Ansel your landscapes

When you think depth of field, you might think of Ansel Adams, one of the greats in landscape photography. Adams captured the essence of America’s coast-to-coast landforms from scenic overlooks in U.S. national parks to the close-ups of flowers there. His imagery illustrated the fine
art of texture from smooth rocks to the jutting sticks of tree branches. If one word could be used to describe how Adams photographed landscapes, that word would have to be detail.

Adams worked with film: big format film, film several inches long by several inches wide, film that required a special lens. He waited for the right time to take a picture, and he got to know the places where he photographed. Emulating Adams using your digital camera can be pursued first by knowing a place where there’s nothing but nature around, knowing when the weather will be good, knowing a viewpoint from which to photograph, and knowing what time of day to go there for the best light.

You can get pictures from high-end digital cameras with the same clarity that Adams got, provided you find that special natural place that you know well and use a tripod when shooting. Try a variety of shutter speeds and exposures, and then pick out the best of a series.

All about light, shadows, and shades

Capturing light — how you want to show and exploit it — truly defines photography.

After all, photography literally means light writing. You can use light to paint, illuminate, mask, shadow, and color your subject almost limitlessly. Use light to your advantage to capture everything from blasting saturated color to ethereal backlit fog and mist to stark silhouettes. For more on reading light when shooting outdoors and indoors, see Chapters 5 and 6, respectively.

For great techniques on capturing light when shooting black-and-white, see Chapter 9. And for shooting in virtually no light, see Chapter 10 for the lowdown on night photography.

You can also use light and shadow at night to add depth to photographs, sometimes making them look similar to paintings. Older buildings that show wear offer your camera’s sensor a brush stroke effect in its interpretation of the light’s reflection on the worn stone.

Many of the best architecture and landscape photographs are shot at dusk. The long shadows, soft light, and reflections can create dramatic results.

Don’t be afraid to exploit contrast when calculating the proper light for exposure. After you get the hang of your camera’s auto settings, master how to set your exposures manually.