In August 1997, both Popular Photography and Outdoor Photographer Magazines released landscape tips and advice curated from professional photographers. From this coincidence, one can only assume each had a mole in their respective editing rooms.

I was curious if the advice given regarding landscape photography was much different in the 1990s than it is today. I wondered if there was some nugget of wisdom we’d lost with the digital age. Reading through both of these articles I looked for common advice, then boiled it down to 6 landscape photography tips and tricks I think you’ll find helpful. With each of these tips, I’ve included some detailed landscape photography advice.

Contrasted Perspective

Taking advantage of contrast can be accomplished in a lot of different ways. From contrast of color, to the intensity of light to the subject matter. Charlie Waite suggests using color to contrast elements, while Philip Hyde used elements in his images taken in Banff National Park. “I’ve tried to contrast elements in my pictures like the white snow and the dark mountains”. Contrast isn’t just about light vs dark; it is key in many landscape photography tips. Make sure and play around. Often in my own work, if something seems out of place I will include it as a contrasted element. For me, texture is another favorite as it often produces micro-contrast in harsh side light situations.

Maximize Perspective

We’ve all been there. We see a breathtaking image that gave us tingles when we were there. Then we get home and see a flat boring photo. Photography removes that crucial third dimension and if you aren’t working to reintegrate it, you’ll end up with lackluster garbage. The key is to incorporate the foreground, bringing some of that dimension back. Charlie Waite suggests you stress the foreground and in his example, he states that he “wanted to make all I could of the color of the poppies but avoid the over-pretty effect of a deep blue sky”. This explains his creative choice of emphasizing the field, a useful landscape photography tip. Allowing the sky to take a backseat of a meadow in Spain.

“So he used a wide-angle lens (50mm f/4 Distagon) at f/22 for maximum depth of field, a polarizer to pump up the color in the poppies, plus a 0.3 graduated neutral-density filter to darken the sky a bit. Exposure on Fujichrome 50 in a Hasselblad was 1/2 sec.” explains Popular Photography. Because foreground will betray motion much easier, creating blur, Waite suggests waiting for a lull on windier days.” – Popular Photography

Combining this kind of composition, along with David Muench’s tendency to add an object in his foregrounds will create sweeping landscapes that capture what you felt when you were there.

Change Perspective

“Making pictures in Yosemite is difficult, not because the scenery is poor or because of the nearly overwhelming crowds that make it difficult to move around the park in the summer—but because it has been done and done very well in the past.” Outdoor Photographer

William Neill suggests avoiding the comfortable and obvious places when exploring a well-covered area like Yosemite. Eddie Soloway mirrors this advice by warning the readers of Popular Photography not to “get mesmerized by the standard scene.” Following such landscape photography tips can make your work stand out.

Wait for Perspective

One of my biggest sins in photography is if I see an interesting scene or subject, I will immediately, without considering the light. I’ll just lift my camera and take the shot. Outdoor Photographer poopoos this by reminding us to wait for changing light and Popular Photography challenges that “if you really want it, wait for it.”

This philosophy is reworded and rehashed in multiple different ways throughout both articles but the message remains: don’t be afraid to park your butt and wait for better light, or even come back multiple times. James Randklev took six trips to Georgia before discovering “that it was only in winter that the light was right for a spectacular sunset in the Banks Lake National Wildlife Refuge.” Incorporating these tips could enhance your landscape photography skills.

Only half the picture (much pun intended) is the willingness to return, but waiting for the light to change while you’re there is probably the hardest part. Now, if you’re a fan of fishing, then this may be second nature to you. Otherwise, this is the hardest part of your journey as a landscape photographer.

“[David Muench] spent long hours with his camera set up for a shot waiting for the light to be just right. When you watch the light, you can see how profoundly an entire landscape changes. Once he has the camera set up and with the composition that he likes, Muench watches the light, waiting for the moment when everything will come together. When the moment arrives, Muench takes the picture. Then he waits for the next moment when everything comes together.” – Outdoor Photographer

An Involved Perspective

Waiting for a stellar sunset or stormy weather isn’t the end all and be all of capturing your perfect perspective. The instinct of “should I wait or should I wander” can only come with experience and you’ll only hone this instrument through failure. What Muench suggests, at least for himself, is “when I find myself changing lenses a lot, it’s a clue that I’m not being involved, or interacting, with the landscape.”

Eddie Soloway highly recommends wandering a new landscape without expectation, a notion echoed in various landscape photography tips.

“If I’ve never been in an area before I try not to show up with expectations. My happiest moments and my best images come from wandering in an area without pressure to photograph, but very ready to see”

One of my routines is when arriving at an interesting subject, I will treat the area like a crime scene, circling the subject. I won’t lift my camera until I have made a complete revolution unless I see something that won’t be there on my second round, whether it be light or subject.

A Detailed Perspective

James Randklev says this photo changed his life and now he “looks for the details in nature as well as the big picture”. Integrating this concept into your work is one essential landscape photography tip.

“Randklev says photographing this scene in the Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains some 20 years ago as he was learning 4×5 “forever changed the way I saw things—I finally knew photography was more than a hobby.” The softly lit lichen combined with the almost brutal juxtaposition of the dead branch “said as much about the magnificent landscape of the Sierra as the chiseled granite peaks above.”” – Popular Photography

One of the things that we may not realize, or if we do we forget, is that the mind will fill in the blanks. We don’t need to photograph the entire car every time, maybe a tire or headlight will do. We don’t shoot people from head to toe, and we don’t need to capture an entire scene to make a visual point. Randklev realized that, that he knew the viewer would not assume that it was shot in a Wal-Mart parking lot.

William Neill suggests simplifying an image to capture its essence, a similar philosophy but executed in a different way.

“His image of rainbow over Bryce Canyon is a perfect example of simplifying a grand landscape. When faced with a view like this, with the dramatic clouds, colorful rainbow and legendary formations of Bryce, the temptation is to go with a wide-angle lens. It seems like the only way we could possibly fit all of the huge elements onto a relatively tiny piece of film. Neill chose to go with a slight telephoto lens (he used a 210mm on a 4×5 camera; approximately equal to an 80mm in 35mm terms). “The longer lens allowed me to isolate the key elements and eliminate what wasn’t needed,” he says. “I try to get to the essence of the scene rather than just make a description. Where there’s too much left in the frame, the photograph is diluted.”” – Outdoor Photographer

If you enjoyed this be sure and check out my other 1997 related blogs, where you can find additional tips.

Our Teachers

David Muench
Philip Hyde
Charlie Waite
William Neill
Eddie Soloway
James Randklev