The Art, Science, and Craft of Great Landscape Photography teaches photographers how to convert their visual peak experiences-moments of extraordinary natural beauty that evoke a sense of wonder and awe-into stunning images that elicit the same awestruck emotion in their viewers. Randall is an experienced wilderness photographer, and whether you want to venture into the mountains for once-in-a-lifetime shots of raw nature, or simply hone your landscape photography skills from the safety of your back deck, Randall explains the art, science and craft of creating astounding images.Randall begins by focusing on the art of landscape photography. He describes his three-step process for composing a photograph and shows how good composition is an organic process that begins with rules but ultimately transcends them. Randall then explores the science behind successful landscape photographs, which requires understanding key concepts from geography, optics, vision, and psychology. These concepts include:
- Understanding how the position of the sun at sunrise and sunset varies throughout the year, which will help you plan when and where to shoot.
- Understanding optics to predict where rainbows will appear, how polarizers will interact with reflections, and where to find spectacular light.
- Understanding how to use topographic maps and computerized mapping tools to help you find the most promising shooting locations in the wilderness.
- Understanding how our visual system analyzes images and the psychology of how we view art. These insights will help you produce successful photographs.
Exposure is a central aspect of the craft of landscape photography, and Randall tackles the challenges of this topic from every angle-from tips on calculating exposures in the field, to achieving correct exposure in high-contrast lighting situations, to the best digital darkroom techniques.Great landscape photography can be mastered with practice and by applying the techniques taught in this book.
The Art, Science, and Craft of Great Landscape Photography is intended for those who already understand the basics of photography and who are ready to master the finer nuances of creating magnificent landscape photographs.
Foreword by Reid Callanan
Director, Santa Fe Photographic Workshops
| Acknowledgments |
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| Foreword |
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| Introduction |
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1 | (10) |
| Chapter 1 Landscape Photography Looks So Easy |
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11 | (12) |
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Viewing a Print vs. Viewing Reality |
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12 | (11) |
| Chapter 2 In Search of Extraordinary Landscapes |
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23 | (16) |
| Chapter 3 Visualization |
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39 | (20) |
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Using a Map to Help Visualize Photographs |
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41 | (6) |
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Shooting Moonset at Sunrise |
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47 | (12) |
| Chapter 4 The Art and Science of Light |
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61 | (3) |
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Blue Skies and Red Sunsets |
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64 | (7) |
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White Clouds and White Haze |
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71 | (3) |
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74 | (5) |
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79 | (3) |
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82 | (2) |
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84 | (7) |
| Chapter 5 The Art and Science of Composing Compelling Images |
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91 | (24) |
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The Essentials of Graphic Design |
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95 | (4) |
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99 | (7) |
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106 | (2) |
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108 | (7) |
| Chapter 6 The Perfect Exposure |
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115 | (1) |
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116 | (4) |
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120 | (3) |
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The Four Basic Exposure Strategies |
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124 | (1) |
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The Limiting Factor Exposure Strategy |
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126 | (4) |
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Which Split ND Do You Need? |
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130 | (2) |
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132 | (1) |
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The Universal Exposure Strategy |
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133 | (4) |
| Chapter 7 Digital Capture and Processing of High-Contrast Scenes |
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138 | (3) |
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How our Visual System Processes High-Contrast Scenes |
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Capturing Rembrandt Solution Images in the Field |
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143 | (3) |
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Merging the Images in Photoshop |
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146 | (2) |
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Smart Objects and the Masks Panel |
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148 | (3) |
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Final Thoughts on the Rembrandt Solution |
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151 | (1) |
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HDR: Great Potential, Many Pitfalls |
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152 | (3) |
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155 | (2) |
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Tone-Mapping in Lightroom |
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157 | (2) |
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Final Thoughts on Realism and HDR |
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| Chapter 8 Take a Walk on the Wide Side |
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Setting up a Single-Row Panorama |
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167 | (3) |
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170 | (2) |
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Camera Settings for Single-Row Panoramas |
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172 | (1) |
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Shooting and Processing High-Contrast Panoramas |
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173 | (4) |
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177 | (8) |
| Chapter 9 The Landscape at Night |
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Photographing the Milky Way |
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185 | (1) |
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Depth of Field for Selected Lenses Focused at Infinity |
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186 | (1) |
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Focusing and Composing at Night |
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187 | (3) |
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Maximum Shutter Speed Chart |
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190 | (1) |
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Holding Detail in the Land |
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190 | (4) |
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Processing Milky Way Images |
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194 | (2) |
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Shooting Milky Way Panoramas |
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196 | (4) |
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Photographing Star Trails |
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200 | (3) |
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204 | (1) |
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Can Night Photographs be Authentic? |
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| Chapter 10 The Psychology of the Compelling Landscape |
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Landscape Photography and Evolution |
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217 | (8) |
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On Culture and Creativity |
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| Index |
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Since 1979, Glenn Randall has combined his love of the wilderness with his passion for photography to create stunning landscape images. His intimate knowledge of atmospheric optics, weather conditions, and the landscapes he photographs allows him to find an intersection between magical light and stunning subject matter, which results in exceptional images. Glenn's work has been included in calendars for Audubon, Avalanche, Barnes & Noble, Brown Trout, Sierra Club, Nature Conservancy, and Runner's World. His images have been published in Audubon, GEO, Outdoor Photographer, Outside, SKI, Los Angeles Times Magazine, National Geographic Adventure, New York Times Magazine, and many others. His photographs have also been used by book publishers and corporate clients. At age 56, he has accumulated nearly 1,200 photo credits, including 73 covers, and sold over 10,000 prints. Glenn has authored 200 magazine articles and nine books, including two books of landscape photographs: Rocky Mountain National Park Impressions and Colorado Wild & Beautiful, both published by Farcountry Press. He recently completed a seven-year project called Sunrise from the Summit, in which he shot the sunrise (and occasionally the sunset) from the summit of all fifty-four Colorado Fourteeners (peaks over 14,000 feet).
