CASTLE LANDSCAPES
PROJECT 3
Based in South Wales where crumbling ruins are plentiful, Drew Buckley shares his pro advice for including castles in your landscape scenes
We are truly blessed in the UK for historic buildings and monuments, and our array of magnificent castles are no exception. Where I live, in Wales, is home to a whopping 427 castles, so you’re never far from one to get your photographic fix.
Castles can range from huge, grand dwellings to small follies, stone towers, and almost unrecognisable overgrown ruins. However, what the smaller ones sometimes lack in architectural prowess, they make up for with loads of character, and with every castle you’re guaranteed they should provide potential for your photographic outings. Try not to find photographing these large structures too daunting, as in this project I hope to give you a head start on your approach to capturing a piece of history and taking some top castle photos. Over the page are also four great photography techniques to capture castles in different ways.
SET UP TO TAKE FANTASTIC LANDSCAPES WITH CASTLES
Discover the core kit you need for brilliant scenic shots outdoors with Canon pro Drew Buckley
The brilliant thing about landscapes is that you can get great results even with budget friendly APS-C Canon EOS cameras. Whether you’ve got an older DSLR model or a newer mirrorless, both of Canon’s APS-C and full-frame offers are ideal.
There’s no correct answer for which lens you use, a wide-angle will make your castle smaller and include more of the scenery, so you may need to move closer to it. While a telephoto lens will allow you to home in on a castle if it’s further away.
A tripod is essential for all sorts of shots, but are particularly great for landscapes where you usually have more time to really fine-tune your composition. They also offer stability for sharper shots and allow you to get creative with long exposures.
STARTING SETTINGS
Ideal settings for castles and landscapes would be to use a wide-angle lens go into your Canon’s Aperture priority (Av) mode, and dial in an aperture of f/8 for strong sharpness through the scene. Now set the ISO to 100 for the best image quality. Set up on a tripod and turn off any image stabilisation. Then activate the 2-sec self-timer to avoid camera shake.
TIP 1 SYMMETRICAL SHOTS
Castles are often located close to water, or even surrounded by a moat. Use this to your advantage and include the water in your scene so that you can play w
