Essentials for Good Landscape Photography:

Anybody can pick up a camera and take a photo of an interesting place, but it takes a careful and mindful photographer to take a landscape photo that is truly compelling. Most of the really impressive landscape photos that you will see have a few common elements. They have some type of foreground element, some type of framing element, and they all comply with the rule of thirds in some way.

When you first determine there is a scene you wish to take a picture look for some sort of foreground element. Not only will this give more interest to your image but it gives your photo depth rather then a drab two dimensional plane.

Find objects that can frame your scene. Most often I find over-hanging tree branches that can used. This is especially useful when the sky is overcast or bland. The example to the left uses the bow of a larger ship to frame the sail boat.

The rule of thirds might seem overused and artistically unnecessary, but the photographers who hold true to the rule tend to create the nicest landscape photos. Since landscape photos are so broad they need some type of structure that the rule of thirds provides.