Landscape/ cityscape noob- Tips or pointers?

[vintagestyles]

well i'm still trying to find my place within the photography community and was wondering how to do great landscapes. what would you say are the key disciplines of landscape photography? Below is my crude and basic attempts, Any suggestions on what to add or do better?

 

[hirejn]

The landscape is the supreme test of the photographer, and often the supreme disappointment -- Ansel Adams. The key disciplines are the disciplines of photography: light, metering, exposure, composition. You have to grasp those to achieve what you want.

 

[vintagestyles]

hmm, and i have to find the right balance with them all to be a truely good photographer

 

[WesternGuy]

First of all, you do have to get your images in focus - one of the primary disciplines of just about any area of photography. When I looked at the larger version of this one, it looks very fuzzy, so it appears that very little of it is really sharp and in focus. As hirejn has already said the key disciplines of landscape photography are the same as just about any other area of photography. If you are really interested in landscape photography, then you might want to study some of the "masters" - Ansel Adams, Galen Rowell, Eliot Porter, Rob Sheppard, Michael Frye, the Muenches, Paul Caponigro, Alain Briot, to name a few. I am not suggesting that you copy what they have done, but the way they composed an image and the elements of composition that they use to compose it are all part of the "discipline". In this digital world, you do have to know about the "exposure triangle", and how to use its components to capture the best images. You also have to develop a certain proficiency in the use of post-processing software such as Lightroom and/or Photoshop in the digital darkroom. After all, Ansel Adams was a master in post-processing in the film darkroom and look at the results he produced. Hope this helps you focus on the "discipline". Oh yes, another key in this digital world - practice, practice, practice and then practice some more. The Internet is one of your best friends in your pursuit of this "discipline".

WesternGuy