Ása Steinars: looking beyond landscapes to get the perfect shot

Ása Steinars didn't always find Iceland so impressive. Moving there from Norway aged seven, it felt to her more like a small town than a country. But, returning years later after working abroad, she began to see the land of fire and ice in a wonderful new way.

Today, Ása's photographs and videos of her adventures at home and abroad have earned her a social media following of 700k. Through her mastering of the "scenic selfie", which turns humble selfies into monumental shots of Scandinavian vistas, her Instagram and TikTok accounts are ever-growing tributes to Iceland's otherworldly wonders – from craters, volcanoes and black-sand beaches to fjords, glaciers and waterfalls.

Her landscape photography often incorporates people, usually herself. These aren't simple selfies; they're about inviting the viewer to put themselves in her position – something that seems especially important when posting on social media. "I want to create the feeling in the viewer of imagining himself or herself in the picture, the feeling of wanting to go there and experience the nature, rather than only looking at it from afar," says Ása.

To do this, Steinars' pictures usually engage one or more senses: you can almost feel the warmth from the campfire on a cold day; hear the sound of the waterfall crashing; taste the hot coffee after a long hike. "To me," Steinars says, "photography is about creating this feeling – a feeling of wanderlust, happiness, or simply inspiration to go out and hike up a mountain. Nature photography is always linked with exploration of the outdoors, so I like adding a person to tell the full story behind it."

Here, Ása explains how she does it, sharing tips to take your landscape photography to the next level, so you too can see the natural world in a completely different light.

When recreating Ása's scenic selfies, one part of the picture often overlooked by beginner photographers is clothing. Ása uses red, yellow and orange clothing when shooting in overcast conditions or if her subject is far away. Photographing a person in the landscape gives a sense of scale, while bright clothes add a pop of colour to what could otherwise be a flat or monochromatic image.

Ása will even go so far as to choose her locations based on clothing. This is especially important when she works with clothing brands. She makes sure the location complements a brand's product either in terms of composition or in some thematic way, but the same principles apply to her personal work.

"I find a location that works for the clothing style and the colours," she says. "If I don't go for the pop, I try to use local-style clothes to connect more with nature. For example, Icelandic wool sweaters. They are very nice to wear, but also fit well into nature shots, and are great for close-up shots of the subject."

Using clothing like this helps give a sense of location and a local feel to the final image.

Ása often frames her subject using natural elements such as rocks, mountains and bodies of water. Sometimes, she'll make a frame by positioning blurred flowers in the foreground to draw your attention to the subject. However you frame your picture, it's crucial the composition never feels forced.

"To me, it's very important that the image is natural and easy to look at," says Ása. "You shouldn't have to think about an image when you see it, so proportions need to be right and the eye should directly find the subject and not need to search for it."

It's easier to make backgrounds appear more prominent using a zoom or telephoto lens, standing a bit farther back from your subject, then zooming in so your background fills the frame. By moving your subject further away from the lens, you can also take advantage of hyperfocal distance focusing, which allows you to keep your subject and backdrop in acceptable focus, even at wide apertures.

A standard zoom lens such as the Canon RF 24-105mm F4-7.1 IS STM has a useful focal range for landscape beginners, or even a wide-angle lens like the Canon RF 35mm F1.8 Macro IS STM – the image quality delivered by this prime lens makes it a great choice for anyone shooting landscapes.

Ása says you have to experiment with composition, change your angle and the position of your subject, take lots of test shots and have patience. "It's really about finding that perfect frame and it can sometimes take a little while to get it right," she explains. "I would recommend to not be in a rush and play around, try a few different angles and compare them. Maybe swap lenses to see how the image changes. I can sometimes spend a lot of time on one image, but that's the perfectionist in me taking over. In the end, it's always worth it."

When shooting scenic selfies, it's important for Ása to use the light available to enhance the final image, whether it's an overcast day or the sun is shining through the clouds.

"See what happens when you shoot at sunset versus midday," says Ása, who suggests taking your camera out in different conditions to help you understand the contrast between soft and harsh light. That way, you can start to use light to your advantage.

Clouds can be good diffusers too. "Moody and overcast conditions are common in Iceland, and something I've gotten very used to from shooting here a lot. I've also come to like it, especially when shooting landscapes like canyons and waterfalls, where it can be good to not have too much shadow in the picture," explains Ása. "It gives a softer look and it's easier to expose the whole image correctly."

Once you get a feel for natural light, you'll start to notice how it changes with the seasons. "The greens become very vibrant on cloudy days, which makes summer photography look great," she says.

Ása often has the added challenge of being both photographer and subject. She sets up her camera on a tripod, then triggers it remotely through her phone and the Canon Camera Connect app. She focuses the camera using her phone screen, then sets the timer to either two or 10 seconds to give her time to put away her phone so it doesn't appear in the final image. Essentially, it's a selfie that doesn't look like one.

Other times, she uses the camera's built-in timer, focusing on the ground where she'll be standing or an object in that area, setting the timer and moving into position. This is particularly useful for long exposures.

"I shoot a lot of images of the Northern Lights in Iceland, and the remote trigger or timer is super important," Ása reveals. "Because you work with a long shutter speed, it's important the camera doesn't move and blur the shot. The Canon Camera Connect app trigger is the best, but if you don't have this, then a two-second timer also works so that any vibrations from you clicking the shutter die off before the image is taken."

"Editing is a big part of photography these days," says Ása, "and it's also really helpful to properly look at your images afterwards." She advises always shooting in RAW file format, to capture the most data and give yourself more flexibility in post-production. Canon's built-in 'Picture Styles' – which includes settings such as Landscape, Neutral and Faithful – give your pictures a consistent colour palette and mood. But it's by reviewing your photos that you'll get a feel for what you're doing well and what you need to improve.

Ása recommends all beginner landscape photographers invest in photo editing software such as Canon Digital Photo Professional (DPP) or Adobe® Photoshop® Lightroom®. It's useful to find some presets – essentially custom filters to use within the software – but they can't replace a good working knowledge of post-processing.

"Using preset packs can be a good way to start, but, remember, this is not a silver bullet solution for great images," she says. "You still have to do lots of the editing yourself, even with good presets."

For those new to photography, or with little experience of shooting landscapes, Ása recommends looking at the work of others and learning from it. Find photographers you admire, she suggests, and see how they work with light, compose images and find creative angles.

Her biggest tip is simple. "I carry a camera pretty much everywhere I go, and have for more than 10 years," she says. "The more you practise, the better you'll become. It's that simple. It does take time to master. Nobody is born a natural photographer."

Written by Gary Evans