What is the secret of running out of light in mountain photography?

As we all know, photography is the art of using light. Under different light levels, light shows different properties, and naturally there are different ways to use it, which is suitable for shooting different subjects. This paper will take the subject of mountain scenery photography as an example to explain how to use the different characteristics of light to choose the right shooting method and shoot the right subject.

1. Sunlight: representing bright colors.

In the light, the scenery will look flat, but the color saturation is high, and the sky will look blue, which is very suitable for shooting "big scenes" with beautiful clouds in the sky.

Blue sky and white clouds occupy an important position in this kind of photos, and it is best to shoot them with polarizers.

Because the lighting conditions along the light are uniform, which can best reflect the original appearance of the scenery, most of the scenery notes are taken under the light.

Whether it's overhead shooting, flat shooting or overhead shooting, smooth light and rich color expression can play a good role.

There is no doubt about the advantages of Guang Shun, and its appearance rate in landscape photography is self-evident. But this does not mean that smooth light is the best light level.

To be exact, in most photography categories, there is no "best" shooting parameter, only "most suitable". Let's look at the characteristics of other light levels.

2. Side light: create rich light and shadow.

The side light creates a large light and shadow effect, which makes the mountain show a distinct three-dimensional sense, especially suitable for shooting mountains with large terrain fluctuations;

Low-side light has the strongest stereoscopic effect and light and shadow effect, and when the sun angle is very low, there will be unexpected gains.

The afterglow of the setting sun is often warm, while the unexposed mountain part has low brightness and cold color. Making good use of afterglow can bring strong contrast between light and shade and between cold and warm.

When you shoot a mountain with cool colors or strong colors (such as snow-capped mountains), the effect of cold and warm contrast will be more obvious:

When shooting the big scene of the continuous mountains, we choose a slightly higher side light, and integrate the long projection into the picture, which makes the picture feel particularly special because of the sense of space and the wide range of interlaced light and shade contrast.

3. Backlight: Various exposure effects

There is a very popular way to play in the backlight position of mountain photography, which is to use obstacles such as peaks and branches to block the sun and shoot the effect of starlight.

Generally speaking, the smaller the aperture, the more obvious the light, but it is not recommended to open the aperture too small to avoid diffraction affecting the image quality. It is more appropriate to move the minimum aperture of the camera back one or two steps.

You can also try to create a contrast between cold and warm colors when shooting the big scenery of continuous mountains from a wide angle. Choose to shoot at sunset, so that the part of the mountain is slightly underexposed, and the effect is also good:

When the mountains are shrouded in clouds, the gradual change and the change between the clouds and the mountains can be perfectly displayed by backlighting.

In framing and composition, it is necessary to emphasize the continuity of mountains and the undulating ridge contour:

How can photometry ensure the accuracy of sky photometry, reflect the gorgeous color of sunset glow, and at the same time, the foreground is only a "semi-silhouette", retaining certain details and not being completely black?

Zoom head can try this method: first turn to the telephoto end, highlight the bright area near the top of the mountain, and then press AE-L to zoom.

This can improve the "accuracy" of photometry and make it easier to make the target mountain "half-silhouette"-while retaining the beauty and some details.

It should be noted that when shooting in backlight, the mountain presents a silhouette or semi-silhouette effect, with a single color and no outstanding details.

If there are few clouds in the sky at this time, and the sun is not setting enough, and the colors in the sky have no obvious layering, then the picture may be boring.

If this happens, then include some foreground scenery. Flowers and trees are good prospects, which can not only enrich the picture, increase the sense of hierarchy, but also set off the majestic mountains.