Because of its diverse terrain, Arizona is a great place to take landscape pictures. From the Grand Canyon to Mount Lemon, there are many great places and scenic views to take pictures of Arizona.
With the great advances in digital cameras, it’s become really easy to take great photographs. And the fun thing is that you don’t have to wait to get the film developed. You’ve got instant gratification with a digital camera.
Four things that you’ll need in order to take great landscape photos are:
- A digital camera.
- A good tripod.
- A wide angle lens.
- And a cable release.
If you can afford it, a digital SLR or digital single reflex camera is the easiest kind of camera to use for landscape photography. The digital SLR allows you to change lenses to accommodate the kind of picture you want to take.
A good tripod will hold the camera stable while you are setting up your shot and while you’re actually taking the shot. Less vibration allows for a much clearer, sharper picture. You may not think you are moving the camera when it’s hand-held but even the smallest movement can have dramatic effects on your final photograph.
A wide-angle lens allows you to capture the entire landscape without taking a panoramic. If you don’t have a wide-angle lens, you can actually take a panoramic, which is a number of pictures stitched together. Some of the more advanced digital cameras actually have panoramic modes in their menu set-up. Many of the newer wide-angle lenses are actually telephoto lenses where you can adjust the focal length to fit your needs and crop the landscape to fill the view finder.
A cable release for your camera isn’t mandatory, but it will allow you to take pictures without touching the camera which again helps with the clarity of your photos.
Remember, the best time to take landscape photos is either early in the morning or just before dusk. This time is called the ‘golden hour’ because all the harsh shadows from direct sunlight are gone but there is still enough light to capture a great photo.