Next time you head out with a camera, push yourself harder. Walk a little further and see if the scenery gets better, climb that hill for a bird’s eye view of the world, hike to that distant headland where the view along the coast will be clearer.
There’s an old saying, ‘The harder you work, the luckier you get’ and this definitely applies to landscape photography.
So the next time you head out with a camera, instead of settling for the first viewpoint you find, push yourself harder.
Water in its many forms is a great ally when shooting landscapes – which is just as well, since 70% of the earth’s surface is covered in it and, as we head towards autumn, rainfall levels rise dramatically.
Still water in lakes and lochs is ideal for capturing reflections. If you get down to the water’s edge you can create sublime, symmetrical compositions, with the landscape occupying the top half of the shot and its reflection filling the foreground.
Use a polariser to increase colour saturation on sunny days, but make sure it doesn’t spoil the reflections. A neutral density (ND) grad filter can also be useful for balancing the landscape and its reflection.
Autumn approaches, so having these tips can help you to get in tune with nature. As the leaves start to turn, reflections from any water surface can become a beautiful mirrored image. Get down and dirty, don't be afraid of nature and walk a bit further to get the picture you want.