Nature Photography How To

We regularly bring you tutorials from top photographers with different specialties, because there’s no better way to improve one’s skills than learning from an accomplished pro. The video below takes things even further, with great shooting advice from three experts in landscape photography.

In this very helpful behind-the-scenes episode on location in the beautiful Italian Dolomites, Australian photographer Pat Kay is joined by two like-minded landscape experts to reveal what they consider, “five must-know tips and techniques.”

In barely eight minutes, Kay, Mitch Lally, and TKNorth explain what makes their imagery so special, and how you can do the same. Obviously you needn’t travel to Europe or another faraway destination to avail yourself of what these three pros have to offer, and you can begin using their techniques today wherever you live.

The first bit of advice is something we’ve mentioned in the past, and it’s definitely worth repeating: It’s extremely important to scout a location in advance, and do some serious preparation and research before the day of your shoot. As Kay explains, “This can make all the difference in whether or not you capture successful images.”

When it comes to shooting techniques, tip #2 is all about thoughtful composition to arrive at the most compelling rendition of the scene you confront. In addition to picking up several powerful framing techniques, you’ll see how it’s often a good idea to shoot multiple variations of the same scene, and decide later which version has the most impact.

Other techniques discussed in the video include embracing the possibility of “failure” and quickly adapting when facing rapidly changing conditions. And on a related topic, you'll see why experimentation can be important because, “there are no perfect settings for landscape photography.” Kay’s final tip is one that’s somewhat controversial, as he explains why you should “detach yourself from a tripod” under certain conditions.

You can find many more landscape photography tips on Kay’s YouTube channel, so pay a visit and subscribe.

We also encourage you to check out another tutorial we posted recently, explaining how to add dramatic light to landscape photos with a few clicks in Lightroom.