By Rupert Shanks, Chief Storyteller
Published: Mar 30, 2018More by Rupert
Can you be taught to take powerful photographs?
Or is it something that only comes through learning to see light and landscapes in a very personal way?
We are featuring Scotland’s best landscape photographers as part of a series. Eilidh Cameron, an ambassador for Visit Scotland, has been chasing Scotland’s most beautiful views for many years. Here she shares her favourite images and an insight into how to progress your own landscape photography.
- See our previous article with Colin Prior.
- The second episode in the series – Somhairle Macdonald.
- The third episode in the series – Eilidh Cameron.
- The fourth episode in the series – Lucy Hamilton.
- The fifth episode in the series – David Russell.

Eilidh Cameron
My advice to anyone wanting to get into landscape photography would simply be to get out into the countryside and take photographs. People may disagree with me here but I believe that you can teach someone to use a camera but you can’t teach someone to make a photo; that’s something that’s got to come naturally or be self taught with practice and experimentation.
What I mean by that is it’s fairly easy to teach someone how to use the (aperture, shutter speed etc) settings on their camera and you can explain techniques like the rule of thirds for creating pleasing compositions but actually applying these techniques requires more than an expensive camera and an understanding of how the camera technically works, to make a good photo you need to have an eye for it.
Hence that is why I believe the best thing you can do is just go out and take loads of photos and practice, that way you’ll learn what makes a good photo and what doesn’t. Also by doing this you’ll begin to understand how light, weather and time of day can totally change how the landscape photographs. But most importantly enjoy being out in the landscape making pictures and all the joy that comes with it as at the end of the day that’s what is important.