Video: Mads Peter Iversen on how to overcome common landscape photography challenges

Photographer Mads Peter Iversen recently asked his viewers about their biggest struggles with landscape photography. In a new video, Iversen discusses the seven most popular answers he received and how he overcomes the struggles.

The most common struggle was a lack of time. Of course, Iversen can't comment on anyone's lives and schedules. The next biggest struggle is people having difficulty finding worthwhile things to photograph in their local area. Some photographers are lucky enough to live close to some of the most incredible landscapes in the world. However, most people aren't so fortunate. If you don't live somewhere considered a traditional landscape photography hotbed, what can you do, save for traveling? Iversen says that the best thing you can do is explore. This isn't a quick-fix solution to the problem. It requires time and effort to explore around you and find worthwhile landscape photography subjects. To make it a bit easier, Iversen likes to take different routes between familiar locations to see new areas, and he goes out of his way to walk on new trails. In an older video, Iversen outlined the five best reasons to photograph locally and how exploring your area can make you a better photographer.

A neat way to make your local area seem more interesting is to approach it like you are yourself a tourist. It's easy to feel like the scenes around you are boring if you always see them. If you visit a local tourism bureau and search for photos of your area online, you may find that other people have photographed interesting areas near you that you've overlooked.

Another common struggle is composition. You could write a book on the topic. In fact, Iversen has written two (1, 2). While a deep dive into composition is beyond the scope of the video below, Iversen's biggest tips are to identify an interesting subject and compose your image to draw attention to that subject. This may seem simple, but actively thinking about the subject of your photo while composing an image is very important and often overlooked. You can draw attention to your subject through various techniques, including leading lines, framing, and contrast. Sometimes what you don't include in the image can be just as important as what you include, so make sure that whatever you include in your composition contributes positively to the overall image.

Many photographers also find it difficult to stay calm and composed in the field. When photographing a scene, it's easy to become overwhelmed and feel rushed, especially if conditions, as they often are, rapidly change. When stressed, it can be difficult to remember important compositional tools, and it's easy to make mistakes with your camera settings. The better you understand the theories behind photography and know how to use your equipment, the better off you'll be. A strong foundation is much more resilient to stress.

Great landscape conditions can occur at any time of the day and during any season. However, there's no doubt that getting up early will provide you with amazing opportunities. But getting up early is tough. Iversen's found success by getting up and moving about as soon as your alarm goes off and having a concrete plan in mind. It's easier to deal with waking up early if you've got exciting photo plans.

The other topics Iversen covers include comparing your work to others and imposter syndrome, composing wide-angle images with strong foreground elements, and figuring out how to capture vast landscape scenes. What are some of your biggest struggles with landscape photography? Let us know in the comments below.

To see more from Mads Peter Iversen, visit his website, Instagram, and YouTube channel.

(Via Mads Peter Iversen)