Creative Composition Tips for your Landscape Photography
Ebook - Mastering Composition
In landscape photography, it's all about light and composition, at least in my opinion. A good composition is the best way to let your viewers see the landscape exactly how you want them to.
In this article, I want to talk about some interesting tips on how to use various compositional elements in your landscape images. There are tons of different ways on how to compose a photo, so please keep in mind that I'm only scratching the surface.
However, I do have an in-depth Ebook about Mastering Composition for Landscape Photographers. So if you want to improve your own creative composition game or if you just need/want some new inspiration, feel free to check it out by clicking here
Alright, so now let's get started with some of my favorite elements to include in a landscape photograph.
Anchor Points
An anchor point is a prominent object in the foreground, which forms the first point of interest for the viewer's eye.
With the right use, depth is created in the image. One should literally get the feeling of standing right in front of it.
The anchor point ideally provides a smooth transition between the foreground and background.
To create a pleasant atmosphere and, at the same time, curiosity in the viewer of the image, the foreground should represent an aesthetic benefit. If it also provides a striking contrast to the rest of the landscape, all the better.
An example would be wildflowers in rough mountainous regions. A mud puddle is a less suitable medium here.
As always, the best advice is not to force anything. In many scenes, there is simply no appropriate foreground element. Here it makes sense to fall back on a different compositional element.
So let's take a look at some well-suited subjects to use as an anchor point.
Rocks and Stones
In the example picture, I used rocks in the foreground to create more drama and to give the viewer the feeling to stand directly at the cliff. Without the direct foreground, it feels more like looking through a telescope.
Which, of course, doesn't have to be a bad thing, but this chapter talks about direct foreground elements.
Running Water
The 1st image shows the mighty Three Peaks together with some beautiful clouds in the background.
As the first point of interest, there are two elements in the foreground. First, the rock the water flows around and then the stream itself.
The stream functions as a depth generating object, which at the same time leads the eye of the viewer to the background. We will also go into more detail about the use of leading lines later on.
Colorful Flowers
The colorful flowers in the image are a perfect example of how anchor points can provide a great contrast to the landscape as well as the first point of interest for the viewer's eye.
The colors of the flowers do not appear anywhere else in this particular picture, which creates extra tension.
As they are often very small, it is important to keep the eyes open and to get very close with your camera if necessary.
In winter, it is, of course, difficult to find such high-contrast foreground elements, but in summer, you should definitely have it on your list and look for it.
In my opinion, barren landscapes are a perfect place to use colorful flowers as an anchor point, as the contrast here is simply even greater than in a lush green meadow.
One last hint in connection with anchor points is to be considered.
Our foreground element should never block the eyes of the viewer. It should, therefore, contribute to the visual flow.
A large chunky stone, for example, is not always a perfect object for the successful use of an anchor point if it blocks the sight on the middle-/background.
Leading Lines
One of the most important compositional elements in landscape photography are the leading lines.
These are lines that can occur in all possible variations in nature, such as rivers, patterns, waves, reflections, or rocks.
They help to capture the eyes of the viewer and guide him/her through the photograph. But also man-made objects such as paths, streets, fences, huts and much more, are very suitable as leading lines.
It is up to the photographer himself, which object is best suited for this purpose. It doesn't even have to be obvious lines, but it can also mean fictional versions, which result from the specific arrangement of elements.
So now, let's take a look at some good examples of how to use different elements like leading lines in your photographs.
Rivers and Creeks
Rivers and creeks are perfectly suited as curved leading lines that guide the viewer to a prominent background.
This is perfectly illustrated in the following two example pictures.
Green moss as the anchor point, stream as a curved guideline
Ice block as an anchor point, stream as a curved guideline
Waves
Any form of water is generally a popular element that can be used for various compositional purposes, and waves are, of course, a part of this.
However, it is not always easy to capture them as a leading line. The following two example pictures show how it can work.
The wave starts directly in the foreground. It forms the anchor point as well as the leading line towards the mountains in the background.
The wave starts in the foreground and is supported by the rock as an anchor point.
The view is directed by the white foam towards the impressive Milky Way.
I recommend to be careful at first and to study the waves closely. Too large examples are rarely suitable as a leading line anyway because with too much water, often only chaos and no clear line is visible.
Rocks and ridges
Rocks and ridges are also ideal as imaginary or real leading lines to guide the viewer's eye to a certain point.
Especially in the mountains, or even on the coast, these elements can be used frequently and very well. This is clearly visible in the next example picture.
The rocks on the shore form a great contrast to the bright spray of the waves and create a virtual line leading the viewer to the castle in the background.
Other objects and elements
You can truly find leading lines in everything in the landscape, even if they're only imaginary lines.
In the following images, I want to give you some more examples and ideas.
It is very obvious that the church is the center of the photograph, and the tire tracks in the foreground help to support it.
This is also the most important thing about leading lines. They help to emphasize the main object in the frame.
Since the tire tracks actually led out of the picture, I chose a deeper position to make it look as if they led directly to the church.
In the second image, you need a little more imagination to discover a leading line, but once seen, it provides a small "aha" moment.
First, the illuminated hill in the foreground serves as an anchor point and balance to the right side to not create an imbalance.
The first hut is then the starting point of the S-curve and, together with the other huts, leads the view far into the background to the massive mountains, Langkofel and Plattkofel on the Seiser Alm.
The beauty of photography is that you can see something in all kinds of things, just like certain objects that together form a leading line.
Image Layers
There are many ways to create depth in a shot. No matter if anchor points, leading lines, or just different image layers (in combination with each other, or applied separately), they all help us to create an exciting image.
Now I want to go into the latter in more detail, specifically the use and emphasis of different image layers.
These usually consist of a foreground layer, a middle layer, and a background layer. Let's take a look at some sample images again.
In this image, the fog is the foreground layer, the castle in the landscape is the middle layer, and the mountains cover the background.
In general, such scenes benefit significantly from certain weather conditions, such as ground fog and golden streaks of light.
Without this constellation, there would be far less depth and separation between the image layers. So it provides a visuall 3d effect.
This also applies here one to one. The two pictures are from the same location, but there is more than one year in between.
Again, the fog and the golden light make for a better separation of the individual layers. The foreground is the forest section.
The middle of the picture is obviously the lake with the church, and the mountains cover the background again.
Of course, the emphasis of individual layers is also possible without fog.
In this picture, you can clearly see what the foreground, middle ground, and background should be.
Here I could have purposely used only the hut as a foreground element and, therefore, also as an anchor point.
But the additional placement of the golden meadow, in the direct foreground, provided even more depth and tension in the picture.
The viewer gets the feeling of standing in the high grass himself.
Natural Framing
Another possibility to direct the eyes of the viewer and further emphasize the main subject are natural frames.
They can be found in almost every situation, and they are really excellent as a stylistic medium in landscape photography.
If you intend to use a frame, it's crucial to not put anything disturbing at the corners of a picture, rather make sure that the frame has an aesthetic use.
The key is to help the viewer focus on the main subject of the photograph.
There are several elements that are suited for natural frames, and I want to talk about some here in this part of the article.
Trees and leaves
Nature offers unlimited possibilities, which can be used as a frame for a landscape picture.
Trees and leaves are definitely one of the most common elements which can be used for this purpose.
They help to capture the view and not to let it drift away to the outside.
The dark trees on the right and left keep the view where it belongs, namely on the glowing mountain in the middle of the scene.
The horizontal format makes it possible to give the frame even more space in the picture and make it look more interesting.
Mountains and rocks
Of course, not only plants are suitable as an interesting frame option, because mountains and rocks also help to keep the view in the photo.
It' s also important that the frame functions as a support for the main subject and does not attract too much attention.
In some cases, this is, of course, unavoidable. In some other situations, additional elements are important to create a visual balance.
The two mountain flanks act as perfect side frames to direct the view directly to the dramatic center of the image with the fog-covered mountain.
In fact, the mountain is additionally framed by the clouds, which makes for even more drama.
Clouds and fog
Not only fixed and solid objects such as trees and rocks are suitable as frames, but also fragile elements such as clouds and fog are perfect for this.
Due to the unique texture and imperfection, the shot automatically becomes a bit more impressive.
The dramatic deep clouds surround the mountain top, making it even more mysterious and exciting.
Such moods in the mountains almost always guarantee an interesting shot.
Here it was necessary to zoom in with the telephoto lens as close as possible to capture the spectacle in full size.
Of course, there are many more elements that you can use as a natural frame. I'm again only scratching the surface.
Reflections
Generally, water is a very interesting element that can be perfectly integrated into landscape images.
It can be used either as the main subject or as additional image support. I want to discuss the different possibilities of using reflections.
Thereby I often distinguish between format-filling and partial reflections. Format-filling means in this context that they take a very large portion of the image.
Therefore, reflections can be used as anchor points and also as main subjects. As always, it depends on the particular photo and the reflecting object, whether a format-filling integration makes sense.
This shot is a perfect example of how to use reflections is the main part of your subject. It creates a calm atmosphere even when there is a lot going on in the scene.
The small reflection of the glowing mountain top, on the ice in the foreground, provides the extra "aha" moment and, at the same time, a nice color contrast.
Often such reflections are not really visible on the spot, but they can be seen on the camera display.
It's not always possible to include reflections in our composition. Often there is too much wind that destroys most of the calm water surfaces.
I recommend looking out for reflecting light if there is not enough water to reflect your main subject.
A glossy wet subject is a perfect element to catch some color from a burning sky, in my opinion.
Alright guys, thanks a lot for reading my article about some of my favorite compositional elements. Last but not least, I would like to say once again that everything is about personal taste.
I personally have a strong affinity for wide-angle compositions, whereas another photographer might prefer more telephoto shots.
It’S important to try everything because only then you'll find out what your own taste is and how it might develop over the years.
Feel free to check out my in-depth 118 pages photography ebook about mastering composition if you want to learn all you need to know about this amazing topic.
