Majestic mountains, breathtaking canyon views, gorgeous arrays of sea stacks and beautiful sandstone arches are but a few of Mother Nature’s wonders that beckon photographers world wide. These geological features possess an allure that attract artists of all kinds to paint, preserve, photograph, or sculpt them. They have been cut by rivers, uplifted by faults or folds, carved from the wind, and eroded away by time. Regardless of how they were created, these natural etchings challenge every budding and seasoned photographer to capture them from their unique perspective.

©Russ Burden

The Canyon: Canyon photography is a challenge. The more narrow its existence, the greater it is. If the canyon is narrow, the only time the sun gets to illuminate its entirety is when it’s directly overhead. Unfortunately, this is when the light is least appealing for landscape photography. HDR capture provides a solution and nets images that reveal detail with a wide range of tones. If one side of the canyon is lit while the opposite is in shadow, make a series of bracketed exposures that starts with capturing details in the highlights on the lit side. Continue the series making exposures that also provides details in the shadows of the dark side. Use HDR software to blend all the files in the series to produce an exposure with tonal detail throughout. I use Nik HDR Efex Pro for all my High Dynamic Range captures.

Canyons that are wide open make it easier for the landscape photographer. Those that receive early morning or late evening sidelight work better as sidelight provides highlights and shadows that reveal the texture of the land. For landscape photographers, this quality and direction of light are ideal. It creates three dimensionality which is important to reveal the geology created by Mother Nature.

©Russ Burden

The Detail: The grand landscape is certainly high on the scenic photographer’s capture list. But don’t neglect looking down at your feet or directly to your left or right so you don’t overlook the “intimate landscape.” The intimate landscape is the little gem that reveals Mother Nature’s geological wonder that too often gets overlooked. It’s that small slice of life that provides photographic beauty but is not “in your face” obvious. Numerous times I’ve come away with an intimate landscape that netted a more powerful image than the grand landscape. Apply the same rules of composition and light as you would if you were photographing the overall scenic.

©Russ Burden

The Majestic Mountain: As with the vast majority of landscape subjects, sidelight provides the best illumination. Front light can be utilized, but it’s essential the image is recorded within the first ten minutes of sunrise or last ten minutes of sunset to take advantage of the warmest colored light of the day. With side lit mountains, the window of good light can be extended. At sunrise, with every minute that passes, the color of the light grows cooler and the contrast between the shadows and highlights is reduced. At sunset, the light starts off cooler and continues to grow warmer and the shadow contrast increases. For more information on mountain photography, see my previously posted article entitled, “Mountainscapes.” Enter this word in the Take Great Pictures search box.

©Russ Burden

To learn more about this topic, join me on one of my Nature Photo Tours. Visit russburdenphotography.com and click on the NATURE TOURS button for more information. Also, email me to be placed on my Tip of the Week list and to receive announcements about upcoming tours specials or to pick up a copy of my book, Amphoto’s Complete Book of Photography. You can purchase a signed copy directly from me or visit your local book store or Amazon. Contact me at rburden@ecentral.com to order your signed copy.