View Full Version : How Can I take Better Mountain Photos?
My daughter and I just returned from our annual Adirondack camping trip. As usual, we had a good time and successfully climbed four of the High Peaks. We reviewed our photos last night and have a few decent shots which I’ll post to WB soon.
My question is how I can consistently take photos that actually show the drama of the mountains. We took photos while climbing very steep slab sections and they came out looking like we were in a flat parking lot. Photos that we took failed to show the vastness of the views or provide a feel for the size or steepness of the mountains.
We are using a decent quality Canon point and shoot camera and on occasion have gotten really great photos, so I don’t think that the camera is the entire problem.
Anyone have any ideas or suggestions?
It's really hard to show steepness of hills you're hiking on in photos, especially with a wide angle lens. You have to have some sort of reference in the photo to show how steep something is. Like a straight tree or something on the hill. But taking photos looking up a trail can make things look flat.
One way to show vastness is to have something interesting in the foreground for scale. Like wildflowers, trees, boulders, people, etc. Wide angle lenses tend to make far away objects look a lot smaller than they actually are too. So zooming in a bit can help keep things looking a little bigger.
Which camera do you have?
goodolenate
09-24-2010, 13:17
The biggest issue is the wide angle lens as they tend to distort things a bit much. As for the parking lot appearance, try cutting down on the amount of sky showing as well. If you shoot parallel to the ground, it will look flat, shoot into the footpath to give it a bit more steep appearance with some sky showing to a side.
Shooting with a DSLR would give you a bit better image quality, but the composition of the pictures is what really matters. You can take fantastic photos with a cheap P&S as long as you have good light and good setup. Just as you can take horrid photos even with a very expensive DSLR if you don't set your shots up right.
Carry a professional photographer in your backpack and then let them out for that kodak moment.
SMSP
innermountain
09-24-2010, 13:39
I find that lighting is a huge contributer to good photos. Late in the afternoon or early in the morning, the light hits trees, rocks, cliffs, peaks, in a way that accentuates their features but also creates shadows which help to create depth. Mid day, the light is everywhere, and my pictures always turn out less dramatic.
I have a book somewhere on how to take great photos while backpacking. The one thing I remember from the book that helped me is whenever I see something that I want to take a picture of, take a moment to identify what it is that is capturing my attention. Then make sure to fill up the frame with that thing as much as possible. That has helped me to stop taking pictures where the thing of interest is some tiny little thing in the middle.
While hiking the PCT I carried a tiny point-and-shoot and I got a lot of great pictures. My personal little rule was always if it made me say wow, to stop right there and snap a picture or two. Don't try to find a better angle. Don't hope there's a better view a little further on the trail. I captured all my wow moments and some still make me say wow. Some don't, but that's ok because..
My other rule was that it's okay not to get a perfect picture. My boyfriend drives me nuts with every time he wants to take a picture he stops and makes a huge production out of it. Then he's horribly disappointed when none of his pictures turn out good. I set my expectations low and then am pleasantly surprised.
I never really mastered showing how steep a hill is. I've tried squatting down and trying different angles to show it. I did succeed doing this once, but it turned out the impossible trail I was showing wasn't the trail after all since I didn't see there was a switchback coming up.
I get good results much of the time by putting a wildflower or interesting rock or log in the foreground. I mean really in the foreground, like right in front. Wide angle lenses make it so you can focus on both things at once and the pictures come out pretty nice.
I also decided to have low expectations for any pictures taken in the middle of the day. That's saved a lot of aggravation.
sixhusbands
09-24-2010, 14:47
It is really tough to try and recapture what your eyes see with a picture. The great thing is that you and your daughter will have the memories of bagging the high peaks together. Keep going and get your 46er patch.
Have you decided on which peak will be your last?
It is really tough to try and recapture what your eyes see with a picture. The great thing is that you and your daughter will have the memories of bagging the high peaks together. Keep going and get your 46er patch.
Have you decided on which peak will be your last?
We climbed Cascade, Porter, Wright and Giant on this trip. A 46er patch is a long way away.
I need to live long enough and hope my daughter stays interested. At 28 she spends a lot of time thinking about her boyfriend, career, marriage, home, future etc. If we make it I understand that the traditional last peak is Whiteface, so the non-hikers in your family can celebrate with you. Interestingly, Whiteface is my best photo from this trip
http://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/files/9/3/6/1/whiteface_summitsmall.jpg
Wow, that is a dramatic picture. I think it is because you get a clear idea of the scale. You have the peak in the foreground with the height of it illustrated by the lowlands and horizon in the background. It's not just a picture of the view. Great job!
neighbor dave
09-24-2010, 16:50
google "photo compositon"
I go to library sales and buy all the interesting photo books and photo guides I can find. I thumb through them again and again at home, and when I'm in the mountains and woods I look for opportunities to duplicate any photos I particularly like.
One trick is to frame your photos with a branch of a tree or a big boulder or a scraggly tree in the foreground to provide perspective.
Try not to shoot up or down a hill, but from the side, if possible.
hontassquirt
09-25-2010, 02:46
One trick is to frame your photos with a branch of a tree or a big boulder or a scraggly tree in the foreground to provide perspective.
Try not to shoot up or down a hill, but from the side, if possible.
I'm a photographer. I agree.