How to Photograph Deserts Better: 4 Techniques Demonstrated On Location

Thomas Chu Photo

Deserts, with their rich layering and delicate textures, are a favorite subject for photography enthusiasts.

In today's video tutorial, Thomas travels to a desert beneath snow-capped peaks in Pakistan to share desert shooting tips on location. A carefully prepared written outline awaits at the end.

Video Tutorial

▶ Watch the video tutorial on Bilibili

Written Outline

1) The best light for desert photography is low-angle side-backlight.

When the sun is low (not necessarily sunrise or sunset — 2-3 hours before sunset is angled enough), the dunes fill with highlights and shadows, appearing far more three-dimensional.

In front light or direct backlight, the brightness separation between dunes is weak and the desert looks flat. Side-backlight is the best angle for dunes.

2) There are many ways to frame a desert.

You can include foreground, midground and background to emphasize the desert's layering.

Or you can focus on intimate scenes — textured details, even abstract structures and lines.

3) In desert photography, the right height matters.

Generally, the lower the camera position, the more dramatic the foreground appears through perspective. But the midground and background lose layering to occlusion.

In the image below, shot from very low, a small patch of foreground texture looks like a huge dune — while the distant desert textures pile together with no visible layering.

Raise the camera and you capture more midground layering — but the foreground loses its impact.

Landscape photography isn't about higher or lower being better. We need a height that balances foreground impact against midground layering.

4) Focus stacking is very useful in desert scenes

Desert photography mostly uses medium-to-long focal lengths with shallow depth of field. Focus stacking is frequently used to keep the whole frame sharp.

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