Few things are better than capturing a landscape in the perfect light; but often we’re met with less-than perfect conditions, dull skies and flat light, and this can be a great opportunity to try flash painting. Using off-camera flash, you can pick out details, and highlight the contours in a scene. You can also include a figure – or yourself if you’re shooting solo – in the shot to create a point of interest while holding up your light, as we’ve done here. You don’t necessarily need an expensive flash for this, almost any flashgun will do. Firing the flash off-camera is essential, so you’ll need a wireless trigger and receiver to activate it, but these can also be picked up very cheaply.
Twilight can be the best time to head out, as skies are dark and moody, the remaining daylight becomes a cool blue in colour, and scenes take on an atmosphere that feels entirely different to daylight. The technique for this might seem complicated, but when it boils down to it there are two key things to grasp. First, we use an exposure that underexposes the daylight, so that – without flash – the scene comes out very dark. Then, with our exposure locked in, we simply fire our flash around the scene to illuminate the parts that we want to highlight. This way, everything else comes out dark and moody, while the flash-lit parts can look spectacular. To make the project easier, we can pop our flash in different places over several frames, then combine the best parts later in Photoshop.
Get set up for flash painting and light your landscapes from any angle
1 TRIPOD
This story is from the February 08, 2024 edition of Photography week.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the February 08, 2024 edition of Photography week.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
LUMIX S 28-200MM F/4-7.1 MACRO OIS
Panasonic's compact and lightweight superzoom makes a strong case for being the only lens you need to pack for your travels
HOW TO...MASTER LUMINOSITY MASKS
James Paterson shows you how to get to grips with Photoshop Channels, and make use of our 10 free actions
CAPTURE PERFECT LIGHT
Mike Harris explains how a little planning and lot of patience can boost your chances of capturing stunning landscape lighting
COULD YOU TAKE A PHOTO LIKE THESE TO WIN A SHARE OF £1M?
Entries are open for HIPA, the world's richest photography competition
MASTER MONOCHROME
Discover the captivating qualities of black-and-white photography, and learn how to master the genre in the age of digital technology
THE LEICA Q3 APPEARS IN BOLD NEW COLOUR OPTIONS
There are 24 striking tones - but they're only available in Singapore for now
FUJINON GF 30MM F5.6 T/S
A stunning tilt-shift optic for Fujifilm's medium-format GFX system
HOW TO...ADD A TOUCH OF FLARE
Create lens flare effects in Affinity Photo, and master shapes, live filters, and colour tools with James Paterson
THE GREAT OUTDOORS
Mike Harris shows you how to capture stunning portraits on location and in golden light
CREATIVE WAYS TO USE SHUTTER SPEED
Master the art of controlling shutter speed to create beautiful works of art