In the early 2000s, with the development of digital technologies, the number of photographs exponentially increased, but technology cannot replace creativity, inspiration and, most importantly, talent. After all, the main thing is not a camera, but the image itself. I asked Andrіi Kotliarchuk, famous Ukrainian photographer, to share his secrets of success
He went through all the stages of the photo profession. At first, he was an amateur, later headed a photo studio. Then he began to print his photos in periodicals and was hired to the newspaper “Voice of Ukraine”, and subsequently the appeared some orders from foreign governments. At some point he founded his own studio of art photography. Below you can find Andrii‘s five tips for shooting landscapes:
1. Nature does not have bad weather
If you want to take photos different from others, then you probably need to do something differently. For example, it is best to photograph a forest during light rain or immediately after it. Diffused light will better emphasise the texture of tree trunks and ferns. And large open spaces are ideal for photographing in mid-August when fogs appear in the morning and white clouds hang in the sky.
2. Do not rush
Enjoy every moment of taking pictures. Look for magnificent objects. People are primarily interested in them. And sometimes it happens that the picture in front of you is so perfect that you want to enjoy what you see, and even not to press the button.
3. “Golden Hours” have not been canceled
It is half an hour before the sunrise and a few minutes after the sunset that landscape artists consider the most precious. The sunset process cannot surprise anyone. I remember the times when photo contests were free. There in the conditions they stated directly that: “Sunrises and sunsets are not accepted!”.
4. Appreciate cloudy weather
At this time there is almost no wind. There is also no such a big difference in lighting between the sky and earth, an like on a sunny day. You can make wonderful shots with herbs and trees. But make sure that there is as little “optical garbage” in the frame as possible, that is, branches with bushes that do not carry any meaning.
5. Do not forget about the tripod
When you put the camera on a tripod, your hands are free and you can think about composition, exposition, or even filters. In addition, you give up the habit of aimlessly taking frame by frame, but choose the most “delicious” one. And to make a high-quality panorama and long-exposure shots without a tripod is simply impossible.
And Andrii quite often conducts field photo expeditions, photo tours and workshops on the topic “Taking Pictures of Landscapes.” You can receive news about the next photo tours by writing a letter to andriykiev@i.ua, or simply by following the updates on his Facebook page.
