This is a photograph with a diagram of the Rule of Thirds superimposed. The rule is often overused but if you are a newbie photographer it can help a lot to achieve a better composition. When I began photographing digitally quite a few years ago, it helped me to superimpose the grid on my live view image, so try it and see if it helps with composition.

The two images below demonstrate the use of time (with a 5 stop ND filter) to improve or change an image.  The top one is taken at f18, 24mm and 15 sec.

This image was taken with the same aperture and focal length, but with the 5 stop ND: the time was 150 seconds.

The feeling is totally different when an ND is used on an image..in the second image the clouds show more movement as they streak across the sky and the ocean is a lot softer.  So it is important to remember that time can change the whole look of an image. Also, any people moving will disappear from the image at 150 seconds.

Who says you can’t use bulls eye images, and have to keep things out of the center? If a subject is round, it works well.

and remember that a spiral can really draw the eye into an image:

Curving shapes are also leading lines into an image; look for them everywhere: the curve of a beach or a stream. In this image of Mistaya canyon, the river leads the eye to the mountain in the distance:

Remember that while it is a good idea to keep the horizon out of the center of an image, sometimes with reflections it is best to keep the horizon dead center.

Balance is very important to an image: light and dark must balance and act as counterpoint to each other. Look at Rembrandt’s images, he is the master of chiaroscuro…he placed light where it was important, yet maintained dark to balance the image. This image has light behind a seastack from the sun, but the dark, larger shapes on the left help to balance it.

Try to incorporate some of these ideas in your images, or not if you choose…but work to improve composition every day; be creative and use your imagination.. be your worst critic…I delete hundreds of images if they are not successful..don’t keep everything you shoot…what’s the point?

It is important to remember that when shooting sunrise or sunset there are clues that tell you where you are in the progression of light and time. When shooting at sunrise there is a change of hue giving  an indication of the progression of daylight beginning with the predawn colors: blue, lavender, pink, red, orange, yellow…all of these may appear quickly one after the other but when it hits the yellow color, that’s when you are about finished with sunrise.

Sunset is the opposite but after sunset you may be able to continue shooting for quite a while in the twilight hours, even continuing into darkness if you choose to photograph the stars. So here is the progression of sunset: yellow, orange, red, pink, lavender, blue, then black…remember that an hour after sunset there is twilight with beautiful blue skies for photographing cities enabling the buildings to stand out against the sky; whereas with a black sky, the buildings have no edges and disappear.

Also, in the mountains and sometimes along the shore there is a brief moment of alpen glow when the sky suddenly lights up with a pink color after the sun sets.

Here are some examples of the effects of sunlight on an image:

There is a lot of work involved in landscape photography. It may seem easy to get a good shot of sunrise and sunset, but that is deceiving.  The best landscape photographers in the world trek for weeks looking for the best compositions in the best light…Here is a site of a few of the top landscape photographers; let it inspire you to improve and work harder at composition:   https://worldclasslandscapephotographers.com/

Ok, now that the introduction is over with, let’s get down to business:  Here are some basic tips to help improve your landscape images. Remember that not all your pictures will win competitions, and if that is all you want to do: win, then you are losing yourself.  Always shoot what you love, never shoot thinking about what a judge will score: it is meaningless in the whole scheme of things.

Here are some simple tips to improve your landscapes; they work for me.

1. Shoot in Aperture Priority at F18-22 to maintain depth of field from foreground to background.  Usually focusing about a third into the image works well. A good lens will not give much diffraction at F22…I use that aperture a lot.
2. Use a wide angle lens to get the foreground crisp: I use 11-24mm, 17-40mm and 24-108mm for my landscapes..the wider angles like 11mm and 17mm can focus as close to a foot in front of you.
3. Shoot at ISO 100 or whatever is your lowest native ISO, it will minimize any noise.
4. Get a good foreground subject, not just some junk on the ground, but something interesting.
5. Get low! I never shoot at eye level unless absolutely necessary…usually my camera is on the lowest tripod setting or on a flat tripod…don’t complain about getting low, I have arthritis, too.
6. Use a good tripod…money well spent instead of on a flimsy tripod that will blow over or shake..never use the center column, it moves!
7. Use a self timer, remote or cable release..your finger will shake the camera when you hit the shutter button. Do not fear bracketing, I do it all the time if the light is changing quickly.
8. Shoot at the edges of light: sunrise or sunset:  the color can be amazing as the sun moves lower and the atmosphere changes the color of light…if you must shoot during the middle of the day, look for dramatic clouds or it is a waste of time..if there is nothing dramatic, think of converting the harsh midday images into black and white; this works well in the mountains.
9. Look for atmosphere and excitement in a landscape..if you are seeing things happening that make you feel like a kid again, that’s the time to photograph.
10. Use filters:  a polarizer, 3 stop graduated ND, a 5 stop solid ND, and a reverse ND are always in my bag.  A lot of people use the digital filters in PS and Lightroom, but I don’t like them; nothing beats light hitting the sensor for a long time.  I use a filter holder.
11. Learn to use the custom settings on your camera if it has them.  Mine has three custom settings that I have set up specifically for landscape so I am always ready to go…if they need changing, I will use Exposure Compensation as needed or switch to manual…let me give you an example, I was at Beavertail to shoot, but it was later than usual and sunset was happening fast:  I threw the camera on a tripod, put it on one of my custom settings and got the shot; a friend with me was still messing with his camera when the short window of opportunity ended.
12. Get to the spot early…I cannot emphasize this enough. You need to scout the area for at least an hour before sunset or sunrise to take some test images in order to find the best composition…keep walking around before you shoot: nothing makes me crazier than seeing people get out of their cars, set up right away and start shooting where they are standing…take the time to look for the best spot, hand hold the camera to take test shots from different areas, look for something unique.

Here are some examples to illustrate basic landscape composition: