Nature Photography How To

Landscape photography is challenging enough, with ever-changing light, weather concerns, and complex scenes, that the last thing you want to do is to spoil your effort by making unnecessary mistakes. In the tutorial below you’ll learn how to confront errors that limit your chance of success.

British pro Adam Karnacz is a successful landscape photographer, and in this behind-the-scenes episode he takes a look at five common problems that can be easy to avoid. He bases his tips on personal experiences and they involve both technical matters and the importance of maintaining a proper mindset.

Karnacz is shooting in less-than-ideal conditions on a misty, foggy day, and he begins with what he says is one of his biggest issues; namely, having “unrealistic expectations.” As he explains, “I carefully plan my trips, study the location, and visualize what it’s going to be like.”

The dilemma is that what Karnacz anticipates often doesn’t materialize, “and that leaves me flat.” He says the solution to this dilemma is simple: enjoy the moment, improvise a bit, and take advantage of whatever conditions you confront.

His second tip involves striking a balancing his needs as an artist with those of a tech nerd. Without making thoughtful compromises, these competing ideals can become mutually exclusive and spoil both the adventure and the images he creates.

Karnacz also discusses the impact of unsolicited negative feedback. Here the issue is expending a lot of effort to make pleasing images, and having the courage to post them on the Internet—only to receive unconstructive criticism from those who have a different notion about what makes a successful image.   

The final two mistakes have to do with things that can prevent well-intended photographers from connecting with nature. Here, the trick is understanding how to respond.

By following the solutions that Karnacz suggests, you’ll be able to avoid problems that get in the way of capturing the images you envision. There are more tips and tricks on Karnacz YouTube channel, so be sure to visit often.

And don’t miss the tutorial we posed earlier, explaining how to use Lightroom’s histogram for better landscape edits.