How to Take a Landscape Photograph

When you first arrive at a scenic location, it is so very tempting to immediately start to snap photos. We certainly do this when we are pressed to capture fleeting light or wildlife.  However, the best way to start photographing a landscape is usually not to take pictures.

Foremost in my mind when I photograph a place is this question:  what is this place about?  What is the mood or vision that attracts me? Until I can answer these questions, I don’t bother thinking about technical issues, nor about the potential popularity of the image.

Because I have a journal of phrases that relate to my feelings about natural areas, I have a treasure trove of brief descriptions I might use in answering those questions. The phrases describe moods such as gracefulness, quiet contemplation, dramatic action, tension, or moodiness. 

My next decision is to figure out what contributes to this mood. The lighting is always important. But I also need to decide which elements in the scene are relevant and which are merely distractions. I will either eliminate the distractions or plan to downplay them in processing the image. Sometimes at this point, I will explore varied angles that will help eliminate unnecessary elements from the shot. This might involve lying on the ground or climbing above the scene.

This approach does not always produce a wonderful photo. But it inevitably does something much more important. It helps me enter fully into the scene and take away with me a memory of the feelings and mood of the moment. That’s the payoff.

This website presents over 50 years of photography, which is a treasure trove of memories and a door to step back into moments of grace and meaning.