp your Body warm and dry! The humble fleece isan unsung hero in outdoor clothing, proving relatively lightweight,incredibly warm and very hard-wearing. They’re also available in variousdesigns and colours too, so are as fashionable as they are practical.You’ll find all high street fashion stores stock their own brands, butwe’d really recommend you check out those from outdoor specialistslike Patagonia, Paramo and Berghaus as they’re generally made frombetter quality materials. In cold weather the general rule is wear oneor two thinner layers as opposed to one thick layer as the air betweeneach layer is warmed up. So a fleece top with an outer fleece is a goodoption to consider. If it’s especially cold or windy, a windproof jacketadds an extra layer of protection. For this guide, we tried out a numberof fleeces and found the Patagonia R1 Pullover and Berghaus Aranato be excellent choices as a fleece top. The Berghaus Aura is a decentchoice as an outer layer, while we found when shooting by the coastthat Paramo’s Pajaro and Cascada (www.paramo.co.uk) offered superbprotection from the wind and sea-spray and are well worth investing in.Incidentally, when choosing colours, bear in mind right reds are greatfor visibility, so perfect when heading to remote locations, but not sucha good choice if you ever plan on stalking wildlife!

6) proTEcT your lEgs! In truth, few amateur photographershead outdoors in anything other than a pair of jeans and while they’recomfortable, they’re not ideal when the going gets wet. If the weather isunpredictable or you know you’ll be shooting near the coast, considera pair of waterproof trousers. Again, outdoor specialists are best, withParamo’s Cascada trousers generally considered to be one of the best.

ClothingaccessoriesDEDICATED OuTDOOR PhOTOGRAPhERS are often shootingfrom before dawn until after dusk and you’ll find them dressedaccordingly. As well as thick clothing to deal with coldtemperatures and high winds, you should also consider breathablegarments to allow perspiration to evaporate in the heat andcomfortable footwear that can handle hours of trudging alonggreen countryside, rocky mountains and wet bogs. Ensure you’reprotected from the elements by following our guide to the best.

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154 Ensureperfectexposures

HowtouseyourfreeexposuremeteringandWBcards

DIGITAL SLRS USE sophisticated exposure systems and all work usingthe same assumption that the average of the scene that is being meteredfrom is a mid-tone, or 18% grey to be exact; i.e. the average of all dark, lightand mid-tones mixed together is 18% grey. It’s the basis of all meteringpatterns and works surprisingly well but while it’s fine for the majority ofshooting situations, it can lead to incorrect exposures when the scene orsubject is considerably lighter or darker in tone than 18% grey. For example,very dark areas can fool the metering system into overexposing the image.Similarly, very light subjects, such as a snow scene, can fool the camerainto underexposing them –making them appear darker than they are – asthe light meter will take a reading designed to render them as a mid-tone.As a camera is trying to render an image ‘grey’, it’s your job to ensureyou compensate to keep the tones true to life. You can do this by eitherusing one of your camera’s exposure override facilities, such as exposure

compensation or the AE-Lock button, or by metering from an area of thescene that has a mid-tone. And that’s where our grey card comes in. Usingit is very simple as our step by step guide below illustrates. The key thing toremember is that you need to place the grey card in similar lighting to yourscene, for instance, don’t place it in a shaded area if your scene is bathedin sunlight. Also, make sure that the card fills the metering area – we’drecommend you use spot or partial metering as the card won’t need to fillthe entire image area – but any is suitable. You can either lock the exposureusing your camera’s AE-Lock facility or note the aperture and shutter speedand then switch to Manual mode and set these, although this method isn’tsuitable to days here lighting is variable. The card has AF reference lines tohelp your camera’s autofocus lock on to it. However, you don’t necessarilyneed it to be in focus to work correctly. The grey card (as well as the whitecard) can also be used to take a customWhite Balance reading from too.

The 18%grey card can be used to ensure perfect exposureswhen shooting in tricky lighting conditions (see below).Both reference cards can also be used to set a customWhite Balance. Depending on the camera you use, youneed to take aWhite Balance reading off the grey or thewhite card (your camera’s instructionswill show you how)

1GETTINGSTARTEDPlace your grey card onthe ground angled towards you and ensure it’s

located in a spot that is bathed in the same light asthemajority of your scene you plan to shoot.

2TAKEAMETERREADINGEnsure that theentiremetering area is filled by the grey card

(in this instancewe’re usingmulti-zonemetering)and lock the exposurewith theAE-Lock button.

3COMPOSE&SHOOTWith this exposurelocked, you can compose your scene and take

your shots.When you check it on your LCDmonitor, the exposure should be perfect.

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Meteredtoperfection!Sceneswithbright skies can leadtoexposureerror.Useagrey cardandyoushouldhavenoproblems.

TheEssentialGuidetoLandscapePhotography 3rdEdition

Whether you use the grey card or not, in

tricky lighting conditions, bracket yourexposure by +/-1 stops using yourcamera’s exposure compensation or AEB

functions to ensure you get the shot

Besuretobracket!

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Grey card

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wB referencecard