The optimal starter equipment for outdoor photography

Expensive is not necessarily optimal, this also applies to the camera. Automatic functions such as ISO value, exposure time and aperture must be manually adjustable if necessary. In addition, a camera on which interchangeable lenses can be mounted is optimal. Both requirements are met by digital system cameras or digital SLR cameras. Digital system cameras are easier to handle for hikes, climbing excursions and just as much easier.

These take up very little space in the backpack or hand luggage and are hardly noticeable in terms of weight. For the equipment it also applies that there should not be too much. A beginner is better off using only those accessory elements that they can easily handle in the great outdoors. Even professionals only carry a few accessories on their hikes to make them as handy as possible. Important are interchangeable lenses and a tripod suitable for off-road use (best folded up small enough for the backpack). External flashes can be useful, but are only suitable for outdoor photography if the user is able to use them advantageously.

Outdoor photography – know the technology well, then use it

The available functions are explained in the manual of each camera. Many of them are automatic, some can also be selected manually. Before the first outdoor use, exercise photos according to the manual instructions are a good training and in any case recommended. But not everything that is possible is also used in nature.

It is therefore important to master a few important functions well and to gradually get back to the others as the photos of the hike gradually become more professional. Knowledge of the ISO value, aperture and exposure time is crucial. Convenient photographers can leave automatic settings to the digital camera here. But it is more creative to set the values manually in order to capture the photo object in the best possible way.

video tutorials as tutoring

If the information in the manual and your own experiments are not sufficient at first, then video tutorials on certain camera models are helpful. This can even be researched before a purchase decision is made: Which models can be learned most quickly with these tutorials? RAW formats are better suited for outdoor images than JPG. In RAW format, the images still contain all image information in uncompressed form.

This corresponds to the classical recording in the negative, which is developed only afterwards. Also RAW formats are developed only then, however virtually, thus with appropriate software. Managing outdoor photos is a learning process that takes place only after the image has been captured. Editing and managing gradually lead to really ambitious amateur photographers “shooting” better and better pictures on a permanent basis. This also includes experiments in the wild, for example changing perspectives (as intuitively as possible instead of according to doctrine), intentional disturbance motifs during a shot and of course more than one photo of each experiment.

Result: new, fascinating motifs can be discovered everywhere in nature

Outdoor photography offers endless possibilities for exciting photos in the middle of nature due to the diverse landscapes. Beginners should buy rather handy, light cameras and only the most necessary accessories. This can be expanded at will once the user has learned the best way to use the camera. For really beautiful nature shots, the amateur photographer should also consider the possibilities of the subsequent image editing and management.

Landscape photography: With 6 tips for fantastic landscape photography

1. The golden ratio

The golden ratio is certainly not an unknown term for you, because not only in the field of painting is it common, but also in the field of photography. You have the opportunity to direct the viewer’s gaze to specific points in your picture and, by applying the Golden Ratio, to conjure up that certain something in your work. Of course, the golden ratio has nothing to do with magic, but with your mental imagination. You just have to divide your photo into nine rectangles of the same size.

Draw two vertical and two horizontal lines in front of your inner eye. On these lines and intersections you place crucial elements of your images. This enables you to direct the viewer’s gaze in a targeted manner. The golden ratio is not absolutely necessary for every work, but it is a simple method so that you can optimally set your motif in scene.

2. Find beautiful reflections for landscape photos

The second tip deals with reflections in landscape photography and usually you will find them where there is water. So if you photograph a brook, lake or sea then look closely, because somewhere there you will find beautiful reflections for your photos. For example, club the tip with the reflection with the golden section and you will achieve excellent results.

3. Find exciting foregrounds

Countless landscape pictures mostly show breathtaking views of seemingly endless landscapes, imposing mountains and abysmal valleys, while the spectacular is rarely reproduced in photos as it is in reality. So that your landscape photo is not considered completely boring, you should pay attention to the foreground. Here you will often find elements such as objects, people, plants or stones that you can bring to the fore in your photo. Your possibilities here are almost limitless.

4. The icing on the cake in landscape photography – the long exposure

Do you know pictures where it looks like the flowing water is like milk or clouds blurring? These images are the result of a long exposure. If you expose over a period of 10 to 30 seconds, components of your subject will move. Here waterfalls are again a great example for the long-term exposure of landscape photography.

Due to the extended exposure time, the water receives this unique dynamic, while all rigid objects remain rigid. For this you need an ND filter or gray filter and a tripod. You screw the gray filter onto the lens and the incident light is reduced and you can expose longer.

5. Waterfalls with long exposure and the right perspective

If you always shoot your pictures standing up and at eye level, then it is advisable to try out different perspectives. Lie down on the ground, climb a small rise and squat down. Especially in landscape photography the change of perspective often has an enormous effect.

6. Also the time is important

Finally a less beautiful message for your sleep, because while you sleep comfortably it can be that you miss a unique landscape photo. Not everyone is an early riser and therefore it is often not easy to torture yourself out of bed for a photo of the sunrise, but be assured it is more than worth it. Optimal times for landscape photography are the times around sunrise and sunset.

The light is much softer when the sun is lower. The landscape to be photographed is usually much more beautiful and there is often a magical atmosphere created by the light. These periods are also called golden or blue hour.
A landscape photo in the darkness is also worth a sleepless night. Especially if you live in a rural area, because this way your chance to take a picture of a starry sky without light pollution is relatively high.

6 tips for beautiful waterfall shots

taking pictures of waterfalls with the right equipment

It is important that you capture water movements so that your recordings get the appropriate dynamics and drama. When shooting with a smartphone or compact camera, you’re faced with a big problem because you can’t set the shutter speed. The movement of the water gets so lost in you. The basic prerequisite for photographing waterfalls is therefore a camera whose exposure time has to be set manually.

Half a second is usually enough to turn a seemingly boring subject into an extraordinary shot. The water becomes foggier the longer the exposure time is. Since no human is able to hold a camera motionless for several seconds and not even at half a second, you secondly need a tripod. This is the only way to show the waterfall in its best light.

attention to the light

If you have your camera and tripod, you can find the most beautiful spot with the most appealing light at the waterfall to create the right scenery. If the waterfall is directly confronted with the full sunlight, it is best not to unpack your equipment in the first place, because in this case the contrasts would be much too hard. However, if the light of the sun is under dense clouds or if the waterfall is in a narrow gorge without direct sunlight, you have excellent conditions. In addition, the twilight is also suitable to photograph a waterfall optimally.

Images of waterfalls with long time exposure

If the light and the point of view match, you can start taking pictures. It is important to expose for at least a quarter of a second so that you can record the movements of the water. In many cases, however, it is better to expose for several seconds. In order to achieve such an exposure time, it is sufficient to fade down to aperture 13 in the case of twilight. The advantage of this wide aperture is the fact that the photo is sharply photographed from the foreground to the background.

To extend the exposure time, you can also try closing the aperture even more, for example with aperture 22. If the exposure time is still too short even with the aperture wide closed, a gray filter or ND filter can help you. With a gray filter you can increase the exposure time significantly without having to close the aperture further.

You can get a gray filter in different strengths. For example, the exposure time doubles at a strength of 0.3 and quadruples at 0.6. You can also combine the filters. The corresponding filters are available in plastic and glass. Although glass filters are more expensive, they are largely colour neutral.

Avoid reflections

You can minimize reflections on wet leaves, stones, or water by using a polarizing filter. However, it is important to know that the use of a polarizing filter also has a prolonging effect on the exposure time. Of course, you can also use Photoshop to edit the images afterwards, but it’s nicer if you do everything right when you shoot.

It’s better to shoot one more image than one too little

Even if you have taken a photo with a certain exposure time, it is still worthwhile to test further exposure times. If you have different gray filters, then the exposure times are very simple for you to vary. If you ask yourself now whether all this effort is necessary at all, then this can be answered unequivocally with yes. Your picture results are often difficult to estimate on the display of your camera.

In many cases, it is only on your computer that you can see which recording is actually the best. You will notice that every single exposure time has its individual advantages. Unfortunately, there is no rule of thumb for the correct exposure time. It is largely dependent on the flow velocity of the water and the motif.

Give the certain touch

So that you can give your photos that certain something, it makes sense if you add an eyecatcher. Foam, for example, draws attractive patterns on the water or in autumn colourful leaves on the water provide a highlight. Also try different exposure times and keep your eyes open when you are in nature, so you will find many great eye-catchers.

depth of field – what is that?

The term depth of field describes the extent of the sharp area in the photo. The word depth of field should therefore be taken literally. It is a measure of how deeply into the photo (or correctly formulated: into the object space) all objects are sharply depicted. A shallow depth of field means that only objects in the foreground are really sharp, while the background is blurred. Conversely, a large depth of field means that both the foreground and background are in focus. You must therefore ensure a low depth of field if, for example, you want to make a portrait.

Then only the person is interested, the background is uninteresting. However, if you want to photograph a landscape, it is of course desirable to provide a large depth of field so that the landscape is as deep as possible in focus. In macro photography, on the other hand, a strongly blurred background is more desirable again so that the viewer’s gaze is fully focused on the object – for example, a bee on a flower.

It is only about the bee and the veining in the wings. The brook, which perhaps flows half a meter deeper under the flower, is of no interest and can rise in the blurred background. If you place the object skillfully, then you can direct the viewer’s gaze to the object with an appropriately adjusted focal length and depth of field. To do this, you must place the depth of field as close as possible to the main motif. This makes the foreground and background less sharp and the object is completely in the sharp area. This is called selective blurring.

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depth of field – how do I do that?

The means by which you can influence the depth of field is the aperture. A large aperture provides a shallow depth of field, a small aperture provides a large depth of field. Please note that in photographer’s jargon a large aperture means a large aperture and thus a small number of apertures. f/2.8 thus provides a small depth of field (background blurred), while f/16 provides a large depth of field (background sharp). For the example of a portrait shot mentioned above, you have to set a small aperture number so that the person stands out from the background. It’s called exemption.

The same applies to the bee on the blossom. It stands out against the stream flowing underneath if you set a small aperture number (photograph with a large aperture, as a photographer would say). For our landscape, on the other hand, you have to set a large f-number so that as much of it as possible is sharply displayed. A small aperture ensures of course that little light falls on the sensor. Therefore, don’t forget to set the shutter speed longer and increase the ISO value if necessary.

However, higher ISO values have a negative effect on the image quality, so that you should rather use a tripod. Of course, most cameras have an automatic function (“Av” is the name of this setting in Canon, for example), where you only have to worry about the f-number and the camera then automatically adjusts the shutter speed and ISO value – but you should still keep an eye on what your camera is setting, because that’s not always correct.

The depth of field is an important design element. With a small depth of field on the one hand, objects (especially people in portrait photography) can be lifted from the background (released). On the other hand, with a large depth of field, all objects, including the background, are sharply focused (important for landscape shots). The depth of field is controlled by the aperture. A small f-number provides a small depth of field, a large f-number provides a large depth of field.

depth of field for landscape photography

aperture & depth of field – simply explained

The aperture – what is that?

When taking a photo, there are three main parameters that affect the photo. The shutter speed, the ISO value and the aperture. The aperture is a device built into the lens that controls the amount of light coming in. The measure of the aperture is given as the f-number. It is the ratio of the focal length to the aperture (cross-sectional area through which the light passes) of the lens. Large f-numbers stand for small apertures and small f-numbers for large apertures (you can remember: the larger the f-number, the more “aperture there is”, the smaller the aperture and the less light passes through).

An f-number of 2.8 therefore means a large aperture and correspondingly much light incidence, an f-number of 16 exactly the opposite. The f-number on lenses is always indicated in the form 1:f-stop. So if it says 1:2.8 on a 100 mm lens, it means that you can set a minimum f-number of 2.8 for a 100 mm focal length. Mostly the aperture is built as a so-called iris diaphragm. Circularly arranged blades are shifted against each other in such a way that the incident light beam becomes either smaller (large f-number) or larger (small f-number).

Interplay between aperture and shutter speed

If you arrange the different f-numbers in order of size, you get the f-stop series: 1 – 1.4 – 2 – 2.8 – 4 – 5.6 – 8 – 11 – 16 – 22 – 32. Along this series, the amount of incident light is halved with each step. So at an f-number of 5.6, only half as much light hits the sensor as at f-number 4. The value of the shutter speed must therefore be adjusted accordingly: the larger the f-number, the slower the shutter speed (at a constant ISO value). Common usage in photography usually uses the word aperture to refer to the opening of the aperture. “Large aperture” in technical jargon therefore means large aperture opening. This can easily lead to confusion, because a large f-number correctly corresponds to a small aperture.

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The aperture – What can I do with it?

The most important creative tool over which aperture has a great influence is depth of field. Depth of field is a measure of how far the area in focus extends into the photograph. For example, only the foreground may be in focus, while the background is perceived as a blurry, possibly colored area. This option of image composition would be used for a portrait, for example (this is also called “cropping”).

On the other hand, if you want to photograph a beautiful landscape, let’s say a stream, then you want that stream to be in focus as deep into the photo as possible, so you want to achieve the greatest depth of field possible.

What you need to do is to set the aperture correctly! Small f-numbers mean shallow depth of field, large f-numbers mean large depth of field. So for our portrait above you would choose a very small f-number (1 or 1.4), for the course of the stream rather 11 or even 16 if the light conditions allow it; because as I said, the larger the f-number, the longer you have to expose. So a large depth of field usually requires the use of a tripod. The correspondingly longer shutter speeds also lead to motion blur worth seeing, especially with flowing water.

The aperture is one of the three basic parameters with which you can influence the image composition. It controls the amount of light that falls on the sensor and the size of the light beam. It is the most important control when varying the depth of field.

Important parts of the camera: The aperture