10 Landscape Photography Tips You Need to Know

Want to take breathtaking landscape photos that look like they belong in National Geographic? You don’t need fancy gear—just the right approach. In this guide, we’ll show you essential landscape photography tips to elevate your shots instantly.

10 Best Tips for Landscape Photography

Photography is a creative practice that’s both enjoyable and educational. It’s also easier than ever to get started now, thanks to technological advancements.

As a result of digital photography, it is no longer necessary to carry around a portable darkroom and wait for hours before snapping a single picture. As soon as you’re ready, you may start taking pictures of anything that interests you.

The technological hurdles to taking beautiful photos have been greatly lowered. But still, while taking landscape photography, some technological issues should be kept in mind.

01. Knowing Your Camera

Typically, landscape photos are done at a moderate rate. And the subject in front of you doesn’t shift very much. A storm bursting overhead or a ray of light landing for a fraction of a second in the ideal location can also be captured.

You’ll witness a magnificent wave breaking, or a lava eruption, or a rainbow fading in the distance, among other things. Landscapes move slowly at first, but then they accelerate dramatically all at the same time.

When that moment comes, you must be prepared. Most essential, you should be familiar with your camera’s capabilities. You need to be so familiar with your camera that adjusting settings becomes second nature.

When you spend less time tinkering with your camera and more time organizing the image you want to capture, your photographs will be better prepared. Landscape photography cameras can be mirrorless or normal DSLRs.

This sort of circumstance is likely to occur regularly for you. Unexpected incidents like these happen rarely, once or twice a year in my opinion. It’s a rare occurrence. Although it may be difficult to capture the shifting scenery, you will end up with some of your greatest photographs.

02. Choose the Right Lens

Consider using a landscape-optimized lens with your camera. Using a wide-angle lens will allow you to capture more of the scene. Since it provides a broader field of view and allows you to see more. Lenses with a wide angle have shorter focal lengths, mostly 35mm and below.

The average focal length for landscape photography is 24mm; however, some photographers prefer to shoot at a lower focal length (ultra-wide-angle lens). Some professional photographers dislike the broader and often distorted perspectives that come with lenses shorter than 24mm. It’s advisable to test out how a specific lens works with your camera before buying it.

03. Stabilize Your Shots with a Tripod

If your landscape photographs are hazy, you’re setting yourself up for failure. Shaky cameras or sluggish shutter speeds make it difficult for the photographer to hold the camera. Focusing on the wrong thing might also trigger it.

The first two can be eliminated with the aid of a tripod. With a tripod, you’ll be able to obtain sharper photos than if you’re holding the camera. Even at high shutter speeds, this is true. As long as your shutter speed is slow enough to obscure the movement of water or clouds, a tripod is an absolute must.

It should be noted that not every tripod is made equal. Choose a tripod that is well-made, lightweight, and has features such as fast-lock legs for speedy setup, an inbuilt bubble level for leveling the horizon, and rubber feet with metal studs for further stability.

04. Enhance Your Shots with Filters

Consider adding a lens filter to your camera if you’re going to be taking landscape photos. A simple filter may make a significant difference in the quality of a landscape photograph.

Using a polarizing filter, you can alter the amount of blue in the sky. Instead of blowing a magnificent sky into white blobs, a graded neutral density filter will leave all the nuances intact. Your landscape photos will instantly seem better when you use polarizing filters to enhance the colors and overall appearance.

To use ND filters effectively in your landscape shots, you’ll need a bit of practice, but the results are well worth it. It’s best to start with the polarizer and then upgrade to the neutral density filter to experience motion blur and catch silky-smooth images.

05. Set Up the Camera Manually

To master landscape photography, you need to understand the exposure triangle: aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. Manual mode gives you full control over light and sharpness.

• Aperture (f-stop): Controls depth of field and light. For landscape shots, use f/11–f/16 for sharp focus throughout the scene.
• Shutter Speed: Controls motion. Use slower shutter speeds (e.g., 1/4s or longer) for capturing movement like waterfalls.
• ISO: Controls sensitivity. Keep it low (ISO 100) in bright light; raise it slightly in darker conditions like sunrise or sunset.
• Autofocus Point: Use a single focus point to ensure precision.
• White Balance: Set to Auto, Daylight, or Cloudy depending on the light condition.

06. Wait For the Perfect Light

To interpret a scene with plenty of contrast, the human eye can adjust to varying levels of light. Because of this, the camera isn’t as good as it should be. However, waiting for the proper light is the simplest and most effective approach to combat harsh light.

There is a lot of contrast in a scene when it’s sunny, with plenty of brilliant lights and lots of deep shadows. Early and evening lights have far less contrast and a soft sunny glow. There’s no need to wait until the sun sets if it’s overcast, as cloud cover reduces glare and diffuses light.

Some lens filters are also available if the light isn’t ideal. It’s possible to use a polarizing filter to darken the sky and decrease glare from reflecting objects such as bodies of water, while neutral density filters diminish light and color intensity.

07. Shoot Raw Images

Shoot in RAW rather than JPEG for much better results. Photographs taken in RAW format maintain all of the visual information and allow you to take better pictures (like digital film). Similarly, JPEG reduces the file size by compressing it.

Color improvements, white balance fixes, and other essential digital modifications will require Raw images that are easier to edit. Your landscape photography post-processing technique will be more flexible if you choose RAW as one of your camera settings.

08. Take Photos in the Golden Hour

The Golden Hour occurs immediately before sunset and shortly after sunrise when the light is at its best. It gets its name from the gold color of the light, which bathes the landscape in a warm glow. It is also a very soft light since it must pass through more of the Earth’s atmosphere. 

If you can’t go out to photograph during dawn or sunset, choose a gloomy day. The clouds soften the light, which distributes wonderful, even lighting across the landscape.

09. Use Motion in the Picture

Another good reason to invest in a tripod. Slow down the shutter speed while photographing anything that is moving, such as a stream or a waterfall, to create movement in your image. Depending on the subject matter, the shutter speed may not need to be as slow as you think. For a fast-moving stream, 1/4 of a second may be adequate.

If the aperture and ISO settings don’t enable you to slow down the shutter speed enough, you’ll need to use a neutral density (ND) filter. An ND filter lowers the amount of light reaching the sensor, allowing for a slower shutter speed.

10. Edit Your Photos

Professional picture editing is generally done with image post-processing applications such as Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom. As a result, you may import your RAW photographs and perform a wide range of photo editing tasks.

Photographic editing and modification lessons are available online if you’re not an expert.  There are services like photo manipulation, photo retouching, and color correction services that can improve the quality of your photograph.

Conclusion | Landscape Photography

Landscape photography is as much about patience and observation as it is about technique. Start small, practice often, and let the beauty of nature inspire your shots. Need help with editing your landscapes? Try our free trials or explore our photo retouching services today

FAQ | Landscape Photography Tips