The proper photographic equipment will enable you to shoot stunning landscapes.
With the right equipment and some technical knowledge, a beginning photographer can shoot stunning landscape images. A "point and shoot" digital camera with a zoom lens will certainly suffice, but using a single-lens reflex allows you to control more of the involved variables--focal length (the distance from the lens to your subject), depth of field (the area in the photo in sharp focus), and lighting (sunrise to sunset and everything in-between). However, as sophisticated as your equipment may be, there is no substitute for following the rules of composition to create photos with a "wow" factor.
Wide-Angle Lens
A wide-angle lens is commonly used in landscape photography.
Part of the appeal of landscape photography is capturing the grandiose scope of the view before you. According world-renown photographer Scott Kelby, a wide-angle lens is "just about a must if you're shooting landscapes, because the wide aspect takes in more of the scene." A wide-angle helps you document the scope of something as powerful as Niagara Falls, or as inspiring as Alaska's Denali. A wide-angle may be either a prime lens (having a fixed focal length, as in 35mm) or a zoom lens (having a variable focal length, as in 12-24mm).
Telephoto Lens
A telephoto lens has an application in landscape photography.
While not as critical as a wide-angle when shooting landscapes, a telephoto lens enables you to zero in on any striking aspect of a distant scene. The golden rays of late afternoon sun highlighting a bank of trees along a picturesque river would be lost without the magnification of a telephoto lens.
Tripod
Using a tripod can reduce motion blur in your photos.
When shooting landscapes, depth of field is a significant factor in creating successful pictures. To grab extreme depth of field--where everything from foreground to background is in sharp focus--you must shoot with a very small f-stop (or lens opening). Shooting with a small f-stop often equates to using a slow-shutter speed. A tripod is a handy piece of equipment when you need to shoot with a shutter speed of 1/60th of a second or less. With your camera mounted on a stationary tripod, you will avoid any motion blur in your photos. Additionally, a tripod is invaluable when shooting in low-light situations.
Polarizing Filter
A polarizing filter can enhance your landscape photography in several ways.
A polarizing filter, screwed directly onto your camera lens, deepens the blue of the sky, whitens clouds, reduces glare and intensifies other colors. To take best advantage of a polarizing filter's effect, you should position yourself to have the sun at a 90-degree angle to your side.
Neutral Density Filter
A neutral density filter can improve your sunrise and sunset shots.
Hands down, the best times to shoot any photographs are at sunrise and prior to sunset. The incomparable light can turn a mediocre shot into a prize-winner. Of course, the beauty comes at a cost. If you're shooting a landscape at sunrise, it can be difficult to properly expose an image when the bright light from the sun differs so dramatically from the light in the rest of your scene. A neutral density filter, which has both a clear area and a dark area, can help you reduce the brightest portion in the landscape.
Tags: landscape photography, polarizing filter, shooting landscapes, blur your, blur your photos, depth field, focal length