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Last updated on January 23rd, 2023

The answer to this question is an emphatic yes. Landscape photography can include animals, buildings, and people if they add to the overall composition of the shot.

In fact, a landscape photograph that includes these elements has the potential to be even more powerful and captivating than one without.

Animals can bring life and movement to a scene; buildings can provide perspective and context; and people can indicate scale and evoke emotion.

With careful consideration of light, position, focus, and other factors, it’s possible to create stunning images with all three elements present for maximum impact.

Related: Best Landscape Cameras

Can Landscape Photography Include Animals?

Animals offer much potential for exciting compositions in landscape photography. Depending on the species you’re photographing, you may be able to capture their unique personality or behavior, giving your image more depth and emotion.

If you’re lucky enough to find a herd of animals in the wild, they can provide movement as they travel across your frame. From grazing deer to soaring birds, animals can add an element of life that is vital for successful landscape photographs.

Landscape of Serengeti National Park with wildebeest in foreground.

Can Landscape Photography Include Buildings?

Including buildings in a landscape, photographs can help emphasize shapes, symmetry, and perspective.

A shot with a large building in it will often convey the grandeur and awe-inspiring scale, while a smaller structure could be used to create contrast within the composition. Architecture, such as bridges, can also make for interesting foreground elements that add character and context to a photograph.

One of the most iconic examples of this is Reyniskirkja Church in Vik, Iceland. Its magnificent white walls with a stunning red roof stand out against its mountainous backdrop and add a sense of awe to these photos.

Not only does it provide something for a photographer’s eye to be drawn to, but it also allows photographers to capture images that not many people think about when on their photographic journey.

Can Landscape Photography Include People?

Having a person in a landscape photograph can add drama and emotion to the image.

It’s essential to think carefully about where you place them, as they can easily become the main focus of your shot if they take up too much space.

If done correctly, having a person in the foreground of your image will create an interesting juxtaposition between man and nature, while also providing scale and giving viewers something tangible to relate with.

Landscape photo of Peyto Lake in Canada with man sitting in foreground.

Does Landscape Photography Include Cities?

As a photographer exploring the natural world, I usually stray away from capturing urban environments such as cities. When I think of landscape photography, it conjures up images of wide-open nature scenes filled with trees, mountains, and oceans that can stretch out toward eternity as far as the eye can see.

There is beauty found in cityscapes and urban locations, but for me, dedicated landscape photography does not typically include cities.

A great photographer might be able to capture the character and the spirit present in a cityscape in a single moment or an image series — but more often than not, that kind of work belongs to the realm of street photography.

Conclusion

In conclusion, landscape photography that includes animals, buildings, and people has great potential for success if each element is given due consideration within the composition.

When done right, these elements should complement one another in order to create an aesthetically pleasing and emotionally captivating finished


Frequently Asked Questions

Can landscape photography include animals in the sea?

Landscape photography usually involves captivating images of scenery on land. However, with a little bit of imagination and creativity, photographers can capture marine animals as part of their landscape images as well.

Whether it be a gull gliding across the waves or a whale swimming close to shore — these shots enhance landscape photography in unique ways. Although these types of photos are still considered landscape pictures, when the majority of the frame is underwater, it should technically be labeled as underwater photography.

Nevertheless, with a clear vision and artistic insight, photographers can create amazing scenes both above and below the surface that make for incredible shots!

Can landscape photography include animals in the sky?

Yes, animals in the sky make for stunning photographic subjects, and landscape photography is no exception. Capturing a soaring eagle in an impressive sunset or photos of a flock of geese above an ice-covered lake can lead to beautiful and memorable photographs.

Such imagery captures the vastness and unpredictability of nature, making them perfect additions to any landscape photograph.

In fact, since animals are often on the move, they can help create interesting lighting and depth that adds plenty of drama to the shot — making them essential components of any landscape photographer’s arsenal.

Can landscape photography include animals under the sea?

Yes, landscape photography, which involves capturing magnificent and awe-inspiring scenes in nature, can take on a whole new exquisite dimension when animals under the sea are included in the composition.

To achieve this effect, photographers need to use a dome lens installed on their cameras. This enables them to capture an image that is part underwater and part above water, providing an interesting yet eye-catching visual contrast.

With special techniques that can be employed, photographers are able to capture spectacular effects from the cystic environments of the deep blue sea. From dazzling coral reefs to majestic whales, the possibilities for captivating landscape photographs with animals under the sea as main features seem endless.

Vincent Croos
About the Author: Vincent Croos

Hola Parceros,

I’m the founder of Aperlust. I enjoy web development and SEO and am into snowboarding and linguistics. In my spare time, you can find me destroying my opponents in chess across the globe.

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