^{photo by Cornelia Pithart via iStock}

Simple landscape photography is one of the more rewarding of all of the photographic genres. 

The world around us is full of beautiful and interesting things, using simple landscape photography tips lets us capture that and share it with others.

Here are some of my favorite tips to use.

Where to Shoot

 ^{photo by Smileus via iStock}

What is landscape photography? Perhaps a good answer for simple landscape photography is that it is capturing views of the scenery around you. I tend to use this as a description of simple landscape photography because it encompasses a lot of areas. 

Beautiful landscape photography can be taken in your own backyard or neighborhood, in a place far away from any human encroachment, or anywhere in between these two extremes. The common denominator can simply be that it has interest. 

Man-made areas and objects can still count, by the way. A terraced garden, a city park, a tree-lined street, all of these have a natural element involved and any of them can be used as simple landscape photography ideas of where to shoot.

Once you decide on an area that has potential, it can often be just a matter of choosing a good spot a couple of feet away from where you first thought to make the difference between a nice landscape shot and truly beautiful landscape photography. Like Ansel Adams said: “A good photograph is knowing where to stand.”

What Lens to Use

 ^{photo by Ron and Patty Thomas via iStock}

How many lenses do you have? I’ll let you in on a secret, you can make awesome landscape images with whatever lens you have.  

We may think that only an ultra-wide-angle lens qualifies as a landscape lens, but a normal lens, a telephoto lens, the kit lens that came with the camera, are all usable options for simple landscape photography.

Sometimes, knowing where to focus in landscape photography is more important than the actual lens focal length, though it all is part of the equation of what makes a good landscape photo. Lens focal length, aperture, where to point the camera, how to compensate, are some of the many variables.

Learn More: 

• How to Perfect the Foreground in Landscape Photos
• Beginner Photography Gear Guide
• Meet a New Kind of Tripod

How to Set Up

 ^{photo by Bulgac via iStock}

You have the lens you want to use on your camera and you’re in a good spot at an interesting site, now you get the gear set up. 

Simple landscape photography can get complicated very quickly, so whatever we can do to ease up our workflow could really help to get us back to simple landscape photography. If we’re going to make use of small lens apertures for deep depth of field, an easy method to steady the camera will be appreciated.

A tripod sometimes seems too cumbersome to carry, so a nice tripod alternative such as the OctoPad Camera Mount can come in handy. Small, lightweight, and inexpensive, the OctoPad and other tripod alternatives can be a part of our regular outdoor photography gear bag.

We could also talk about using filters and spot meters but we’re considering basic and simple landscape photography right now, so we’ll leave those excellent tool choices to the many other articles we have on those subjects.

Automatic or Manual?

 ^{photo by rusm via iStock}

Here is an important question that beginners in simple landscape photography want to have answered, should you shoot in manual or can automation be a valid choice. 

Modern digital cameras with evaluative metering are extremely capable photography tools. The technology is really quite good. Still, there are some aspects of simple landscape photography that it may be better to control for ourselves.

Just as we wouldn’t want a robotic AI to control where we put our camera or what subject to capture, we also don’t necessarily want our camera to decide on some focus or exposure settings that can have a large impact on our image.

If we are opting for a selective focus technique or deep depth of field, the lens aperture should be firmly in our control. Using aperture priority automation is an option, as is complete manual exposure control. We also want to use an ISO and camera file type that will provide the image quality we desire. 

Autofocus is excellent in modern digital cameras, but manual focus control can actually be a better method for simple landscape photography, especially if we’re opting for those depth of field controls mentioned earlier.

After the Shot

 ^{photo by johnandersonphoto via iStock}

What happens after the shot is taken is just as vital for simple landscape photography as all of the other things we do to take the image in the first place. A simple post-processing program can be as easy to learn as using our camera.

Many cameras come with a basic program for handling images on a computer, or you can subscribe to several different brands of programs with all sorts of capabilities. Even the full-featured programs have basic modes that can contribute to our simple landscape photography efforts. 

Simple landscape photography is within the reach of any photographer. If you are an absolute beginner or very advanced, with any type of quality camera gear, use these simple landscape photography tips for pleasing and fulfilling results.

Learn More:

• Get Better at Landscape Photography
• Essential Tips for Photography While Hiking
• Common Beginner Photography Mistakes