Ultraviolet (UV) and daylight filters are used by some photographers to protect the lens's front element, which can be useful when you are shooting on a beach, for example, to avoid sand scratches, but I tend not to bother as I am worried they will degrade the quality of the image. You can also use a polariser to deepen the colour of the sky and add contrast, but once you're using a focal length under 28mm you'll start to get uneven polarisation in the sky, which looks odd, so a polariser is best avoided with very wideangle lenses. They come in a range of strengths, with Lee Filters' Big Stopper cutting 10 stops of light from the image to enable a far longer shutter speed than otherwise possible.Ī polariser is another useful filter – great for cutting reflections from the water's surface so you can see through it, or for enhancing the colour of foliage, especially after it's been raining and it's covered in water droplets. A soft-edge grad tapers from dark to clear, but the tapering means it won't do anything to clouds on the horizon, whereas a hard-edge ND grad works on everything right down to the horizon, and for that reason I prefer to use a hard ND grad.Ī neutral density filter helps you slow down your shooting speed which is vital if you want to create a milky effect with running water or smooth choppy waves, especially on a bright day. You can get ND grads in different strengths (e.g. Dark at the top and clear at the bottom, it darkens down the sky while retaining detail and preserving highlights, which brings out any cloud, too. Most magazine-standard shots aren't achievable without filters, and of the many types on the market, neutral density (ND) and neutral density graduated (ND grad) filters are the landscape photographer's best friends.Īn ND grad evens out exposure when the sky is brighter than the landscape – so it's especially useful for sunrises and sunsets. Manfrotto and Gitzo are good, sturdy brands we are happy to recommend at Nikon School. If your budget doesn't allow for carbon fibre, use aluminium – but never plastic. It's always going to be a trade-off between weight and versatility – lightweight models are easier to carry but won't be as stable in high winds or in flowing water, and might struggle to take the head you want, while heavier tripods are more stable in wind and water but more awkward to carry around.Ĭarbon fibre gives the best of both worlds – sturdy, with a high load rating, and lightweight too, although you will pay more for this convenience. When you're choosing a tripod, remember to look at the weight loading on the head as well as on the legs, and make sure it's capable of taking both your camera and your heaviest lens. įor any landscape work it's a good idea to shoot with the camera mounted on a tripod to keep your camera and lens steady and reduce the risk of camera shake, particularly at slower shutter speeds it also gives you time to really think about your composition. Another great option for landscapes is the 24mm PC-E.
#Landscape pictures series#
It also rotates and shifts, while our other PC-E lenses in the series are shift-only, so using it is as close as you get to replicating the movements of a large-format camera, but without the heft and hassle. You need time to set it up, but that's a good thing, as it means you'll take a more considered shot.
If you really want to get into fine control of depth of field – determining how sharp the image is from front to back – then take a look at the new 19mm PC-E lens, which gets rid of converging verticals before you even press the shutter, giving you infinite depth of field from where you're standing to the horizon. The 24-120mm f/4 VR offers similar pro-style flexibility at an enthusiast's price.
#Landscape pictures pro#
With an FX body, go for the 16-35mm f/4 VR or the 14-24mm f/2.8, which has near legendary status among pro landscape photographers for its astonishing sharpness, while the 8-15mm fisheye gives you scope to be a little more experimental with your imaging.įor an all-round hero lens, go for something like the 24-70mm f/2.8 VR, the most widely used pro lens in our line-up for its image and build quality, and the flexibility of that wideangle to medium-telephoto range.
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