Manual For Shooting Landscapes

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Mon Corpuz:

Manual For Shooting Landscapes

I've been asked several times if I do workshops on landscapes and most people find it hard to believe I don't. I still consider myself an apprentice of the great outdoors.

Before anyone can be good at shooting awe-inspiring landscapes and vistas, one must be a true nature lover, adventurer and a mountaineer. Let me share to you a paraphrased version of Paulo Coehlo's Climbing Mountains which has been my inspiration in the pursuit of photographing compelling sceneries.

A] Choose what you want to shoot; landscapes, seascapes. Don’t pay attention to what other people say, such as “that one’s more beautiful” or “this one’s is normal”. You’ll be spending lots of energy and enthusiasm to reach your objective, so you’re the only one responsible and you should be sure of what you’re doing.

B] Know how to get close to it: sceneries are often seen from far off – beautiful, interesting, full of challenges. But what happens when we try to draw closer? Roads run all around them, flowers grow between you and your objective, what seemed so clear on the map is tough in real life. So try all the paths and all the tracks until eventually one day you’re standing in front of the sceneries that you yearn to reach.

C] Learn from someone who has already photographed the scene: no matter how unique you feel, there is always someone who has had the same dream before you and ended up leaving marks that can make your journey easier; places to peg your tripod, must-have filters, the best season and time to shoot. The shoot is yours, so is the responsibility, but don’t forget that the experience of others can help a lot.

D] When seen up close, dangers are controllable: when you begin to shoot the sceneries of your dreams, pay attention to the surroundings. There are cliffs, of course. There are almost imperceptible cracks in the mountain rock. There are stones so polished by storms that they have become as slippery as ice. But if you know where you are placing each footstep, you will notice the traps and how to get around them.

E] Great landscapes and seascapes changes abruptly and constantly, so enjoy it: of course, you have to have an objective in mind – to shoot it on its best form, while you are present. But as you go along, more things can be seen, and it’s no bother to stop now and again and enjoy the panorama around you. At every frame photographed, you can see a little further, so use this to discover things that you still had yet to photograph.

F] Respect your body: you can only wake up so early if you give your body the attention it deserves. You have all the time that life grants you, as long as you walk without demanding what can’t be granted. If you go too fast you will grow tired and give up half way there. If you go too slow, night will fall and you will be lost. Enjoy the sceneries, take snaps of details, patterns, leading lines and textures that nature generously offers you, but remember to rest.

G] Respect your soul: don’t keep repeating “I’m going to shoot this”. Your soul already knows that, what it needs is to use each journey to be able to observe the diverse characteristics of a landscape. An obsession does not help you at all to reach your objective, and even ends up taking the pleasure out of the shoot. But pay attention: also, don’t keep saying “it’s better than I thought”, because that will make you lose your inner strength and desire to learn.

H] Be prepared to walk one kilometer more: the way up to the top of the mountain or a shoreline is always longer than you think. Don’t fool yourself, the moment will arrive when what seemed so near is still very far. But since you were prepared to go beyond, this is not really a problem and the images will be very rewarding.

I] Be happy when you finished your shoot: cry, clap your hands, shout to the four winds that you did it, let the wind - the wind is always blowing up there - purify your mind, refresh your tired and sweaty feet, open your eyes, clean the dust from your heart. It feels so good, what was just a dream before, a distant vision, is now part of your life, and you captured it!

J] Make a promise: now that you have discovered a force that you were not even aware of, tell yourself that from now on you will use this force for the rest of your days. Preferably, also promise to discover other place for landscape, and set off on another adventure.

L] Share your photos: yes, and tell your story! Give your example. Tell everyone that it’s possible, and other people will then have the courage to shoot excellent landscapes.

ianzubiri:
These are very nice advice. Thanks for sharing this Mon. I will try this next time.

eywon:
Very nice and insightful indeed. This just goes to show how excellent landscape photos really come at a price. TFS :)

dealt:
Some few days ago, I posted on shoutbox, looking for a website specializing on landscape but with a structure and presentation very similar to strobist.blogspot.com.I had a hard time finding a good resource about landscape photography that discuss things beyond rule of thirds, golden hour, filters, etc. This post is exactly what I'm looking for: practical advice, on-location tips, keeping the passion, lessons gained thru significant time and effort invested on this craft.

Thanks sir mon for sharing this knowledge and starting this thread. Sana madagdagan pa :)