Taking Amazing Landscapes On The Go

The world is an incredible place and everyone sees it a little differently. A successful landscape photographer is able to take what’s in front of them and put their individual stamp on it. Personally, I like to chase landscapes that will inspire me so I’m always taking road trips to see gorgeous gardens or long rural roads. It’s also a good idea to bring your camera along even when there’s only a small chance you’ll take photos, because those can become the unexpected shots that you really fall in love with. 

On your next day trip to the coast or hike inland, try to leave enough time that you can pull over a few times and take some shots of sights that you enjoy. I like to shotgun the passenger seat, roll the window down and shoot out the window while the car is driving, I’ve ended up with some fantastic shots this way. Just remember to keep your shutter speed above 1/1000 so that you still get crisp images instead of pan blur.

There can be instances when you are limited by time and only have 10 minutes to photograph the landscape/building because the sun is setting too quickly or your tour bus is leaving (this happened to me at the Pyramids), keep calm and try to maximise your time by focusing on the shots you really want. What did you see in your mind before you came? What are you not walking away without? 

I used to get embarrassed shooting out of the plane window or a train carriage because I have a big SLR and it has a loud shutter sound. I don’t know how many photos I had to pass up before I decided I didn’t care and it was more important to walk away with the shots I wanted. After identifying barriers or fears it can be easy to see just how much they’re holding you back. Put your photography first. Many photographers prefer to use their iPhone if it’s a quick shot here and there but it’s paid off for me to drag my camera around because I ended up with shots that were blown up big and used in exhibitions. 

This is one of the instances where I would encourage you to rake up your image count and then delete the outtakes afterwards, it can be difficult to compose your image while your hanging out the side of a moving vehicle. Taking landscapes on the go will help exercise your documentary photography skills as it provides practice at quickly reacting to a potential image as you see them unfolding.