How to shoot Landscapes

Boyd

Boyd

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Thanks Bob, glad you liked it :)

How to shoot landscapes... wow, that's a tough topic. I just go to a place, try to absorb it, than take my best shot. It can be very difficult because it's such a big world and the camera only sees a tiny part of it. For starters, you need a wide angle lens I think. You can buy these as add-ons for most popular digital cameras. B&H Photo is a good place: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/ - quite an amazing store if you ever get up to NYC. Speaking in terms of 35mm still photography, you want something equivalent to perhaps a 20mm or 28mm lens. Look at the specs for your camera and see what the wide end of the zoom is rated for. You will be shopping for a "wide angle adaptor" which screws on in front of the existing lens. They are rated with a fractional number like .6x. This means that adding the lens will multiply your camera's focal length by 0.6. So (for example only) if your camera's widest focal length is 40mm then a .6x lens would give you a .6 x 40 = 24mm equivalent.

But of course that's all just tech stuff. Really you need to get out there and just take a lot of pictures and not be afraid to experiment. You also have to shoot in full manual mode where you can adjust the f-stop and shutter speed instead of letting the camera make the choices.

Those pictures were actually individual frames of video taken with a high definition camera(Sony HVR-Z1). I think another thing which may help is the aspect ratio (image width divided by height). HD video is in the 16:9 ratio (16/9 = 1.78). The widescreen format seems to work well for landscapes - Hollywood discovered this a long time ago! Most big epic movies are even more extreme, with an aspect ratio of 2.35:1 (the width is 2.35 times the height). Then of course there was Cinerama which was as extreme as 2.8:1.

This all makes me wish I was back in the pines instead of sitting in a hotel in downtown Dayton Ohio. Had to come out here to install one of my sets which is out on rental to Dayton Opera. Flying home Monday though :) My next photo expedition is going to be a trip to the swamps behind (the former) TNC house. Wandered around there a week ago and it's a really beautiful spot with a lush carpet of peat moss.
 
Teegate

Teegate

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uuglypher

uuglypher

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Oriental said:
I shot at a landscape once but it got away. I heard they're kinda gamey unless you field dress them right away!
Click to expand...

Yeah; and the pelt looses color and gets dry and crispy once its stripped from the carcass...

Dave
 
Boyd

Boyd

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TeeGate said:
Be careful there...watch for deep spots and the log roads.
Click to expand...

Just got back from a photo expedition there. If you follow the narrow trails into the swamp it's spectacular with the moss carpet and fungus on the trees. I got green stuff all over my coat from leaning against a tree. I only go as far as I can on solid ground, I'm not so big on wading through the swamps like you guys :)

Will have to get the video into the computer and see how it turned out, will post some pix later.
 
bobpbx

bobpbx

Piney
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TeeGate said:
Be careful there...watch for deep spots and the log roads.

I think the moss is spagnum moss.


http://terraserver-usa.com/image.aspx?T=1&S=10&Z=18&X=2750&Y=22013&W=1&qs=|chatsworth|nj|

Guy
Click to expand...

Peat moss is a general term for Sphagnum and other similar types. Here is a good quote:

"The Celtic countries, by the way, are the only places where
you can find peat. God did this because he knew that the Celts
were the only people who drink so much that they would
try to burn mud."

-P.J. O'Rourke "Trips to Nowhere"
 
Teegate

Teegate

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Photo's in the pines around and in between trees always look better on a cloudy day I think.

Guy
 
bobpbx

bobpbx

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Boyd said:
I uploaded a few pix here: http://forums.njpinebarrens.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=395

Not entirely happy with them however. This is one of those places that seems hard to capture in a photo. Maybe I'll try again on a misty day.
Click to expand...

I like the one where a single shaft of sunlight penetrates onto the moss.

Boy, if moss were $1 a pound we'd be rich. I was back there on those cuts before. I went to the other side to those savannahs with a friend. Very wild back there.
 
bobpbx

bobpbx

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Boyd said:
Thanks Bob, glad you liked it :)

How to shoot landscapes... wow, that's a tough topic. I just go to a place, try to absorb it, than take my best shot. It can be very difficult because it's such a big world and the camera only sees a tiny part of it. For starters, you need a wide angle lens I think. You can buy these as add-ons for most popular digital cameras. B&H Photo is a good place: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/ - quite an amazing store if you ever get up to NYC. Speaking in terms of 35mm still photography, you want something equivalent to perhaps a 20mm or 28mm lens. Look at the specs for your camera and see what the wide end of the zoom is rated for. You will be shopping for a "wide angle adaptor" which screws on in front of the existing lens. They are rated with a fractional number like .6x. This means that adding the lens will multiply your camera's focal length by 0.6. So (for example only) if your camera's widest focal length is 40mm then a .6x lens would give you a .6 x 40 = 24mm equivalent.

But of course that's all just tech stuff. Really you need to get out there and just take a lot of pictures and not be afraid to experiment. You also have to shoot in full manual mode where you can adjust the f-stop and shutter speed instead of letting the camera make the choices.

Those pictures were actually individual frames of video taken with a high definition camera(Sony HVR-Z1). I think another thing which may help is the aspect ratio (image width divided by height). HD video is in the 16:9 ratio (16/9 = 1.78). The widescreen format seems to work well for landscapes - Hollywood discovered this a long time ago! Most big epic movies are even more extreme, with an aspect ratio of 2.35:1 (the width is 2.35 times the height). Then of course there was Cinerama which was as extreme as 2.8:1.

This all makes me wish I was back in the pines instead of sitting in a hotel in downtown Dayton Ohio. Had to come out here to install one of my sets which is out on rental to Dayton Opera. Flying home Monday though :) My next photo expedition is going to be a trip to the swamps behind (the former) TNC house. Wandered around there a week ago and it's a really beautiful spot with a lush carpet of peat moss.
Click to expand...

Boyd, I was on the Beach Camera site getting ready to buy my canon A630, and for some reason the accessory for wide ange they offer (push) is .45X. By my calculations, that will bring the focal point to a seemingly ridiculously wide 16 mm. What is it they are trying to push?..........bob

http://www.beachcamera.com/shop/product.aspx?sku=SAKDOWA52B
 
Boyd

Boyd

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First, it's typical to discuss lens focal lengths based on the equivalent focal length for a 35mm still film camera. This is because digital cameras use all kinds of different sized sensors so the true focal lengths can get confusing.

But yes, to determine the effective equivalent focal length when using that adaptor, multiply the camera's wide number by .45. So if that camera has a wide zoom of 36mm then that adaptor would give you 16mm.

A .45x adaptor is fairly extreme. I think you will find a lot of barrel distortion there (straight lines will become curved - the horizon will look like a "smile"). This can be a fun effect for landscapes, not entirely a bad thing if you're aware of the limitations. Shots of buildings and interiors may look strange if there are a lot of straight lines in them however. A .7x adaptor might be better if you want to avoid this and would give you something equivalent to a 25mm lens.

I've used those "digital optics" lens adaptors. They're "ok" but not the best quality. If possible I would get a real Canon adaptor lens, they are well known for quality. Might cost more, but you get what you pay for. Raynox is another company which makes decent quality glass at reasonable prices.

I'm not crazy about Beach Camera either. I went there in person and bought a rather expensive camera several years ago. It's just a little "hole in the wall" place in a north Jersey strip mall. They are fairly high pressure to get you to buy stuff you don't need. Personally I like B&H photo. If you're into photography (still & video) this place is like the ultimate toy store. It's definitely worth a trip up there if you ever have time. It's huge - possibly the largest store of its kind in the US. It's near the Lincoln Tunnel and not hard to get to. Much better vibe than Beach Camera where I thought the salesman could have been a character from "The Sopranos" :) B&H also has a great website: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/
 
BEHR655

BEHR655

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Feb 19, 2003
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Merchantville, NJ
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One rule of thumb for landscapes is the "Rule of Thirds". For example a good landscape could be 2/3 land/trees and 1/3 sky or 2/3 sky and 1/3 land/trees. Also, photos of a cloudless sky is usually boring so if it's a cloudless day you are better off getting as little sky as possible.

Steve
 
bobpbx

bobpbx

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Pines; Bamber area
BEHR655 said:
One rule of thumb for landscapes is the "Rule of Thirds". For example a good landscape could be 2/3 land/trees and 1/3 sky or 2/3 sky and 1/3 land/trees. Also, photos of a cloudless sky is usually boring so if it's a cloudless day you are better off getting as little sky as possible.

Steve
Click to expand...

Thanks Steve. Are you saying 1/3 land, 1/3 trees and 1/3 sky is not optimum?
 
Boyd

Boyd

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I agree there are certain principles which apply to good composition, but rules were made to be broken. The beauty of digital photography is that you can take LOTS of pictures and trash the ones you don't like. Just get out there and be creative, then spend a little while reviewing your shots on the computer and form your own opinions about what you like or dislike.
 
bobpbx

bobpbx

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Well, Tristate called me today, said they could not get the canon lens, said they would sell me the same one the others are offering for this camera, but it would be a .5 lens. I explained to him the formula, but he said that with a digital camera, it does not apply. He said the .5 would give me 22 MM and that there would be absolutely no distortion. Wearily, I said okay. My reasoning is that all the others offer the .45, so it can't be too bad. He tried to sell it too me for the same price as the canon, but I said no, so he matched Beach's price.
 
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