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If you have a digital compact camera, then taking landscape pictures is your camera’s time to shine. For most photographers, an SLR or DSLR is the obvious camera of choice, but when it comes to landscapes, compact camers work wonders because they have a much better depth of field. If you want to take some great landscape photos, all you need to do is set your compact to landscape mode and follow these tips. And before you know it you’ll be hanging your landscape pictures in gallery picture frames on the wall for all your friends and family to admire.

Remember that the quality of light is one of the most important elements of photography.

• For lighting that is soft with a touch of warmth, take your landscape photos during the “Golden Hours” which is the hour after dawn and the last hour before sunset.
• For intensified colors and subdued highlights, shoot under an overcast sky.
• For dramatic shadows, shoot under a cloudy sky.
• Enhance the quality of your image and add drama by photographing a landscape scene with contrast; for example, red and gold autumn leafed trees against a strong blue sky.
• To get an ultra soft effect, almost ethereal effect, shoot on a foggy day.

The next most important element is composition. Here are some composition tips for perfect landscape photos.

• Always compose your landscape photos so that the horizon looks straight. Creative, fun angles have their place in photography, but not when you’re taking a horizon.
• Fill two-thirds of your frame with the subject of most interest, whether it be a dramatic sky or an interesting foreground.
• Look for distinct lines. Lines could be anything from the obvious river or road to a shadow running along the sand dunes. If your image has lines, try framing your shot so that the major lines lead the eye toward the main point of interest, for example, a road winding its way to the mountains that are the subject of your photograph.
• Frame the composition with a point of interest in the foreground. This focal point could be a road or other line as mentioned above, a tree, person, animal, house, etc. Although the focal point won’t be the main subject, it adds depth and draws the viewer into the picture so they’ll look at the picture longer. In short, a focal point makes your landscape photo more interesting and more enjoyable to view.
• Watch out for clutter. In a landscape photo, clutter could be a power line or a branch in the way or garbage on the ground. If you can’t get the picture you want without the clutter, you can always use photo editing software like Photoshop to remove it.

And another tip for mastering landscape photography is to properly frame your picture in a picture frame that complements your image. In most cases, landscape pictures look best in frames with clean lines like simple metal frames or a classic wood picture frame.

There is always more to learn, but by just following these tips you can take even better pictures of your favorite landscapes.

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