New Ways To Shoot Landscapes

Digital landscape photography is more than simply hyperfocal distance and ND grads. James Abbott shares the modern techniques that matter

- James Abbott

Ansel Adams, arguably the most famous landscape photographer of all time, once said: “A good photograph is knowing where to stand.” While this remains true today, it’s safe to add that a good photograph is also knowing which technique to use once you’ve found that best viewpoint – the two things go hand in hand. There are several key techniques at the digital photographers’ disposal, and knowing what, when, why and how to use them is incredibly important. Despite having a dubious reputation, HDR photography is actually a great way of maintaining detail in high-contrast scenes, and can look so natural its use can be impossible to spot. Exposure blending is a way of merging images taken with different apertures and shutter speeds for creative effect; and focus-stacking guarantees pin-sharpness from the very front of a scene all the way to the back. So let’s explore these techniques, and more: essential skills every landscape photographer needs to know to be able to capture the natural world at its best.

SHOOT AN HDR LANDSCAPE
Maximise your camera’s dynamic range for the most natural-looking scenes

HDR, or highdynamic-range, photography is a technique that’s used to hugely increase the dynamic range in images. If you’re not familiar with the term, dynamic range is simply the ratio between the brightest and darkest parts of a scene. When you shoot HDR, you simply take at least three bracketed exposures that are two stops apart so that the details in the highlights, mid-tones and shadows of the scene are all captured.

When should I use HDR?