USE THE "SKY" TO BE A DIFFERENT LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHER

THE SKY CAN BE YOUR FRIEND IN LANDSCAPE PHOTOS

ANOTHER ONE OF THE AMAZING THINGS THAT COULD HELP YOU TO BE “DIFFERENT” THAN ALL THE OTHER PHOTOGRAPHERS THAT TAKE LANDSCAPE PHOTOS, IS TO BE A “SKY” PHOTOGRAPHER. SO MANY TIMES WE FOCUS ON THE LANDSCAPE OF THE LAND IN FRONT OF US, WHEN WE COULD SERIOUSLY LOOK AT THE SKY AND BE MESMORIZED BY THE BEAUTY ABOVE US. HOW MANY TIMES HAVE WE SEEN PHOTOS OF CLOUDS, OR EVEN APPROACHING STORMS, AND WISHED YOU HAD CAUGHT THAT PHOTO? YOU CAN, AND TRY TO BE THE ONE TO BE A “SKY” SCRAPE PHOTOGRAPHER.

This incredible sky and sunset illustrate why a good a photographer is never caught without a camera. (Via Imgur.

It’s a common habit among photographers to always make a point to carry a camera around for those “just in case” moments. Many great photographs were captured this way and the image below is no exception. The photographer, based in the Netherlands, took the shot just as the sun was receding into the plane to create the stunning image:

Using a Canon 650D and a Sigma 18-35mm, the photographer says he was enamored with the dramatic feel of the sky and took that into consideration when selecting the composition. He says the only editing he added to the image was a slight increase in clarity and contrast.

“The colors were like this in real life. It was an amazing evening. Will never forget it.”**

COULD YOU SEE A PHOTO LIKE THAT HANGING IN YOUR HOME? EXACTLY. THE COLORS AND THE BEAUTY OF A PHOTO LIKE THAT WOULD BE ONE THAT WILL BE TALKED ABOUT FOR A LONG TIME. AND THAT IS WHAT YOU CALL “ART”.

Photo by Lanny Cottrell / Approaching storm

THE RULE WITH TAKING PICTURES OF THE SKY, ESPECIALLY WHEN THE CLOUD IS THE MAIN SUBJECT IS TO MAKE SURE THE SKY HAS NO CLUTTER OR OBJECTS IN THE FOREGROUND TO DISTRACT FROM THE CLOUDS. LIKE AN APPROACHING STORM CLOUD, MAKE SURE THAT YOU HAVE NOTHING IN FRONT OF THE CLOUD THAT WOULD DISTRACT THE VIEWER FROM THE CLOUD. THE SUBJECT IS THE CLOUD, AND THAT IS HOW IT SHOULD BE.

photo by Joseph Illingworth

WELL KNOWN SUBJECTS CAN BECOME EVEN MORE SPECIAL IF YOU CAN WAIT FOR A LITTLE MORE DRAMATIC EFFECT IN THE BACKGROUND. LOOK FOR THOSE PUFFY CUMULUS CLOUDS TO ADD A LITTLE MORE BEAUTY AND “PIZZAZ” TO THE PHOTO. EVERYBODY GETS A PHOTO OF THE “ARCH”, BUT, HOW MANY GET A GORGEOUS PHOTO LIKE THE ONE ABOVE WITH BEAUTIFUL PUFFY CLOUDS IN IT? MAKES IT MORE OF A MASTERPIECE.

OF COURSE, EVERYONE TAKES PICTURES OF SUNSETS. THIS IS SOMETHING THAT EVERYONE TAKES PICTURES OF. BUT, THERE IS SPECIAL WAYS TO DO SUNSETS. SOMETIMES LOOKING AT SUNSET PHOTOS CAN BE BORING. BUT, WHAT MAKES SUNSET PHOTOS MORE DRAMATIC THAN EVER IS IF YOU CAN GET TWO THINGS TO HAPPEN. THIS PHOTO HAPPENS TO HAVE BOTH, AND THAT IS RARE, BUT, IF YOU CAN HAVE AT LEAST 1 COMPONENT, YOU MAY HAVE A REAL KEEPER. AND THAT IS 1- DRAMATIC CLOUDS TO YOUR SUNSET. AND 2 SOMETHING IN THE FOREGROUND THAT WILL MAKE IT HAVE DEPTH. IN THE ABOVE PHOTO, THERE IS ONE MORE THING THAT MAKES THIS UNIQUE, AND THAT IS THAT WE HAVE THE “TWILIGHT COLORS” AS WELL IN THIS PHOTO. THAT IS WHEN YOU GET THE “BLUES’ AND THE PURPLES OF THE SKY, WHICH USUALLY HAPPENS AFTER THE SUN GOES DOWN. THIS PHOTO JUST HAPPENS TO HAVE IT ALL…… AND NOTHING WAS ENHANCED OR RETOUCHED ON THIS.

Photo by Joel Olives; ISO 100, f/13.0.

IF YOU DECIDE TO MAKE THE SKY ONE OF YOUR MAIN POINTS OF YOUR PORTFOLIO, THEN YOU MUST LEARN TO BE PATIENT. WHEN TAKING PICTURES OF SUNSETS, YOU MAY TAKE MORE THAN 10 PHOTOS OF THE SUNSET AS IT PROGRESSES THROUGH IT’S CONCLUSION. BUT ONE OF THOSE PHOTOS COULD BE THE MOST COLORFUL, MOST INCREDIBLE PHOTO YOU HAVE EVER TAKEN. PATIENCE IS DEFINITELY ONE OF THE BEST THINGS YOU WILL EVER LEARN TO BECOMING A GREAT PHOTOGRAPHER, EVEN IN TAKING PICTURES OF THE SKY.

Article written by: Lanny Cottrell

** This photo and particular section, was taken from an article written and produced by PictureCorrect. No name of the photographer was mentioned in the article. Only that the photographer was from the Netherlands.