Landscape photo reference for artists

At least half of my painting effort goes into shooting good reference photos. I “create” my composition in the viewfinder and shoot with as wide dynamic range as possible. Lately I have been using a drone to get shots that would have been impossible before. In order to get the widest dynamic range, I shoot bracketed photos at different f-stops then process them on my computer with Photomatix. I shoot thousands of photos, often visiting the same places at different times of day to find…

Oil on Canvas 18x26 inches A very warm, glowy painting, this. I've painted sunsets many times and said before that you have to be careful not to make them too 'twee' and chocolate-boxy. It's difficult not to actually, when you have such a painterly subject like this1 The fun bit with this, of course, is painting the sun itself and trying to portray the intense brightness shining just through the edge of the tree. Everything around the sun takes on a glow and the challenge is to get those…

I have a few recent paintings to share. Here's one of them, Impressions of Noosa. I had mixed feelings about the outcome of this, but it's come to grow on me. Something different at the very least. I also think it's worth sharing paintings that didn't go exactly as planned as this gives you a

Not sure what to paint? Here are some tree reference photos you can use as you please.

Are you looking for reference images to help inspire and inform your artistic work? Look no further! The reference photos found here, are meant to provide you with helpful painting and drawing inspiration. So that you will be able to find the perfect source material for your next artistic study and/or project.

Reference photos of actual landscapes make it much easier for artists to paint their own landscapes on canvas.

Reference photos of actual landscapes make it much easier for artists to paint their own landscapes on canvas.

Explore this photo album by Don Taylor on Flickr!