Tips for Shooting Intimate Landscapes

What is Intimate Landscape Photography? – Intimate landscape is borderline with macro photography. These pictures usually represent smaller details in a context that look like landscape photography. A mushroom might look like a tree, a small bump in the ground like a mountain, and a single water stream looks like a waterfall.

How to Create Intimate Landscape Photos

Creating these pictures often means getting dirty. For these smaller details on the forest floor to look larger than life, you have to shoot at eye-level with camera horizontal to the subject. Here’s how to do it:

• Since focusing will be a challenge, do the following:
  • Flip up your rear LCD if your camera is equipped with it.
  • Use a Right Angle Viewfinder.
  • Consider Focus Assist, if available.
• Stabilize your camera. Some options for doing this include a ground-level tripod, a bean bag, or even your jacket if you have no other options

• Since the depth of field will be very limited at close range, close down the aperture. Use at least f/11 and review the results. You may need to close down the aperture even further.

• Clean up the scene as needed.
• Carefully chose your subject and consider its background.

• Take a test shot and use the magnification option to review the whole picture.
  Since you are on-site, you can make adjustments and shoot again if necessary.

Why Shoot Intimate Landscapes?

Shooting intimate landscape photos is easy and forgiving. You can shoot again and again making various adjustments to create the perfect scene. Note that it does helps if you understand the relationship between aperture and depth of field. Furthermore, the images created are often very appealing to the eye.

Shooting intimate landscapes is also a way to show the things around us in a new and original way. Because of this, the created images are more engaging and your audience will rememberh them longer. It can also help fill the gap between the morning and evening golden hours.

Under the forest cover, the light is mostly soft and more pleasing to the eye. Since the scenes are also smaller, you can even use your body to shoot in the shadow if necessary.

When I am out and about, particularly in this great fall colors season, I love to shoot intimate landscapes.

Do you shoot intimate landscapes?  Do you have additional tips, tricks, or techniques to share with our readers? We would love to hear from you.

Further Reading

• 3 Tips for Finding Smaller Scenes
• Pay attention to Negative Space