General info please

Seajay

Seajay

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Cathy
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Going to the beautiful isle of Lewis and would like to ask a few basic questions.
Only have a basic kit

Canon 550d kit lens
Tamron 70-200
Nifty 50


Can I use my nifty 50 for landscape shots?
Also my camera is set on faithful is this the best setting for landscape?
Only have a screw on polariser and ND right now should I ignore them or try them out?
Any other tips or settings would be very welcome and even any suggestions of what to try if you have been there.

I know these are basic but to me they are important questions hope you don't mind me asking.
Cathy
 
You can use any lens for landscapes. Not all landscapes are wide angle. Have you got a tripod? The ND filter might be hard to use if you don't.
 
Use a bean bag if you don't have a tripod. Set it up on a rock or wall. Don't be afraid to kneel down or lie on the ground, though it will probably be wet- I always have a towel in my rucksack (because of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Universe!).
Don't forget to take detail shots, not just sweeping landscapes.
Most important is to compose your shots. Would you hang the image on your wall or is it a snap?
Enjoy your trip!
 
If you've got time, I suggest borrowing form the library or buying second hand the book The Making of Landscape Photographs: A Practical Guide to the Art and Techniques by Charlie Waite. It can be found for 1p plus postage at Amazon second hand. It's an old book, primarily dealing with film photography. But it's still one of the best books (and certainly the best value book) that I have found for what it is that makes a landscape photograph work. I was re-reading my copy yesterday. You can ignore his comments about warming filters, but he does cover the use of polarising filters and ND and ND-grad filters.

Personally, I'd shoot raw. But if you haven't got Lightroom and aren't comfortable with the DPP software that came with the camera then shooting JPG is ok.
 
Thank you Alastair and Ken.

I will have a look at the book when I get home Alastair leaving tonight so no time but have just ordered it from Amazon. This will be something to look forward to on my return

I do have a Giotto tripod and I will be sure to pack a towel too. I always shoot raw since joining this group it was also here I learned about getting a decent tripod. The group is a super place for people who want to learn. Truth is I need to shoot raw as I always need to fix my prints lol!
I will try my hardest to put it into practice all your advice weather permitting.
It would be such a shame not to give it a go when I am there so fingers crossed :)

Cathy
 
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Watch out for the Vogons!
 
Lol! :) just googled them.
Well I hope not to meet anything like this.
Mind you have my skin so soft in bag for the midges.
Cathy
 
As said, you can use any lens for landscapes, and it's not all about gear, but, I be tempted to hire a decent wide angle.

Tripod would also be on my list....but them again, any list of gear you make could always be added to :naughty:

I went to Isle of Skye last year...it was epic :D

Enjoy.

Cheers
 
Andy has no idea you could hire a lens but to be honest I would be so very nervous about anything going wrong with it etc I need to learn to use what I have right now and then I will add to my kit. I have a good Giotto tripod and really pleased with it. I bet you enjoyed Sky I have been there too but only ever took family pics! :( Cathy
 
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I'm back from a few days in Snowdon, admittedly most of my shots were taken with a 20-35mm but I'm glad I switched over to my 70-200mm for a few of them and it should have been more.
I had a look through the landscape forum before I went as it was my first time I'd gone out with the intention of shooting landscapes. One of the best bits of advise was; 'Think of the foreground.'
Getting something in the foreground helps add depth and scale to an image rather than just having a nice picture of a mountain.
Also suggested was to pretend you are describing the shot to a blind person, if all you can say is 'it's some hills', then you need more of a focus point to add interest.
And watch you horizon's are straight :)
 
Andy.s that is good information thank you. I think I will have a go at all three lens's and see what I come up with.
Daft question I know but do you all move your picture format from standard / faithful etc to landscape before taking images ?
Cathy
 
With the exception of trying the in-camera hdr (jpeg only on the Canon 6D), I just shot in raw and didn't touch the jpeg options. Mostly shot in AV and changing to manual when it came to the sunsets. It was easier than arguing with the camera's exposure compensation.
If you have time have a look into 'hyper-focal distance', a method of ensuring you get as much of the image in focus as possible. Youtube has a few videos covering it.
 
Seajay said:
Andy.s that is good information thank you. I think I will have a go at all three lens's and see what I come up with.
Daft question I know but do you all move your picture format from standard / faithful etc to landscape before taking images ?
Cathy
Click to expand...

If you shoot raw, it doesn't matter.

Shooting raw the colour modes only affect the review on the rear screen, and the default processing in DPP (or if you shoot raw+JPG it affects the jpg version only). The raw file had no processing applied, by its very nature.
 
Ah! So I should just leave it on faithful and ignore it as I do only shoot raw
Alastair thank you this is another thing I can forget about :)
Cathy
 
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