Skills of shooting scenery with SLR camera

There is no denying that landscape is a subject that beginners and experienced photographers like to shoot, and there are many skills in it, but for beginners, there are still some basic knowledge that must be learned. The following is the information I have compiled for you about the skills of shooting landscapes with SLR cameras for your reference!

Skills of shooting scenery with SLR camera

Flexible use of aperture

Generally speaking, landscape photography should capture the scenery from the foreground to the background very clearly. Compared with telephoto lens, wide-angle lens can shoot larger depth of field; Compared with a large aperture, a small aperture can shoot a larger depth of field, and accurate focusing is very important. As we all know, the smaller the aperture, the greater the depth of field and the clearer the part. Therefore, it is generally recommended to use a very small aperture, such as f/ 16 and f/22. However, if the aperture is too small, it will destroy the clarity of the image because of an optical effect called diffraction.

Diffraction, in the simplest way, means that when light passes through the lens aperture, the edge of the lens aperture scatters light waves. The smaller the aperture, the greater the proportion of diffracted light of the recording light, and the less clear the image, resulting in less image details.

Generally speaking, you will start to see the diffraction effect in the following situations: the camera aperture of ASP-C size sensor is reduced to below f/ 1 1; The camera aperture of Quan Huafu sensor is reduced to below f/ 16.

In order to illustrate the diffraction effect under different apertures, we show a series of photos taken under f/8, F/1,f/ 16 and f/22 apertures-the focus and overall exposure remain unchanged, and the only change is the aperture size. The post-processing of these photos all use the same software and settings.

When the aperture is set to f/8, all the scenes in the photo are very clear, and the details of trees in the background are also good; When the aperture is f/ 1 1, the scene is clear, but the smaller the aperture is, the more unclear the image is and the details are not obvious with the increase of depth of field. This is an important problem in landscape photography, especially when making large-scale images. It is this seemingly soft plant that has damaged many photographers' digital landscape photos.

Understanding shutter

We discuss the choice of shutter by shooting water.

How to film the movement of water is a controversial issue. Some photographers like to capture water in a real way and "concentrate" the movement of water with high shutter speed. Others like to deliberately "blur" the water body to create a sense of movement. These two technologies can produce good results in suitable occasions. It's important to choose between the two. If it is between the two, the water body is neither fuzzy nor clear, which often gives people a sense of disorder and unconsciousness.

If you want to stop the movement of water, you usually have to use a shutter speed of 1/500 seconds or higher-the exact shutter speed depends on the flow rate of water.

Landscape photographers usually use a small aperture (large f/ number) to get enough depth of field, so that foreground and background details are in focus. In this way, it is usually necessary to adopt a relatively long exposure time, especially in poor lighting conditions.

Many photographers like to go to the other extreme-blur the running water with long exposure. One of the reasons is that, for the viewer's eyes, this "fuzzy" effect adds vitality and movement to the image, so it is more pleasing to the eye.

1/2 seconds exposure should be enough to achieve this effect, and a few seconds exposure will be better-this will ensure a touching white and silky blur. For long exposure, the minimum aperture (generally f/22) should be used, and the ISO of the camera should be set to the lowest. At this point, if the shutter speed is not low enough, you need the help of a filter.

Arrange the prospect

As we all know, the world is three-dimensional and photos are two-dimensional. One of the main reasons for the failure of landscape photography is that photos can't convey the sense of depth that our eyes see. Fortunately, we can also use some composition techniques to overcome this rather unpleasant little problem.

An effective way to create the depth of a photo is to take a strong foreground, usually with a wide-angle lens. In this way, the foreground is highlighted, creating an "entry point" for the eyes, drawing the viewer into the scene and giving the photo a sense of distance and scale, thus increasing the depth of the photo.

Wide-angle lens can achieve this effect because it can extend the viewing angle and exaggerate the components close to the lens, thus opening the distant scenery.

However, you should be careful, it will make the middle-distance scenery look empty and boring. One way to make up for it is to shoot from a low angle. This narrows the middle distance, so there won't be too many blanks in the composition. You also need to use a small aperture and focus carefully to achieve the maximum depth of field, so that the foreground and distant scenery are in focus.

Proper treatment: ox parsley and broom are attractive prospects, which can draw the attention of the viewer to the scene and form an appropriate framework for the distant scenery. The wide-angle lens and the small aperture of f/22 create a great depth of field.

Let's listen to how the famous landscape photographer Adam Burton sets the foreground: it should be pointed out that my first concern is not the foreground, after all, the most important thing is the subject. But for me, the prospect is second only to the subject. So whenever I go out to take a landscape photo, I always find a shooting spot with many potential shooting opportunities. When I arrive at the venue, I will look around for the most attractive subject and the best shooting angle. Once you choose the shooting location, you begin to look for the future benefits.

There are no ready-made rules about what kind of prospects you are interested in, but you always have to consider several factors. It is important to think carefully about what to include and not shoot what you can't see. I like landscape photography, so I always look for natural elements as my foreground-rocks, flowers and water are the usual ingredients. I know these things can blend into the big picture in my mind. On the contrary, man-made objects will appear incongruous.

Try to squat down and get close to the foreground you want to take, and your photo will stand out! But also be careful not to drop too low, otherwise your prospects may be more prominent than your prospects, making your image out of balance. Similarly, your theme must be clean and concise-the wonderful background will be overwhelmed by the mixed prospects! Finally, it is also important to use a small aperture. Focusing on one third of the depth of the scene can give you a good perspective. By doing these simple things, you can greatly improve the composition of your landscape image.

Understand color

Color not only has visual impact, but also can express different emotional demands, stimulate different emotions and produce symbolic significance related to cultural background. Think about what the main colors in your image can do. Maybe you need to lighten or aggravate this color. Color should be carefully considered in composition, lighting and the use of filters.

Red is a strong color, especially when it contrasts with a black background. Red is widely used as a warning or danger sign, which is hard to ignore. Red is the most powerful color in photography, which can attract people's attention, but it can also be a distracting color. If there is a little red dot in the landscape, for example, there is a red car, a red boat or a red mailbox in the distance.

Blue is an indisputable color, which can be used to express peace, sadness or tranquility. In photography, blue is usually used to convey the feeling of cold, especially when it is matched with water and winter scenery. Blue is an important color for landscape photographers-a blue sky with saturated colors often becomes an excellent background.

Green is often used to indicate health and vitality. Obviously, green is the main color of plants, so it has become the main color of many plant photos. Green is easily covered by bright and progressive colors (such as red), and generally speaking, the visual impact is not strong. But when used alone, green can still make the image atmosphere strong, vivid and interesting.

Yellow is another bright and progressive color, which is often used to represent happiness or brightness. Yellow can add warmth to your image, and it is especially useful whether it is paired with blue or relative. Yellow and other similar bright colors (such as gold and orange) are representative colors of autumn. Yellow can be used as the background of still life images.

Manually input color temperature

Different light sources will produce different colors, which are generally expressed by the "warm" or "cold" of light and the amount of green or magenta in it. For example, the light emitted by domestic tungsten filament bulbs is much warmer on cloudy days than outside light. Fluorescent lamps have green tones.

The temperature of the light source is called "color temperature", which is expressed in Kelvin (K). The lower the value, the warmer the light. For example, the color temperature of sunset is about 3000K, neutral sunlight (at noon on sunny days) is about 5000 ~ 5500 K, and cloudy days are about 7000~8000K K..

Our eyes can quickly and easily adapt to the colors of different light sources, and white objects will be regarded as white whether under tungsten light or outdoors on cloudy days. However, if you want to use a digital SLR camera to present colors accurately, you must set the correct white balance. You can set it when taking photos or processing images in the RAW converter. According to my personal experience, I suggest setting white balance when shooting in RAW format, which will have more flexibility.

When taking landscape photos, we don't pursue absolutely accurate colors, what is important is to capture pleasant colors. Therefore, digital photographers can use different white balance settings to achieve similar effects.

Use original file

Many landscape photographers think that the RAW format is too complicated, and prefer to use JPEG to shoot beautiful scenery. Photoshop expert Luke Marcy will tell you all the benefits of using the RAW format. The following two pictures are adjusted with the help of Element4.0. If you appreciate them, you will find the differences.

The first is an unadjusted RAW file. On the surface, it seems that there is not enough hierarchy and rich tone. It seems that the details are not handled properly. In fact, as long as you adjust it, the second effect will appear. From the comparison of the two pictures, we can see the power of RAW format.

Although it is troublesome to open the RAW file, there are many details, which realize lossless compression and can adjust the white balance later. Therefore, RAW files must be used to shoot beautiful landscape films.

Learn to use a polarizer.

Why choose a polarizer instead of a UV mirror?

Most people, or rather most photographers, have installed UV mirrors in front of their cameras. In the use of UV mirrors, they have entered some misunderstandings: 1. Using UV mirror to protect lens coating; Number 2.2. The UV mirror is installed and never taken off; 3.UV mirror is only tens of dollars. It can be said that photographers with these three problems suggest that you throw away the UV in your hand. On the one hand, tens of dollars of UV mirrors can not only eliminate ultraviolet rays, but also affect the image quality. On the other hand, I personally recommend using a polarizer instead of a UV mirror.

The difference between UV and polarization is that in foggy days or when ultraviolet rays are strong, the photos taken have a blue-purple tone. Adding a UV mirror can absorb ultraviolet rays and eliminate the interference of ultraviolet rays on CCD, which is helpful to improve the clarity of the influence and the color reproduction effect. However, because the imaging principle of digital SLR camera is essentially different from that of film, ultraviolet rays have little effect on imaging. Polarizers can selectively let light that vibrates in a certain direction pass through, and are often used to eliminate or weaken the strong reflection of nonmetallic surfaces in color and black-and-white photography, thus eliminating over-bright spots.

Principle and function of polarizer

Light travels in the form of wavelengths. Light travels in a straight line and vibrates in all directions and angles in the form of waves. When light reaches a surface, some wavelengths are reflected and others are absorbed. It is the wavelength of absorption that determines the color of the surface irradiated by light. For example, red objects will reflect red wavelengths and absorb other wavelengths.

Polarized light is different. Polarized light is produced because light waves are reflected and scattered and only propagate in one direction. It is these wavelengths that produce glare and reflection, reducing the intensity of color. The polarizer is designed to block polarized light, thus restoring contrast and saturation.

The polarizer is made of thin polarizing material, sandwiched between two circular glass sheets and screwed into the front end of the lens. The front of the device can be rotated to change the angle of polarization, so that the amount of polarized light passing through the lens can be changed to control the amount of polarization. When rotating the polarizer and looking through the viewfinder (or using an LCD monitor with LiveView), reflections will come and go, and the tripod will be colored.

For landscape photography, tripod should be regarded as an important part of the whole equipment. You usually use the smallest aperture to maximize the depth of field and low ISO sensitivity to get the clearest effect, so the shutter speed will be very low. In some shooting, you can just hold the camera, but you don't have to worry about the vibration with a tripod. You will also find that if you put the camera on the bracket, you will have more time and attention to adjust the framing and get the best composition possible.

There are many kinds of tripods. It is not difficult to choose one, but two key factors should be considered:

The first is stability. Although the cheap model is attractive, it is useless if the tripod can't provide a stable platform. Therefore, make sure to choose a tripod that is strong enough to keep all camera components completely still when shooting.

Second, consider the weight of the tripod. This is very important, because you have to take it a long distance from your other equipment. Most tripods are made of aluminum alloy, which is very strong and light. Most tripods you see weigh about 2 kilograms or more, but if you want an equally strong but lighter tripod, please choose a carbon fiber tripod, even though it is expensive.

Remember: the more expensive the model you buy, the more you have to buy a tripod and a tripod head separately, so that you can adjust the matching according to your own needs.