There’s been a lot of concern lately about making sure that we do not spread an illness.  Society has gone to the trouble of self-quarantine in order to reduce the spread.  Even once this particular ailment has passed, there will still be times when you, as a landscape photographer, may find yourself unable to go out and get landscape photos.  Still, you have an itch to do so or you want to keep your skill sharp.  What do you do in the mean time?  Today, we’ve got some answers for you.  Let’s talk about photography which you, as a landscape photographer, may pursue in quarantine.

While we can’t do anything about the reason why you’re in quarantine (epidemic or your own family illness), we can suggest a few ways for you to keep your camera in action and your portfolio filling up with new photos.  You need not waste your skills as a landscape photographer during quarantine.

1. Photograph Your Neighborhood

If you live in a place where your neighborhood offers some pseudo-landscape-esk options, there’s no reason why you can’t pull out your camera and capitalize on that.  Rural areas and otherwise quiet suburban neighborhoods can yield some beautiful landscape photography if you get creative.  I’ve captured a few gems by pulling out my camera in my own neighborhood.  See what yours has to offer.

2. Look Out For Unusual or Amazing Lighting Conditions, Weather, etc.

Sometimes, a rather mundane and boring scene you are used to can be rendered magical by the right conditions.  I remember a time when the sun and the clouds were lined up in such a way near sunset where there was an extreme range of tone.  There were bright highlights and deep shadows simultaneously.  It wouldn’t have rendered well on camera, but the scene around my neighborhood was dramatically different and quite interesting that day thanks to unique conditions.

3. Try for Some Cloudscapes

Everyone loves seeing clouds lit up by the setting or the rising sun.  There’s something about those yellow, orange, and pink clouds which is simply magical.  How appropriate that these magical clouds coincide with golden hour.  If you’re stuck at home, then try for some cloud photography.  Either try cloudscapes themselves or try for sky replacements for your regular landscape photography.  We all know that the sky doesn’t always decide to be as dramatic as the light is when you’re shooting a landscape scene.  Fill some holes in your portfolio with dramatic clouds.

4. Try Out Some Macro Photography

If spring flowers haven’t started blooming in your area yet, then there are still plenty of options for you.  Go out in your front or back yard and look for little things of interest.  Is there a dead and dry leaf left over from last autumn lying on a pile of snow?  Is there a bird feather which catches your attention?  How about fruit or nuts growing on trees?  There’s always something to check out in macro photography just outside your door.  Grab your camera and try something new.

5. Try Out Some Astrophotography

Astrophotography is actually a subset of landscape photography in some respects, for those who didn’t already know.  It involves taking photos of the night sky and the Milky Way.  The overlap is when you add an interesting landscape foreground in front of the starry sky.

While this particular setup might not be possible where you live (especially big cities), you can still work on some astrophotography right where you live if you have the right tools available to you.  You will need a lens with a wide aperture (at least f/2.8 but wider works too) and perhaps some filters to help with city light bleed depending upon your location.

6. Try Local Wildlife Photography

I know that, thanks to quarantining, you can’t leave your home to go very far at all without a good reason.  For all I know, you can’t leave your home at all for one reason or another.  Why would I suggest wildlife photography then?  Because there’s plenty of animals which you can photograph from your windows or your front/back yard at home.

Have you ever stopped to consider how many birds, squirrels, insects, or lizards are running around in your yard?  Perhaps something bigger such as a deer or two?  You might when you pull out your camera to photograph them.  I suggest being inside since that will act like a blind and allow you more time to get the perfect shot.  Being a landscape photographer in quarantine surprisingly benefits you in this scenario.  This should also bleed into your landscape photography skills if you incorporate animals your photos like I do occasionally.

7. Try Different Angles

Photographers are always touting to try different angles in photography.  There’s a good reason for this.  When you try for different angles, you can get some very different photos than if you shot from a standing position or otherwise traditional angle.  Perhaps you can get down into the grass and try shooting a flower from the backside.  How about shooting up at some grass?  Experiment with different angles and fill up your portfolio with some new and exciting material.

8. Try Out Another Kind of Photography Like Still-Life

You can’t always go outside for one reason or another.  The sun won’t stay up forever and the stars won’t always be visible.  What’s a landscape photographer to do?  Well, there’s another option for you with your itchy shutter finger.  You can try out another kind of photography. Fortunately, there’s more than one optional photography genre which you can pursue from home.

Still-life, or shooting arrangements of pre-posed objects, is always an option for you.  You can grab some items from around your home, arrange them on an acceptable surface or background, and take some photos.  While these kinds of photos may not work for your landscape photography portfolio, they can work for stock photography, illustrations, etc.  You never know when these kinds of photos will come in handy. You can even turn these into stock photos with licenses for sale if you want.

Conclusion

If you’ve got a sniffle or a child has a nasty illness preventing you from going and getting landscape photography, you need not despair.  There are some options out there for you if you look in your own back yard (both figuratively and literally).  You can walk away with some beautiful landscape photos or related photos which will help fill in your portfolio as you wait out this quarantine.  Quarantine is not the end of your landscape photographer adventures.  Go have fun trying something new.