2023-2024 Presentations

September 28 - Landscape Challenge

Exclude the elements that won’t contribute to the image
Frame the scene (tree branches, a door frame …)
Use the Golden Ratio/Golden Spiral
Use the Rule of Odds
Use fences or something else as a leading line
Find unique perspectives. Move around and shoot low. Take your time.
Add a nice foreground (use a smaller aperture up to f/16 so both foreground and the background are sharp)
Shoot vertical and horizontal images of the same scene
Use negative (empty) space to isolate your subjects
Look for symmetry
Use a wide angle lens (or shortest focal length of your lens) to capture vastness
Use a telephoto lens (or longest focal length of your lens) to capture depth by compressing the landscape
Keep horizon level
Find layers to separate foreground, midground and background

Turn on the Grid Display on your camera such as 3×3
Turn off your camera beeping sound
Turn on Highlights Alert/Warning (the Blinkies) on your camera so overexposed areas will show when you review images
Turn on the Electronic Level if your camera has one
Check/Turn on your camera Histogram to see if there is no clipping (overexposed or underexposed).
Shoot in B&W. Choose a picture style “monochrome” and shoot in RAW. (The image will be reverted to color when you upload them.)
Play with Exposure Compensation. Turn it down to -⅓, -⅔ or -1.
Shoot in Manual Mode
Use Auto Exposure Lock (AE Lock normally marked with *) to shoot a silhouette
Try Manual Focus (turn on the Focus Peaking if you have a mirrorless camera)
Focus ⅓ of the way into the scene at f/16 including foreground. Check to see if the foreground and background are in focus. If not, focus a little bit closer to you and try it again.
Bracket exposures (and create HDR images in post-processing) – Int/Adv
Try Focus Stacking at f7/1-f/11 (you can try Manual mode and Manual focus) and post process in Photoshop at home. Use a tripod. – Adv

Capture light (weather permitting)
Incorporate reflections (use a polarizer and play with it if you have one)
Find something historical
Add a person/people in a landscape
Add a sunburst in a landscape (weather permitting) (use a smaller aperture between f/11- f/22 and partially block the sun)
Take silhouette photos (try Manual mode at f/8 or so with spot metering and increase the shutter speed or try another way)
Capture motion blur with slow shutter speed and lowest ISO (use a polarizer/ND filter if you have one and a tripod)
Capture motion blur by moving the camera slowly vertically or horizontally
Shoot through objects
Take an urban/city landscape
Capture the moonrise (almost full moon) at 7:09pm in the east (try at f/11, 1/125)
Create panorama images (Shoot vertically in Manual mode) and post process at home. Use a tripod. Int/Adv
Experiment! Try something you’ve never done.

Landscape Photography Tips

How to FOCUS in Landscape Photography – Get SHARP Photos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAnW4UPubJ8