How to become a rookie in later landscape photography

This article is an article "Let you change from a novice photographer to a novice landscape photographer". In other words, you have to have some basic knowledge of photography and some shooting experience. If you don't even have the concept of shutter aperture, I'm sorry this article is not suitable for you. If you are a great man of scenery, please tell me if you have written anything wrong, or what you think is necessary to add.

About the later period

I wrote this part by asking and answering questions. It may be the part that can improve photos for most beginners, so I can do more ink, but it doesn't mean that the most important thing in the later stage, or that the most important thing in landscape photography is light. 1. exposure synthesis

Q: What is exposure synthesis?

A: The general meaning of exposure synthesis is to shoot multiple (usually three to five) different exposure compensation gears in the same picture, and then synthesize them in Photoshop later.

Q: Why exposure synthesis?

A: In order to solve the problem of large light ratio, that is to say, the light ratio of the picture makes it impossible to accommodate all the information in one exposure. For example, when you shoot a sunset, the photos must be either when the ground is bright enough or when the sky is normal and the ground is dark. Judging from the histogram, it is out of range, and there is dead black or dead white in the picture.

Q: Can't you use PS or LR to pull back with curves?

Answer: No, the photosensitive range of the camera photosensitive element is physically limited. If the negative comes out dead black or dead white, the details are completely lost, and no matter how awesome the curve is, it can't be pulled back.

Q: Do most films need exposure synthesis?

A: Generally speaking, a single exposure is enough, so there is no need for exposure synthesis. If you think a part of the picture is bright or dark, you can adjust the brightness contrast of the part (which will be discussed later).

Q: How should exposure synthesis revolve around exposure?

A: The simple method is to use the BKT+ continuous shooting on the camera to select the exposure interval and the number of attached sheets. I usually use +/- 1 for spacing, but I feel that 0.7 and 0.3 are not obvious. The manual control method is to accurately expose the dark part of the picture first, and then adjust the shutter by yourself to reduce it bit by bit. Generally, the spacing is also 1, until the brightest place in the last picture will not die in vain. Anyway, remember that the principle is that the brightest picture has no dead black part and the darkest picture has no dead white part. See if the histogram is dead black and white.

King Xi pasture

Q: What's the difference between this exposure synthesis and HDR?

Answer: First, correct a concept, HDR = high dynamic range, that is, high dynamic range, that is, the popular highlight ratio, Gao Fancha. Only HDR is used to refer to HDR images automatically generated by later tools. Tool HDR is also synthesized by multiple exposures, but it often looks ugly, dirty and distorted when acting on each pixel (some people will like it, well, it can only be said that aesthetics is not in a plane). Exposure synthesis is actually HDR, but it is a selective HDR. People choose the appropriate exposure of different parts of the picture. In the case of good processing, the image will appear natural and true to human eyes. Q: How should it be synthesized later?

A: Simply put, it is to stack all the previously exposed negatives into layers in Photoshop in sequence, and then erase the appropriate exposed parts for each negative (if you don't know layer mask, please Google it yourself ...). That's it (what, isn't this a lie? ) Yes, this synthesis is simple to say and may be complicated to do. It can be said that the core of synthesis lies in the mask, and how to create a reasonable mask for each exposure is a technology and an art. Generally speaking, it is enough to brush the mask with a brush, but what kind of brushwork, transparency and brushing method are all exquisite. In addition, photometric masking is a very powerful masking technology produced in recent years. (I will introduce it soon)

Q: What is depth of field synthesis?

A: If you want to put the foreground very close when composing a composition, then even if the aperture is smaller, the depth of field may not be enough. Therefore, similar to exposure synthesis, it is necessary to take negatives with different depth of field, foreground, intermediate scene and background and then synthesize them later. Friendly reminder: you need to align the layers first when composing, because the pictures with different depth of field are not consistent.

The most beautiful sunset glow

2. Photometric mask Q: What is a photometric mask?

A: Simply put (wipe) is to create a mask with the brightness of the picture, and the mask will only act on some brightness parts of the picture. Such synthesis and local adjustment can make the mask act on the part that only wants to act. The mask created by combining luminosity and brush can be very powerful. (well, I feel a little poor in writing. ) For example, a photo of a forest bigger than Zhang Guangzhao shows that the backlit side of the trunk is black and the sunny side is white, and two negatives are exposed around it. I want to use a brighter negative on the backlight side and a darker negative on the sunny side. Because the light and dark boundaries of forest pictures are complex and irregular, such masks are difficult to be treated with brushes, and photometric masks can be done well. Of course, this is just an example. In fact, photometric masks can be used for many purposes.

Q: How should I start studying?

A: It is recommended to be familiar with the exposure synthesis technology first, which is actually to brush the mask before starting this part.

Q: Where are the relevant resources?

A: Recommend some textbooks/videos for North American landscape photographers: Tony Cooper, Chip Philips, Zach Schnapf and Sean Bagshaw. These are some of the best landscape photographers. You can search their personal homepage, and then click the tutorial or video section to see it.

Briefly talk about the differences between several textbooks. Tony Kuper has a very detailed and basic written description (as if he were the pioneer of this technology), but it is really difficult to read. Sean Bagshaw has a very detailed video about luminosity for Tony Kuper's text description, and there are various other videos. His video is relatively complete, but I haven't seen it. Zack Schnepf has a video about exposure synthesis and photometric masking, and I started with his video. His style is very rigorous, and the photometric mask is not as detailed as Sean's, but it is enough for people with mask foundation. Chip Philips's video is richer than Zack's, but it is not so detailed about photometric masking and synthesis. In addition to photometric masking and composition, Zack and Chip also talked about the local adjustment of the picture, the thinning of the selection, the sharpening and output of the picture. Sean's videos are divided into several, each with its own emphasis.

Q: Why pay for these videos? Can you lend them and copy them?

A: I encourage you to buy here. After all, these are the efforts of photographers, and they are first-class landscape photographers in North America. It's nothing to spend some money to learn some skills from them. If you plagiarize, it is no different from piracy. I introduced it here, and I hope that everyone will consciously not spread it widely after buying it, let alone take it out for appreciation. Landscape photographer is a very hard job for photographers, and it is not easy to make money. I hope everyone, as landscape lovers, can care about each other and respect their own labor achievements.

Moreton's barn

3. Local adjustment Q: Is the effect of my film synthesis still insufficient/how should I adjust a single film?

A: In addition to synthesis, masking technology is also used for local adjustment. That is to say, curve/gray/color balance adjustment layers are created on the negative, and then the ranges of these layers are constrained by masks. In fact, compared with exposure synthesis, I think this part is more important for improving the picture. Adjustments made in this way are more flexible and powerful than those in Lightroom.

Q: How to make local adjustments?

A: My personal idea is to adjust the contrast between light and shade first, and then adjust the color. Contrast between light and shade is based on the elements of the picture, such as darkening the sky, creating a layer to create a mask, highlighting the stones in the middle scene, improving the overall contrast and so on. Adjusting the contrast between light and shade is usually done with curves or color gradation layers. Tone color is similar, I usually use photo filter, color balance and hue/saturation, natural saturation layer. In fact, every step of every photo is based on feelings, so I don't want to say much.

Q: How to adjust it to look good?

A: Actually, it depends on everyone's later style. There is no fixed method. In fact, I tried to take pictures in the style of Chip and Zach. In short, this style is the direction I appreciate and move forward. Recently, however, more and more people find that they have insufficient control over color. The color is too heavy and unnatural, and the color temperature is too high. Keep working hard.

fairyland

4. About Lightroom and WorkflowQ: Look, most of the work you introduced is done with PS. Where's Lightroom?

A: Lightroom is generally used for photo management. In addition, there will be some fine-tuning before the picture enters Photoshop, such as changing the color temperature, eliminating highlights and noise, but they are all minor changes, just laying a good foundation for the negative.

Q: Besides comprehensive and local regulation, what else needs to be done later?

A: My workflow is generally Lightroom fine-tuning-> Exposure synthesis (if there are multiple)-> Local contrast adjustment->; Overall contrast adjustment->; Local color adjustment->; Overall color adjustment->; Refine the texture (if necessary)->; Orton effect or other effects (I don't know how to translate this if necessary, see Chip's video)-> Change the size of the picture and sharpen it-> Output.

Generally speaking, my synthesis process refers to Zack's style, and the whole process refers to Chip's style. There is no fixed method in the later stage, especially the part of contrast color adjustment, but we should develop good habits and establish a stable and reasonable workflow in the whole process.

Liu Cui

On various topics

Many things in landscape photography are the same, such as small aperture most of the time, but different subjects pay different attention to different places. 1. Milky Way and stellar orbits: This is a complex topic, but it is not difficult to get started. It's easy to simply shoot the stars. After reading one or two introduction posts, I can make a move. For example, my first film, Stellar Orbits and Galaxies, was quite successful. But the key is how to arrange the right scenery in the foreground and achieve the right brightness (moonlight or light painting), which requires some experience.

2. Waterfall flowing water: Waterfall is easier said than done. It's easy to say because the effect of water flow needs to be photographed, so it is enough to have a medium gray filter and polarizer. It's hard to say that this theme is most suitable for cloudy shooting, but generally everyone is very similar. It is not so easy to meet interesting light in the Woods and control it well.

3. Snow Mountain: Because mountains often occupy a lot of pictures, the weather requirements are relatively low. When the light shines on the mountains in the morning and evening, the effect is generally not particularly bad. The key is that the shape and snow of the mountain itself are special enough to attract people's attention.

Larsen peak starting point railway

4. Lakes: In fact, lakes are generally not the subject of photos. There is nothing special about a simple lake. Generally, there are peaks facing a reflection, or objects with clear water at the bottom, or special scenery. These lakes are worth shooting. 5. Wildflowers: It doesn't mean close-up and macro shooting, but the feeling of sketches. Generally, it is best to have a beautiful background, such as mountains or cloudy sky, and wild flowers are undoubtedly the foreground. Depending on the situation, you can shoot a cluster at close range or a whole film at a long distance.

6. Night view of the city: This is also very easy to shoot, just find the right place, but although it is a night view, in fact, the light is usually the best at dawn the day before sunrise or at dusk the next day, which is much brighter than the all-black sky.

Sunrise in Lake Manzanita

7. Woods: This theme is not easy to shoot. It's easy to shoot on cloudy days, but it can't produce excellent results. The contrast of light on sunny days is very big, and it will be a little more complicated later, but it is better to wait until about two hours after sunrise and the light is better before sunset. I don't want to say anything more. 8. Coast: Yes, photographing the coast inspired me, but I still think the coast is the most difficult to photograph. First, there should be a suitable stone as the foreground, and secondly, blinds should be used to control the water flow. Third, many times, because the composition should be close enough to the sea, it means getting wet to prevent the lens from getting wet by water vapor. The most important time is that the composition of the sky will account for more than 1/3. If the sunny day is dull, you need to wait for good light.