Do you want to know how to take stunning photos and learn how to use composition and lighting to launch your photos from the ordinary to extraordinary?
Golden Hours
First of all, use the golden hours which are typically happening about an hour on either side of sunrise and
sunset. But good light is not all you need. You also need to be able to select the best composition and that is what the book on Composition and Design is about.
Pack your bag and get out
Look for the untouched pristine parts. If you hike around in known spots you will discover new positions from where to shoot and new ways to compose your image.
Misty conditions often serve to add character to an image.
Ignore the ‘rules’ and shoot against the sun
Look for patterns
There are patterns all over nature: lines of trees,
veins in leaves, striations on rock formations or air-flow patterns in the clouds. Patterns attract attention and provide additional visual interest to the viewer. Look for something to break the pattern. Such a pattern breaker serves as a focal point and add even more visual interest. Examples are one tree that is taller than the rest, a coloured leaf among a thicket of green.
KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR INTERESTING SHAPES, TEXTURES AND LINES
Shapes, textures and lines are very important compositional tools and you should always be on the lookout for them. The will serve to capture the attention of the viewer. When arriving at the scene, take some time to review the environment and look out for items that catches your eye. This will almost certainly also capture the attention of the viewer. The next step would be to try out different positions and angles from which to shoot and which can be used to
maximise the effect of such an item. Always be aware of the quality
of the light and its direction.
FIND A WAY TO SHOW SCALE
When shooting landscapes in which there are objects of which you
wish to draw attention to its size, it is highly recommended to
include an item of which the viewer should be familiar with and
which can then be used by the viewer to gauge the size of the main object
USE SMALLER APERTURES WHEN POSSIBLE
Smaller apertures will give you more depth of field, which means
that more of your scene will be in focus. This is an approach which
is mostly being used in landscape photography. In addition to the
larger depth of field, you will also avoid some distortion and
vignetting that tends to happen at wider apertures, where the
corners of your image appear darker than the rest of the frame.