Photographing landscapes makes me a better photographer

Among all my wedding and studio photos, you’ll often see several landscape photography photos. Do you ever wonder who I post these and why I photograph them in the first place? Well, it is something a bit different, and I love to show off this passion of mine, and it generally goes down really well when shared on Social Media.

I have recently been to the Lake District and the Yorkshire Dales in North Yorkshire and planned to go to Glencoe in the future. I love to get out in my local area and photograph some landmarks and photograph various beauty spots while on holiday.

I enjoy and spend time doing as a hobby and brings me lots of joy; however, it is not just for fun. Here are just 3 ways in which landscape photography helps me to be a better photographer.

Cementing my technical understanding

When you are photographing a different subject than people, it gives me an appreciation for camera settings and those differences, whether it is a long exposure or a photo of the night sky, all of this helps me in my technical and creative understanding and in thinking how each idea could be used on a wedding day to get some magical photos. It pushes my learning, so I don’t just take the usual photos but always try something different and unique. Landscape photography has also helped me learn how to use different filters for when taking long exposures or to pull back the sky’s exposure and the use of timers to capture the perfect silky smooth lake or moody clouds giving a scene a magical look.

Helps me to love photography even more

I love weddings and portraits and capturing memories for people, and this will not change, but I firmly believe that when I take photos for myself, it adds to my passion for photography and helps me love my job even more. I have to say that I pick up my camera as much as I can for fun as I love it, whether it is getting up early to catch the sunrise on a cold beach or walking out into a pitch darkfield, it is all part of the fun, and I really love it when I capture some amazing photos that I can enjoy and share with everyone. It also really helps to clear my mind and help me to focus and enjoy the moment of natural beauty, helping take away any stress or anxiety. I feel that this helps me ensure my work-life balance, and often it is in these moments where I great new and creative ideas for other photography projects.

Getting the perfect composure

When photographing landscapes, you can find the perfect location, but it is also about photographing it from the right camera angle and position, getting the correct composition. This really challenges me to look at the whole scene and decide where to move or position my tripod. This skill is so important it is beneficial for a wedding day. Capturing the perfect scene and in the right way can make a photo go from average to amazing, that is why I look at what depth of field I would like and whether there is the right detail in the highlights and shadows to make my vision work. I also get to explore new places and often offer the opportunity for my couples to have a pre-shoot in a landscape location or encourage a wedding couple with time on their day to be whisked off to have their photos taken at a landscape location. Landscape can and do involve people, and this adds an extra element into my photography that really helps me on a wedding day or a pre-shoot.

I am still learning and enjoying myself and wanting to push my understanding to improve over time. I hope that continues to make me better photography in every area and allows me to continue using different techniques to continue getting creative with my photography. I plan to get out when I can and capture some more landscapes, and I have booked to go to Glencoe later in 2021 so look forward to some beautiful landscape photos of mountains, viaducts, and trains shortly.

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