Lately I have been shooting more landscapes than usual even when I still using full time my 100-400 lens with an 1.4x Extender. Probably because I'm rediscovering the good features hidden in Luminar Neo specially designed for Landscape photography, Here is my favorite picture from last weekend.
Autumn is here. For those who live north of Florida, the changes are evident, and you have shown us those changes with a bunch of colorful pictures. For those of us who live in Florida, those changes and colorful trees are not as visible or as beautiful. Our state is always green.
Well, probably I'm being overdramatic here. You can see leaves falling from the trees and some changes in their coloration. Winter does not leave all trees here naked like in the North, and probably that's a plus.
The point here is that, even in evergreen Florida, autumn is beautiful.
There is something magical about those quiet moments just after dawn, when the first rays of sunlight break through the trees and paint everything with a warm golden glow. This scene stopped me in my tracks. The soft light filtered through the moss draped branches, highlighting the textures of the old oaks and the path ahead.
I took this photo on a peaceful morning walk, when the air was still cool and the world seemed to wake up slowly. The golden light touching the leaves and tree trunks reminded me why I love photographing nature. It is not just about the scenery, but the feeling of calm and wonder that comes with it.
Sunrises like this one are fleeting, lasting only a few minutes before the light changes completely. But that is what makes them special, a gentle reminder to slow down, look around, and appreciate the beauty that nature offers every day.
As I approach 12 years of photographing wildlife and landscapes, moments like this remind me how rewarding it is to keep exploring, learning, and capturing the quiet beauty of the natural world.
Without any doubt this is my favorite photo from this weekend.
This picture draws you in because of its captivating composition, vibrant colors, and natural depth. Here’s a breakdown of why it’s so appealing:
Layered Depth: The image has a sense of depth with layers of foliage leading the eye deeper into the scene. The contrast between light and shadow adds dimension.
Warm, Golden Light: The warm sunlight filtering through the trees creates a glowing, inviting atmosphere. It highlights the greenery and adds a sense of tranquility.
Variety in Textures: The image captures a range of textures—from the rough bark of the trees to the soft, leafy branches and delicate grasses. This adds visual interest.
Natural Framing: The arched branches frame the middle of the image, guiding the viewer’s gaze inward and creating a sense of intimacy.
Color Harmony: The lush greens and warm earthy tones work together, creating a soothing and balanced palette.
Subtle Details: The subtle foreground elements, like the wispy grasses, enhance the depth without distracting from the main scene.
It’s a classic example of a peaceful woodland scene captured beautifully—feels almost like a hidden oasis.
When people hear about landscape photography, they often imagine a pristine image of nature, free of any man-made elements. However, I believe this perception is limiting. The image below demonstrates that landscape photography can thrive in an urban environment, showcasing how human-made elements can complement or contrast with the natural surroundings to create compelling compositions.
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| Beauty is everywhere, just keep your eyes open and your camera ready. |
This is a panorama that I created today. Cloudy days are the best for landscape photography.
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| Pictures taken with a Canon R6 w/EF100-400L. |
In a previous post I mentioned that is possible to create high resolution and wide angle picture with a zoom lens by using the panorama merging option of Lightroom Classic. Here is how Adobe explains the process.
The process is very simple once you have mastered it. The best process to learn is trial and error. My tips are, set the aperture in your camera to f/11. Try to overlap the pictures that you are taking on around 30 to 40%. I have tried to center focus in each picture I take or focus in the center of what will become the resultant picture and without changing the focus taking all the pictures. Both ways have worked for me and all depend on what you want the end result to look like. If you focus in each picture the end result will be sharp from corner to corner including the center. Keep in mind that using this method, if you are not taking sufficient pictures you may end with zones in the merged picture that are out of focus, specially if the aperture using is not small enough (f/2.8 is larger than f/11, keep that in mind).
When you are out there shooting wildlife is impossible not to notice the beauty of the landscape surrounding you and having a camera you will feel the need to go and shoot some pictures. The problem is that all you are carrying is your zoom lens. is it possible to use a zoom lens for landscape?
The answer is yes.
One of the problems that you are facing is the limitations getting the view that you get when using a wide angle lens such as a Canon RF 16mm or a Canon RF 28mm. While wide angle lenses are considered the ideal lenses for landscape photography you can still "mimic" that view using a zoom lens. Below you can see an example.
If you click on this picture and zoom to check the details, you will notice that this picture is sharp from the closest to the further point. This was achieved by stitching multiple pictures together using the panorama option in Lightroom Classic.
Here are another examples of a pictures created with this technique.
Using a zoom lens you can focus into a particular point of your landscape and still get a good picture. See below picture taking with an EF100-400L using an adapted to be used in a Canon R6.
A zoom lens should not be considered a limitation to take landscape pictures.
