Podcast: Mistakes Landscape Photographers Make

[@BrendanvanSon]

What landscape photography mistake are you guilty of?

[@jimlindsay3312]

not having grad filter ...

[@JohnDrummondPhoto]

@@jimlindsay3312 IMO you don't need a grad filter. I suggest you learn to exposure bracket. Grad filters hardly work well outside of seascapes with a dead level horizon. I have a grad filter but I never use it anymore.

[@ZachGroney]

Most recently was relying on my auto focus in dark conditions.

[@jimlindsay3312]

@@JohnDrummondPhoto How Brendan is doing then ? ... Bracketing is photoshoping... never work nice on lightroom.

[@JohnDrummondPhoto]

@@jimlindsay3312 you're correct. For exposure bracketing you need Photoshop. I have a grad filter and used to edit in Lightroom exclusively. Since finally committing to getting comfortable with Photoshop and getting some tutorials, I get much better results with exposure bracketing than with grad filters. Even luminosity masking with one exposure works better. With a grad filter, you potentially affect unintended areas like the tops of trees, mountains, and buildings. I'm into the final result and I don't mind a little extra work in post to get the best outcome.

[@pierrebourassa2336]

I think I must have inspired you of a few of these mistakes during this Patagonia workshop, but I came back with great memories and photos. Thanks Brendan!

[@MichaelCantwell]

From someone who shoots seascapes in south Florida, I can tell you that usually the best light is about 30-45 min before sunrise and 5-10 minutes after. Sunrise itself is generally not the best light. So I agree with that point 100%. Same for sunset. Stay at least 20 minutes after sunsets. Your video was spot on, thanks for sharing.

[@BrendanvanSon]

Thanks for watching!

[@MichaelCantwell]

@@BrendanvanSon I've watched and enjoyed many of yours. Always fun and informative. I appreciate all the effort you put into your work. It shows.

[@raleighmeade9104]

One of your most thought provoking videos. Thanks!

[@oliverhummell]

Thanks buddy, interesting and helpful. Will keep the two hours before sunrise in mind for Patagonia 🙂

[@mike76rob]

I fully agree, there were loads of photography channels I gave a chance to start watching and seeing what they were up to but I soon discovered that a load of them were simply amateur/hobbyist (no offence to that as I am one) photographers and a lot of them learned from KZbin which again isn't bad but what is bad is what you say they then go into KZbin, copy and paste photography locations and photos and then tell you how you too can get this photo. KZbin is used to establish an Instagram account or vice versa and from there "success" is based on likes, not quality. You are one of 3 channels I still follow for photography because you are honest and real.

[@JohnDrummondPhoto]

You started at 17:00 to go into one of my own pet peeves: photographers who try to rescue crap photos via editing. Usually it doesn't work; and when it does, it's obvious what was done in editing, because lighting isn't consistent across the scene. That ties into the thing about shooters committing to a position and not moving. I like to say, tripods grow roots. It's so important to learn that sometimes the scene just doesn't work, and it's better to just look for something better to shoot. Side note: I recently became acquainted with a KZbin channel that presents animated sensory stimulation videos for babies (I have an infant granddaughter) called "Hey Bear". I can't prove it, but I'll bet the makers are Canadian. 😉😆

[@BrendanvanSon]

Hey bear!!

[@afonsodepauloify]

Although one of the genres of photography I do is landscape, I don't like to see a bunch of photos all from the same place and all with practically the same composition. To be "different" I try to make new compositions from the same place that no one else has made. Hence the importance of exploring the site hours before the "event" takes place. Thanks for the tips Brendan

[@savannah6722]

The images are beautiful! I'm a beginner here, thanks for the advice!

[@randymelton6096]

I totally agree with the not moving point. I see this all the time and it drives me nuts. I get to a spot to shoot and there are already photographers there and just like you said, their tripods are cemented in place at eye level. They never move from that position and I get why, because it's comfortable for them because they don't have to get on the ground. But, that's just going to give you the one shot. And like you said, out of all the perhaps hundreds of photos they shoot in that one position, they'll probably get one or maybe 2 really good shots out of it. Myself, I can't do that. When I get to a location the first thing I do is walk around and explore, my tripod stays folded up until I'm ready to take that first shot. I look at the composition from eye level because I'll be honest, I'm 60 years old and my knees are shot from years of ju jutsu training so getting on the ground and getting up again is kinda hard for me, so the eye level shot does have some appeal for me. But then I'll pull out my trusty Platypod and get my camera really close to the ground, and thank goodness it has an articulating screen that tilts out so putting it on the ground isn't quite as bad as it used to be. From there I do what Scott Kelby calls "working the scene" where I'll shoot from a bunch of different angles. I do this because I have a hard time envisioning what the final shot will look like on my big monitor. And just like you said, it usually works out to where the first few shots pretty much stink even though I thought they were gonna be the hero shots. It's usually one that I had no idea I was going to shoot until I got down on the ground or did a frame in frame composition or whatever it happens to be to make that the hero image. Love your channel and your teaching approach to travel photography. I'm almost ready to move to the Philippines to try my hand at travel photography and writing full time.

[@paultrunfull3324]

Your sooooooooooooooooooo right, you see it all the time.

[@jimlindsay3312]

Amazing video Brendan. Often the first to come set the virtual limit for others to set their tripod... then if you try to go more in front, you just can't :) Depending of location i would not let my camera alone haha

[@BrendanvanSon]

Haha, that is true for some locations for sure

[@chanceseiler]

Hello from Arizona BVS.

[@BrendanvanSon]

Hey buddy!!

[@peggytravels793]

Heading to Alaska in 16 days…info on light was great

[@BrendanvanSon]

Good luck, hope you get great weather and light!

[@robtt27]

That's what great about shooting infrared. It's best in the middle of the day so you don't need a tripod and constantly be on the move. This has kept me from letting my tripod grow roots while shooting sunrise and sunsets with my normal camera.

[@BrendanvanSon]

I've been planning on swapping my old sony camera into an infrared for about 10 years and have just never gotten to it. One day!

[@21lottel]

Nice to see you and Greg in Torres. It is now hard to do some sort of exploration in both El Chalten and Torres. They don’t want you freely roaming around. They want you to stay on the trails. The “secret waterfall” in El Chalten is off the trail so they don’t want you to access it any longer

[@BrendanvanSon]

Especially in Torres, they have even blocked the trails outside of daylight hours. It's bad. But in El Chalten, you can go to the secret waterfall with a guide. Actually, with a guide in El Chalten you have a lot of freedom still.

[@ZachGroney]

I was telling Greg in his video that I was there right around the same time y'all were. So I was one of those photographers lol. I think I was there right before the bad weather because I got some good leaves. For the record I got there waaay before sunrise and stayed well after. Haha

[@LeePelling]

I think all your points make a lot of sense. I am probably guilty of at least a few of those points, i need to move around a scene more, certainly need to explore/scout locations more. I also think that i need to travel more if my photography is to improve and get to some great locations , easier said than done but ill have to try harder ! Good advise , take care !

[@rickbrowne519]

All really good comments/observations/suggestions! I always struggle to remind myself to move around at locations and find other viewpoints. BTW - how if your wife doing while you galavant around the globe? And how is the coffee shop doing?

[@jackiehamilton271]

Well, I do have a (bad) habit of plopping myself down and not moving on. Thanks for the reminder. Btw, great video.

[@BrendanvanSon]

That's because your backpack is too heavy to move it more than once a day.

[@louisburley1597]

Kinda interested in this coffee not going to lie

[@BrendanvanSon]

haha, it's a good one!

[@sardouro83]

His name is Daniel Kordan. Indeed he is an incredible photographer, like some of the other names you mentioned.

[@BrendanvanSon]

Don't know why his name slipped my mind haha

[@glanzma6152]

So true video. Instagram destroyed a lot of beautiful Places with to many people. There are so many other wonderful Spots in this Word to explore. And a lot of People forget the most Important Point, just have fun when you take photos 😊

[@JustinStone]

If my Instagram ads tell me anything, it's that the best way to make money with photography is to sell classes telling other people how to make six figures with photography. 😂

[@BrendanvanSon]

The funny thing about that is you're not wrong. Lol. We used to joke in the bogging world that the best way to make money was to write a course about how to make money. Lol

[@natasjakoole3601]

I am not a professional by any stretch of the imagination and maybe it is because of that fact, because I am not portfolio building. Instead I use photography to experience the environment I am in at that moment more intensely. I do not get that if I just focus on one image of ‘ the perfect spot’.

[@BrendanvanSon]

Agreed!

[@SunsetObsession]

All great advice. But just to point out - sometimes, the reason for standing in one place without moving is if you want to make a time blend combining multiple exposures of the same scene from different moments during, say, sunrise. In that case, take camera off, then put it back on won't work too well. But, having been to Patagonia myself, that's indeed not the best strategy there. You'll miss out on much more than you're gaining and that's assuming your composition is great to begin with.

[@BrendanvanSon]

Yeah, hence my two camera suggestion. I'm not a blender, but if i was that's what I would do. Leave one camera on the tripod for blending purposes, explore with the other one

[@SunsetObsession]

@@BrendanvanSon Fully agree

[@tjsinva]

Good points! 🎯 Having a second camera with the same lens mount is a good idea for a lot of reasons. Breakage or malfunction for one, but sometimes there are images all around while you're waiting for the "banger".How many times have we looked behind and gone "oh 💩". The list gets longer all the time. 🙄 Carry on. 👍🥂

[@jeremyhendersonphotography]

Thing with “exploring” somewhere like Patagonia - it’s not likely that you spend a load of money and a load of time and don’t come back with certain “canned” images, like the wooden pier at Puerto Natales. I’d respect someone who went there and found just their own locations, but most people are not going to do that, and most workshop leaders are not going to want their clients to go home without some reliable bangers. If you go back time after time, that’s one thing, but on a 7 day trip of a lifetime, it’s not gonna happen.