How to shoot a good mountain?

When traveling, you should take pictures of the mountain scenery and leave your own charming mountain scenery. Even those who have never seen the scenery of these mountains can enjoy their photos. However, shooting in the mountains has its own characteristics. Photos should convey all the beautiful scenery that photographers see through the camera lens. Here, many nuances must be considered.

Shooting mountains is very similar to ordinary landscape photography in many ways. For example, the best choice of shooting time. Experienced travel photographers believe that the photos of the most beautiful peaks and their surrounding areas are taken at sunset and dawn, mainly because of shadows and warm light.

At the same time, shooting mountains has its own characteristics, which photographers need to remember. Don't forget that the weather in mountainous areas changes very quickly, sometimes even completely unpredictable. The same is true of the changes in lighting conditions-they also happen quickly, which greatly increases the difficulty of photographers' work. If clouds start to block sunlight in mountainous areas, the light changes more obviously than usual, because the difference between light and shadow is too great. Photographers must always be prepared for unpredictable weather. For photographers who want to shoot in the mountains, the necessary equipment is waterproof and warm clothes and mountain boots with anti-slip.

With the increase of altitude, there is more and more air in mountainous areas. As far as photography is concerned, this will lead to a very saturated color in sky blue, which tends to be blue. Because of the high proportion of ultraviolet rays in the spectrum, similar colors are produced. In mountainous areas with obvious altitude, high-level ultraviolet radiation will also lead to blue mist in the distance.

In mountainous areas, the sharp contrast between light and color temperature in shadow area and sunshine area becomes obvious. Because of the obvious contrast with sunlight in the sparse mountain air, photographers prefer to set the exposure in a well-lit area rather than in the shadow.

photographic equipment

So, let's start with what we need to take pictures on the mountain and what are the requirements for second-hand photographic equipment. As for the camera, obviously it can't be too big and too heavy, so as not to become a burden when you climb the mountain.

Ideally, the camera should not interfere with your walking on the mountain, but should provide all the possibilities for comprehensive shooting. The camera must have a solid and reliable waterproof shell to avoid fear of light rain or dust.

Scenery is mainly shot with a wide-angle lens, because such optical equipment can make you get a clear and well-focused picture in the foreground and background. In addition, the wide-angle lens makes the objects in the foreground bigger or smaller in the background, thus creating a sense of space. The short focal length wide-angle optical element is the most suitable for shooting in alpine valleys, which can cover the whole panorama. However, if a super wide-angle lens is used, the background will be obviously removed, thus making the space unpleasant.

Telefocal optics can also come in handy, which provides the ability to photograph distant peaks and allows you to place several different removed objects in a frame at a time. It is recommended to bring a few interchangeable lenses on the mountain, such as 17-70mm zoom lens and 70-200mm telephoto lens. The zoom lens can be replaced by an optical device with fixed focal length and high resolution. Especially a 28 mm lens is enough.

Besides optics and camera, you may need a tripod. However, it is not easy to carry a tripod when moving in mountainous areas. Although the heavy tripod will be more stable in the strong wind, it is best to keep it at home. Such a heavy burden will last for hours, and you can hardly concentrate on the quality of the picture. When you feel tired, the photos usually get very bad. Of course, you need a tripod, but ideally, it should be stable and light.

In the optional accessories, you can take the polarizing filter and gradient filter with you to the mountain. Polarization filter helps to shoot a more beautiful sky, while gradient filter can get more exposure frames when the contrast between the sky and the ground is obviously different. In addition, before going up the mountain, it is worth checking whether there are any empty USB flash drives and spare USB flash drives in the camera. In addition, I suggest you add a battery. Two memory cards, two power supplies-this is absolutely necessary, because there are no power outlets and no shops selling camera accessories on the mountain.

Shoot on the mountain

After determining the necessary photographic equipment, we directly focused on the details of shooting on the mountain. When shooting on the mountain, perhaps the most important thing is to determine the correct exposure time. In mountainous areas, the contrast is great. If the weather is clear and sunny, snow or saturated blue sky falls into the frame, the built-in exposure meter will slightly overestimate its reading, resulting in the frame being too dark. Because the lighting conditions in mountainous areas may change rapidly, it is best not to use manual shooting mode, but to use aperture priority mode. ISO sensitivity is usually set to the minimum value. If you use a tripod to shoot on sunny days, it is recommended to shoot an aperture between 8 and 1 1 within the aperture range. It's worthwhile to open the aperture on a cloudy day.

The most important question is how to measure the exposure. Here, photographers use various methods. For example, exposure is measured by selecting the brightest area in the middle or near the background. Of course, it is best to avoid high-contrast photos and pattern them to make the illumination more or less uniform. Generally speaking, in order to obtain high-quality results, it is best to display on objects with medium brightness. However, when shooting a beautiful sunset or sunrise on the mountain, the exposure should be determined according to a part of the sky about 25 to 25 degrees above the sun.

You can use a single autofocus and center the focus. In camera settings, you need to specify that the exposure value will not change when the focal length is locked. This allows you to apply refocusing techniques. Aim the center of the viewfinder at the desired point, press the shutter button halfway, and then move the camera on a plane (without changing the distance from the subject) to get an interesting composition. Next, cut to what you like and press the shutter button completely. In this way, the required precise object can be clearly defined in the picture and the exposure can be measured on it.

If you don't have a tripod when shooting, you can use a stabilization system, preferably a system built into the lens, to get a clear picture. When shooting with a tripod, the vibration caused by changing the position of the lens in the lens or the position of the matrix in the fuselage will affect the clarity of the image, so it is best to turn off the stabilization system in this case. When using a tripod, it is recommended to start the timer (self-timer) for two seconds or keep the remote control.

Since we often see mountains from below, it may be worth looking for a more interesting angle than simply investigating at the foot of the mountain or from the highway. Such a picture is unlikely to attract the attention of the audience. They are so common that everyone can use them. If you want to create impressive and interesting pictures of mountains, you'd better choose an angle from an unusual position (for example, from top to bottom). To do this, you need to climb to the top (if possible) or climb as high as possible, and take pictures from the top corner parallel to the horizon or downward.

In mountainous areas, you often use backlight and silhouette. Don't forget to shoot in the sun-you usually get very bright and unforgettable photos. You will look for bright and saturated colors in mountainous areas, especially at dawn and sunset. On any trip on the way, you often encounter objects that have nothing to do with the theme of the mountain. Such as ancient buildings or modern buildings. It's not bad to shoot them in the background of mountains.

If you choose to shoot any scene on the mountain, I suggest you take more photos on the left and right sides under the same exposure settings-maybe you can take a bigger panorama or at least increase the horizontal space when processing the image. For the sake of proportion, you can use people in the photo frame. Besides, it will give your photos a special reputation.

Take your camera up the hill and don't forget to be safe. In mountainous areas, it costs nothing to get a leg or get seriously injured. Therefore, before going up the mountain, you should carefully study the terrain, weather, the most interesting places and hidden dangers of your gathering place. The best choice is to find a tour guide who has lived in a specific area for many years and knows almost everything. With the help of such an experienced person, you will be able to ensure the most favorable conditions for your travel and actual shooting on the mountain.