Travel Photography How To

We’ve all been there: You plan an excursion to a beautiful location, pack your gear, and hit the road in plenty of time to get there for perfect light. When you arrive, however, you confront flat, boring skies.

All photographers strive for a creative edge that makes shooting more fun and convenient while delivering images that stand out from the crowd. And there are several affordable accessories that will help you do all that—particularly when shooting travel and nature photos.

Widely regarded as the father of Canadian photojournalism, Ted Grant is also the father of one of our favorite quotes: “When you photograph people in color, you photograph their clothes. But when you photograph people in b&w, you photograph their souls.”

When professional landscape photographer Ian Plant says there are “five photo accessories I never leave home without,” we stop and pay attention. That’s because of his unique approach to shooting in the field.

Most of my columns for this website concern the ideas and purposes behind the photographs I take. I always include information about the technology used to achieve the photos, which could be as basic as the f/stop chosen to direct your attention, or the use of a ND filter to make a long exposure possible. That approach is not incidental or coincidental; the stories are planned along those lines because my ideas come first, and technology’s purpose is to support those ideas.

The great thing about cityscape photography is that when you run out of ideas, there’s always a city or town nearby. By following the straightforward advice below, you’ll be able to capture “perfect” photos wherever you live.

If you’re a regular visitor to our website you know we frequently post shooting and editing tutorials from German landscape photographer Christian Mohrle. In the quick-and-easy episode below you’ll see how Lightroom’s Masking tools play a big part in his beautiful imagery.