NZPhotographer Issue 23, September 2019

EVENING LIGHT ON MT RUAPEHU
F11, 30s, ISO 64
Hyperfocal Distance – If we were to focus on the
closest subject in the landscape (e. g. the rock at our
feet), then the background (e. g. the distant mountain
peaks) would be out of focus. Likewise, if we were to
focus on the distant mountain peaks, the rocks in the
foreground would be out of focus. Therefore we need
to focus on a midpoint within the landscape to obtain
focus throughout; this point is called the hyperfocal
distance. Hyperfocal distance is a complicated
subject, as it depends on many factors. A good rule
of thumb is to focus at a third of the way through the
landscape.
Depth of Field – Depth of field extends in both
directions from our focus point, but not in equal
amounts. It is also dependent on lots of factors such
as our choice of lens focal length and distance to our
closest subject, but we also need to select the correct
aperture to obtain enough depth of field. When
shooting landscape photographs, this will generally
lead us to use a narrow aperture (e. g. from f11 to f22)
to get everything in sharp focus, but we also need
to be mindful of diffraction when using these narrow
apertures.
CAMERA MOVEMENT
Tripod – When shooting landscapes, you often end
up using longer shutter speeds, which require the use
of a tripod. Tripods also have the added benefit of
allowing us to slow down to master the composition,
along with your focus and depth of field. A sturdy
tripod is a must for landscape photography, all too
often I see people with a lightweight flimsy tripod
which cannot hold the weight of the camera on a fine
day, let alone when shooting outside in the elements
like a strong wind!
Cable Release – There is little point using a tripod then
wobbling the camera by pressing the shutter button,
which happens on even the sturdiest of tripods. So
make sure you use a cable release to allow you to
take your hands away from the camera, preventing
you from shaking it when you press the shutter button.
Mirror Lock-Up – On high-end full-frame DSLRs the
vibrations caused by the mirror slap can be enough
to cause a slight blur to your image. To prevent
this, shoot with the “mirror up” feature. Likewise, the
movement of the mechanical shutter curtain on DSLR
and Mirrorless cameras can also cause vibration.
Some cameras now feature an “electronic first curtain
shutter” to also eliminate this.
Vibration Reduction – A lot of lenses or camera bodies
feature a “Vibration Reduction” system (also called
Image Stabilisation, Optical Stabilizer, Vibration
Compensation), which is designed to reduce vibration
for handheld shooting. Vibration Reduction should
be turned off when on a tripod as it leads to softer
images due to the movement of the lens elements or
the camera sensor.
RICHARD YOUNG IS A FULL-TIME LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHER BASED IN WELLINGTON AND
TEACHES ON WORKSHOPS THROUGHOUT NEW ZEALAND WITH NEW ZEALAND PHOTOGRAPHY
WORKSHOPS