LESSON 3Capture Dynamic Landscapes

First of all, use smaller apertures to shoot landscapes. Setting the aperture value to around F8 brings the entire image sharply into focus, although the recommended value may vary depending on shooting conditions or lenses.
Generally, if you want to take sharp photographs with high contrast, increase the F-number. Conversely, if you want to add a soft feel to the entire image, decrease the F-number.

Shot with the aperture set to F9.0, this photograph looks sharp, with both the pine in front and the sky in the background in focus. If the F-number is too small, the photograph tends to suffer from the lack of crispness, as only either the tree or the sky can be in focus.

If you shoot landscapes with a zoom lens, you can capture the wide range of the scene by using the wide-angle side (with shorter focal lengths) of the lens. Also, if you shoot landscapes that include the sky, filling a large area of the image with the sky will give a more extensive impression and convey the power of the scene.

This photograph was shot on the wide-angle side of the zoom lens. Although the main subject is the ocean, the magnificent atmosphere is enhanced by filling a larger area with the sky and clouds, instead of capturing only the ocean in the entire frame.

If you want to render the landscape or clouds more sharply and vividly, change the Creative Style/Creative Look settings. Selecting the [Landscape] setting will enhance contrast and saturation, and finish up the photograph with enhanced image depth. If you want additional contrast in colors or shadows for a more impressive finish, adjust "Saturation" and "Contrast" in the option settings. Each parameter can be fine-tuned with ± 3 steps.