Unsusre of Landscape Photography

I do not consider myself proficient or knowledgeable when it comes to photographing landscapes. I looked up some good tips before heading out on a camping trip and this is what I came back with. I would really love to know what (if anything) I did right or wrong, did you like any of them or why you did not like them.
My take on the Badlands of South Dakota.
#1

Hmm...I like them for the most part, especially the sky.

It could just be me, but the ground seems to be a bit OOF, but again, could just be me. You may wanna get your sensor cleaned though, lots of dust spots in #4.

Nice scenery, but you got clobbered by the time of day. With the partial exception of the first shot there is no texture on the hills that the evening or dawn horizontal sunshine would provide. Also, the same evening or dawn horizontal sunshine could have separated one ridge from the next. This is what is meant when someone talks about the light being "flat".

If you ever get back there, try to spend the night and shoot at dusk and then again at dawn. Compare those shots with these and you will be amazed at the difference the proper light can make.

Rad

Agree with rad here. But another thing that could help with composition that i try to remember is this... since you are trying to represent a 3d would in a 2d medium you need to convey depth. This is done with light and shadow first and foremost, that is why golden hour (sunrise/sunset) time is king, it casts more shadows and therefore conveys more info to the brain about the shape of things. Next thing to try and do is to get something in your shot that can represent a foreground and, if possible, a mid-ground, and of course a background. Most people who try their hand at landscape get the background just fine, like you did here. But try to get something in the foreground, a bush, tree, rock/boulder, flower, anything that can be considered close enough to the camera/viewer to be considered a foreground. Now when you do this make sure you use proper distance/lens focal length and aperture setting to insure all will be in focus. Also if you can include something in the midground it sometimes helps out as well.

Do not center your foreground subject (well almost never do this, there are exceptions) instead try placing it in the frame off to one side or the other. If you can work something into the rule of thirds, all the much better, or even use something to form a leading line that leads the viewers eye to the subject. This could be a dead branch, a row of shrubs, etc.

Make a habit of looking at other's landscapes that you really like and you will find that these rules will often apply. This is what helps those images 'work' and it will help yours work as well.

I think you should have taken in landscape angle. All the images needs little bit contrast and clouds shadow would have been very much appreciated.

All these image needs a bit of post processing to fix them up. Their levels are way off. I don't know what it looked like when you were there, but here is a quick fix of levels, midtone curves, and smart sharpen adjustments. And your sensor has some serious dust on it

HOSTED PHOTO
please log in to view hosted photos in full size.

In addition to some good advice already provided by Rad and Dermit. I've been using a book by Tim Fitzharris as a learning tool and reference. The following is quoted verbatim from this book:

"The relative size of landscape features is one of the most obvious cues in conveying the depth of a scene. Objects that are closer appear larger than those that are far."

"Lens focal length generates a powerful perspective effect. By emphasizing the different size cues, wide-angle lenses increase the perceived distance between elements in the composition and promote a feeling of deep space."

"Because the eyes of a standing human are some 5 or 6 feet above the ground, landscape features that are close to us are positioned lower in our field of view than those more distant. For a maximum three-dimensional effect, you should set up at about a 45 degree angle (above horizontal) on the first cue size in the composition".

In other words, the lowest cue or feature in the picture that gives us some sense of scale is what should be seen at a 45 degree angle down from the lens (the closest feature), and it should be in focus.

http://www.amazon.com …ext_b/102-9762121-5311311

Thank you all for the feedback. I was stuck with the time of day that I was there, we were just driving through. What is this "landscape angle"?

BrewsterPilot wrote in post #4006106
I'm not 100% sure what its real name is in English, but basically it is when the x-angle (horizontal) is longer than the y-angle (vertical), as in your first picture. So, say 1024px wide and (insert smaller value here) high.

Just guessing?