COMPOSITION

eBook
How to find and make
extraordinary images

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SECTION 1 - Telling a Story with your Images - Page 4 SECTION 9 - Foregrounds - Page 78

SECTION 2 - Visual Weight in Composition - Page 11 SECTION 10 - Midground in Composition - Page 94

SECTION 3 - Symmetry in Composition - Page 19 SECTION 11 - Foreground (Distance) in Composition - Page 99

SECTION 4- Leading the Eye - Page 26 SECTION 12 - Shapes and Repetition in the Scene - Page 103

SECTION 5 - Using Space - Page 39 SECTION 13 - Texture in Composition - Page 108

SECTION 6 - Colour in Composition - Page 51 SECTION 14 - Common Mistakes - Page 112

SECTION 7 - Using Luminosity in Composition - Page 63

SECTION 8 - Often Simple is the Best - Page 73

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 Introduction

Have an Apple
Composition is without doubt the hardest thing to master in Landscape
Photography. In fact it is a process of learning that never stops. However
I don’t believe I had a natural eye for images when I started and over
many years I have improved by trying and failing a lot! In this eBook I
want to try and distill some of those lessons into examples so that you
can hopefully improve your images as quickly as possible.

The examples and ideas presented throughout the book aren’t meant to
be rules. Everything I say is just my thoughts and techniques that have
worked for me and to be honest I don’t always follow these techniques.
Landscape Photography is an art and as such a very creative process.
My best advice would be to have these ideas in your mind and then go
out and do your own thing. Digital photography is a great tool for failing
fast and hence learning quickly so go and experiment.

Finally my best advice when trying to find any composition is take your
time. Arrive early to a location and don’t take your camera out as soon
as you get there. Just sit and have an apple. Or just walk around and
take in the amazing surroundings and try and observe the connections
between elements, the textures and how the light is interacting with the
land. My best images have almost always come about after hours of
scouting a location and then potentially returning another day.

Composition isn’t easy but anything in life that is easy isn’t as rewarding.
Just remember that everyone struggles and we all take photos that don’t
quite work. I have many many more failed photos than portfolio shots.
Good luck and make sure to tag me on Instagram and other socials
when you post photos following reading the book.
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 SECTION 1

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 Introduction - Telling a Story with your Images

There are lots of different ways that you

can create a mood and tell a story in an
image. Every image I create is made with
with the intention of recreating the feeling
I had when I was in that location. Often
this feeling is created by sounds, smells
and elements that can’t be shown in a
photo. But we have different tools
available to create a story as I will
describe. Ultimately I am looking to
recreate the feeling I had when I was
there as I use photography to remember
these stunning places. If somebody else
looking at the image gets a similar feeling
then jackpot.

Many things in an image can help to

invoke this mood and hopefully tell a
story. In this section I go through a few
ideas but the possibilities are endless.

For me this is what photography is all

about. Having endless possibilities every
time you go and and take a photograph.

Throughout this eBook I talk about

different techniques to improve your
composition but always remember that
the reason we are taking the photo is to
capture a feeling and memory. When you
look back at that photo you want it to
transport you back to that location so you
These Penguins add scale to
When I went to Antarctica I was surprised by the
the scene. The mountains in can relive the memory.
incredible mountains. I didn’t expect them to be so
the background and negative
dominant. In this image I wanted to tell that story. So I
space above create drama.
used a number of techniques to show this scale. All of
which will be explained throughout this eBook
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 What tells a story in an image?

There are so many items in an image that can help to These two images of the
tell a story. Here are just a few of them (there are same location tell a
many). different story and evoke
a different mood. This
Light - Whether it is sunrise or sunset and the way the was obviously down to
light is interacting with the land (maybe on wet rocks the weather and time of
or moving grasses) day. But I have helped to
tell this story by my
Clouds - the type of clouds and how much of the choice of focal length
clouds you include or exclude from an image and the way I edited the
images. In the top
Movement - The grasses moving in the wind, the image I wanted to show
stream or river flowing through the image the imposing sky so
14mm helped to do that.
The size of the elements in an image like mountains, In the bottom photo the
trees or waterfalls editing was all about
showing off the soft
The size of a swell at sea and waves hitting the land pastel colours and not
having any blacks or
The softness of colours from blue hour pure whites in the image.

The strength of colours from a passing storm

The way that you use the elements in front of you by

how you position your camera in combination with
the settings you choose helps to tell this story.

The key is to tell a story and have an image that is Check out how I shot these in the video below
pleasing to the eye. This then helps to invoke an
emotion in the viewer.
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 Example - Drama

I think this image

gives a feeling of
drama by just
using a fast
shutter speed to
capture this wave
as it hit the wall
which created an
amazing
spectacle with
the lowlight just
highlighting the
water as it
crashes back
down to the
ocean floor. I
realised after I
took this photo
that there is an
eagle above the
mountain. I
actually feel that
this adds to the
story even more
and creates this
real vibrant feel
to the seascape
TOP TIP
as if there's a lot
of life going on. It
Use a shutter speed greater than 1/1000s and ideally 1/2000s feels to me like
to get the wave droplets in the air. I got lucky with this image there's a lot of
Nikon Z7 at 1/500s. energy in this
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 Example - Scale

I included this image not because it's a

This village looking so small
shows the scale of how vast
its surroundings are and how
big the waterfall is. Without
this it is diffi
particular amazing image but it just
shows the difference that adding
something into an image can bring in
terms of a dimension to the mood and
story that it tells. It is the same location
as the previous one.
The village gives an element of scale to
the entire scene where in the previous
image you can't see that village so you
don't really have an idea of the scale. On
that image the eagle helps but obviously
that depends on how close it is to the
camera as difficult to accurately know
the position of the bird

TIPS FOR SCALE

You can include lots of different items for scale. Here are a few examples.

• People - as shown on the next page

• Buildings (I love using lighthouses and churches in my images)
• Birds (however you need to be careful as they can also make things look
smaller if too close)
• Trees
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 Example 6 - Scale

Talking about
scale, adding
people into
landscape
images is a
fantastic way of
representing the
scale of the
landscape which
is often difficult
to do. In this I
managed to get
these three
photographers at
the perfect point
on the bridge. It
wasn't planned;
they were part of
a workshop and I
just felt that it
added an
element of
balance to the
scene as well.

In this case using

a slightly longer
focal length also
helped (creating
These photographers compression).
looking so small shows the
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 Example - A Metaphor

I love images
that I have a
metaphor for
other things
within my life
and this is a
good example.

These trees
remind me of my
family; my
younger
daughter Emily
right at the back
and then
Thomas and
Sam and myself
and my wife
Ann.

Check out how I shot these in the video below

This looks like my youngest Nikon Z7

daughter Emily Nikon 14-30mm Lens
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 SECTION 2

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 Introduction - Visual Weight

Just think of it as every part of the image has a visual weight. And this visual weight is the ability for that
element to pull your eye towards it. So a person in a scene has high visual weight. A dark mountain has high Don’t Worry
visual weight. The best thing is if we go through some examples together.

Eventually this will

become natural to
you like riding a
bike. At first you
may spend a long
time trying to figure
it all out when on
location but it will
become second
nature.

This image is a great example to

explain visual weight (visually shown
on next page). Even though the
person is really small our brains are
drawn to them as we naturally
recognise the shape and are
intrigued. The fact Mads is standing
on the edge of a cliff actually adds
even more visual weight to that part
of the image. This then balances the
strong visual weight of the dark sea
stack on the left hand side. As the
person is slightly further away from
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 Introduction - Visual Weight

Think of visual weights like a seesaw Four factors impact on the

balance of the photo (like
a seesaw)

• Distance from Centre

• Size
• Impact (human has a
bigger impact than a
rock for example)
• Luminosity

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 Example 1 - Visual Weight

This image from the Faroe Islands shows how you can use As you can see in this image it isn’t quite as well
multiple areas of the image to balance the other side of the balanced. However the clouds covering the
image. In this image on the left on side we have the person mountain do help to reduce it’s visual weight in
and the fjord and on the right hand side we have the huge this case.
dominant mountain. This location is always really difficult
to photograph as the mountain and fjord never seem to
balance and is why you quite often see people in the
image.

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 Example 2 - Visual Weight

It is also good to think about how an image is balanced top to bottom as well as
left to right. This image shows this really well as we have a large dominant
boulder in the foreground and then your eye goes up to the wave and then the
dominant dark sea stacks in the background. Without this balance your eye
would come in from the bottom of the image, which is usually how we read an
image, get to the sea stacks, and then not go back down to the foreground if it
wasn't as strong as it is in the shot.

When I am
considering items
vertically in an image I
like to have the
balance slightly
weighted to the top of
the image as you
usually read an image
from bottom to top.
This is because the
foreground in an
image is the first thing
your brain sees.

Check out how I shot these in the video below

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 Example 3 - Visual Weight

This image is obviously

unbalanced. But sometimes
it is difficult to understand
why as you can see the
rocks on the right hand side
are quite dominant. The
problem is that the trees on
the far left middle of the
image have a very strong
visual weight as they are
right on the edge of the
image. When strong shapes
like this get close to the
edge of images they tend to
be more distracting so
always be careful about
your edges.

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TOP TIP
As the last thing before you finalise
your shot and take the photo, check all
around the edges to ensure there is
nothing that is unwanted and
distracting.

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 Other Examples - Visual Weight
This works well as the two main This image has two elements that
elements balance the visual seesaw. have strong visual weight on the
lefthand side which is unbalancing the
image.
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This is an interesting one as it is
definitely unbalanced but a small
movement to the RHS (which would
have been easy with the drone) would
bring the bottom ‘island’ into the
middle and balance this image.
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 Types of Weight & Balancing Them

This isn’t balanced - so creates tension - more about This is balanced but wouldn’t work without the small
that later. area of land on the RHS. As this land is close to the
edge it really stands out and pushes your eye back
towards the amazing waves.

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 SECTION 3

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 Introduction - Symmetry in Composition

Horizontal Symmetry Vertical Symmetry Radial Symmetry

The perfectly flat lake allowed me to create the
horizontal symmetry in this image. What I really like
is it then it creates two opposing diagonals that
lead to the Fisherman’s hut.
Vertical symmetry in landscape photography is
probably the most useful tool in composition. I
particularly like it when I'm shooting lone trees like
these two silver birch. The symmetry in this image
combined with a repeating pattern of firs in the
background helps to create a shot that is very
powerful.
Radial symmetry is very difficult to find in
landscape photography. It is where things are
symmetrical around a central point.
A flower or grain of wood may have radial
symmetry.

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TOP TIP
By not including the sky in this image
I have further simplified it which
helps to create a more powerful shot
and focus the viewer’s attention
Fuji XT3
towards the light hitting the
Fuji XF 50-140mm Lens
mountain side and then the hut with
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the red door.

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 Vertical Symmetry

Here are two more examples of using vertical symmetry with the lone
trees.

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 Perfect Symmetry

You don’t often get this in landscape photography but

these are good examples of both vertical and horizontal
symmetry. The image of the Norwegian huts also uses
complimentary colours well.

You have to look for symmetry in woodland scenes

although it can be quite difficult. In this image I put my
tripod as high as possible so it looks like you're almost
floating through the forest. As I will discuss in another
section, height has such an important part to play in
composition.

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 Partial Symmetry

You don't have to find perfect symmetry in nature every time.

This image has partial vertical symmetry. At the bottom there is
almost a mirror image of the road and at the top it is almost
perfect vertical symmetry. Again this works well because it's
pleasing to our brains.

TOP TIP
As with many of my images I have kept the
composition relatively simple in the shot. I
want the viewer to be amazed by this winding
road, seemingly leading to nowhere, and then
this distant island almost looks like it's from
Jurassic Park peeking out from the sea. Any
distractions to the left or right would ruin the
powerful nature of this photo.

This road is almost mirrored symmetrically. But the S curve

and the slight diagonal also help to draw the viewer
through the shot.

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Imperfect Symmetry

Here is another example

of imperfect symmetry.
There are actually two
symmetry lines, a
vertical one and a
horizontal one, but
neither are perfect. I
made sure that I left the
same gap towards the
left and right of this
image and positioned
myself at the right
distance from the
person walking across
so that they were the
same size as the
lighthouse. This helps
create a symmetrical
image.

More on black and white photography below

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 Mirrored Symmetry

On first glance it doesn't

look like there's any
symmetry in this image. But
there is if you consider the
shapes of the leading
coastline and sky falling
away into the distance. Like
the shot from the Faroes
before, there was a mirrored
symmetry here.

TOP TIP
Clouds form a really important part in composition
throughout landscape photography. Quite often I see
photos and I think to myself, if the photographer just waited
10 minutes or shot it 10 minutes earlier the cloud would have
added to the composition rather than taken away from a
composition.

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 SECTION 4

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 Introduction - Leading the Eye

When looking at a scene it is useful to try and think about how the eye is being led around the landscape. One way to do this is consider the dominant lines.

In this first image there is a wall leading you into the scene and The second image
then streaks of light that lead you towards the mountain in the works slightly
background. However the mountain isn't as dominant in the first better because the
image as it is in the second image. visual weight of the
mountain and wall
balance each
other and create a
triangle that
continuously leads
the eye around the
scene.

I would have
preferred the left
hand image if the
mountain had light
as this would help
your eye to move
around.

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 Leading Lines for Depth

This image from

the Peak District
is a simple idea
of using leading
lines to draw you
into an image
and help create
depth. Strong
diagonals lead
you towards the
mountains in the
background but
as they are also
know structures
(the fence and
path) this helps to
give the image
more depth.

This location is
very popular
because there
are many ways to
use the path and
fence and rocks
as a way to lead
your eye through
to the distant
peaks.
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 Leading Lines for Depth

By getting higher up I have focused on the refection of light

on the fence rather than the silhouette.

The rain helped in this image as it created reflections on

the fence and the path. This worked particularly well
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 Leading Lines for Depth

The lines are

slightly less subtle
in this image of
the fence and
path but are still
very powerful.
This composition
wouldn't have
worked if it wasn't
for the grass that
is illuminated by
the morning sun.
That adds
balance to the
image on the left
on side. Ideally
the grasses
wouldn't be as
close as they are
to the edge and in
hindsight I
probably could
have found a
slightly better
composition by
moving vertically
up and down the
fence a little more.

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 Leading Lines / Symmetry

This image from

the Faroe Islands
that we looked
at earlier in the
book has a lot
going on even
though it seems
simple. The
people are
symmetrically
spaced out and
this sense of
balance is
helped by the
line on the ridge
of the
foreground
matched to the
line of the
mountain in the
background.

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 Leading Lines / Shapes

Leads towards
these
mountains

Leading lines
always have to be
obvious and quite
often are created
by dominant
shapes within an
image.
This incredible
image taken with
my drone on the
Isle of Skye shows
how the rock
formations create
a nice diagonal
line that leads you
towards the
distant mountains
in the background.

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 Leading Lines / Shapes

In this image I carefully thought about the placement of my camera to not only
ensure I have this beautiful large boulder as foreground interest but also how I
created two diagonals that led to the sea stacks in the background.

Finding leading lines like this isn’t always easy. You need to get past the obvious
beauty in a scene and look at the details. These small compositional gains make
the difference between a good image and a great image.

Here are a few examples of elements you can use as leading lines that aren’t the
obvious (paths, fences, walls)

• Water on the shore

• A breaking wave from the side
• The shadows (and light) created from low light (on sand, rocks and grasses)
• Long grasses blowing in the wind
• Anything that is moving into the scene from the viewer (just step to the side)

TOP TIP
Often when you get to a location when there's a lot of
complexity like this seascape in Madeira nothing jumps
out. What I would recommend is sitting, having an
apple, and just trying to take in the environment. More
often than not when I do this a composition presents
itself that wasn't present when I arrived on the scene.

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 Luminosity and Leading Lines

In this beautiful autumn shot from the Lake District taken

from high up above on the mountain the early morning light
has only illuminated part of the image. This creates a
strong diagonal in the bottom third and a line parallel to
the trees above. There is another opposing diagonal from
the bottom left corner through the edge of the trees and
these two lines help to keep the viewer’s attention.

The road at the bottom then leads you into this area.
Having a slight S curve in the road also really helps with
any leading line and is a classic compositional element in
many shots and an easy way to create a powerful image.

S curve can be
very powerful in
a composition
as a leading line

The sunlight can quite often help to create strong

features in your compositions so always look for how it
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Luminosity and Lines

There are a number

of lines in this image
created from light
and shade as well
as a leading line
from the river in the
bottom. These form
a triangle which is
often a strong
compositional
element and helps
to draw your eye to
the centre and
towards Buttermere
in the Lake District.

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 Lines for Framing a Composition

This boathouse is a favourite of mine at Rydal Water in the Lake District,

smack bang in the centre of the image as I wanted the viewer to be in no
doubt that was the subject. I then spent almost an hour trying to

fi

You can see how beneficial going tight and using the framing of the tree
branches is in this image. As I mention so often, simple images often are
more powerful and in this case I have lost the distraction of the sky and the
sky reflected in the water.

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 Lines for Framing a Composition

X
Trees are
naturally set up
to be used as
framing tools in
photography. In
this shot I use
the foreground
tree to frame
the furthest tree
and then
balance this
with the mid
ground trees on
the right hand
side.

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 Opposing Diagonal Leading Lines

One of the most used shapes

within landscape photography
composition is the S-curve.
When you break it down the S
curve is actually a series of
opposing diagonals. These
diagonals help to maintain the
viewer’s attention by leading
them through the image.

S
As you can see on this image from Iceland there is a series of three
diagonals leading through and this helps to transport the viewer from the
foreground through the middle ground to the amazing mountain and
beautiful sky in the background. It results in the mirrored S-curve.
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 SECTION 5

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 Introduction - Using Space

How you use space in an image not only can help to give the subject
breathing room but can also help to balance and control how the eye
navigates through the image. In this section I want to explain not only
the use of negative space but also how to use space between
elements as shown in the examples below.
Poor use of space is one of the mistakes that I see the most in
beginners’ photos. Just leaving a little bit more room to the left or
right or above a mountain can transform the feeling of an image.
Conversely, leaving less space can make the viewer feel
uncomfortable and sometimes create more tension in an image.

CREATING FEELING WITH BALANCE WITH SPACE

SPACE

DEAD SPACE

BREATHING ROOM SCALE WITH SPACE NEGATIVE SPACE

40
 Breathing Room

The amount of room that is left around an object, mountain, tree or

any element in a scene is really important. You can see in this image
of these glacial icebergs I have been careful not to crop the image
too close to the bottom of iceberg. That iceberg also has breathing
room and good separation between the other icebergs. This image
although not perfect (I would've preferred some nice golden light)
took over 100 exposures and very wet feet to get right!

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 Space around a Subject

I always try to give the subject of Sometimes it is more difficult and

the composition some room to more subtle and you have to spend
breathe. Sometimes that is really more time like these rocks that are
easy like this lone tree on the end carefully isolated amongst the
of the grass as it is silhouetted. grasses.

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 Creating Feeling with Space

This image needs breathing room on the left and bottom as well as some negative open space on the top and right. And when I look back at this
image I want to remember the calm, quiet day where the mist was just floating on the lake. Nb - can you spot the bird drying its wings in this photo?

You can see when it is cropped and the space isn’t

there the image looses it’s feeling of openness
and just looks like a photo of an island. More a
record shot than an image that transports me
back to that day.

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 Exaggerating Scale with Space

Half of the
image is of the X
For you to
sky and it's
included not understand this
just because of image you
how dramatic need to
it looks, but
understand the
also it makes
the people look scale of the
smaller and the Faroe Islands.
landscape The sea cliffs
larger. are some of the
largest in the
world and it
feels like it's
been created
for a movie set.
So I am trying
to do two
things to
portray scale in
These two this image.
people stand First, adding
out as they walk the people and
along the second, giving
ridgeline and
are tiny and
the image
purposely room to
placed quite breathe above
close to the the mountains,
bottom left of Fuji XT3
giving it a more
the frame. Fuji XF 35mm Lens
dramatic and
35mm 1/500s f7.1 ISO100
expansive
feeling.

44
 Negative Space

By creating so much
space around these
incredible islands in the
Faroe Islands it gives the
scene a sense of
remoteness.

Most often I say that a

good photo is all about
what you leave out of the
frame. But sometimes it
is about leaving in what
can often seem too
obvious to crop. There is
an argument that you
could have even more
sky and water in this
image and maybe I
should have shot this at
24mm?

How I took this shot

Nikon Z7
Nikon 24-70mm Lens
32.5mm 20s and 1/20s f7.1 ISO80
This image is a composite of two exposures

In this image the water and the sky had two separate exposures. I didn’t want the texture in the water to detract from the sky and
wanted the two areas to be as distinct as possible.

45
 Negative Space

Often when the light is changing rapidly I take out my 70-200mm

lens with the hope of catching some of that transient light on the
surrounding landscape. In this case I got lucky with this lone tree
in Buttermere, the Lake District. I intentionally left a lot of
negative space above the tree to try and create a more
meaningful and powerful image. The negative space helps to
not only make a stronger image but an image that tells the
viewer more about the area the tree is located but also leaving
room for imagination as you don't quite know how far the
mountains behind this incredible tree expand above.

In the image below I have included the top of the mountain as it

doesn’t have as much impact as you know how high it is.

46
 Dead Space

It is important for any space that

doesn't have any discernible features
within an image to add some sort of
benefit to the viewer’s appreciation of
the image. In the last few examples
we saw how negative space could
create a different feeling and help
with things like scale. Dead space is
space that isn’t adding to the image
and often a step to the side or moving
position to take the shot can help a
lot.

You can see that the space in

the bottom left-hand corner
here doesn't really add to the
image and actually seems to
somewhat unbalance it. I would
probably have been better
either shooting vertically and
having a tree in the middle or
better still moving myself to the
right or panning my camera to
the right to try and get a more
pleasing and balanced
Nikon Z7 composition.
Nikon 24-70mm Lens
100mm 1/24s f2.0 ISO200

47
 Dead Space

X
This is an example
of an open space,
the foreground in
the scene, almost
working. However
because we have
this frozen pond in
the middle, the
open space
becomes a little
messy, and rather
than lead your eye
in through to the
mountains in the
background
becomes a
confusion to the
composition of the
image. This
foreground is also
50% of the image
and so needs to
have a purpose.

This pond is distracting you from the mountains behind. It isn’t

signifi

48
 Repeating patterns often help

This vertical shot from Rannoch Moor works much better than the previous
image as the grasses have a repeating pattern that is very pleasing and
leads your eye through to the mountains in the background.

There are lots of paths your eye can take through the lines created by the
valleys in the grasses.

I liked how these ‘valleys’ in

the grasses reminded me of
the valleys on a map and
also helped to lead you
through the image to the
mountains in the
background.

TOP TIP
If shooting a wide angle scene like this (it is shot at full
frame equivalent 15mm) then ensure you point your
camera down to make the most of the foreground and
not have too much sky. In this shot I have my camera
over 45deg down. However this does mean the
mountains appear very small which I think in this case
Fuji XT3 still works ok.
Fuji XF 10-24mm Lens
10mm 1/100s f6.4 ISO100

49
 Balance with Space

X
One of the tricks
that I like to use
is balancing the
foreground and
sky within an
image. This
works
particularly well
if the foreground
is very simple
like in this shot
from Glencoe.
By making the
foreground and
the sky a similar
size it pushes
your eye to the
middle of the
image where the
interesting
middle ground
and mountain
range lie.

Nikon Z7
Nikon 24-70mm Lens
31.5mm 1/4s f11 ISO64

50
 SECTION 6

Nikon Z7
Nikon 14-30mm Lens
14mm 1/8s f11 ISO64 51
Introduction - Colour in Composition

Whether it is soft pastels, bright yellows and blues or

warm orange tones the colours in an image play a
crucial role in creating a mood and telling a story in
an image.

I first started my photography journey in black and

white photography and although I thoroughly enjoyed
that I always yearned to be able to include colour in
my landscapes. At the time I just couldn’t afford the
film or processing. But ever since I started shooting
colour I felt like it gave me another dimension to
express my creativity.

However it is really important to be able to choose

colour combinations carefully and often I find I look to
exclude colours from my images rather than include
them. Maybe it is a bit of green foliage that doesn’t
quite go with the rocks or a flower than doesn’t tone in
with the mountains.

There is a really important choice to be made in your

own style and use of colours. Mine is more a painterly
and softly saturated style but you should find your
own and remember that you can always tweak the
hues in Lightroom.

52
 Mood and Colour

We have already touched on the use of colour and how it can impact the mood of a photo. Just take these two images here. One has a happy peaceful
feeling and the other has a feeling of emptiness and isolation. Colour goes a long way to portraying these moods.

LIGHTROOM TIP
Use the HSL slider in Lightroom to carefully change the hue and saturation of the colours and create a different feeling to your image. But be
careful to not lose the authenticity of the image. I always tread carefully when changing hues especially. Also, often less saturation can improve
an image.

This portrays isolation and emptiness and the cool colour helps to This image, taken just after sunrise, is still and has a peaceful feeling
achieve this. to it. The warm colour helped to convey that.

Nikon Z7 Nikon Z7
Nikon 24-70mm Lens Nikon 70-200mm Lens
32.5mm 20s f7.1 ISO80 70mm 1/1600s f7.2 ISO100

53
 Using Less Colour

By using one colour in a photo with varying degrees of brightness you can simplify the composition but more importantly create very powerful images.

A Land that Time Forgot

Nikon Z7
Nikon Z7 Nikon 24-70mm Lens
Nikon 16-35mm Lens 70mm 1/10s f11 ISO64
16mm 1/8s f13 ISO64

This is one of my favourite images of all time and I have to be honest This image is all about this tree in the feeling of
and admit I hadn't considered the use of less colour when I took the loneliness. It needs to feel empty and the
shot. But on reflection the orange cast in the sky from the sunset monochromatic green receding tones help to create
helps to create this otherworldly landscape. this.

54
 Cold and Warm Together

This is a great example of

an image that creates a
mood but also tells a
story. This was the first
frosty morning of the
autumn and I loved how
the blues and oranges
combined to create a
contrast in cool and
warm tones. It works so
well as the blue and
orange are
complimentary colours
on a colour wheel as you
can see here. It is really
useful to know about
colour wheel theory.

Also having a limited colour palette of just two colours simplifies an image
which more often than not makes for a better composition.

LIGHTROOM TIP

I emphasised the colour by applying a gradient mask in LR

to the bottom of the image and cooling the colour
temperature down. Quite often in my images I want to try
and reflect the mood and story I felt whilst I was at the
Nikon Z7 location rather than an exact copy of what the RAW image
Nikon 24-70mm F4 Lens shows. Lightroom is a great tool to be able to achieve this.
70mm 1/20s f7.1 ISO80

55
Reflected Colours

This is similar to the last in that

I am using colours to
emphasise mood in this image
through the use of the
reflection of the blue sky in the
water to create a cool shadow
feeling.

This image on the RHS

reminds me of the chill that
was starting to descend in
Glencoe. I remember it vividly
when I look at this image and
the sun going down lighting up
the cloud with a strong orange.
The warmth of the day trying
to hang on. In contrast the
image I took 15 mins later on
the LHS looks flat and the
blues and oranges aren’t
reflected as well in the water.

TOP TIP
The colour of the water is
slightly blue due to the
When the sky is blue it doesn’t mean that you reflection from the sky.
can’t take amazing landscape photos. You just
have to be a little more creative. Without the
blue sky this shot wouldn’t have worked as the
reflection in the water wouldn’t have this
amazing colour.
Nikon Z7ii
Nikon 14-30mm Lens
16mm 1/50s f11 ISO64

56
 Example - Cold and Warm Together

The blue sky is my friend in the image to the left here as

it works to not only complement the warm light on the
grasses in the foreground but also reflects into the
water in the lagoon tying together these two areas of
the image.

The colour of the

water is blue due to
the reflection from In this image from my Spirit of Luskentyre project the blue sky contrasts so well
the sky. with the warm tones in the foreground. In this case it really helps to convey the
mood of joyfulness that came with this amazing light. If the clouds had been too
dark and covered the top of the image it wouldn’t have worked quite as well.

Contrasting warm
Nikon Z7 colour on the
Nikon 24-70mm Lens grasses
24mm 1/80s f9.0 ISO125

57
 Example - A splash of colour

I always look at
this image and it
gives me a feeling
of hope and a
feeling that spring
is coming or was
just around the
corner. The sun on
the land just
shining and
creating this
beautiful golden
colour through the
myriad of grey
tones of the snowy
landscape really
worked well in my
opinion.

By using less
colour it helps to
create a feeling of
calmness as well.

Nikon Z7ii
Orange colour from the sun, contrasting the grey
Nikon 14-30mm Lens
tones of the snow.
16mm 1/50s f11 ISO64

58
 Example - Blues in Composition

As mentioned earlier, blue is such a calm and serene colour and often is
associated with oceans and seascapes. However I like to use it in winter
scenes as well. I feel that this is a good type of image to slightly tone to a
blue hue as we associate blue with cold in winter scenes and often they
look a lot better than pure white.

RAW IMAGE

In this image I just wanted all the

colours to tone together nicely to
ensure the blues in the rock, the
water and the sky work together
nicely. There was quite a lot of
editing involved in this image but
ultimately I think it pays off as it
creates a very pleasing composition.

Nikon Z7
Nikon 14-30mm Lens
14mm 21.6s f10 ISO64

59
 Example 2 - Blues in Composition

EDITED IMAGE RAW IMAGE

And this was one of those
mornings that you don't get
very often. It was freezing cold,
ice crystals were in the air and
it had just snowed. Add into
that fog and it was a perfect
mix to find a very simple
composition like this. I spent
quite a lot of time messing with
different tones of blue to try
and get something as I
remembered it and I think
eventually got a hue that was
perfect.

Nikon Z7
Nikon 24-70mm Lens
46mm 1/30s f5.6 ISO250

60
 Example - Greens in Composition

Green is a really difficult colour to get right in landscape photography I find. The biggest question is what is the right shade of green as often the
green that you saw doesn't necessarily translate to telling the right story and creating the right mood in that image. This is the same scene taken at
different times of the year. I could have easily matched the greens. But actually they tell a different story. The colour of any element in an image
can be completely changed by the light and time of day.

Nikon Z7
Nikon 14-24mm Lens
21mm 1/50s f11 ISO64

This one is all about the incredible light and sunset taken in early winter This was taken in summer and was my first trip to the Faroes. I distinctly
when the greens start to turn orange. It is important that the grass remember these fresh green cliffs and to change the colour wouldn’t
matched the sunset to create a simple harmonious scene. match the memory. I also think the green matches the water well.

61
 Example 2 - Greens in Composition
This shot was
taken in June
when the grass is
probably at its
lushest. I played
about with the
hue of the green
slightly to get
what I thought
was the best
contrast with the
steely grey sky.
Nikon Z7
Nikon 24-70mm Lens
24mm 1/125s f8.0 ISO320
TOP TIP
My best advice is always play around with the yellow and green slider in the HSL part of Lightroom as this will ultimately dictate the feel of the final image.
You can also create a mask by picking the colour you want to adjust but be really careful when doing this as you are likely to create weird effects.
62
To get the greens
right in this image
I had to play
around with the
calibration tool at
the bottom of the
Lightroom panel.
I wanted there to
be a contrast
between the
green grass and
the dying auburn
bracken. This
green gives a
fresh feel to the
image and also
tones in with the
evergreen furs in
the mid ground
helping to lead
Nikon Z7 the eye through
Nikon 24-70mm Lens the shot.
24.5mm 1/15s f11 ISO64
 SECTION 7

Fuji XT3
Fuji XF 35mm Lens
35mm 1/340s f8.0 ISO200 63
 Introduction - Using Luminosity in Composition

Luminosity, or the light and dark parts of an image, are really important to think about both when taking the photo and when processing it. Often in the field
it is difficult to imagine the areas of different luminosity. By converting an image to black and white you can quickly see here the areas of different
brightness values.

Sometimes light and dark areas pose a problem in the composition of a photo and need careful consideration when making your image. Other times they
can form a crucial part of any composition. Either way it is imperative that you consider the brightest and darkest parts of any image that you are taking.

A very light
area and high
visual weight
due to its
shape.

The light area

on the rock
Nikon Z7 creates a
leading line.
Nikon 16-35mm Lens
16mm 21.3s f16 ISO64

These dark areas are quite dominant and need care when
composing.

64
 Luminosity in the Field

This shot from Lofoten in Norway is quite a unique composition. I

think it works because of the use of shade in the bottom of the
The darker image. The sun was quite strong and if I had just photographed
sky works an area of snow that was completely lit up then the image
well wouldn't have had the same depth.
because it
traps this
middle
element
and keeps
your eye
within the
image.

This area
of shade in
the bottom
just helps Nikon Z7
to lead you Nikon 24-70mm Lens
in to the 31.5mm 1/4s f11 ISO64

very strong
middle part I talked about this shot from Glencoe earlier in the book. It works
of this because of the low light that is creating areas of light and shade. These
image. areas then create layers within the image and these layers add depth
and dimension to what otherwise could be quite a flat composition.
Nikon Z7
This photo just wouldn't work without this exact lighting.
Nikon 24-70mm Lens
66mm 1/640s f4.5 ISO64

65
 Puddles of Light

X
This image taken in
the Faroe Islands
wouldn't work
without the strong
shafts of light on
the ocean. This and
the seagull (which I
waited a while for
hoping the light
wouldn’t change
too much) help to
balance the dark
and dominant cliffs
on the left hand
side.

There is a lot of
negative space in
this image but this
helps to give it a
feeling of vastness
and an open ocean.
A feeling like I am
at the end of the
land. This was
really important as
it was taken on the
island of Kalsoy in
the Faroe Islands
which really does
Fuji XT3 feel like the end of
Fuji XF 50-140mm Lens the Earth.
50mm 1/450s f5.6 ISO160

66
 Transient Light

Fuji XT3
Fuji XF 50-140mm Lens
50mm 1/450s f5.6 ISO160

67
 Transient Light

Main Image 10 Minutes Earlier

This shot taken on the Isle of Skye in Scotland is all about the
areas of light and dark creating shapes for your eye to follow.
The dark mountain top helps to create a more dominant and
foreboding scene and increases the feeling of isolation on the
small house.

Fuji XT3
Fuji XF 50-140mm Lens
77.3mm 1/30s f6.4 ISO160

You can see in this shot that I took about 10 minutes before the main image
the light was quite different and the lack of contrast in luminosity makes a
significant difference to the overall feeling of the image.

TOP TIP
If you find a great composition then I would always recommend waiting to see how the light changes, as small changes in light direction or luminosity levels
across the image can significantly alter the feeling and overall composition of the final shot.

68
 Depth with Luminosity

Luminosity levels can be used to create depth in an image and I often use
them in my woodland photography.

Here you can see that this tree is a darker figure in the foreground and the
mist creates a light colouring on the fence which is obviously receding in the
image. There is also a tunnelling effect on this image where your eye follows
the path into the unknown within the bright top central section of the scene.

Nikon Zi
Nikon 24-70mm Lens
42mm 0.4s f10 ISO64
In this image it is even clearer that the background trees are further away as
they are lighter due to light attenuation from the fog. I have accentuated
this by ensuring the foreground tree appears to wrap over the others and
appear much bigger than it really is.

69
 Luminosity and Lightroom Editing

I wanted to touch on Lightroom editing briefly in this e-book as I feel that the change in luminosity within an image is 50% to do with the taking of the
photo and 50% on editing of the photo. More than anything else, in editing the control of highlights, shadows and midtones within an image as a whole
through dodging and burning is so important in creating a powerful photo.

One of the most important things to remember when editing any photo is, is there really a true black or true white? Most of the time the answer to this
question is no, but I've seen so many photos where the photographer pushes the histogram to the left or right when that maybe isn't the best scenario.

This histogram has an even

separation of tones and true white
and black. However it doesn’t
work for this image as there
weren’t any blacks due to the fog.

This is my edit for the image. It

has no true blacks and helps to
portray the mood of the morning.

Nikon Z7
Nikon 24-70mm Lens
24mm 1/10s f7.1 ISO64

70
 Depth with Luminosity

LIGHTROOM TIP
I used a brush to carefully lighten
You can see that the image on the RHS draws your eye in as this area of the image. You could
also darken the foreground in this
the luminosity of the area in the middle of the picture image to further help the sense of
around the lone silver birch is increased. I simply did this depth through luminosity.
with a brush and carefully increased the exposure, whites
and reduced the clarity. If done carefully then this can help
to draw the eye through the image.

71
 Dodging and Burning

What is Dodging and Burning?

Dodging and burning are terms that originated in black-and-white darkroom photography. In essence, to ‘dodge’ means to hold back the light
from an enlarger lamp – thus making an area brighter in tone – and to ‘burn’ means to increase the exposure time from an enlarger lamp, thus
making the affected area darker. These terms are slightly counterintuitive as we often associate the word burn with burnt highlights.

DODGING

BURNING

Nikon Z7
Nikon 14-24mm Lens
20mm 1/50s f6.3 ISO100

72
 SECTION 8

73
Introduction - Often Simple is the Best

This was a photo that I took back in 2003. I vividly remember it as I was
skiing at the time with my 70 - 200 mm lens (yes I was that stupid back then).
I couldn't think about it too much when my wife, Ann suddenly said “I think
those two skiers are about to ski down that powder over there”. This shot
was total instinct, but luckily I framed it perfectly as it was only a 12
megapixel camera.

What makes it is the simplicity. If there had been other rocks at the bottom
of the frame, another skier, or the skiers hadn't nailed the turns it just
wouldn't work.

I always think back to this image when I'm trying to compose things as
sometimes we have too much time and see too much and try to incorporate
too many elements into the final photo. 99% of the time the simpler the
better.

TOP TIPS
When composing an image here are a few things to think about

• Do all the elements add to the image? If not can you easily exclude them
• Are you leaving something to the viewer’s imagination?
• Look around the edges of the frame and check that there is nothing
distracting from the main part of the image
• Can you move and make the image simpler? (Seems obvious but so often
when using a tripod you don’t think about this)
• Can you zoom in and make the image simpler?

74
Don’t have too many competing elements

These two beautiful shots

show that simplicity is more
often than not the way to
achieve a great composition.
In both the shots the light was
spectacular and I felt adding
too much else to the image
took away from that
magnificent glow and light
rays.

75
Don’t have too many competing elements

There are many distracting and competing elements in this shot.

In this shot taken about one minute earlier I had included

another tree and there were a few competing elements. It
was too complicated. Looking back I understand why I
took it as the light rays were to the RHS but ultimately the
tree on it’s own looks better.

76

These three shots from Luskentyre are great
examples of how you don’t need to have much
in an image to still create something that tells
a story and conveys a mood in an image.
None of them have any significant
backgrounds and they all rely on foregrounds.
Which is a great lead in (pun intended) to the
next section.
Often Simple is the Best
In this image I used a very long exposure (20s) This image is almost an abstract. I loved the
to create a softer feel to the image. I wanted waves and didn’t want too much to distract
to have a contrast between then detail in the from the shapes they created in the sand.
rocks and the textureless sand, sea and
clouds. I struggled a little bit with balance in
the image but by waiting for a dark cloud to
come over on the LHS I created something
that worked really well.
77
 SECTION 9

Nikon Z7
Nikon 14-30mm Lens
14mm 0.4s f10 ISO64 78
 Introduction - Foregrounds

I used to think that every landscape photo should have a foreground. But now I realise
that foreground should only be included if it's adding something to the image. Maybe
it's telling a story about the geology of the landscape or its helping the viewer stay
engaged with the image. But most foregrounds are shot with a wide angle lens and
this brings with it more elements to work into a composition.

A foreground usually does two things

⁃ Lead the viewer through the image (basically acting as a stepping stone to other
elements within the shot)
⁃ Become the main focus of the image (like the image to the LHS here)

Also remember that although most foregrounds are shot between 14-24mm that
doesn’t have to be the case. I will give examples in this section of foregrounds shot at
longer focal lengths and explain how you should choose the focal length when
composing the shot.

Becoming the Main Focus of the Image

In this image the amazing glacial icebergs are the main focus
of the image. They are arranged in a triangle to try and lead
your eye around the bottom 2/3rds of the image. The
Nikon Z7 background waves just helps to set the scene.
Nikon14-24mm Lens
21.5mm 1.3s f13 ISO64

79
 Introduction - Foregrounds

Leading the Viewer Through the Image

In this image the foreground isn’t so dominant and doesn’t take central
stage in the photo like the iceberg shot on the previous page. Your eye
leads through from the foreground towards the trees and then the distant
mountains. Also below I have included another similar image.

Nikon Z7
Nikon 24-70mm Lens
24.5mm 1/15s f11 ISO64

80
 Ensure the Foreground has a Purpose

One of the mistakes that a lot of photographers make is to place something in the foreground without a purpose. You always need to consider why
you are using that foreground and how it adds to the image.

You can see in this image the grasses here don’t Whereas in this image the wall serves two purposes. It helps to
relate to much of the rest of the image and are lead the viewer into the image and it also tells the viewer more
randomly placed to the LHS. about the landscape. In this case the interesting dry stone walls
which can also be seen in the distance.

Nikon Z7 Nikon Z7
Nikon 16-35mm Lens Nikon 24-70mm Lens
32mm 1/80s f8.0 ISO400 24mm 1/30s f10 ISO64

81
 Connecting Elements with a Foreground

I found my most powerful foreground shots to be those where the foreground

connects with the middle and far ground within the image.

Nikon Z7
Nikon 16-35mm Lens
16mm 1/8s f13 ISO64

In these two photos from Vestrahorn in Iceland it is the

grasses on the black sand beaches in the foreground that
Nikon Z7 transports you to the mountains in the background.
Nikon 24-70mm Lens
24mm 1/5s f10 ISO64

82
 Connecting Elements with a Foreground

In this image the foreground becomes the main subject. However it also helps to
connect a viewer through to the beautiful misty trees in the distance. I saw these lily
pads as stepping stones and although some of them are touching as you go
through the scene a dominant leaf in the immediate foreground start your journey
connecting you diagonally up through and down the river to the trees at the back.

The spacing of the lilies

in this image also helps
massively. I spoke about
this in a previous section
and this is a good
example of why it
matters. That bottom
leaf is perfectly
positioned but there is
also good spacing
without any of the lilies
stopping you from
travelling up through the
images to the misty trees
in the background.

Nikon Z7
Nikon 24-70mm Lens
24mm 1/3s f10 ISO200

83
 The Simple Foreground

I think the simple foreground is often under used in landscape photography with the photographer always trying to find something special rather
than look for the lack of something or a repeating pattern like these amazing grasses in Rannoch Moor, Scotland.

This winter
scene gets all
this drama
I used the wide from the
angle lens in foreground.
this image to However
try and give an without this
appreciation ridge of snow
of the wide running
open space in diagonally it
this fabulous would be a
location. Tufts boring area of
of grass create snow. The
valleys leading simplicity of
your eye just the ridge
randomly created by the
through the wind leads the
scene to the viewer through
snowcapped and connects
mountains in to the bigger
the ridge line
background. leading to the
Fuji XT3 Fuji XT3
distance.
Fuji XF 10-24mm Lens Fuji XF 10-24mm Lens
10mm 1/100s f6.4 ISO100 15.1mm 1/500s f8.0 ISO200

84
 Example 1 - Rocks in Foregrounds

One of my favourite kind of images to create is using rocks in the foreground. If you can find the right rock it is very satisfying to see the texture lines and colour
come to life in an image where the foreground rock connects with the mid ground and distant mountains. This also helps to tell a story about the location and
the geology of the environment you're in.

It is really important to give careful consideration to the size, shape, light, texture, and lines within the rock. All of these add to the composition and if you give
yourself enough time you can always find a pleasing composition. Here are two examples of foregrounds that are used. One of them works really well but the
other isn't quite as successful.

In this image
the foreground This group of rocks has some
rocks act as a This shot is nice light helping to model
barrier to the a good the shapes. I positioned
rest of the example of myself as to try and isolate
photo. My how you them among the grasses.
intention was can take a What I also liked was the
to use a wide really diagonal left to right and the
angle lens to pleasing multiple diagonals right to left
showcase the image in in the lower right rocks.
light hitting not ideal
this limestone. light. It was
However it taken mid
ended up morning
being a little and I
These rocks help to transport
bit too messy almost
the viewer through the image
and the lines discounted
as unlike the other shot they
weren't it as the sky
are closer and more similar in
leading you wasn't
shape to the foreground
through the what I had
rocks. The diagonal is also
image but just hoped for.
opposing the strong diagonal
became an
in the foreground rocks which
entangled
I always look for in images.
Fuji XT3 spiders web. Nikon Z7
Fuji XF 10-24mm Lens Nikon 24-70mm Lens
10mm 1/30s f10 ISO320 36mm 1/80s f11 ISO64

85
 Example 2 - Rocks in Foregrounds

X
Sometimes you
come across
rocks that are
simply amazing
and just need to
be the star of
the show. This
image is all
about light. The
directional side
light on these
rocks helps to
create texture
and contrast
with the
surrounding
environment. If
the light been
directly behind
me this shot
would not work.

I have
purposely
chosen a low
position for this
image so the
rock sticks up
above the
background
mountains
giving it a
stronger sense
of purpose.
Nikon Z7
Nikon 16-35mm Lens
35mm 1/50s f9.0 ISO100

86
 Example 3 - Rocks in Foregrounds

Occasionally everything
comes together in landscape
photography, the light, the
clouds, the conditions, and
the foreground. This certainly
happened with this amazing
shot from The Roaches in the
Peak District. I love how the
cloud mirrors the shape and
colour of the light on the
foreground rock.

TOP TIP
When you're using a
wide angle lens it is
really important to
make small
movements left and
right to be able to
create strong
diagonals as I did in
this image. I have
tried to offset the
diagonal from the
corner slightly as I
feel the diagonals
that come straight
from a corner look a
little bit too
Nikon Z7 contrived.
Nikon 16-35mm Lens
16mm 1.3s f16 ISO64

87
 Example 4 - Rocks in Foregrounds

This is an interesting shot as whenever I look at it, it reminds me how amazing the
landscape is all around us. This ruin is literally 3 miles away from my home but I ignored
it for years as all around it is a new housing estate. When I took the shot there were
probably 15 kids playing and the challenge was not just to get in the foreground
composition but also trying to get a shot without any people in it.

What I tried to do with the foreground was compose something that led your eye
directly to the ruined castle on the top of the hill. When I processed the image I then
realised that the colour match between the rocks and the castle were perfect and this
really helped to connect the two elements.

FOCUS STACKED
I wanted to keep the details in the
foreground and didn’t want to use F22 to
do that as then the castle would be soft. It
is very easy to focus stack an image. This
is especially important the longer the focal
length that you use.

Check out this video on how

to focus and exposure stack
in one go:

https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=qy0G3H_d4eQ

Nikon Z7
Nikon 24-70mm Lens
24mm 1/13s f9.0 ISO64

88
 The Importance of Height in Wide Angle Foregrounds

It is really tempting as a landscape photographer to set up your tripod, put your

camera on it and adjust it so that it is around eye height. Often this works well and
many of my wide angle compositions have been shot at this height. However this is
the height that we always look at the world and if you want to create something
different, something interesting, then often lowering your camera can help to
generate a special image.

Quite often in shots like this where there is a waterfall included I have my camera
around 40 to 60 cm off the ground. When you do this and you're shooting 14 to 20
mm then you can create some amazing lines and compositions in the foreground.

The main thing you need to be careful about is as you lower the camera in the mid-
ground an image diminishes. So quite often my choice is governed by what mid-
ground I want to include.

In these two images I

moved about 60cm and
created a very different
look. This would have
also been a good idea if
I wanted to hide some
of the mid ground on
the other side of the
wall.

I don’t care too much about the mid-ground

here. Which is lucky as the low tripod and the
ground falling away quickly removes any mid-
ground in the composition

89
 Ant View

As you can see in the image below taken at tripod

If you go really low then you can create ant like views. In this shot I had my camera height the feel and mood is quite different. Both are
on the floor knowing that the foreground leaves would be out of focus. But I wanted equally valid and strong compositions but by just
to create a mystical feeling to these trees and felt that changing my viewing angle moving your camera positioning 1.5m it has changed the
would help this. image.

EXAMPLE OF THIS FROM A

Nikon Z7 DIFFERENT HEIGHT
Nikon 24-70mm Lens
24mm 1/30s f9.0 ISO320

90
 Foregrounds with Mid Focal Lengths (24-60mm)

You don’t always need a wide angle lens for a foreground. In fact having a wide angle lens makes landscape photography much more complicated as you
have to include more in the scene. A technique that one of my favourite photographers Alex Nail uses in the field to help convey the landscape he is in. Over
the next few pages I share some landscapes that were taken with foregrounds and mid range focal lengths and explain why I chose that lens.

This location in the Faroe Islands is

I wanted to be able to highlight this feature as
it told a story of the pounding the cliffs take
here in the Faroe Islands.
vast and the first lens you think of
when arriving there is your ultra-wide
14-24mm. However, in this image there
were three elements that I wanted to
portray.

I wanted these mountains in the background to

have a reasonable proportion in the image. If I
had shot at 14mm then they would be tiny.

These foreground rocks weren’t too

photogenic. If I had used a wider angle then I
would have included more of the ones below
as I couldn’t include more sky (it was boring).

Nikon Z7
Nikon 24-70mm Lens
28mm 1/250s f9.0 ISO500

91
 Benefits of Using Mid Focal Length

• You can draw the viewer into the scene by having a better connection between the mid ground and distant elements
• It is easier to compose the image as you have less elements to arrange
• Also there is less distortion at the edges of the image which can help with verticals

34mm 38mm
I think if you asked
anybody what
In this image from
focal length I took
one of my
this shot they
favourite locations
would probably
in the Lake District
guess around 16
I wanted to ensure
mm. Similar to the
that the boat
last scene I
house wasn't too
needed to ensure
small in the scene
the hut was
so I elected to use
prominent as it
a slightly longer
was an important
lens. I wanted this
element within the
amazing fallen
composition. So
branch perfectly
by stepping back
situated at the
a little bit I
lake shore and to
managed to
include it I just had
compose it with
to stand back a
this strong
little bit further to
foreground. The
enable me to
wall with the
compose
windswept snow
everything in one
looks incredible
frame and ensure
and I wanted to
Nikon Z7 that I had Nikon Z7 ensure I kept the
Nikon 24-70mm Lens adequate depth of Nikon 24-70mm Lens details so I
34mm 5s f13 ISO 64 38mm 1/200s f10 ISO64 focused stacked
this shot.

92
 Drawbacks of Using Mid Focal Length

• Depth of field is more difficult as you reduce the field of view in an image through the use of a longer lens
• If you're not careful you can lose the sense of vastness within a landscape

101mm 41mm

Nikon Z7 Nikon Z7
Nikon 24-120mm Lens Nikon 24-200mm Lens
101mm 1/1000s F11 ISO80 41mm 1/250s F10 ISO64

Even up to 100 mm and beyond you can shoot foregrounds but you've
just got to be aware that you're going to have a significantly reduced
depth of field. In the shot I just managed to get the wall and the
background mountains in focus but sometimes you need to make a
decision what is in and out of focus at longer focal lengths.
As you go longer in focal length the technique for composing rocks in the
foreground changes somewhat. When you start shooting at wider angles
you tend to turn the camera down as the foreground rock is right underneath
your feet. This can give some amazing results but in a shot like this where I
want the two elements to have a similar form it is important that I don't get
any distortion so shooting at 40 mm was perfect.

93
SECTION 10

94
 Introduction

I talked earlier in the book about how simplifying compositions can often be the key to creating amazing photos. One way of doing this is to almost
ignore the foreground and concentrate on the middle ground or background of an image. Usually I do this with a longer lens and certainly above
50mm.

This shot is all about these

beautifully lit silver birches in the
middle ground perched on this
ridge line. The foreground and
background of the image are
secondary and purposely
simplified so that all the focus
goes to the silver birch. The
foreground couldn't be simpler as it
just leads your eyes straight to
these beautiful trees and the
background is in shade and almost
acts like a backdrop allowing your
eye to drift up and take a look but
then immediately jump back to the
birch trees on the ridge.

This area of the image is really simple

and allows the viewer to move straight
through into the midground.

Nikon Z7
Nikon 24-70mm Lens
62mm 1/60s f10 ISO200

95
 Midground in composition

X
I purposely tried
to create a flatter
2D image with
this shot as I
wanted to have a
strong
juxtaposition
between the
Scots pine and
the rugged
straight edged
mountain in the
background. By
using the
ridgeline and
almost no
connecting
ground between
the pines and
mountain I have
made the
connection
between the two
so much stronger.
Again the whole
composition
works incredibly
well and is
complimented by
the storm clouds
above.
Nikon Z7
Nikon 24-70mm Lens
67mm 1/80s f11 ISO400

96
 Midground in composition

In this shot the

subject is the
silver birch and
the rocks
compliment the
trunks of these
beautiful trees.
What makes
the shot and is
only possible by
using a longer
lens is the
drama created
by including the
ridge line of
mountain
higher up in the
frame in the
background.
These
mountains
aren't actually
mountains by
the strictest
de

Nikon Z7
Nikon 70-200mm Lens
160mm 1/4s f8.0 ISO400

97
 Midground in Composition

One of the things that I enjoy doing with a longer lens is picking out trees (either on their own or in groups). The advantage of having a tighter crop means
you can be more selective about your background and as the first image shows you can completely cut out the sky and create an even simpler image.

Nikon Z7
Nikon 70-200mm Lens
70mm 1/200s f8.0 ISO400

Nikon Z7
Nikon 24-70mm Lens
100mm 1/24s f2.0 ISO200

98
 SECTION 11

99
 Farground in Composition

One of my favourite things to

do in photography is walk
amongst the hills in the Lake
District with a 70-200mm or
100-400mm lens picking out
compositions in the distance.
If you are a beginner then using
a long lens is a great way of
finding amazing shots.

Nikon Z7
Nikon70-200mm Lens
200mm 1/125s f8.0 ISO200

TOP TIP
If the clouds are varied or there are patches of blue sky that you don't want to include then using a longer
lens allows you to select a very small part of the sky and can drastically change the feel and mood of the
final image. These two shots were taken very close together but you can see in the long lens shot I've got
Nikon Z7
a dark sky at the top of the image whereas in the wider shot I've got lighter clouds to the top of the image
Nikon 14-24mm Lens
that I couldn't avoid without unbalancing the whole feeling of the photo.
22mm 1/50s f13 ISO200

This image was taken in the incredible landscape around the Langdales in the Lake District. The first wider image taken at 22mm was quite a complex
composition and took a good amount of time to find and get right. The second longer lens shot taken at 200mm was handheld and taken relatively quickly.
It is amazing if you look in the 22mm wider image how many smaller compositions there probably are. Often we neglect these longer lens shots but they are
simple to compose and still reflect the drama of the scene.

100
 Farground in Composition

One of the things that you have to

be really careful about when
shooting just distant subjects is
that your images can have a lack
of depth. I like to use light, clouds
and texture to try and help bring
some 3D elements to the image.
Remember that warm colours tend
to come forward in a photo and
cooler colours fall backwards.

This was a difficult image to get to

work correctly as the balance of
the mountains didn’t always work.

I think that if the blue area of sky

had been to the LHS of the image
it would have helped make this
image a little better balanced but
sometimes you can’t have
everything and a little imperfection
isn’t always a bad thing.

These clouds have These clouds are

texture and this breaks catching the light and
up the image and helps help to give some depth
to give it dimensionality. to the image.

101
 Farground in Composition

This was a late addition into the

eBook. It is probably in the top 5
favourite images this year. It is
also a great example of a shot
that only has the far distance in
the shot. Obviously the fog helps
but there are other elements in
this image helping to improve the
composition.

I centred the
composition on this
farmhouse

This lake hasn’t been

illuminated and so is
very blue and helps to
balance the road on the
LHS

This road leads your eye into the image and from
there you start a journey through the trees and
fog. The blue and orange colour also
compliment each other and help to add
dimension to the image with the fog.

102
 SECTION 12

103
 Repeating Patterns

I always look for repeating patterns within the landscape. These could be rocks, mountains, waves, clouds, grasses, trees or anything that you're
photographing.

X
This is the same
rock placed in
roughly the
same position
but I am
standing in
slightly different
positions and
using different
Nikon Z7 focal lengths. I
Nikon 24-70mm Lens feel like the
36mm 1/4s f11 ISO64 bottom left
image works
best as the
shape of the
mountain and
the rock are
more apparent
and work better
together.

Nikon Z7 Nikon Z7
Nikon 24-70mm Lens Nikon 24-70mm Lens
57mm 1/40s f13 ISO64 39mm 1/40s f13 ISO64

104
 Repeating patterns

In this image I was struggling to balance a composition as the

In this image the shape of the island and the
lake on the left hand side had a high visual weight. But when the
two waves is very similar and this helps connect
clouds changed and the opening appeared on the right hand
them together.
side of the image it seemed to just gel together. Having these
two semi circular shapes at either side of the image creates
more synergy and helps to lead the eye toward the mountain in
the middle.

Nikon Z7 Nikon Z7
Nikon 70-200mm Lens Nikon 24-70mm Lens
75mm 1/4000s f5.0 ISO400 24mm 1/3s f10 ISO64

105
 Enchanted Oaks - Two repeating shapes

There were many elements that went

together to make Enchanted Oaks work
well as a composition. However the
two shapes that I thought helped to
balance the image and lead your eye
were the ones highlighted above.

Without the left hand tree with a similar

shape to the dominant right tree I think
this image wouldn’t work.

Also, the three central trees with a

similar shape help to frame the distant
tree that looks like a man holding a
stick.

Try covering up the left part of the left tree

and you will see the composition fall apart.
This tree and its shape are so important to
the image as a whole.

106
 Multiple repeating shapes

This is one of my favourite images from my ‘Spirit of Luskentyre’ project. It wasn’t

so simple to find the composition though. I arrived about one hour before I took
this shot and experimented with different angles and heights. Ultimately I knew
there was something there and finally got a composition I liked and then just
waited for the right conditions and light.

You can see in the two images below that there were lots of different
compositions. What I was focusing on was repeating shapes to glue the
composition together, great light and clouds that worked with it all and held your
eye in the frame.

The light on the In this image (which was one of the compositions I
windswept sand tried) I was too low and compressed everything
creates an amazing together. There was no space between the grasses.
number of shapes that
connect together so
well.

These grass tufts are

repeated throughout
the image and really
help to connect
everything together.

Nikon Z7
Nikon 24-120mm Lens
24mm 1/100s f11 ISO 64

107
SECTION 13

108
 Texture everywhere

As we saw in the ‘rocks in foreground’ section, light has a big impact on the texture of the element you're trying to capture.

When you are shooting trees like the ones below, or rocks or snow, or any foreground then it is always important to think about how the light can
affect that texture.

This shot is all about this amazing oak tree

and the texture of the bark. By waiting for a
heavy rainfall and then some light which
diffused through the canopy above, I have
managed to capture the texture in the bark
which adds significantly to the overall image.

The light in the shot below helps to define

the texture of the sand ripples and the
grasses. Always look for light that is raking
across the landscape and how it will
impact the scene’s textures.

Nikon Z7
Nikon 24-70mm Lens
43mm 1/6s f7.1 ISO400

109
 The power of light and texture

X
In this image the
light that is
reflected from the
sky back into the
white frosted
grasses has helped
to capture the
beautiful
crystalline texture
of the frozen
foliage.

Reflected or
diffuse light can
also help to bring
out amazing
textures in images
and it is always
best to take a step
back from your
camera and just
look at how things
are being
impacted by light.

Nikon Z7
Nikon 14-30mm Lens
14mm 0.5s f9.0 ISO64

110
 Texture Matching

Nikon Z7
Nikon 24-70mm Lens Sometimes it isn't about rocks or trees or
70mm 1/30s f8.0 ISO70 grasses but how the texture is reflected in
nature from the subject you're trying to
capture. When I first spotted this church I was
immediately drawn to the similarity between
the scree field in the background and the
partially snow laden roof of this beautiful
black Icelandic church.

TOP TIP
Always be careful when placing elements in composition. There are two critical parts to this image; the first being how I've lined up the roof with the scree in
the background mountain and the second being the spire fitting into a gap in the snowfield beyond.

111
SECTION 14

112
 Distracting Elements

The most common mistake that I see in

images is having distracting elements
around the edge of the frame. You can see in
the image to the LHS that these rocks draw
your eye and actually serve no purpose in the
composition. I would have been better to
zoom into the wave in the background in this
instance like below.

TOP TIP
Look around your frame before you take the image. I usually try and look through the eye piece and check all around and ensure that I have nothing that is
distracting close to the edges of the frame.

113
 Getting caught up in the conditions

This composition doesn’t work even though I thought it did

when I took the shot. I just got caught up in the amazing This morning back in 2017 was incredible. It was a
conditions and didn’t think enough about the elements and how location I have photographed many times in the
to arrange them. Lake District. However in this image I just got
overwhelmed by the conditions and when the
geese flew over thought I had got something really
special. But you can see that the image is too
messy and there is no one place for your eye to drift
to. The river on the RHS pulls you there and the
dead tree pulls you back and then the geese (that
are too close to the hill) drag your attention.

When I took my time and thought about

composition I got the image below. Just remember
that the conditions alone don’t create an amazing
image. However, when you get great conditions
and find a great composition then you start to
produce amazing shots.

114

This tree is too close to the edge of the frame. It needs some
breathing room. A simple check before taking the shot can
avoid issues like this. My recommendation is just compose the
image and zoom out 1-2mm to give yourself cropping room.
Too close
I talked about this in the section on using space within your images. A really common mistake
is to have elements of the composition either too close to each other or too close to the edge
of the frame. When something is close to an edge or another part of the composition then you
get a tension that ruins the shot. You can see in these two examples how simple camera
movements could have easily improved the images.
115
 No obvious subject

Not all images need an obvious subject like the tree to the right. The shot below the tree is a
great example of this. However, a common mistake is to include too much in the scene so
there are competing subjects and the eye doesn’t know where to look. More often than not,
simply zooming in can elevate this problem. On the image below a longer vertical shot of the
barn and ridge above it would have been a stronger composition.

An obvious subject

No obvious subject but still works

116
117