Great Ideas for creating interesting Landscape photos in boring settings
TRICKS TO TURN BORING LANDSCAPE SCENES INTO WORKS OF ART!
Not every landscape is suitable for landscape photography, but the tricks you'll learn in this post will help you turn boring scenes into stunning landscape photos.
Before you start:
LEARN WHEN TO LET A SCENE GO
Yes, as mentioned earlier, not all scenes are ideal for landscape photography.
So the first thing you need to do is figure out if the scene is really attractive enough to turn into a good photo. Hand on heart, have you ever seen an excellent photo taken in a similar environment to the one you are trying to capture with your camera?
This is where many amateur photographers get it wrong. They try to capture scenes where there is absolutely nothing going on or way too much going on.
Look at the scene.
Does it have an obvious main subject?
Is there more than one subject?
This photo has an obvious main subject. The largest sheep and the only one looking directly at the camera:
This photo also has an obvious main subject:
This is a scene without a subject. The viewer's eye eventually rests on the horizon:
This photo also has no main subject, although there is more going on here:
I repeat: A scene can be beautiful. You can like how it makes you feel. But that doesn't automatically mean it's a worthy setting for a good landscape photo.
To find out if a scene is good enough to make a landscape photo out of it, you need to check whether it has a main subject or not. If you are unsure, look at other people's work and compare their scenes with the ones you want to photograph.
ONCE YOU HAVE DETERMINED THAT THE SCENE IS INTERESTING ENOUGH, YOU CAN USE THE FOLLOWING TRICKS TO TURN IT INTO A WORK OF ART:
TIP 1 //
Shoot the scene, then in post-processing remove or move unwanted elements to make the main subject more dominant (or to omit unwanted elements).
I shot this scene in Nevada - I think the cage and the fence compete for attention, so I wanted to focus on either one or the other. I like both and thought they fit perfectly in the landscape.
I cropped this image to remove the fence. This makes the picture look more balanced:
In this photo I removed the cage in Photoshop:
Another way to photograph this scene would be to simply change my location and hold the camera differently.
TIP 2 //
Some scenes only look good with the help of some sunshine.
There is nothing like a grey sky to make a landscape look bland.
This trick requires you to return to the scene when the light is different.
The two main effects that can brighten up landscapes are:
SHADOW: to create dimension and increase contrast.
GOLDEN LIGHT: to create a sense of warmth and beauty.
Shadows are usually more commonly used on cityscapes, while golden light can be used on virtually any type of photo to make it more attractive.
TIP 3 //
USE A MODEL OR ACCESSORY TO LIVEN UP THE SCENE.
People can be used wonderfully as accessories. Any wasteland suddenly becomes more interesting when a person is in it. The trick, however, is not to let the person take up too much space, because he or she should only serve as a small eye-catcher to demonstrate the proportions. It is good if the person is dressed colourfully. If the landscape is covered in snow, it is better not to wear white.
Other accessories can be balloons, balls or anything else recognisable.
TIP 4 //
MAKE THE SKY THE FOCAL POINT
An interesting sky can pull so much out. Of course, the landscape above is naturally very interesting, but imagine it with a grey sky.
TIP 5 //
LOOK FOR AN INTERESTING ELEMENT IN THE FOREGROUNd
To add dimension to your subject and the backdrop you can look for nice elements in the foreground.
This can be anything from a few stones, plants, a stream or even rubbish. Unfortunately, there is not always something suitable.
This is the same house, only a little closer. It really doesn't look as interesting as in the other photo:
There doesn't necessarily have to be something in the foreground. Pay attention to balance. A landscape photograph can only tolerate a few different elements.
I hope you liked my ideas and your creativity was stimulated a little. I would be very interested to know which tip you would be most likely to try. Leave me a comment below.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION IN THE FREE GIRLS WITH CAMERAS COMMUNITY?
This is where female photographers from the german speaking area come together to talk photography.
But not only that. It's the best place to sneak-peak new Girls with Cameras workshop content, download free photography guides and learn when a new blog post gets published.