Best settings for landscape photography..
The best settings for landscape photography are subjective, but there is a great formula to follow especially if you’re just starting out! For years I implemented the same settings for all of my landscape photography outings, but still allowed room for experimentation & creativity.
This guide is here to help you get started or to help you enhance your current skills.
Of course, all photography is achievable handheld, but I do find having a tripod when fiddling around with different apertures & shutter speeds is very helpful. ESPECIALLY when you have slow shutter speeds.
Notice the slower shutter speed effect in the water? Not long enough to smooth out the clouds, but just right to create glass-like reflections. F 11 - ISO 100 - 1/4 SEC
Before we get into the best settings, these things are very important to understand and implement almost every single time you are out photographing!
Shoot in RAW format
Turn off noise reduction (this will frustrate you when turned on, trust me)
Use autofocus when the scene allows it (Night photography will have to manually focus)
If you prefer manually focusing, zoom in on your live view to make sure the scene is properly in focus. Rotate the focusing ring until you know for sure.
Turn off image stabilization if you’re using a tripod
Enable blinkies & the histogram. Do not trust your eyes on the back of the screen for this. If those highlights look blown out, they likely are.
Use single servo autofocus
Set your white balance to AUTO white balance. This will almost always be changed when you post-process which is why it doesn’t matter what you choose in camera.
A longer shutter speed
F 11 - 30 Sec - ISO 100
Tripod is essential for these types of long expo images.
Almost all of my images are photographed within F8, F11 and F16. If I feel like getting creative I will play around with F2.8, but only when I want to have the foreground out of focus so it leads the viewer directly to the main subject.
An example of using 2.8
Because I had such a fast shutter speed, I could create this image handheld.
F2.8 -1/200 Sec - ISO 100
Now that you’re all set up on your tripod or handheld, of course, it’s time to decide your correct exposure settings.
Use MANUAL or APERTURE PRIORITY mode so that your set aperture is never compromised
For landscape photography, an aperture of F8, F11 or F16 is best. This will give you maximum sharpness throughout the photo and it controls your depth of field.
Use your lowest ISO setting possible and shut off AUTO ISO
Now it’s time to adjust your shutter speed which will always be different because of the light in your scene. If you’re using APERTURE PRIORITY mode, the shutter speed will be decided for you, however, be warned you lose control over the exposure this way.
You can correct this by setting your exposure compensation and slightly underexposing. Typically in aperture priority mode, the highlights can blow out.
If your shutter speed is too slow, this will introduce a blurring effect in your photo. If you are handheld shooting you will have to raise your ISO to allow you faster shutter speeds. If you are on a tripod and the scene calls for it, you’ll have a nice long exposure effect which I personally love and always strive to achieve.
That’s it! Simple!
An example of a slower shutter speed made possible by using an ND filter and tripod.
In this video, I explain how you can use your ISO to help you achieve your desired shutter speeds and apertures. It’s not as scary as you may think!
Congrats!!! You are now ready to get out there and start creating some of your own epic landscape photographs! I hope you found this guide useful and as always, the BEST camera settings are subjective. There are so many ways to create landscape photographs using a variety of apertures and shutter speeds.
I’d love to hear from you!
Please feel free to contact me through the form below if you have any questions!
Happy to help :)
Sarah Lyndsay xoxo
