Landscapes in photography
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can review the range of ways photographers have been inspired by landscapes.
Key learning points
- Landscapes offer a rich tapestry of colours, textures and forms that photographers can take inspiration from.
- Landscapes let photographers explore scale, perspective and composition from vast vistas to intimate details.
- Photographers can use landscapes to celebrate nature’s beauty and foster appreciation for ecological diversity.
Keywords
Landscape - all the visible features of an area of land, often considered in terms of their visual appeal
Vista - a broad view, often used to create dramatic scenes in landscape photography
Perspective - creating depth and distance in a composition
Common misconception
Landscapes are just pretty pictures of nature – there's not much meaning behind them.
While landscapes often show beautiful scenery, they can express powerful ideas, like climate change, migration, culture, or even identity. Photographers use landscapes not just to show what they see, but to say something about how they feel or value.
Teacher tip
Greater contextual information on each photographer's work can be found in the additional materials. You may wish to alter the imagery to better fit your project themes.
Equipment
Access to the internet or a library of art books. Sketchbook or paper for recording ideas, pencils, pens.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.True or False: The "rule of thirds" is a basic photography technique that helps create balanced and interesting images.
Q2.Which of these is an element of art that photographers often consider when composing an image?
Q3.Match the term with its meaning:
The part of the scene that is closest to the viewer
The part of the scene between the closest and farthest areas
The part of the scene that is farthest away
Q4.True or False: A wide-angle photograph of a mountain range is an example of a landscape image.
Q5.Which of these is a reason photographers might choose to photograph landscapes?
Q6.Match the cultural or symbolic use of landscape to the idea:
Showing ecological diversity and beauty
Recording how human activity shapes environments
Using place as a way to reflect personal or cultural meaning
To help you plan your 10 art and design lesson on: Landscapes in photography, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 10 art and design lesson on: Landscapes in photography, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 4 art and design lessons from the Themes within photography unit, dive into the full secondary art and design curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.