Spring landscapes
It is time to spring into action. The landscape is rejuvenated, and seasonal, mixed weather promises great light and conditions for shooting big views of luscious landscapes
41 Get support
Although shooting handheld promotes spontaneity, the stability of using a tripod will allow you to work in low-light situations and refine focus and framing. Look for a sturdy but lightweight design that also enables low-level shooting.
A tripod is essential if you wish to take photographs at night-time or decide that you want to capture creative long exposures.
42 Go long
Landscape enthusiasts often instinctively reach for a wide-angle lens, but this spring don’t neglect your telephoto. Longer focal lengths foreshorten perspective, allowing you to capture a stacked or layering effect, or isolate distant interest. They suit misty conditions and woodland photography, allowing users to exclude distractions and simplify busy-looking scenes.
43 Go with the flow
Rivers and streams are often in full flow at this time of year, with spring showers keeping water levels topped-up. Surrounding trees and vegetation will also be looking lush and vibrant, so now is the optimum time to photograph river scenes. An exposure time in the region of 1/2 sec will create movement while retaining texture and interest. Go wide and get close to the water’s flow to create impactful imagery.
44 Spring flower foreground
The temptation is to shoot from beach level when visiting the sea but, during springtime, coastal clifftops can be carpeted with colourful flowers like vetch and thrift. Elevated viewpoints provide great, far-reaching views of the coast, while spring flowers make obvious and attractive foreground interest. Use a small aperture and focus carefully to generate front-to-back sharpness.
45 Stack your shots
Spring scenes often contain lots of detail from front-to-back. Even using a small aperture, you will
Photography is great for our well-being, providing opportunity to get outdoors and be creative
not always be able to achieve sufficient sharpness throughout. Consider focus stacking – particularly scenes with spring flowers looming large in the foreground. Take a series of three or four frames, each focused on different points in the scene, and combine them using Photoshop or dedicated stacking software to artificially extend depth of field.
46 Create a stitched panorama
Big views, particularly lush green rural landscapes, suit being shot as a panoramic. Use the spirit level on your tripod to get your legs perfectly level. Then use your camera’s virtual horizon function to check your camera remains level as you pan your camera. It is best to shoot in vertical format and select manual exposure mode and a constant WB setting. Now take a series of overlapping frames that you can later stitch together to create one large panoramic file.
47 Expose creatively
Add some implied motion and flow to your shots by selecting a creatively long exposure. Shoot in low-light or attach an ND filter to generate shutter speeds of a second or longer. Movement within the landscape, like water, cloud, spring flowers or foliage, will blur and soften attractively. Use a tripod to keep your camera stable and your framing optimal.
48 Stay out late
Warm evening light and sunset colour can provide the best conditions for spring landscapes. Use a sun compass, like Photopills or Sunscout, to calculate the sun’s position at sunset and select a viewpoint for the grand finale. Consider selecting a small aperture to create a starburst.
49 Leading lines
Our eyes instinctively locate and follow lines – both natural and artificial. Use this visual trick to produce compositions with depth and direction. Tracks, pathways, slipways, streams and shadows all provide compelling leading lines, as do seasonal subjects like crop lines in fields of oilseed rape and barley. Converging vertical lines form a vanishing point and an enhanced three-dimensional feel to compositions.
50 Savour the moment
We can place so much focus on actually getting the shot, that sometimes we simply forget take in the moment and enjoy it for what it is. Photography is great for our well-being, providing the opportunity to get outdoors and be creative. Big open spaces, birdsong, the scent of wild blossom and the warmth of the sun kissing your skin are good for the soul, regardless of whether you return with any decent shots or not – always take some time out to savour the moment!