A FEW WORDS ON…… Composition

For me, this is without doubt the most important element when making photographs, and should be foremost in your mind when both out in the field and pre-visualising how an image will come together beforehand.

Great light is something we as landscape photographers always seek, but the reality is that it doesn’t happen all that often. If you follow the steps I’ve laid out in the planning section, then you’ll give yourself more opportunities to shoot in great light - but as we all know, mother nature will always have her say, often ruining even the best laid plans.

As the photographer, composition is the element you have the almost total control over.

All too often you will see images that have the potential to be great let down because the photographer has not paid enough attention to the bare basics.

To the right is an image of mine which had the honour of being the front cover for Outdoor Photography Magazine in November 2017 - I’ve chosen this image as an example of how even in the complete absence of great light, if the composition is strong enough ans the elements interesting enough, you can create really compelling images.

Some basic tips to keep in mind:

  • Frame your subject correctly - make sure there is enough space around it

  • Eliminate distracting elements that aren’t needed

  • Check your frame edges - remove distracting bits that creep into the shot

  • The ‘rule of thirds’ is your friend - not a rule as such but a good starting guide for building the elements in your image, though don’t be frightened to experiment

  • Strong foreground interest - key when shooting at wide angles as it takes up most of the frame.

This article is a sneak peek into some of the content that will feature in my upcoming E- BOOK soon to be released, look out for that!

Spotlit Barn, Tewet Tarn

Repeating elements is something I often look for in a scene, I find they present themselves more readily when using a longer focal length.

The image right is a good example of this, where the spotlit barn is the main subject, though it’s complimented by the visually pleasing element of the repeating diagonals that are created by the dappled light.

The telephoto lens here helps to give the scene some compression and accentuates those diagonal lines.