A Guide to Light in Landscape Photography

Composition and light are two extremely important components of a good landscape image. There are many different types and directions of light, and light is constantly changing, so it is something we all need to be very aware of as landscape photographers.

Two periods of light that are well known are Blue Hour and Golden Hour. Blue Hour, as its name suggests, produces blue light. However, unlike its name suggests, it doesn’t last for as long as an hour and this light appears just before sunrise and just after sunset. I personally think the blue light is perfect for producing calm, relaxing images. Golden Hour produces a wonderfully warm and soft light which occurs just after sunrise and just before sunset. This light can really enhance the contours and details in the landscape and produces a beautiful combination of light and shadow. Similar to Blue Hour, Golden Hour may not last for an hour depending on the time of year and your location. Of course around sunrise and sunset we can often be treated to a variety of beautiful colours in the sky but it is important to check weather forecasts because the wrong type of conditions can easily prevent the colour and nice light from appearing.

The direction light is coming from can have a big impact on our images. The four most common directions are:

• Side Lighting - light which is coming into our scene from the left or right

• Back Lighting - light is coming from behind our subject and towards us as we face our subject

• Front Lighting - light is coming from behind us as we face our subject and it is lighting our subject

• Top/Overhead Lighting - light is coming from above

Throughout the main daylight hours we can encounter lots of different weather and lighting conditions - harsh light, flat light, soft diffused light, fleeting light and so on. I’ve produced a detailed video covering everything in this article and much more on my YouTube channel. If you’d like to watch you can find it here. Capturing scenes under their ideal lighting conditions is part of the joy of landscape photography and is a key part of creating successful images, I wish you good luck!

Visualisation in Landscape Photography - Tips to Improve Composition and Your Photographs

Visualisation is a very important part of landscape photography. I think you need to be able to see a good image before you can take one. When you arrive at a scene you may know the potential is there for a nice composition but can you see what ingredients are required to make a great photograph? In my latest YouTube video which you can watch here I discuss visualisation in landscape photography, take a look to see me explain how it helped me capture two images that I like. For this article here are a few ideas to get you started on visualising better images:

1. What does the scene make you feel, is there a story that you want to tell the viewer?

2. Is the lighting correct for the scene or would it look better at a different time of day?

3. Could the end photograph look better if captured at a different time of year?

4. Where do you want to take the photograph from, and which focal length will work best?

4 Landscape Photography Tips to Last a Lifetime

There are no secrets to taking landscape photography images. You do however need to know the technical details of photography and also how to operate your camera. Once you know the technical details many other factors become more important. I’ve published a video in which I give four landscape photography tips that I feel can be applied from your very first landscape photography shoot through a lifetime of taking landscape images. These tips just scratch the surface but I feel they are very important and practical. You can watch the video on my YouTube channel here.

Is the Importance of Golden Hour Overrated in Landscape Photography?

As soon as you begin your journey as a landscape photographer you will start to read and hear about the importance of taking images at golden hour. It can certainly help us capture some wonderful images, but is it the only time of day we can capture our best photographs? That’s what I discuss in my latest YouTube video which you can watch here.

Waiting For a Stunning Sunset

Sunsets at the coast can be so rewarding and so challenging too. The tide is always changing and that makes our compositions change too, then we need to factor in the changing light. The coast is definitely one of my favourite places for landscape photography and I love the challenges it brings. In my most recent vlog I headed out on a beautiful night to try and capture an amazing sunset. You can watch the video here.

Woodland Photography and Climbing High in the Cairngorms to Capture Light

My recent landscape photography trips have seen me venture to a woodland and also climb high up in the Cairngorms in Scotland. In my woodland photography vlog I capture some of the finer details of the woodland and a particular scene which I found quite interesting, you can watch that video here. On my trip to the Cairngorms I set off late in the afternoon to climb high up in an attempt to capture the nice evening light as it hit the Cairngorm mountains and surrounding hills and lochs. Watch how I get on and see the images I capture here.

Light, Composition and a Castle

Light and composition are essential components of successful photography. In this landscape photography vlog on my YouTube channel I discuss their importance while photographing castle ruins on the North East coast of Scotland. You can watch my video here.