Can My Camera Shoot Landscapes?

This was an actual question on a FaceBook photo site I was on this morning. And, of course, the answer is any camera (and any lens for that matter) can be used to shoot landscapes.

In experienced hands you can get a landscape out of a pinhole camera.

So it’s not the camera but the photographer who shoots landscapes and the photographer who shoots landscapes does so for many reasons.

A lot of landscape photography is basically just vacation photography like the photo of the lighthouse at Peggy’s Cove. Nothing wrong with it but it’s not going to an award-winner and that’s okay. It serves to remind us of our road trip to the east coast and the wet and windy day we had shooting landscapes.

But landscapes and by that I do mean award-winning landscapes don’t often happen by chance. Almost all of the iconic landscapes in North American have been photographed so many times that you can look up on line what time of year and what time of day is best to get that once-in-a-lifetime shot. And don’t be too surprised to find out you’re either going to have to get up before dawn or stay up past your bedtime to get that magazine type image.

Really good landscape photography often starts months ahead of time with a Google maps and searches for your target image. Then often there’s a trip involved and all the planning that goes into that. For some photography you’re going to need to hire a guide and maybe sherpas LOL.

Last minute addition: I said you had to get early to shoot some landscapes. Have a look at Silent photography in Death Valley at graincheck by Taylor Pendleton. I am a huge admirer of this young woman’s work.