Tips for Landscape Photos in Remote Location

[jdwright]

Heyas all =)

I'm hiking into an area called Elk Pass in WA to take some landscape pics that I will blow up for my living room. My wife says it is the most beautiful place she's run and that's saying something, since she runs races up to 50 mi on trails. The hike is about 10 mi in and at a reasonable clip, we should be able to make it in in around 4 hours and the trail head is a little over an hour from my home. I can make dawn, but it will mean leaving at o'dark thirty.

My question is this: If you were heading there to get some epic pics, clearly one would shoot for dusk or dawn - is one preferable to the other? I've researched a bit and have some broad guidelines for landscape pics (small aperture, horizon on the thirds line, etc.) but I'd really appreciate any advice.

My gear is a D90 with a 50/1.8 and 18-200vr and a basic tripod. I also have access to a 12-24/4.0 if it would make a significant difference. I'll be using the 2sec timer on all shots to avoid too much camera motion. My inclination is simply to go aperture priority with the 18-200vr wide as possible, bump it up to max, let the camera figure the rest. Is there a white balance setting you'd recommend besides auto for dusk or dawn? Am I too utterly helpless to get an epic pic?

I appreciate you taking the time to read this, and as usual, thanks in advance for any advice.

J

 

[OulOat]

1) Scope out the location beforehand. If you want nice pictures, it would help you greatly if you know what you are shooting.
2) If you want wide, get that 12-24/4.
3) Use the tripod, but beware of wind. Wind can blur long exposures unless the tripod is completely stable, which may be hard in a cheap tripod.
4) You will probably be focused on infinity for landscape, so you should be more concerned about sharpness than depth of focus. Set your lens to f/8 - f/11, which should be pretty close to its maximum sharpness.
5) Set your camera to the lowest ISO (turn of auto-iso), raw mode, noise reduction to off, and manual focus (once you focused you don't want the camera to refocus).
6) Continuous mode + Bracket your shots. You may end up preferring a picture that's not the perfect exposure. Plus, bracketing gives you the option of using HDR later.
7) Try panning. Since you already have a tripod, use it to pan and try stitching your pictures later.
8) Take multiple shots if you have the space. This allows you to pick and choose your perfect picture.
9) Preview your shots before moving on.
10) Lastly, but most importantly, cherish your trip. You are outdoors, and doing what you like. Enjoy.

 

[GoSharks]

My question is this: If you were heading there to get some epic pics, clearly one would shoot for dusk or dawn - is one preferable to the other?

Depends on the physical layout of the location. Got a link to a topo map?

 

[jdwright]

@Oulout: Good tips =) I'll get a hold of that 12-24.

@GoSharks: I don't =(, but from what I hear, there are amazing panoramic views.

I'm still unsure about the timing. Is dawn or dusk preferable?

 

[OulOat]

Dawn if you want dew or fog to give your pictures the ethereal look. But dusk is easier on you and could have wonderful sunsets. Try and see.

 

[GoSharks]

Higher mountains on the East = Sunset.
Higher on the West = Sunrise.

 

[corkyg]

Dawn or dusk can produce awesome results. If you want the lighting and color effect on the landscape, GoSharks has a good rule of thumb. You want the sun behind you. But, you can get some amazing sunrise and sunset effects if you shoot towards the sun. It depends on which direction you are looking and what you want to record.

 

[jdwright]

Google Earthed it and the location of Elk Pass is 46,32,15.50 N Latitude and 121,27,14.94 W

The highest nearby peaks appear to be W and S, but I have a hunch I'll be able to get shots in most all directions.

Currently, my plan is to try and get in around dawn...that means leaving my house around 2 in the morning and hiking by head lamp. I'll call and get the 12-24 for the trip today. I'll post some pics however they turn out =).

 

[jdwright]

Finally got around to sharing some pics =). 1:00 am is EARLY. They didn't turn out to be quite as good as i'd hoped, but hey it was a great hike! Here are some samples...

first time I've posted pics in a thread =)....LOL

 

[timswim78]

These are great, especially numbers 2 and 5. I might try cropping the unfocused area out of the bottom of number 3.

 

[jdwright]

thanks for the feedback =)

The only editing i have done on these is opening the raw files into photoshop and adjusting the settings a bit.

 

[basslover1]

These are great, especially numbers 2 and 5. I might try cropping the unfocused area out of the bottom of number 3.

Agreed.

The OOF bit on #3 really grabs your attention, and to me it's a bit hard on the eyes.