SHOOT STUNNING SPRING LANDSCAPES

The arrival of Spring is a happy time for most photographers, with the weather becoming milder and the days longer and less gloomy.

- Jo Plumridge

All of this makes going out with a camera far more appealing! Spring landscapes are full of new life and beautiful colors so in this article I’ll give you all the tips you’ll need to make the most of the season.

EQUIPMENT
There's no particular gear above and beyond what I'd normally recommend for landscape photography when it comes to shooting in Spring. Besides your camera you'll need a wide-angle lens to capture landscapes in their fullness. But I'd also recommend carrying a telephoto lens if you can, as it will give you the opportunity to photograph details (such as flowers or even wildlife). A lightweight travel tripod with a remote trigger for your camera will give you the option of long exposures without any camera shake.

Finally, I'd also recommend carrying a polarizer filter, a graduated neutral density (GND) and a neutral density (ND) filter. A polarizer will help to reduce glare from reflections and help to deepen the saturation of colors. A GND filter will allow you to balance exposures - for instance when you have a very bright sky and a darker foreground a ND filter will allow you to use longer exposures without overexposing your image. You can try adding in either of these filters to some of the techniques I suggest below.

SETTINGS
Obviously, your settings will alter depending on what you're shooting, but these are some basics to start with. Shoot in RAW so that you have the most options in post production and in manual mode so that you have complete control over your settings. Make sure you've also got control over your focusing and can select the appropriate AF-point for your photographs.