You’re way up a trail hiking with friends. You stop to catch your breath at a vista point. The view is incredible. A first reaction may be to snap a photo. A few hours later, you pull out the camera to show others what you saw. Hmm, rather unspectacular; your photos just do not convey the majesty of the mountain or the moment. It’s not easy to distill a 360-degree live experience down to a framed view.
Our friend Bruce Philbrick has a few landscape photography tips from beginners to experts. Bruce takes fabulous photos with his Android when out on hiking and biking treks. “Once out of the city, I look for sweeping vistas, something in the foreground of interest, and perhaps a distant object of intrigue. I frame to include a bit of the sky, but I like to balance the overall image between foreground and horizon,” he shares. Bruce says he’s looked at a lot of beautiful landscape photos over the years, which has been educational and inspirational.
“Cloudy skies are best for flowers. Another tip is to keep the sun behind you, unless it can serve to backlight an object; for example—shooting from the base of a tree looking up and letting the sun illuminate the leaves.”
He describes an experience from a few months ago: “Fall in Portland is stunning. There are so many incredible deciduous trees that put on a spectacular display of color. A sunny day in late October, coupled with the low sun angle, created the ideal situation for great photos.”
Tips
- Look at examples of good landscape photography and think about how an image has been created.
- Soak up inspiration from the professionals—consider making Pinterest inspiration boards.
- Experiment and shoot a lot of images.
A photography hobby commenced by using an Olympus OM-10 back in his military days right out of high school. “I shot a lot of film in Alaska, the Southwest, the Pacific Northwest, Costa Rica and across Europe. Then I stopped for many years. I decided I’d rather fully experience places, as opposed to spending time messing with a camera. It became distracting at times.” These days he relies on a smart phone since it’s so easy to pack and use.
Bruce is a solid waste manager for the regional government, Metro, in Portland, Oregon. “I’ve worked in this field for over 25 years,” he adds. “Yeah, I have a lot of photos of trash! But the images provide an interesting anthropological and social perspective. Those who excavate our landfills centuries from now will be perplexed by our wastefulness.”