Travel Photography How To

There are worse things than being a beginning photographer. After all, you can make big improvements in your skills in a relatively short time. But if you consider yourself a more advanced shooter, and you still make beginner mistakes, that’s a cause for concern.

(Editor’s Note: Exploring Light is a monthly Shutterbug column featuring tips, tricks, and photo advice from professional photographers in the Canon Explorers of Light and Canon Legends education program. This month's column is by Adam Jones with tips on photographing wildlife and landscapes in our National Parks.

Danish pro Mads Peter Iversen has spent years polishing his skills and developing a unique style of landscape photography. Like all accomplished photographers he’s made a few mistakes along the way, and in the video below he explains how to correct a common error so you don’t make it yourself.

So what goes into making an epic landscape photograph? That’s a difficult, if not impossible, question to answer because the notion of artistic beauty is a very subjective matter. What we do know, however, is that you have to check a few boxes off your list before any image can be considered fantastic.

It’s often necessary to use slow shutter speeds to get the results you want, even when shooting during the day. And editing images made with long exposures sometimes requires a different approach to post processing, depending upon the effect you’re after.

The trusty wide-angle lens is a top choice among many of the world’s best travel, nature, and landscape photographers. But having the right glass doesn’t mean optimum results, unless you know how to make the post of this popular tool.

Many outdoor photographers consider autumn the most exciting time of year to shoot. That’s because skies tend to be dramatic, the light is often interesting, and colorful fall foliage is everywhere you look.