One Simple Landscape Photo Composition Tip to Take Better Photos

Easy Technique to Improve Your Landscape Photos

Of all the skills and techniques to know for taking great photography, the composition is one of the most important to understand. And when you are a landscape photographer, you can always use tips to improve your landscape photos.

There are many rules and techniques that photographers talk about when talking about composition, like the rule of thirds and leading lines.

But in this video tutorial, Mark Denney shares a lesser known skill for composition that will really level up your landscape photography.

Composition Skill You Need to Know for Taking Great Landscapes

Improve Your Landscape Photos: What is Composition?

Composition in photography means how the different elements of the photo are set up in the frame of the photo. 

If you are looking at nature for example it can be choosing a section of forest that looks interesting including trees, rocks, trails, sky, and lighting elements.

Some usual elements of good composition are using elements to create a frame around the subject, including negative space or space where nothing is happening. Also and having the subject only filling one-third of the photo with the other two-thirds being other elements.

Improve Your Landscape Photos ONE Tip: Don’t Get Tied to Your Tripod

Finding a great photo composition for landscapes and nature photography can take some time. You will find this is true especially when you are scoping out a new landscape spot or traveling. 

This is also true when you find yourself waiting for the light to be just right. But you don’t know for sure if it will hit how you are hoping it will.

When you are composition scouting in your location, try to go around with your camera handheld and not attached to your tripod. 

Usually, once the camera is on the tripod locked into a composition it is harder to move it to a new location or recompose the photo. 

Walk around with your camera before you lock in the composition. Scout a few different scenes that you can move to if your original composition doesn’t turn out.

This will also help you to see where the lighting is different and how it might move and strike in other locations. Don’t be afraid of chasing the light!

Landscape Photography is sometimes a gamble!

You might get the composition you are looking for one time you go out, and completely strike out on another occasion.

Perfect lighting, compositional elements, depth and interesting scenery can be difficult to get right every time.

But if you use this simple tip to just scout your compositions without the Tripod, you can get better photos more often.

Like this beautiful composition by Mark:

Want to improve your photography overall? Check out this comprehensive guide!

How will you try out this simple tip to improve your landscape photos THIS WEEK?

Comment below!