A landscape photographer specializes in depictions of macrocosmic settings. Huge vistas of mountains or plains, seascapes, or even wide views of tiny settings like microorganisms are examples of this. A professional landscape photographer might make a living taking photographs for exhibits, nature magazines, or the creation of photography books or calendars; a hobbyist landscape photographer might make a living taking photographs for exhibits, nature magazines, or the creation of photography books or calendars.
While a camera is the most basic piece of photography equipment, there is some specialized equipment that a landscape photographer may find particularly useful. A wide-angle lens has unique optical properties that allow the photographer to capture a much larger field of view than a regular lens. This allows the photographer to fit more features into a single frame, such as mountains or distant weather features. Standing below or at the bottom of tall structures, such as buildings or cliffs, causes image distortion. A tilt-and-shift lens corrects this. Because landscape photography relies on clarity and stillness, a tripod can help with image stability.
A landscape photographer’s subjects can be diverse in both form and intent. While many people associate landscape photography with nature photography, it can also be used to photograph cityscapes and urban views, battlefields, or microcosms magnified to massive proportions. A landscape photograph can be used to simply highlight a location’s beauty, to depict the devastation caused war or environmental destruction, or to give viewers a fresh perspective on something that is often overlooked.
A professional landscape photographer, or someone who can devote time to the hobon a regular basis, may spend a significant amount of time traveling to fascinating locations. He or she must be willing to climb mountains, trek through jungles, fly in planes or helicopters, or simply wait for hours for the perfect light and the best shot in order to get the best views and images. For this type of photography, patience and a sense of adventure are important qualities.
For different people, becoming a landscape photographer can be a very different experience. Some are professionally trained photographers who have spent years honing their craft and building a portfolio. Others are frequent travelers with little photography experience but a passion for the genre and plenty of opportunities to capture landscapes. Landscape photographers may specialize in photo-realistic images, abstracts, or even impressionist perspectives in terms of style. Many are influenced traditional art and other photographers, but each image has a distinct viewpoint that makes it a personal statement.