One of the hottest and driest places on Earth, the Danakil Depression in the northern part of the Afar region in Ethiopia (part of the great East African Rift Valley) is one of the most cruelly inhospitable places on the planet. Much of it lies below sea level, with temperatures as high as 125 degrees
I believe that the three biggest concepts in photography are gear, composition, and post-processing. The smallest of those three is gear, the second smallest is post-processing, and the one that is most essential is composition. If I had to attach percentages to them, it would go like this: Gear: 10% Composition: 65% Post Processing: 25%
I often get asked the question: how do you find your landscape photography locations? Typically, a lot of planning goes into my choice of locations and compositions, sometimes even months ahead of time. I start with research at home, which helps me narrow down potential spots. When I arrive on location, the hard work begins,
Whenever you include the sky in your photos, chances are your compositions will look better if there are clouds—the right kind of clouds, that is. Photographing clouds is really important for landscape photography in particular, but I find the presence of clouds to be useful with other types of outdoor photography as well. Look for
Leading lines are vertical, horizontal, or diagonal lines that attract a viewer’s attention and lead the eye to critical areas in your image. Leading lines are an effective tool for landscape photographers looking to create depth in their photos, and to draw the viewer deeper into the scene. For the image below, I used a
The Falkland Islands, located in the South Atlantic off the coast of South America, are world-renowned for their exceptional wildlife photography opportunities. Large, easily accessible colonies contain tens of thousands of some of the world’s most incredible birds, including five species of penguin, imperial cormorants, and black-browed albatross. Elephant seals, sea lions, and orcas are
I believe that photographers should have a great idea of the shots that they want to take when they travel to a new location. I’m not talking about vague, general ideas about the shots you want to walk away with and add to your portfolio. I’m talking about very exact details of photographs that you
There are few sights in nature that are as awe-inspiring as being high up a mountain, looking down upon a sea of clouds. Getting above the clouds doesn’t happen often, but when it does, it presents many unique photographic opportunities. I drove high up an alpine road to make this photo at sunrise, when golden
So, you’re interested in getting serious about taking landscape photos. Is your current digital camera up to the task? Landscape photographs require a digital camera that is capable of capturing lots of detail and working in less than ideal lighting conditions. A full frame DSLR is probably your best camera for landscape photography, but there
Following the lead of managing editor Ian Plant and his recent year in review post highlighting his best photos from 2016, I wanted to share my own top 16 photos from 2016. I know it’s a bit late, but I was out in the field for several weeks to start the year – more on
