Project 2 Miniature landscapes

Explore your local area with a photographer’s eye, and you’ll find all kinds of natural details that will lend themselves to a shot. They may not be large-scale, but you only need to arrange a few shapes in the frame to get an effective landscape-in-miniature.

Small streams are excellent as a starting point, and tiny waterfalls decorated with natural details like leaves can provide satisfying shots. What’s more, by having a flowing stream as a backdrop, you can choose to freeze it with a fast shutter, or blur its motion with a slow one.

To do the latter, set ISO to 100 and in Aperture Priority mode, dial in a narrow aperture of f/16 or f/22. This will slow down your shutter speed enough to capture the water as an ethereal blur. Use a tripod to keep everything else in the shot nice and sharp.