Landscape & Nature Photography

If youre looking to take your landscape

p h o t o g r a p h y t o n e w l e v e l s . Yo u d o n t n e e d t o
purchase expensive new gear in order to create
amazing landscapes; one of the best ways to create
visually stunning landscapes, is by understanding
t h e a r t o f c o m p o s i t i o n a n d a p p l y i n g i t e f f e c t i v e l y.
Composition is arguably one of the most important
f e a t u r e s i n p h o t o g r a p h y. I t s t h e h e a r t a n d s o u l o f
l a n d s c a p e p h o t o g r a p h y, a n d i s w h a t t i e s e v e r y t h i n g
together for maximum impact. Learning how to
effectively use compositional techniques is one of
the best ways to create masterful landscape
i m a g e r y.

1. The Right Light

Excellent lighting is a little-known secret behind some of the
most amazing landscape photos today. The right lighting can
do wonders for your landscape photography, and many
professional photographers hint at the importance of lighting
in their compositions.
The dramatic light after a storm or the soft, beautiful glow
during Golden Hour can make all the difference, and often is
what separates a lacklustre photograph from a truly
outstanding image.

2. Create Balance
The importance of a well-balanced composition is an oftenoverlooked, but its a important part of a good composition. All
of the elements in a composition should work together to
create an image that is visually balanced. Balance your
compositions by making sure one side of the image doesnt
contain overpowering elements that cause the side of
the photo to be too heavy.

3. Rule of Thirds

Following on from balance; keeping the rule of thirds in mind

can help to create visually balanced landscape compositions.
The rule of thirds is a well-known compositional technique
that says to place your main focal point off to the side of an
image, rather than dead centre. This often results in natural
looking, and well-balanced photos.
While the rule of thirds is a good starting point, sometimes
this rule should be broken. Often, compositions will call for
the focal point to be in the centre, or even slightly off centre
the key is a visually balanced composition.

4. Include Foreground Interest

Its been said that A landscape is not a landscape without an

introduction. Including part of the foreground in your
landscape compositions is a great way to set the context and
introduce your viewers to the scene.
Including foreground can help to grab the viewers attention,
and draw them into the image, creating a sense of perspective
and interest. Including foreground elements that help to set
the stage can result in engaging and captivating photos.

4. Look for Leading Lines

Look for opportunities to incorporate leading lines in your
landscape images. Lines can be an effective way to help lead
your viewers eyes through the image, and can help to draw
attention to the focal point. Examples of leading lines include
roads, trails, or rivers, or waves breaking onto the shoreline.
Look for opportunities to include lines that will naturally draw
your eye through the composition.

5.Frame Your Image

While including points of interest in the foreground is one way
to frame your images, keep on the lookout for other ways to
frame your images in. A classic example of this is including
overhanging tree branches along the edge of the image, or
using opportunities to use the frame within the frame
technique that involves looking through a doorway, or an arch
to create a frame within the composition itself.

6. Using Diagonals
Diagonal lines generally work well to draw the eye of an
images viewer through the photograph. They create points of
interest as they intersect with other lines and often give
images depth by suggesting perspective.

7. The S Curves

S curves can have a mesmerizing effect on the viewer as their

eyes sweep back and forth through the frame. They also
create a sense of depth as the eye moves from foreground to
background.
S curves can be found in the natural flow of a river, a winding
road, or a pathway.

8. Circles

Circles can be found in nature from ripples in a pond or

puddles of water, or in many man-made objects.
Often in architecture you can find compositions that combine
multiple curves as well as some lines that add depth and
variety to the image.

9. Implied Triangle

One of the most common types of triangles that youll come

across is the implied triangle. As youll rarely
see physical triangles in photography, the shape is almost
always implied, and its done so usually without the viewer
even noticing it.
Triangles are a great way of grouping together three points
of a photograph and organising them so they portray a
certain feeling such as stability, aggression, instability, etc.
When you understand this, you can use them as invisible
features of a photo which evokes a strong feeling to the
viewer.

10. Rule of Odds.

Moving on to some simpler ideas, the rule of odds is

somewhat related to the rule of thirds. The eye tends to be
more comfortable with images that contain an odd number of
elements rather than an even number. A photograph of three
birds, for example, is probably going to be more
appealing than an image shot after that third bird flies away.
The reason for this is that the human eye will naturally wander
towards the centre of a group. If theres empty space there,
then thats where the eye will fall. As a photographer, you want
your viewer to look at a subject, not at an empty space.

11. Sense of Scale

A space is only as vast as you make it seem. In a photograph,
it can be hard to grasp how big or small the landscape really
is. Thats why you should always try to display the size by
using something, or someone, as a ruler.
People are all generally about the same size, so if you see a
person in the distance of a landscape photo, you can really tell
just how vast that landscape is.
And of course, including a person in your photo is a great way
of adding an interesting subject and focal point to what might
otherwise be a boring scene of just fields and sky.

Rules are Made to Be Broken?

Of course while knowing the rules is important knowing
when to use them and when to break them is a talent that
great photographers generally have.
Practice these techniques but dont get so worked up about
them that they kill the creativity that you have.
Let me finish with saying that You will be remembered for
the rules you break .

THANK YOU !!!!

Now let us proceed with Image Processing..................