DANIEL’S TOP 10 TIPS FOR TERRIFIC LANDSCAPE SHOTS

1 Use graduated ND filters

Graduated ND filters are useful for taming bright skies in your landscapes. They come in a variety of hard and soft graduations as well as different strengths, depending on how much the sky needs to be darkened, so get a decent set with plenty of options.

2 Invest in quality kit

The saying “buy cheap, buy twice” runs true for camera kit. You don’t want to put a cheap filter in front of an expensive L-series lens, as this will cause softness and all sorts of problems, so be sure to buy the best filters and kit you can afford.

3 Do a recce

Go on walks to find new locations you can shoot at and use apps such as Photopills or The Photographer’s Ephemeris to work out where the best spots will be at sunrise or sunset.

4 Do the finger test

I always tell my workshop attendees to run a finger all the way around the edge of the frame once you’ve composed. This physical action helps you spot anything that’s awkwardly cropped off at the frame edge and you can then readjust your composition to include it, or lose it, in the frame.

5 Return to locations

Patience and determination are key to great landscape photos. You need to stay on location for lengthy periods and return time and again until you get the magical light you’ve been waiting for.

6 Check the weather regularly

British weather is known for being unpredictable, so keep checking your local forecast to get the most up-to-date and accurate information, though it’s always worth venturing out on the off-chance that the forecast is incorrect.

7 Focus a third of the way into the scene

An easy way to help ensure good depth of field and sharpness throughout the frame is to focus about one third of the way into your scene. This is great for many situations plus a mid-range aperture between f/8 and f/16 will give you good sharpness throughout the scene and from the centre to corners of images.

8 Zoom in to check focus

One the main advantages of modern digital cameras is the LCD screen on the back of the camera. Be sure to make full use of yours by pressing the magnify button to zoom in and check your images are 100% sharp.

9 Shoot in all weathers

Don’t be put off by bad weather. Be sure to persevere even in adverse weather conditions, as rainy days make for brilliantly atmospheric photos and you might even get lightning or a rainbow, which will certainly help your portfolio stand out.

10 Get a rain cover

If you’re going to shoot in poor weather conditions, weathersealed higher-spec Canon EOS camera bodies and lenses are ideal. You can also get a plastic rain cover that slips over your camera and lens to keep the rain off and your kit protected.