Landing by third i blind [Canon5D Mark II, 15 sec, ƒ/20, ISO 200 @144 mm]
Exposure Bracketing
Now most cameras have EV or Exposure Compensation feature. This allows you to take multiple photos each at a different exposure. A good practice is to take two extra shots in addition your normal shot of the same scene. One of them 1 stop above (+1) and another one 1 stop below (-1) the normal exposure (0). Its like an insurance for your photograph and most useful in a high contrast lighting condition. This process guarantees to get a correctly exposed image and then you can delete the ones you don’t use or blend them all for creating HDR images. However, remember to set it back to 0 when you are done.
Master the Depth of field
The wider the perspective the better it is for landscape photography. Along with that you will need to set your lens aperture to something smaller such as f/11. Start with f/11 and then adjust it so that you can also counter the issues of lens diffraction. The narrower aperture will help bring more things into focus, something that is ideal for landscape photography. But, beyond certain aperture setting you will start loosing sharpness due to lens diffraction factor. That’s why balance between Depth of field & Diffraction is necessary.
Where to focus in landscape photography?
Most of the time your own instinct will guide you where to focus, specially when you have a specific interest in the scene. Rarely you run into a situation where you have to consider the mathematical route. Many use a rule of thumb that states you should focus roughly one-third up from the bottom of the frame in order to achieve maximum sharpness & depth of field throughout. This is for reference only; the actual calculation (hyperfocal distance) may depend on various factors, including lens type, aperture, focal length and subject distance.
Shoot Raw & Use low ISO
Keep your ISO settings low (100 – 200) to retain detailed and noise free image. RAW preserves all the shooting data, including data that is not possible to record in JPG format. When needed, in post processing, all the stored data can be used to get the best possible output.
The Magic or Golden hours
Good Lighting is the key to successful landscape photography. That is why the best time to shoot landscape photography is the few minutes time window before and after either sunrise or sunset. Depending on weather the window could be around 30 minuets to an hour long. You will get the most favorable lighting condition in that widow period when the sun is lower, light is softer and often displays a subtle color warmth. This is why, the hours after dawn and before dusk are known as the ‘magic hours’.