Resources

The Best Tools to Develop Your Landscape Photography

Welcome to the CaptureLandscapes resource section. The list below is carefully curated with the tools, products and services that I believe will have a positive impact on your photography. I have personally tested each and every one of these resources and they have at some stage in my photographic journey been essential for my development, which is why I whole-heartedly recommend them. 

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, which means that I earn a small commission if you choose to make a purchase. This is, of course, without any additional cost for you. I have personal experience with all the products and tools mentioned below and they all have or have had an important role in the development of my photography. The list is limited to only include the resources you'll find useful. Make sure to read up on the products to make sure they'll be beneficial to you before making a purchase.


Featured landscape photography resources

Photography Plan starts at

$9.99 per month

price includes adobe lightroom 
& adobe photoshop

All of my images go through Adobe Lightroom. I don't only use Lightroom for its high-quality RAW editor but also for its easy-to-use library function. If you don't already have Adobe Lightroom, I strongly recommend signing up right away. 

Adobe Lightroom is the best RAW editor on the market and has been so for a while. I've been a loyal user for nearly a decade and can't imagine my workflow without it. This is my highest recommended resource for 1) organizing images and 2) processing images. It will make a difference.

Photography Plan Starts At

$9.99 Per Month

Price Includes Adobe Lightroom 
& Adobe Photoshop

Adobe Photoshop is Lightroom's bigger brother and is the most powerful photo-editor on the market. Unlike Lightroom, Photoshop is used by creators in many different fields which means there are endless of opportunities when it comes to processing your images. 

99.9% of my images go through Adobe Photoshop at some point in the post-processing workflow and I consider it to be absolutely essential for my work. 

If you sign up for the Photography Plan you'll get both Lightroom and Photoshop for only $9.99 per month.


Prices Starting at

$44.99

Includes free updates for life

Raya Pro is the #1 Luminosity Mask & Exposure Blending Extension for Adobe Photoshop. I've been using the plugin for several years and it's an essential part of my post-processing workflow. 

The panel is easy to use both for beginning and for advanced Photoshop users. Raya Pro has a total of 8 panels to choose between but you'll quickly figure out which fits into your daily workflow. 

Make sure to have a look on our Raya Pro Review if you're unsure whether this will be beneficial or not for you.


One-Time Purchase

$149*

Includes 8 powerful tools to be used as plugins or standalone photo editors

*a free 30-day trial is offered

The Nik Collection has been a favorite amongst photographers for over a decade and it's not without a reason. Eight powerful plugins are included and cover all stages of your post-processing workflow; from sharpening to creative adjustments or powerful black and white tools.

While you most likely won't use all eight plugins on a regular basis, there are a handful that deserve to be part of your workflow. It's especially Color Efex Pro, Silver Efex Pro, and Sharpener Pro that landscape photographers will find useful. 

Personally, I've had the NIK Collection installed on my computer for close to a decade and consider it to be an essential part of my processing. Combine it with, for example, Photoshop or Lightroom and you've got everything you need.

Best of all, the Nik Collection plugins will speed up your workflow while still allowing you to have full control over even the most advanced adjustments. 

Topaz Photo AI icon


One-Time Purchase

$199

A must-have tool for sharpening, deNoise, and upscaling.

Topaz Photo AI is a three-in-one photo editing software that makes noise reduction, image sharpening, and upscaling an easy task. The results are impressive, and there's little doubt that the tools will positively impact your images.

This is a software that every landscape photographer should have installed on their computer. It's not cheap but it's worth the money.


Post-Processing Software & Plugins

$10 Discount For

 CaptureLandscapes Readers
Use The Code: 
CaptureLandscapes

What makes Luminar NEO stand out from other photo editors is their unique AI tools that speed up your processing workflow and give beautiful results. It's also possible to purchase looks from a few selected photographers that you can quickly apply to your own images (same as presets in Adobe products). This is the perfect software for beginning photographers and for those who don't want to spend hours in front of the computer.

Free!

The best free web sharpener

German nature photographer Andreas Resch has arguably created the very best web sharpening panel/script for Adobe Photoshop. This easy-to-use, and free, panel helps preserve details and clarity when downsizing an image to post online. 

I highly recommend downloading this panel if you regularly post images online. We spend so much time optimizing images in the field and through post-processing so why not spend an extra minute to make it look great for online purposes too?

basic version is free

$33

The original luminosity mask
photoshop panel

Tony Kuyper is the godfather of Luminosity Masks and was, most likely, the first to create a third-party Luminosity Masking plugin/panel for Adobe Photoshop. The TKActions Panel has developed a lot since the original version and allows you to do more than just create Luminosity Masks. It's also available in six languages: English, Spanish, German, French, Italian and Chinese.


Planning Resources for Landscape Photography

One-Time Payment

$10.99

the #1 Planning App for
Night Photography

PhotoPills is the go-to app for planning your photos. I highly recommend using this when you need to know the position of the sun, moon, Milky Way or stars. Make sure to spend some time over on their website to really learn how to make the most out of the app.

Free!

#1 Offline Maps Application for
Mobile Devices

Maps.Me is my go-to app when I need to use an offline map. You can download maps for countries or regions when online and access them later when you’re not - perfect for traveling in areas where you don’t or won’t have access to WiFi.

It's also a great map to use when you go hiking and it includes several paths for you to follow.

Knowing how high the tide will be and at what time is extremely important for seascape photographers. There are several apps and websites you can use for this but the one I tend to use most is Tides4Fishing website. I’ve found it to be very accurate and it also includes data for many remote beaches which is great when I’m away from popular touristic places.

Google Earth is the most helpful tool when it comes to planning and digitally scouting new locations. I tend to spend a lot of time 'visiting' various corners of our planet in search for my next adventures.


Educational Resources for Landscape Photography

A Comprehensive Introduction to Landscape Photography is your go-to eBook for an in-depth introduction to Landscape Photography. Whether you’ve just bought your first camera, have been using one for a couple years or you haven’t yet purchased your first, this eBook is a natural place to begin expanding your knowledge.

The information shared throughout A Comprehensive Introduction to Landscape Photography will teach you everything you need to know in order to start capturing beautiful images and take your photography to the next level.


Besides teaching you the fundamentals and introducing the equipment needed (or that should be used) to perform the technique, The Ultimate Guide to Long Exposure Photography goes one step further and teaches you how to implement the techniques you learn into your workflow. You'll learn the optimal settings to capture great long exposure images of seascapes and waterfalls.

Mastering Adobe Lightroom Classic: The Complete Guide is an in-depth eBook with an additional 2.5 hours of video content that will make you comfortable using Lightroom’s Library and Develop Modules. Here you’ll learn the essentials of organizing and processing images. The course doesn't only look at the editing capabilities of Lightroom; you'll also learn how to build a well-functioning image library that makes it possible to easily locate an image with just a few clicks. This is essential to understand when hard drives fill up with thousands of images. Three complete start-to-finish workflows are included to show you exactly how to add that unique look to your images.


Black & White Photography: A Complete Guide for Nature Photographers is a course designed to help you create compelling black and white images. Designed for photographers of all levels, this is a highly practical course that teaches tools which can be immediately integrated into your workflow.


Storage Software & Solutions

Dropbox storage for photography

offers free basic plan

Dropbox is an easy-to-use solution to safely store your images and files online. It’s not only great when using images across various devices (for example when downloading to your phone before posting online) but is also a quick way to access your images when meeting with potential clients.

It's also easy to share folders and files with others, which comes in handy when working on joint projects or sharing files too large to pass by email, for example.


Synology’s Diskstation DS1817+ is an essential part of my backup strategy and is what makes me sleep comfortably at night. This is an 8-bay NAS (Network-Attached Storage) that can be scaled up to 18 drives.

The genius part of the NAS server is that I can back up all my other external hard drives and when they’re ‘retired’ I can still access everything stored on them by simply logging onto my server.


Other Resources & Tools for Landscape Photography


Are you aware that the colors on your monitor might not be correct? While professional photography monitors are becoming more accurate out of the box, it's still essential to calibrate it in order to ensure that the colors displayed are correct. 

My go-to solution for accurate monitor calibration is the DataColor SpyderX Pro. The calibration is extremely easy and takes no more than 5 minutes but makes a massive difference. I aim to calibrate my monitor every 1-2 months.

I've been relying on Vallerret Photography Gloves to keep my hands warm for the past years and I'm extremely satisfied with the quality they offer. 

When working in Arctic climates, it's essential for me to be able to easily operate my camera without taking my gloves off. This is my solution - no more cold hands!

Filters have been an important part of my photography and in many ways a key element in developing my skillset. Using them has not only taught me the fundamental settings but also to see in a whole new way. 

NiSi Filters have been my go-to brand for several years and having tried most of what's out there, I feel that they offer the best quality products.

The BenQ SW31C is a 32" 4k monitor made for photographers. Having a quality monitor is essential for photographers and help ensure that your images are accurately represented through various platforms and outlets.

Features such as the Advanced Reflectionless Technology, Uniformity Technology, Paper Color Sync and Hardware Calibration make the SW321C one of the absolute best monitors for photographers and videographers.

I highly recommend this monitor for anyone who’s serious about their photography, spends time in post-processing and ultimately enjoys seeing their images printed. If you already have quality camera gear, you should invest in a quality monitor. It’s as simple as that.