Nature Photography How To

Last week we featured a tutorial with the best camera settings for photographing birds in your backyard. Because that story with so popular, we thought we’d do something similar today for landscape photographers.

Romanian pro Toma Bonciu is one of our favorite travel and nature instructors, and in the 20-minute video below he reveals what he considers, “The best camera settings for landscape photography.” Follow his advice and you’re likely to capture better images of the great outdoors, and do so faster and more efficiently.

Whether you shoot with a DSLR or mirrorless camera, and regardless of the brand, the settings Bonciu recommends are very easy to find. Beginning in the field, he provides an overview of the most important settings and how to use a number of related tools. And then he returns to the studio to explain his thought process for configuring his camera the way he does—using his beautiful images to make everything clear.

The video kicks off with the key variables affecting exposure; namely shutter speed, ISO, and aperture settings. Bonciu notes that the order in which you make these settings is important, and he demonstrates how to use the camera’s histogram to confirm whether or not your chosen settings will result in a proper exposure. If not, you’ll see how to make the necessary modifications.

Bonciu explains why he typically shoots with his camera on a tripod, and therefore chooses slow shutter speeds. But if you prefer handholding your camera, he provides simple tips on how to compensate accordingly for best results. Likewise with other key settings, Bonciu isn’t dogmatic and he offers various options depending upon what you’re trying to accomplish.

While discussing other key settings, Bonciu reveals how your choice of lens can impact the decisions you make. And he provides gear and exposure captions on his images, as well as a full list of equipment in the description below the video.

You can find more great tips on Bonciu’s YouTube channel, and be sure to check out our recent story with the best camera settings for photographing backyard birds.