Comprehensive course of landscape photography skills

Lead: Only when we really go deep into landscape photography and shooting with a rigorous, utilitarian and impetuous attitude can we truly appreciate the mystery. Let me talk about landscape photography in detail.

Since I learned landscape photography, I have accumulated some experience, and then put them together to think about six problems?

Proposition 1: Why do you choose landscape photography? What is the significance of landscape photography?

For myself, this proposition is the reason why landscape photography takes precedence over other subjects. In fact, it is meaningful to choose any photography subject. Only bad works, no bad themes. When I first started to learn photography, I tried portrait photography, but I didn't find the feeling and motivation to keep shooting.

In the days when I can't travel to shoot scenery, I also tried to shoot humanistic works and conceptual works. I will put a lot of energy into shooting human subjects in the future, but so far, I really think? Feeling? This field is still landscape photography.

So, really? Feeling? It has become the standard for me to choose photography first. Of course, the implicit premise is that it is best to try different themes as much as possible, so as to compare and know what you really like. In fact, in the end, we can't like all the subjects and make the same investment. Everyone will definitely focus on it.

I give priority to landscape photography as a long-term personal hobby, and I also find myself such an auxiliary reason:

When shooting scenery, you can enjoy the scenery in the wild by the way;

When shooting scenery, you have to carry dozens of pounds of equipment to climb mountains and wade, which plays a role in fitness by the way.

For what? Feeling? This is my evaluation of myself:

Do I have the necessary equipment and shooting skills to shoot such a theme?

Have I mastered the general evaluation criteria and methods for works in this field?

Have I studied enough representative works in this field to judge whether my works can cross the minimum threshold of public and professional recognition?

What else can I get from shooting this subject besides money?

Am I sure that even if there is no economic return in the future, I will still devote myself to shooting such subjects for a long time, even unknown?

Proposition 2. What stages should landscape photography span?

I divide landscape photography into three stages:

The first stage: master the necessary key skills.

At this stage, the key is to equip yourself with the necessary equipment system, be able to expose according to your own intentions, get clear photos, learn to use the necessary filters, and master the necessary picture processing skills.

The second stage: learn to look at pictures

At this stage, learn to examine and judge works from a professional perspective, and consciously use these standards to guide their own shooting.

The third stage: shoot like a master

This stage is the longest and has no end? Unless you give up halfway After entering this stage, we should establish our own photographic ideals, establish our own photographic concepts, define our own photographic goals, make feasible phased shooting plans, and make persistent efforts to achieve the goals of each stage.

Proposition 3. What are the key skills necessary for landscape photography?

Based on my own shooting experience, I will discuss several key links of landscape photography here.

1, exposure: from accurate to correct

In most cases, my method of measuring light is:

Lock the composition first;

Sequentially measuring the highest light with details and the darkest exposure value with details in the picture and storing them respectively;

Observe the difference between the two values;

If the difference does not exceed the width of the film (usually the reverse film is 5 files and black-and-white film is 7 files), then take its average value and expose it with this average value. In most cases, right? Is it accurate? Yes;

To get it? Is that correct? It is necessary to fine-tune the average value according to the light reception of the subject and the proportion of light and dark areas in the composition. Usually, if the subject is in the dark, or the area of the dark part in the picture is mostly, it is necessary to increase the exposure appropriately (1/3 to1/2); And vice versa (1/3 to 1). It should be noted that the direction of this compensation is opposite to the situation of multi-area metering in the machine, because the latter has already calculated the area coefficient.

If it exceeds the endurance of the film, it depends on whether the light ratio can be reduced by depressing the bright part with gradient grey mirror. Otherwise, we can only choose between the bright part and the dark part, and see which part of the dead white and the dead black does not affect the creative intention of the work.

2. How to get a clear picture?

Focus accurately and manually if necessary;

In many cases, landscape works require complete clarity, so the shorter the focal length of the lens, the smaller the aperture used, the more helpful it is to obtain a large depth of field and the clearer the picture looks. The use of large format technology camera has greater advantages in this respect. However, there is a saying that the image quality will decline at the minimum aperture, so when I seek the maximum depth of field, I often use the penultimate aperture, such as the lens with the minimum aperture of F/32, and I shoot with F/22.

Unless necessary, it is recommended to use fewer filters and use more filters with caution. In particular, it is not recommended to shoot with a UV lens all the time to protect the lens;

Use a hood as much as possible;

If the camera has a reflector pre-lift function, use it every time, so don't bother.

Adhere to the cable release/shutter remote control, and get into the habit of taking a backup before going out (sometimes friends can touch your light);

Always check whether the connection between the tripod and the tripod is firm, and carry the tools of the tripod and tripod with you for backup;

Choose a sturdy tripod. When using, give priority to expanding the pipe section with larger diameter, and do not raise the central axis unless absolutely necessary;

When setting up a tripod, choose a solid fulcrum (if it is muddy ground, it is best to pad it with stones and bricks);

Press the shutter when the wind is strong, and press the shutter when there is traffic 200 meters before/after the passage.

3. Use the filter appropriately to achieve the desired effect.

Polarizer is still a necessary filter for both film machine and digital machine. Use it to:

Reduce water surface reflection and deepen water surface color;

Shoot fish, stones, dead branches, etc. clearly. Under water;

Deepen the blue of the sky;

Reduce the influence of fog on the picture;

Eliminate the reflection on the surface of non-metallic objects such as leaves and deepen their color saturation.

For the film machine, the gradient grey mirror is also essential, because there are many occasions when the light ratio exceeds the film tolerance. If we don't have it at this time, we will regret this trip in vain.

4, the necessary post-processing technology

At present, there are the following paths and links for post-processing and output of reverse film works:

Path 1: flushing >; & gt& gt scanning >>& gt image processing >>& gt printing.

Path 2: flushing >; > > Direct discharge diagram

First of all, the cleaning process of the reversing plate is very important no matter which path. Print shops with the following bad records should resolutely resist:

Causing continuous scratches on the negative;

Failing to change the chemical solution between films from different manufacturers, resulting in discoloration or deterioration of films (unfortunately, it is impossible to determine this in advance without losing money, so beginners are advised to consult more experienced photographers).

5, equipment selection/film or digital

In terms of equipment selection, I personally want to make good works. Equipment is just my tool, so I never stick to a certain brand. Of course, for friends who have the conditions and are interested, it is understandable to buy expensive brand-name equipment. Brand-name equipment can enhance their confidence and has the value of playing and collecting. Why not? However, for friends who don't need this, there is no need to feel ashamed. The good news is that past masterpieces are rarely marked, and few people care about what equipment they were shot with.

My main system is two sets of Pentax 645 fuselage, six lenses (30, 35, 45-85, 120, 200, 2x), Fotoman6 17 plus Nikon SW90/4.5, all of which are second-hand. I chose Pentax 645 as the main system of landscape photography because it has achieved a perfect balance in frame size, system matching, portability and cost performance.

Proposition 4. How to read the map?

Whether I appreciate other people's works, shoot my own works, or examine my own works, I ask myself to measure them from four dimensions: conception, composition, lighting and color. There may be some different views, but almost all of them can be summed up in these four directions.

1, conception

I understand that conception means that before deciding to start shooting a work, no matter whether the time is long or short, the author must make it clear in part or in whole:

What moved me in this scene?

What are the core elements? What are the indispensable auxiliary elements?

What kind of feeling did I get?

Can this intuitive feeling be sublimated into a visual theme?

Will others be interested in such a subject?

If I decide to record and deliver this theme, is this scene enough to express it?

There is a process of self-verification. You can allow some people to have different understandings of your work for a period of time, but you can't let everyone never understand it.

Here's an example of shooting seascapes to illustrate the process.

I once asked two old friends from Shenzhen to take a sea view of Dapeng Peninsula. By the way, I used the 6 17 camera I bought for half a year and never had time to test it? The first novel? . The whole process is as follows:

Design of shooting theme: am I sure to build one? Vague, fairy-tale reef seascape? ;

Determination of realization mode: this effect can only be produced through long-term contact with rocks and waves;

Choice of weather and shooting location: Choose a sunny day at sunrise, with Dapeng Peninsula facing the beach protruding eastward, stay in the local area the night before shooting, and get familiar with the terrain and road conditions to the shooting point in advance;

Shooting schedule: The sunrise in this season is about 5:50-6:00, and the sky by the sea is relatively early and white. Based on this, it is required to set up the camera before 5: 00 to complete the shooting preparation.15; From the accommodation to the beach near the shooting point, it takes about 30 minutes to walk along the rugged reef section (including the selected shooting point) in the dark, so I finally decided to get up at 4 o'clock and go out at about 4: 40.

Actual shooting process: I started at 5: 15, first took the first shot with the combination of F/8 and 16min, and then took several more shots when the sun has jumped out of the water. One of the warm works is the combination of F/22, 1/8sec;

Works: It took several days to see the results. As a test film, I feel ok. The one with long exposure time basically achieved the expected effect. So I naturally regard this work as my own collection this time? Creation? Products, and all the other films made this time are mine? Record? The product is the result of accident. In terms of shooting intention, their positioning in my mind is completely different.

Scanning is a 50MB TIF file, using a roller scanner, 300dpi, and the long side is about 6400pix. Off-topic, waiting to see your own film developed is also one of the fun sources of using the film machine.

Step 2 write a composition

There are many monographs on composition techniques, so I don't need to go into them. I'm here to share some feelings accumulated in the actual shooting process:

It is of great help to develop the above thinking habits in the process of conception. For example, distinguishing the core elements and auxiliary elements in the scene can help us extract the subject and companion smoothly. In fact, many times, conception and composition are synchronous or interspersed;

The position of the subject (center of interest) must be prominent. Can you put it in? Golden section? At the intersection, it can also be placed in the middle of the picture or in other positions, depending on the creative intention.

Only the necessary companions are kept to make the picture concise and orderly;

Pay attention to the overall balance of the picture. Of course, some themes need to create a sense of imbalance, not included;

He is good at using elements such as foreground and background, depth of field, and visual guide lines that guide the viewer's line of sight to the main body to create a three-dimensional sense of the picture. Foreground can sometimes play a good role in balancing the picture;

The composition should not be too full, and the picture is blank in most cases of landscape photography;

Pay attention to the position of the horizontal line in the picture, whether it is in a horizontal state;

For scenes that I think are good, I usually take at least one composition for different purposes;

From the beginning, I asked myself to be rigorous in composition, never to shoot indiscriminately, and then to cut it later. Because, I hope I can share my own with my friends directly with the film viewer or slide projector? Finished products, regardless of the level, at least not? Semi-finished products? . I don't want to be unwilling and embarrassed to explain to others at this time: This film, in fact, if these parts are cut out and watched? Is it still desirable?

3. The light is used up

Most works with good light, shadow or tone effects can be traced:

Make good use of morning and evening light to create pictures with low color temperature and low contrast, such as works with early sunset and long exposure time;

Make good use of backlight or side backlight to outline the scenery or create a silhouette effect to enhance the three-dimensional sense of the picture;

Make good use of the difference between light and shade caused by the side light on the surface of non-smooth objects to highlight the texture of the objects;

Make good use of backlight to highlight the brightness and saturation of red leaves and yellow leaves and the texture of leaves;

By using focused light to illuminate the main body through the clouds or gaps of the object, the effect similar to that of stage lighting can be obtained. For example, small villages in the western plateau often encounter scenes where lights illuminate the village and the surrounding Shan Ye is hidden in the shadow of clouds;

Clever use of the reflection of objects on the water surface;

Prolonging the exposure time with a slow door or a reducing mirror will cause the moving object to have a trailing effect, the water will be satin-shaped, the spray will be foggy, the fast-moving clouds will be blurred, and the lights at night will form a light band. Wait a minute.

These lighting techniques are nothing more than making a fuss about the color temperature (color), direction (incident angle, direct/refraction/reflection), intensity, luminous flux and irradiation range of light.

Step 4 color

In the case of taking color photos, the color composition of the work is another main evaluation dimension. There are two completely different evaluation directions when evaluating color composition.

On the one hand, pictures with strong contrast colors are more attractive? Attention? . Contrast colors usually refer to complementary colors, such as cyan and red, magenta and green, yellow and blue. Each pair of complementary colors will be achromatic (that is, white) after mixing.

Another one is: Is the picture with harmonious colors better? Fearful for the eyes? . Color harmony usually refers to the situation that the colors contained in the picture are similar in three attributes: color (color type), purity (brightness) and lightness (which position is between white, gray and black):

The color is similar. For example, two colors in the same red series are easy to be harmonious;

The purity is similar. For example, two colors with medium purity are more harmonious than one with high purity and one with low purity;

Brightness is similar. For example, two light colors are more harmonious than one light color and one dark color.

In addition, some psychological factors will also affect people's perception of color. For example,

The size, shape and distribution of color areas;

Various colors when regarded as abstract shapes or as representations of recognizable objects;

The age of the viewer and the level of art education;

Watching it for a long time will have an adaptive effect, thus confusing the sense of attraction to TINT;

Advertising will guide people to judge whether TINT is in line with the trend, and so on.

In the case of black and white photos, there is only one of three color attributes: lightness. It is related to whether the details are rich (especially the details of bright or dark parts), whether the levels/transitions are delicate, and the contrast.

Among the above four basic elements, which one can best reflect the author's professional standard?

Intention: this is an aesthetic and philosophical issue, which is related to the artistic accomplishment of the author and the appreciator respectively. There is no hard and fast standard, you can put it aside first.

Run out: works with obvious highlights/dark parts overflow (except for some special needs) are of course beyond our discussion;

Color: mainly? Ideas? , as long as the collocation is not too vulgar.

So, my opinion is: Is the writing level different? Professional standards? Or? Amateur level? Watershed. Sure, what did I say here? Major? 、? Amateur? Regardless of occupation.

A movie, no matter how good the scene is, no matter how beautiful the lighting color is, it will still be if the composition is flawed. Amateur level? The work of.

Proposition 5: How to shoot like a master?

Personally, I have never been superstitious about masters, but I am afraid.

Therefore, aspiring to become a master is by no means a shameful thing, but a promising performance of a society. Of course, those who are ambitious but never put into action, or are they occasionally shouted by others? Master? Those who get carried away are not included.

People who really pursue photography, even if they can't become masters, have to look like masters. We are not sure what kind of person we can be, but we can determine what we want to do and how to do it.

1, starting point: demand yourself by master's standards.

What is the standard of a photographer? My understanding is: from thinking to technique. In other words, think and act like a master.

To understand the thinking of the masters, I especially recommend intensive reading of Frank Horvat's "The Photographer's Dialogue". The publishing house still has a small amount of stock.

There are countless books on techniques, so it is recommended to read more books and albums by photographers at home and abroad.

Reading books is not enough. You have to turn it into your own thing and practice it.

2. finish line: set your own shooting goal.

People who can become masters have their own photographic ideals. What do you want to do in the field of photography, and what position will photography occupy in your life? Have your own photography ideas? What to shoot, what not to shoot, how to observe things and how to shoot your own characteristics? What about your own shooting target? What subject are you shooting? How to achieve it?

Once the staged shooting goal is established, it should be put into a specific shooting plan. The shooting plan must be specific, with a clear timetable and realistic operability.

3. midway: make persistent efforts.

After the starting point and the end point are clear, the rest will be put into action.

For most amateurs who pursue photography, the biggest challenge is: how to strike a balance between photography and livelihood? Trade-offs are the real test.

Proposition 6. what do you want to do?

The answer to this question will affect your shooting behavior. There are usually three options:

Make a living entirely by photography. This road is still difficult to walk in China at present. The main sources of income of famous professional photographers are speeches, tours and books. The demand for pure landscape works in commercial photo libraries is far less than that of commercial photographic materials.

Entertain oneself, regardless of the commercial income of the work;

Concentrate on shooting, but don't give up trying to get commercial returns.

Someone can go either way. Photographers will be faced with this choice, and should not pretend that this problem does not exist, nor should they swing back and forth frequently.