Outdoor Photography How To

Right about now you’re probably saying to yourself, “No experienced landscape photographer would be out on the field shooting with a smartphone.” And with a few exceptions you’d be right—unless the camera’s battery died and there’s nary a spare in sight.

Most photographers turn to wide-angle lenses when shooting landscape images. But as you’ll see in this quick tutorial, there are times when a longer focal length will deliver superior results.

Conventional wisdom is that landscape photography calls for wide-angle lenses. Another “rule” is that if you shoot with long lenses a tripod is absolutely essential. But this quick tutorial takes a somewhat radical approach that you may find surprising.

This may be strange to hear from a travel photographer, but I can make a case that location isn’t everything—light is. And I’d build my argument on the fact that the right light brings out the best in any location.

Converging verticals, skewed horizontal lines, distorted buildings, tilted horizons, and other such "wonky angles" will quickly spoil an otherwise nice shot. This basic Lightroom tutorial explains why these distractions occur and demonstrates a simple Lightroom technique for straightening everything out.

In general, taking photos, particularly portraits, in direct sunlight is considered a no-no. The light is simply too harsh and the shadows it produces are unflattering on your subject.

For many photographers, working with “existing light” means shooting during the day and stashing the gear after the sun drops below the horizon. But if you take that approach you’ll miss out on a whole realm of moods, special effects, and creative possibilities.