3 things, I wish I knew before starting landscape photography
I have been shooting landscape for a while now and from typical frames to creating images that were recognized at international photography awards. In the initial days, I used to carry a point and shoot and photograph things that got my attention. But those days, my idea was to imitate images of other photographers or any beginner photographer's cliche sunset shots.
Over a period of time, I started photographing images that satisfy the inner critic in me. If I have met my inner critic a decade back, these 3 would be the best advice I would have given myself.
You don't have to shoot like everyone:
It the social media world, it is very common that, when an Image gets popular and everyone tries to replicate the same. And a few days later the whole timeline with the same type of images. I did the same when I started my photography. I tried to replicate images that I have seen in books/prints. Over the period of time, my inner critic stresses on the following point,
If you shoot the same image, it doesn't carry your signature. Shoot something that pleases you and not others.
Now when I photograph, I always try to capture one of two frames that are unique or experiment with exposure. Those experiments give unique frames than what I could see with the naked eye.
More than gear its time and light matters:
In the initial days, I have spent my time, thinking that the camera was the limiting factor in my photography. I thought I will be able to capture better images, when I have full-frame DSLR or when I have a wide-angle prime lens etc. But, that is not exactly true. Yes, the full-frames and prime lenses may improve the output image quality but it doesn't improve the quality of the photograph.
The quality of the photograph lies in composition and light. I have captured same place in daylight and evening or misty clouds and trust me, the unique light is what makes the image.
So always research the seasonality and sunrise/sunset/blue hour timings if you want to capture an interesting image.
Always open to Experiment:
"In order to learn, experimentation is very important" - My inner critic
Whenever I travel places, I force myself to capture one or two images with exposure experiments. Not all the time, it will be successful but every time you learn something. I may experiment with the lens I carry (eg: shooting landscape with telephoto, or macro lens) or experiment with exposure (eg. shooting HDR, Over/underexposed images). These images train your eyes to see unique compositions and help you visualize the frames even before you capture it or see the frames in monochrome.
So forcing myself to remember these 3 things every time I photograph makes me create images that are interesting to me.
Share in comments what are the unwritten rules you follow when you photograph.
