200 CANON TIPS - LANDSCAPES

25 essential tips for successful shooting one of the most popular and accessible genres of photography

PRO ADVICE 

Canvass anyone who shoots landscapes for a living and this is what they’re likely to say…

1 Plan your shoot

Always check the weather ahead of travelling to your location – not just for when the conditions will be ideal, but for personal safety.

2 Stay free of faff

From clean lenses to empty memory cards… make sure you’re ready to go on the day, so you don’t have to faffaround in the field.

3 Dress smart Tweeds and deerstalker not required… we mean wearing layers of clothing you can add or remove to suit the weather conditions.

4 Be patient Shooting successful scenics can often be a long game – make sure you’re provisioned for more time in the field than you first envisaged.

5 Shoot Raw and JPEG

As flattering as your in-camera JPEGs will look, shoot Raw for the maximum editing latitude – you’ll often need to be able to call on it.

6 Try one of the classic rules of composition 

If you're not familiar with them, make sure you swot up on the rule of thirds and the golden ratio. Learning how to deploy these successfully when you compose landscape scenes will certainly pay dividends in the resulting captures.

7 Don't let a good foreground go to waste

While it's never a good idea to spoil the foreground of an image with clutter that doesn't add anything to the composition, a well-placed complementary - and relevant - object or two can act as a useful point for your viewer to enter the image.