May 01, 2020

5 tips for beautiful landscape photography

Sam Scales has a desire to be outside, connected with the world. But occasionally, he’ll let us pull him away from his landscape photography to capture our products and projects in the beautiful way that he does.

As we aren’t able to shoot with him this month, we thought we’d give a dose of Sam’s creativity to our community by showcasing some of his stunningly captured landscapes, alongside his top 5 tips on improving your own photography.

We're looking forward to getting back into nature later this year, but until that time comes we're drawing inspiration from Sam's beautiful photography.

While we aren’t advocating spending lots of time outside right now, the below is all practical advice you can practise in your garden or out your window until you’re allowed back into the wild.

Prelude from Sam:

I could talk a lot about cameras and gear, but I don’t think that’s as important.

What you want to do is tell a story about the landscape, and to do that you have to be able to feel and read what’s in front of you, and use your camera to frame it in a certain way.

Learn through doing. Take your time. Practise. Discover. And get excited.

Sam Scales’ top 5 landscape photography tips:

1. Use patterns and shapes to frame your shot.

Break down your scene into patterns and shapes you can see; look for the natural flow or movement of the landscape or place you are shooting. To start with, find symmetry and S curves in what lies in front of you; a line or path in the image that curves back and forth horizontally as you proceed vertically.

2. Learn about light

light will shape your scene and dramatically affect how your photo looks or feels; harsh lines will give a much different feel than soft gradients. Using light Is one of the main ways I express a mood or sense of drama.

Most of the time I’m searching for some kind of peace or calmness so I look for the appropriate conditions to suit this, low evening light, first light at sunrise. Also watch for changing weather – I’ve been standing on the side of a cliff top when a rainstorm has been passing, creating dramatic light shifts and movement out on the horizon.

3. Watch for interactions in your shot

look at how things interact with the landscape, as it will help you tell a story within the image – the coastline with the birds, the animals in the fields, naturally occurring phenomenons like murmurations of birds or meteor showers.

At times I carefully study this, almost taking a step back from the scene and just watching. You’ll be surprised at what you see. Each location has its own character; try to get a sense of what’s going on in the location you are in and capture it.

4. Capture the seasons

Photograph the same scene throughout the seasons to really start to notice the differences in the landscape. You’ll become aware of changes in the shapes/patterns, light, and interactions mentioned above. Doing this also really helps me be present with my work and nature.

5. Think local

Very rarely do I visit exotic locations. Most of my work is done in the UK, close to home. That way I get a sense of connection with my work, which is as important to me as getting the shot I want or envision. I like to discover the beauty that is already around me.