Finding Inspiration for Landscape Photography

TravelBeginnerLandscape
Written By Sarah Bopp

If you don’t look at the world in awe every time you see a beautiful landscape, well, then, uh … nah, I don’t believe you. You’re definitely standing there, mouth-gaping-wide-open, crying a little because somehow mother nature created this magnificent place.

Sorry, it is possible, I suppose, that you’ve not encountered this. If so, I’m going to help you find inspiration and get that sick landscape photography shot.

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Seek Out Inspiration

For starters, allow me to give you a bit of backstory into how I found my love for landscape photography and how I have been chasing after it ever since.

Let’s go back to the summer of 2012. I’d been preparing for the ride of my life all year, and the summer had finally rolled around. School was out, which meant I was about to take off those training wheels and ride my bicycle from New York City to San Francisco – with the Illini 4000 (go check them out, they’re amazing). Crazy, right? But what I didn’t realize was, I was about to leave my safe, relatively flat town in the midwest to take on real, no joke mountains.

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When I arrived, my quads were aching. But my eyes were stunned and my point-and-shoot couldn’t stop clicking. I swear. I was taking photos of anything and everything. Those beautiful, wide-open landscapes were quite literally surrounding me, on a daily basis. Looking around, I was reminded of the stunning captures by my idol-photographer, Ansel Adams.

Unfortunately, that trip came to an end with the closing of the summer season. And since then, I’ve had to find inspiration elsewhere for landscape photography. Here are some of the ways I have gotten creative with seeking out landscapes while living in a large metropolitan area.

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City Skylines Count

This came as a surprise to me when I first learned it, but as it turns out…city skylines count as landscape photography too! I always thought that because of the non-natural features and man-made dominant elements, that city skyscrapers would fall into a separate photography category. But gee is that not the case!

The good news for this city-slicker and for all my fellow city-dwellers out there is that you don’t need to travel far to get started on practicing your landscape photography skills. Similar to a natural landscape like mountains, city skylines have nearly endless and can be seen from many different points of view. So get out there, and discover how many new ways there are for you to capture your city’s sparkling landscape!

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Don’t live in a city? Well, the good news for you is this is also not a necessity for taking beautiful landscape photography. I’m certain there are a number of unique buildings, parks, or natural elements in your local area that are just waiting to be captured. All you need to do is find it, frame it up with the horizon, and boom! You’ve got yourself a great landscape photo! I really do think a lot of what goes into landscape photography is more about how your photo is composed, the lighting, and your technique than it actually is about the scenery you are capturing. So play around with your composition and get creative!

But of course, there is always room for disagreement. Perhaps you really want that great backdrop or you are feeling a bit uninspired with your surrounding area. Well, have I got a solution for you to start finding inspiration for landscape photography!

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Get Outside & Pursue a Hobby

Whenever I am feeling particularly uninspired by what I have at hand (my local city), I will usually use this as an opportunity to get outside, and maybe even get two hobbies in for the price of one. Thankfully most of my hobbies other than photography, involve some sort of outdoor activity – aka hiking, biking, climbing, skiing, running, etc.

I’ve found that pursuing these hobbies will take me to new beautiful surroundings, perfect for playing around with landscape photography. But this is not a requirement for finding inspiration for landscape photography.

Heading out for a walk in a nearby forest preserve or natural park area is a great way to seek out inspiration and get creative with your landscape photography! Don’t be afraid to really experiment with the different elements available to you.

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This is the time to revel in the uncertainty of how a certain picture or a certain framing for a shot will turn out. It can be uncomfortable for sure to step outside your comfort zone and try new techniques. But trust me, it is well worth the discomfort in the end!

Photography Magazine Inspiration

If this is not your jam and you’d rather travel to capture those sweeping mountain views, or maybe you’re looking to gain some fresh new perspectives, flipping through a photography magazine is a great tool for getting inspired. Whenever I’m in a creative jam, and I am having a hard time coming up with creative new ways to frame a landscape shot, I will turn to a good old magazine.

Now I know what you’re thinking, what do I need a magazine for when Instagram is free and more easily accessible? Well, I don’t know about you, but no matter how hard I try to stay focused on one task within Instagram, my mind always finds a way of getting distracted. It’s like that is exactly what the IG gods want, how odd…

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In any case, there is something beautiful about cracking open a fresh, new magazine and flipping through those glossy pages! It also doesn’t hurt that the photographers behind each of those photos are seasoned artists, who definitely know a thing or two about capturing banger landscape photos.
Some of my favorites that I turn to again and again for finding inspiration for landscape photography are:

1.    National Geographic

2.    Outdoor Photographer

3.    SKI Magazine

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While that last one may be specific to winter/skiing lovers such as myself, the first two are definitely must-reads for getting landscape photo inspiration. I think it is well worth getting a subscription to these. But if that’s not your jam, have no fear! You can get magazines on the cheap-cheap from used book stores or for free from your local library.

Whatever helps to get you inspired and get out there shooting more creative landscapes, cling onto it and keep coming back for more whenever you need to refuel. Hopefully some of these techniques for finding inspiration help!

Hey there! It’s bopphoto, aka Sarah Bopp, your internet pal and photographer. Lover of coffee, plants, nature, and old cameras.

Here you will find everything from my photoshoots, posts on tips & tricks, things that inspire me, and some behind the scenes content.

Peace & love,
Sarah

Looking for something?

Sarah Bopp

https://www.bopphoto.com
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