The Landscape Tutorial and Me

This has been an interesting and worthwhile tutorial for me. The purpose of the tutorial was to better equip the beginning landscape photographer with the basic skills necessary to improve their technique in the field. As such, the tutorial began with the basics of learning how to critically evaluate your own photographs, through the basic mechanics of your camera, to capturing images in the field using the creative techniques of standard SLRs and prosumer cameras.

I learned some valuable lessons about my photogarphy. These might seem obvious to the more experienced out there, especially because they come top of the list of advice given to landscape photographers. These would be the invaluable nature of the tripod and ND grad. To tell the truth, I had always put off buying a tripod because I didn't believe it would make that much of a difference. I can hold a camera pretty still and if there is camera shake, I can always increase the ISO. However, after examining some of the photos I took for Day 1 of the turorial and seeing a loss of detail in the image, I finally bit the bullet and bought a monopod (for convenience, especially as a walking stick!). I think that the photos I took in the following days are a bit sharper as a result of using a monopod.

I've also learned the benefits of the ND grad. I never really bothered to use mine (I don't even have a holder for it yet) because I figured that any adjustments needed to the sky could be achieved in Photoshop. Well, when I finally did break out the ND grad, I was surprised at the detail I was able to capture in the sky while still doing a decent job of exposing the land. So, needless to say, along with my polariser and monopod, my ND grad will be going with me when I take my photos.

The other lesson I've learned is how to critically evaluate my photos. Before I would just look at an image and use my gut reaction to determine whether or not it "worked." Now that I know more of what to look for, I can see my photos improving, especially in terms of composition. One thing I have to keep reminding myself, though, is that I can change my angle of shooting, that I don't have to always stand up!

This tutorial has also highlighted some of my shortcomings. I had a great deal of difficulty dealing with natural light and shutter speeds. Well, to tell the truth, it was very overcast when it came to shooting the natural light tutorial, but I still had trouble determining the effects of light at different stages of sunset and the effects that more or less sky in the photo has on exposure. I've also really got to get the hang of shutter speeds and how they relate to aperture if I'm ever to totally wean myself off of the automatic/scenic modes of my camera.

So, what is my verdict of the 7 day tutorial? I think that it was a very valuable exercise for me. I learned a lot of the features of my camera that I've ignored as being too advanced and I've learned the difference small changes to the way you take photos can make to your photography. Most importantly, though, I've learned that patience is a necessity for landscape photographers. You won't always get the conditions you want to shoot in because, while you can control your camera and pick your subjects, you cannot control the lighting and weather!