Landscape photography is a challenging genre that takes a combination of technical skill, creative vision, knowledge of the elements, and occasionally, a bit of luck. If you are new to the genre and looking to improve your work, check out this helpful video tutorial that details 10 common mistakes new landscape photographers make and how to fix or avoid them. 

Coming to you from Henry Turner, this great video tutorial discusses 10 common landscape photography mistakes beginners make and how you can fix them. Perhaps the most common mistake I see newer landscape photographers make it over-editing their images, often pushing the highlights, shadows, and saturation sliders to extremes. Modern editing software is tremendously powerful, and even minor adjustments can have a significant impact on the image. One of the best ways to combat this is to step away from your computer when you are done editing for just a bit, then evaluate your work once more before exporting the images. After allowing your eyes to reset, you will often find that you want to tone things back a bit. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Turner.

And if you really want to dive into landscape photography, check out “Photographing The World 1: Landscape Photography and Post-Processing with Elia Locardi.” 

Drones have become incredibly powerful image-making tools in just a few years, and for landscape photographers, they offer the ability to reach perspectives that would not have been possible before. If you would like to see how a drone can improve your landscape shots, check out this helpful video tutorial that features an experienced landscape photographer showing how he uses the DJI Mavic 3 Pro in his work. 

Coming to you from Nigel Danson, this neat video takes a look at the DJI Mavic 3 Pro for landscape photography and offers some helpful tips for working with a drone in the genre. Perhaps the best bit of advice I could give a new drone user when it comes to landscape photography is to not forget to rotate the camera up and down. It can be easy to keep the camera tilted about 20 degrees down so you can get a normal perspective simply from a higher point, but pointing the camera straight down can often yield equally interesting shots that show off geometry of the land that would not be visible otherwise. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Danson. 

And if you really want to dive into landscape photography, check out “Photographing The World 1: Landscape Photography and Post-Processing with Elia Locardi.” 

A photographer inspired by nature weaves women into the landscape using natural elements like grass, water, and plants.

Jeanne Simmons tells PetaPixel she had a “recurring impulse” to weave women into the grass and finally followed through on her vision and it ended up changing her life.

“Grass Cocoon set me on a trajectory of exploring my relationship with the natural world, expressing my reverence for it, and affirming my connection to it,” she says.

“I developed an ephemeral approach that involved integrating my models into the landscape, adorning them with sculptural elements, and capturing the moment through photography.”

“With my work, I attempt to convey my belief that we belong in nature, that we are part of the very fabric of nature,” she continues.

“This work is my personal antidote to what I perceive to be the tragic alienation between much of humanity and the Earth upon which we are dependent.”

Creating an Earthly Photo

Simmons is inspired by the materials she encounters during walks with her dogs. Plants that many may not even notice spark the photographer’s imagination.

“Once I have identified a site and a particular material, I inevitably begin the collection process, foraging for and harvesting my materials,” she says.

“Sometimes I create the necessary sculptural components for a project in my studio and transport them to my site on the day of the shoot.”

“Other times I forage on-site, and create and document the piece all in one day, building the piece directly on my model’s body,” she says.

“Once my models are situated and wearing whatever accouterments I have created for them, the actual shoot goes very quickly. I’m shooting for perhaps a half an hour to an hour, depending on the elements and the level of comfort or discomfort that my model might be experiencing.”

“There are of course an abundance of variables to manage when preparing for a shoot outside, sometimes requiring me to study the tides, the location of the sun, the weather, et cetera, all of which add to the fun and feeling of engagement that I love so well,” she adds.

Simmons’s models are “regular people” who live in her community. They don’t wear makeup and she doesn’t alter them in Photoshop afterward staying true to the organic themes of her images.

All she brings along to her photo shoots is her camera, her iPhone, a couple of tripods, and a reflector.

“So far I have used entirely natural lighting. My skills are still somewhat rudimentary. After a lifetime of identifying with tools like hammers, drills, chisels, and shovels. I still feel a bit clumsy with a camera,” she adds.

New to Photography

Simmons was previously a sculptor with “virtually no photography skills whatsoever” and began capturing photos using an iPhone 5.

“When I began making this body of work, I had no idea where it was leading me,” she explains.

“I later purchased a Fuji X-T3 and took an online photography class at the School of Visual Arts in NYC. I’m still trying to catch up with myself, from a photographic perspective.”

Simmons lives on the edge of the Olympic Peninsula in Washington surrounded by a temperate rainforest with her husband and daughter.

You can see more of Simmons’s work by visiting her Instagram page and website.

Image credits: All photos by Jeanne Simmons.