The Art, Science, and Craft of Great Landscape Photography, 2nd Edition

The Art, Science, and Craft of Great Landscape Photography, 2nd Edition

by Glenn Randall
Released April 2020
Publisher(s): Rocky Nook
ISBN: 9781681985671

Read it now on the O’Reilly learning platform with a 10-day free trial.

O’Reilly members get unlimited access to books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.

Start your free trial

Book description

The Art, Science, and Craft of Great Landscape Photography, 2nd Edition 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.

Author Glenn 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 behind creating stunning landscape photographs.

This fully updated edition of the best-selling first edition includes nearly all new imagery throughout the book, as well as a new first chapter, "Photographic Essentials," to help beginners to landscape photography get up to speed quickly. Additionally, this second edition takes into account how Randall's techniques have changed and evolved since the first edition published—from photographic practices to how he uses smart phones and apps as important and powerful tools for landscape photography.

After discussing photographic essentials, Randall focuses 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:

    • How the position of the sun at sunrise and sunset varies throughout the year. This will help you plan when and where to shoot.
    • Using optics to predict where rainbows will appear, how polarizers will interact with reflections, and where to find spectacular light.
    • How to use topographic maps and computerized mapping tools to help you find promising shooting locations in the wilderness.
    • Calculating exposures, achieving correct exposure in high-contrast lighting situations, and the best digital darkroom techniques.

With some practice and by applying the techniques that Randall teaches you, you will soon be ready to master the finer nuances of creating magnificent landscape photographs.

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction
Chapter 1: Photographic Essentials
Chapter 2: Landscape Photography Looks So Easy
Chapter 3: In Search of Extraordinary Landscapes
Chapter 4: Visualization
Chapter 5: The Art and Science of Light
Chapter 6: The Art and Science of Composing Compelling Images
Chapter 7: The Perfect Exposure
Chapter 8: Digital Capture and Processing of High-Contrast Scenes
Chapter 9: Take a Walk on the Wide Side
Chapter 10: The Landscape at Night
Chapter 11: The Psychology of the Compelling Landscape
Index

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Title
  3. Copyright
  4. Dedication
  5. Table of Contents
  6. Acknowledgments
  7. Foreword
  8. Introduction
    1. From Peak Experience to Well-Crafted Image
  9. Chapter 1 Digital Photography Fundamentals
    1. The Exposure Triangle
    2. Depth of Field and Hyperfocal Distance
    3. Exposure Modes
    4. Auto-focus Modes
    5. Meter Modes
    6. RAW Versus JPEG
    7. White Balance
  10. Chapter 2 Landscape Photography Looks So Easy
    1. Depth Perception
    2. Limited Dynamic Range
    3. Limited Sensory Input
    4. Brightness Constancy
    5. Color Constancy
    6. Clutter
    7. Focus
  11. Chapter 3 In Search of Extraordinary Landscapes
    1. Have an Image in Mind Before Leaving Home
    2. Time in an Area Is the Greatest Luxury
    3. Map and Compass Fundamentals
    4. Always Carry a Compass and a Smartphone with a Sunrise/Sunset App
    5. Keep Other Seasons in Mind as You Scout
    6. Shoot Study Frames and Take Notes So You Can Relocate Favorite Subjects
    7. The Diligent Local Photographer Should Always Have the Best Photos of Nearby Areas
    8. Whenever Possible, Scout Sunrises the Day Before
    9. When Scouting for Flowers, Density Trumps Breadth
    10. Steep Slopes Are Problematic
    11. Sometimes the Best Possible Shot Is an ERNI
    12. Sit Tight, Don’t Gun and Run—Usually
    13. As You’re Scouting, Look for Other Possible Vantage Points
  12. Chapter 4 Visualization
    1. Using Maps to Help Visualize Photographs
    2. Searching for the Position of the Sun, Moon, and Galactic Center
    3. Planning an Image of the Full Moon Over Longs Peak
  13. Chapter 5 The Art and Science of Light
    1. Lighting Fundamentals
    2. Blue Skies and Red Sunsets
    3. White Clouds and White Haze
    4. Rainbows
    5. Calculating Rainbow Positions
    6. Rainbows and Polarizers
    7. The Rarest Light of All
  14. Chapter 6 The Art and Science of Composing Compelling Images
    1. The Essentials of Graphic Design
    2. Focus-Stacking
    3. Balance and Depth
    4. Color
  15. Chapter 7 The Perfect Exposure
    1. How Light Meters Work
    2. Exposure Danger Zones
    3. Histograms
    4. The Four Basic Exposure Strategies
    5. The PhD Strategy
    6. The Limiting Factor Exposure Strategy
    7. The Rembrandt Solution
    8. Graduated Neutral-Density Filters
    9. The Digital Version of the Rembrandt Solution
    10. HDR
    11. The Universal Exposure Strategy
  16. Chapter 8 Digital Capture and Processing of High-Contrast Scenes
    1. Countershading
    2. How Our Visual System Processes High-Contrast Scenes
    3. Capturing Rembrandt Solution Images in the Field
    4. Merging Rembrandt Solution Images in Photoshop
    5. The Rembrandt Solution Lite
    6. HDR: A Technique That Has Come of Age
    7. Setting up an HDR Image
    8. Tone-Mapping HDR Images in Lightroom
    9. Keeping It Real with HDR
    10. Final Thoughts on Realism and HDR
  17. Chapter 9 Take a Walk on the Wide Side
    1. Setting up a Single-Row Panorama
    2. Finding the Nodal Point
    3. Camera Settings for Single-Row Panoramas
    4. Stitching Panoramas
    5. Shooting and Processing High-Contrast Panoramas
    6. Multi-Row Panoramas
  18. Chapter 10 The Landscape at Night
    1. Equipment for Night Photography
    2. Focusing and Composing at Night
    3. Exposure at Night
    4. Maximum Shutter Speed Chart
    5. Photographing the Milky Way
    6. Holding Detail in the Land
    7. Processing Milky Way Images
    8. The Modified Rembrandt Solution
    9. Shooting Milky Way Panoramas
    10. Photographing Star Trails
    11. Processing Star Trails Images
    12. Closing the Gaps in Star Trails Images
    13. Photographing the Aurora
    14. Photographing Moonlit Landscapes
    15. Can Night Photographs Be Authentic?
  19. Chapter 11 The Psychology of the Compelling Landscape
    1. Landscape Photography and Evolution
    2. On Culture and Creativity

Product information

  • Title: The Art, Science, and Craft of Great Landscape Photography, 2nd Edition
  • Author(s): Glenn Randall
  • Release date: April 2020
  • Publisher(s): Rocky Nook
  • ISBN: 9781681985671