Even older or more affordable phones like 2021’s iPhone 13 Pro or the new Google Pixel 8 can take beautiful images that you might want to print and display on your wall. Even older or more affordable phones like 2021’s iPhone 13 Pro or the new Google Pixel 8 can take beautiful images that you might want to print and display on your wall.
This guide will show you the best way to capture landscapes with your smartphone, no matter if you are in the country or the mountains. Many of these tips can be used on any device, whether it’s 3 months old or 3 years, Apple, Android or both.
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Sort your phone camera settings
You can probably take an excellent landscape shot with your smartphone’s default automatic mode. Let’s push things further.
Switch to the “Pro” mode if your phone offers it. This allows you full control over settings. You can still control ISO, shutterspeed, and white balance with apps like Moment, Lightroom, or MuseCam if your phone doesn’t have a “pro” mode.
This image was enhanced by enabling ProRaw, a feature of the iPhone 12 Pro Max.
It is important to note that these apps let you also shoot in the raw format. Raw images do not save automatic settings like white balance and sharpening that are normally applied to JPEGs by your smartphone. You can now change your white balance or color tones, as well as save details from highlights and dark shadows. The image is much easier and less degraded than if you were using a JPEG. In the section on editing, I will return to this topic.
Apple’s Pro iPhones can now use Apple’s ProRaw file format. This uses computational photography such as HDR blend but produces a DNG that is easily editable. Tap the Raw button to enable raw photography. Google’s Pixel camera line has an equivalent raw feature.
Landscapes are a great place to experiment with white balance. Auto white balance may see warm colors (such as the fall foliage on trees), and use cool tonality to balance it. However, this can result in a loss of warmth. It’s important to be able reduce the brightness of a sky, or to bring out the shadows. Changing the white balance is a great way to do this.
Shooting in raw means that you will need to edit your photos in apps like Lightroom and Snapseed. The process of photographing landscapes can be a more slow and methodical one. Editing is an important part of the creative process.
Landscape photography is all about the time of day. My iPhone 14 Pro and I were able to catch this sunrise by setting an alarm at 3am.
Early to bed, late to shoot
Landscape photography is all about the time of day, as lighting can change dramatically when the sun moves overhead. Sunset or sunrise are ideal times to capture dramatic light. Both times, the sun is at its lowest point in the sky. This results in long and directional shadows.
It is best to avoid shooting at midday, when overhead lighting can make scenes look lifeless and flat.
You should get up at dawn to capture the best sunrise. You can try to take the same shot at different times during the day.
Weather forecasts are available.
Landscape photography is no exception. The weather plays an important role in outdoor photography. Your scene will be transformed by different weather conditions, changing its lighting, mood, and color. Don’t automatically assume bad weather will result in bad pictures.
This scene of Edinburgh is enhanced by the moody weather.
For me, the dark clouds above create a moody and foreboding landscape. After a heavy storm, the lighting can often be dramatic. While the rainy hike might seem like a miserable one, imagine the stunning photo that you could get when the storm is over.
This is the most uninteresting weather to have for a landscape. The clouds are dull and there’s little light or contrast on the terrain.
You can use your favourite weather app to check the forecast and then make an informed decision. If you have the right clothes, you should be able to brave any weather. But if the forecast is bad, it’s best to head to a pub and enjoy a drink.
Wide and Zoom lenses: Experiment!
Now is the perfect time to test out your wide-angle camera mode. You can still get the wide-angle effect if your phone doesn’t come with a standard mode.
The iPhone 12 Pro Max has an ultra-wide lens that allowed me to include the fishing boat to the left, and the mooring on the right. This made the composition more appealing.
Landscapes that are super-wide can have a dramatic effect, since they encompass so much in one image. Mountains that were otherwise out of the frame can be captured with all their grandeur, and rivers in full view, flowing into a picture.
After you’ve enjoyed the full view of the scene, zoom your phone in to see the smaller details. You can zoom into the image and crop away distracting elements to highlight interesting shapes, rock formations or patterns.
Focus on composition
While it’s tempting to assume that using the widest angle possible will guarantee a stunning landscape, this isn’t true. You need to consider composition more when taking wide-angle shots.
The Foreground Interest
Find foreground elements in your scene. You can use tree stumps, rocks with moss on them, or even pretty wildflowers to attract the viewers’ attention. While you’re on top of the hill, take a moment to look for things you could use in the picture.
Here, I placed my subject (me, myself) in the third on the right of the picture, and the left-third is the lake. This naturally leads the eye of the viewer through the entire scene.
Leading lines
The leading lines can be a great addition to a landscape composition. Watch for paths, walls and other elements which wind into the picture. It is this winding perspective of the image that will allow your viewers eye to be drawn into it.
Straight horizons
Use your screen’s grid or leveling tool to ensure your horizon is perfectly straight. Check that the subject is not cut at its top, whether it’s a mountain or a structure. You can edit a poor image to make it better, but you cannot fix a bad composition.
You can edit your pictures
The image you take is not finished when the shutter is pressed. Just a few edits with an app can transform it into something beautiful.
Snapseed is a free app that you can use on Android or iOS. My work can be seen on my website. The best apps for editing photos and videosYou can also choose from a variety of options to customize your video.
This shot, taken on the Galaxy S10 Plus in Buxton England, of Solomon’s Temple is fine, but uninspiring. The rusted drainage pipe outside the tower also doesn’t make it look great.
After some Lightroom work to darken and adjust the colors, remove the drain pipes, and change the background and sky color, this image that was taken with a 2019 phone has much more impact.
I like to begin by tweaking my white balance, either to bring out the true colors of a sunset or give it a warm glow. This is where shooting in RAW becomes especially beneficial. In order to control a bright, overexposed sky or enhance shadows at the foreground I adjust exposure levels. A little extra contrast will also add some punch.
Make a cup of coffee and then play around with your app sliders to your hearts content. Save and reimport your image to experiment with the various filters. Enjoy playing with the image. If you do not like your results, you can go back to it.
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