6 Tips for Better Landscape Photos

Use the Rule of Thirds

You’ve probably heard of the rule of thirds before. It’s one of the most useful landscape photography tips out there — and it’s surprisingly simple to apply.

By using this rule deliberately, you can guide the viewer’s eye to specific points in your photo and give your images that certain something.

There’s no magic to it. All you do is mentally divide your image into nine equal rectangles.

Imagine drawing two horizontal and two vertical lines across your photo.

Then place the key elements of your shot along these lines and at their intersection points. That’s it.

Of course, it’s not a cure-all — there are plenty of stunning photos that ignore it completely. But it’s a really easy method for composing a landscape subject effectively, especially if you’re just starting out.

Find Reflections and Use Them in Your Landscape Photos

Our second tip for better landscape photos is even simpler: go looking for reflections. You’ll most often find them wherever there’s water.

If you’re shooting at a clear lake, take a good look around to see whether there’s a beautiful reflection you can work into your composition.

When photographing water, we also always recommend using a polarizing filter — it lets you reduce reflections or enhance them, depending on what you’re going for.

Find Interesting Foregrounds

Landscape photos often show sweeping views of towering mountains, deep valleys, and vast open scenery. As spectacular as those views are in real life, they don’t always translate into exciting photos.

If you feel the landscape alone won’t wow viewers, here’s a really effective trick: pay attention to the foreground.

That’s often where you’ll find something you can pull into your shot — rocks, plants, people, objects. The possibilities are endless.

Just try imagining the photo above without the foreground. It wouldn’t be nearly as compelling — and that’s saying something, because Lake Louise is genuinely impressive on its own. But the image only gets real depth from the rocks in the foreground. They’re what make it special.

Amazing Effects with Long Exposures

Have you ever seen photos where clouds are blurred into streaks or flowing water looks completely milky? Those are taken using long exposures — and they’re one of the most rewarding techniques in landscape photography for beginners and experienced shooters alike.

When you expose a photo for 10, 20, or 30 seconds, moving elements blur beautifully. Waterfalls are a classic subject for exactly this reason — the long exposure gives the water that characteristic silky look, while everything stationary stays perfectly sharp.

Now, you might be wondering how you’re supposed to expose for 10 seconds or more in broad daylight without blowing out your shot. Fair question — and the answer is: you can’t do it without a little help.

You’ll need what’s called a neutral density filter, or ND filter. These screw onto your lens and reduce the amount of incoming light, allowing you to use much longer exposure times. They come in different strengths for different lighting conditions.

ND filters are available across every price range. We recommend the ND 1000 filter by Urth, available for all common lens sizes. It’s not the cheapest option, but it offers seriously good value for the money.

You’ll also need a tripod, of course — handheld is simply not an option here. Check out our guide on how to avoid blurry photos for more on that.

We can recommend all of these tripods

It's All About Perspective

Do you always take photos standing up at eye level? Then it’s time to experiment. Crouch down, climb up on a rock, lie on the ground.

A small shift in perspective can make a huge difference, especially when you’re trying to improve your landscape photography. Once you start playing with angles, you’ll quickly discover a whole range of new compositions you’d never have noticed otherwise.

The Right Time of Day Makes All the Difference

Okay, here’s the one landscape photography tip that nobody really wants to hear: while you’re lying in bed asleep, you might be missing the landscape photo of your life.

We love sleeping in as much as anyone, and we genuinely hate dragging ourselves out of bed for a sunrise shot. But it’s so worth it.

In harsh midday sun, your chances of capturing a standout landscape photo are pretty slim. The lighting conditions simply aren’t ideal, and you’ll see that clearly in your shots.

The best time for landscape photography is around sunrise — and, good news for late sleepers, around sunset too.

When the sun is low and the light is soft, landscapes look far more beautiful. A truly magical quality of light is not uncommon during what’s known as the Golden Hour and the Blue Hour.

Make the most of these windows whenever you can.

And if you really want to push things further, try photographing a landscape at night. Especially away from larger cities, you have an excellent chance of capturing a crystal-clear, star-filled sky with zero light pollution.