Presentation to the Virginia Photography Club on Nov. 2, 2010. Guidelines for Landscape Photography with my own photo examples.

1. 12 WAYS TO
ROCK
LANDSCAPE
PHOTOGRAPHY
ALEXA MILLER // @ALEXALMILLER // ALEIGHM.COM

2. #1 FIND A FOCAL POINT
Landscapes should still
draw the eye using
effective composition &
the rule of thirds.

3. #2 LOOK FOR LINES
Eyes follow lines.

4. #3 SEEK
NATURAL
FRAMES
• Trees and rocks are great for
framing.
• Horizons don’t HAVE to be
straight.
•Try to avoid positioning horizons
at the center of the photo.

5. #4 CAPTURE
MOTION
• APERTURE + SHUTTER SPEED
• TRIPOD + REMOTE
• DON’T FORGET ABOUT
COMPOSITION!

6. #5 THINK ABOUT DEPTH OF FIELD
• APERTURE
• The narrower the aperture, the wider the
depth of field.
• The larger the F-Stop, the narrower the
aperture.
• You may need a longer exposure to
achieve maximum depth of field.

7. #6GET THE
LIGHT RIGHT
• WHERE IS THE SUN?
• BRACKETING + HDR
• YOUR TRIPOD IS STILL
YOUR FRIEND

8. #7
GET THE LIGHT
WRONG
Because
sometimes, it just
looks cool.

9. #8PLAN.
• GOLDEN HOUR – Sunset &
sunrise, when the sun is low in
the sky. Light is less intense at
these times.
• TIME OF YEAR
• APPS LIKE LIGHTTRAC – Plan
for a specific geographic
location, know when the sun will
disappear behind hills, etc
www.LightTracApp.com

10. #9 POLARIZE
Use a circular polarizer to
darken blue skies, saturate
colors, and eliminate reflections
from water and windows.
Photo credit: randomSPACE
CIRCULAR POLARIZER NO FILTER

11. #10 DON’T FORGET THE
FOREGROUND
It’s easy to get in the habit
of using the sky as the point
of interest. Don’t forget to
consider the foreground
when composing your
landscapes photographs.

12. #11 CAPTURE MORE
• It’s easier than ever to stitch multiple photos together. Automate in
Photoshop or download free software
• Tip: Capture even more by stitching vertical photos to create a horizontal panorama
• YOUR TRIPOD IS STILL YOUR FRIEND

13. #12 SHOOT RAW
Maintain the ability to adjust your photos while retaining quality.