Create Landscape Pictures
That are Breathtaking!

September's Winning Landscape Picture Titled: "Fungi Reveals Beauty" Kathleen of Ontario, Canada captured this breathtaking macro shot. The picture was entered under the "Landscape" category, probably because we don't have a macro category yet. We're now looking for October's Featured Landscape to be show-cased on this page.   Therefore, submit your landscape pictures here and feel free to submit more than one.

Share this month's winner with the world and help make it famous by using the Social Bookmarks, located to the left.

Congratulations. You have begun to think like a photographer. So, what do you do next? Three things, in this order:

1. Stop the car
2. Get your camera
3. Try to remember everything you’re about to read on the next 3 pages.

Although all the technical aspects of landscape photography are important, their main purpose is to insure that your composition is accurately transferred into a digital image the way you want it to be.

Bear in mind that depending on what model digital camera you have, you may not have much control over certain photographic functions. Does that mean you should pack up your camera and slink on home? What do you think?

You can still take great landscape photos, but there will be more limitations and challenges to deal with. However, you can still get creative and see how your landscape photography continues to improve.

When and if you ever upgrade to a digital SLR or more advanced non-SLR camera, you will have working knowledge of the features you want in order to make it easier capturing pictures in nature.

The objects can be anything, including subject, foreground and/or background, framing elements, and most importantly, LIGHT.

How many times have you looked at landscape photographs which had so many objects in them that you honestly had no idea what the subject was? Is it the mountain? Well, could be, but it’s sort of cut off by that tree. How about the waterfall, although I’ve never seen a sky like that before!

Most successful compositions are quite simple. There could be numerous objects but there is no question what the subject is.

Trick question alert! What is the most important part of a landscape picture? It’s the person behind the camera. There never was nor ever will be a camera that can be creative.

Composition is the driving force behind your creative and personal vision for an image. Once you learn the art of composition (more gained through experience/experimentation than through "study") you will "get it."

You will consistently be able to take better photos of landscapes with an “auto-only” 3MP digital camera than the person armed with an $8,000 professional digital SLR who knows nothing about composition.

Some people have a knack for creating well composed images, while others have to shoot and delete hundreds of photographs to hone their composition skills. From wherever you’re starting, you will only get better with practice.

Find your favorite landscape photo and get ready for a nice surprise!

So, when you come face to face with a potential photographic subject (they’re everywhere, by the way), allow the creative process to do its work. And if you need to give the process a jump start, consider these questions...


What is the Subject of Your Photograph?

Try an experiment. Ask 5 people what they believe is the subject in this typical looking landscape picture. Just don’t be surprised if you get several different answers.

The question is a little tougher than one would think at first glance (without having taken a course in landscape photography).

And the answer turns out to be more questions... is it the mountain range in the background, or the rock structure in the foreground? Or, is it the top of the rock?

Perhaps it's the nude sunbathers on the right foreground in front of the ridge? You looked, didn't you? You forgot that this page is about landscape pictures, not "landscape pictures with naked people hidden someplace near the ridge?"

Our challenge is to compose pictures of landscapes in such a way that the subject is presented the way you want it to be. You almost have to learn a new way to really see what is in front of you.


What is happening with the light?

"Light" is everything in photography. In fact, some believe that the word "photography" literally means to paint with light. Consciously observe light before composing your landscapes. Note its direction, intensity, and color.

It is generally agreed upon that the best times to capture landscape pictures are from first light to a couple of hours after sunrise and from a couple of hours before sunset until dark.

This brings up practical issues since most people typically are moving about during their vacation between 10 AM and 5 PM… the exact worst time, photographically speaking.

The main problem with photographing during this huge block of time is because of contrast. Generally speaking, digital cameras (film cameras too) have a very hard time handling a wide range of contrast in one image. And, since the contrast range is greatest during the middle of the day, that is the challenge.

For example, if you want to show the details in the shadows, the lighter areas of the photograph will get washed out. Conversely, if you concentrate on the lighter areas, then the darker areas appear very dark, or even black.

Certain filters can help. For example, a graduated neutral density filter is a favorite when trying to capture a very bright background sky along with a dark foreground subject. A filter like this one can make a HUGE difference in the quality of landscape photography.


Which Viewpoint is Best?

This is where your creativity can shine through. When you spot a scene that screams out:

I’m a delicious landscape picture waiting to be captured. Spread jelly on me and serve me for breakfast – you know you have a winner (except for the breakfast part).

But, hold off on your impulse to immediately grab your favorite digital camera and start shooting landscape pictures. First, check the area over like a crime scene.

What angle is best? How about elevation? What would happen if you moved 10 degrees clockwise, or 20 degrees, or any degrees? Move closer. Then further back.

If the absolute perfect perspective doesn’t present itself, don’t worry. This is the digital age – take a dozen landscape pictures of the same scene all from different vantage points; then delete the ones that don’t measure up.


Which way for your landscape pictures? Horizontal or vertical?

Beginning photographers sometimes forget that they can turn the camera on its side and take a picture vertically.

Once photographers get a few thousand shots under there belt, they begin to automatically think of both perspectives.

With landscape pictures, the huge majority are horizontally framed. But that just makes vertical ones that much more unique. And when in doubt, take both and work it out later.

Find your best landscape photograph, and get ready to submit it to this site. Why? Because after it's approved, it will be featured on YOUR OWN WEB PAGE.

Over the years, I've come to believe in these two photographic truisms:

1. Most photographers are way too critical of their own pictures

2. One of the very best sources for learning about and getting photographic ideas is by seeing what other photographers have done

So, here's your chance to do both; PLUS supply helpful critiques for others. For EACH AND EVERY approved submission, you will get your own web page. In addition, every month, one landscape picture will be featured as the "Best of the Month" on this web page.

Bottom line... you get to view landscape pictures of other visitors; get ideas to use for your own future photos, and supply comments and helpful tips. And what does it cost? Zip. Nada. Not a cent.

Why? Because I'm convinced our visitors have considerably more talent than they have the opportunity to showcase, and doing it this way helps everyone. So, what are you waiting for? Get ready to...

Submitting your landscape pictures is free and easy. Just fill in the form below, upload your picture, and hit the submit button.

After your photograph is accepted, your picture will become a "live" page on this site. You may upload as many pictures as you want, using a new submission page for each one.

And don't forget to tell us the story BEHIND THE PICTURE.

The best photo every month (judged by our staff) will be featured on this page, along with your name.

Discover new ideas, perspectives, tips, and techniques used by other visitors to create landscapes. Simply click on the links below.

Contentment 
Aperture was f/8
Shutter 1/80
ISO 200
Nikon D60 18-55mm VR

Photo taken at Amnicon Falls near Superior,WI. while on vacation with my wife.

Sunset 
My camera was on auto, this was our new camera so we just figuring it out how to use it! This was taken in New Mexico, I edited this on Roxio.

Prague, centre from above 
I was in Prague in mid February, for a few days. The weather was incredibly cold, but very sunny and with beautiful light.

This picture was taken from ...

Surreal Cappadocia 
This picture was taken in Capadoccia, Turkey, early Feb 2006 when I was on a 2 weeks vacation around Turkey. I used my Nikon Coolpix 4300 camera with auto ...

Sweet Serenity 
This "post-rainstorm" picture was taken at Antelope Island last summer when we went for a ride with friends. We had just missed a rainstorm which made ...

Serenity 
This picture, which I call "Serenity" was taken in Cape Elizabeth, ME along the beach (obviously). The camera used was a Sony HAD CCD. I left the setting ...

Azalea Garden 
This was taken in the spring when all the azaleas were in bloom. Norton's Art Gallery is a picture perfect spot for brides and others. It has flowers,...

Mt. St. Helens 
Mt. St.Helens from Exit 63 on I-5.

Shot with Olympus E410 using aperture priority, F20 at 1/80th second, 134mm focal length with custom white balance ...

Island Beauty 
While in the downtown area of Cozumel, I turned to look out toward the ocean and spotted this lone flower.

It was growing in a landscaped area and I ...

Upper South Falls, Silver Falls Oregon 
Every other year we go to Silver Falls State Park for our Square Dance Women's Weekend. This particular year happened to be very wet.

It was raining ...

The Lady Bug and the Rose 
While strolling a local garden which was open to the public in my hometown of Tehachapi, California, I snapped this photo on my older camera, a Cannon ...

Grey Misty Morning 
This was taken off my vacation home deck which overlooks the Cumberland River, in Clarksville, TN. I took it using my new Panasonic TZ3 camera on the ...

Fire in the Sky 
Shot taken in Lake Havasu Arizona. There was a large fire in the area during the day and the sky was filled with smoke. As the sun set, the sky turned ...

Early Morning Mist 
I took this photo through the windshield of my car Labor Day Weekend 2007. I was out driving around looking for anything that caught my interest to photograph ...

A MAN'S REACH SHOULD EXCEED HIS GRASP 
Houlton Wisconsin January '08 on a walk with my son. Used a Panasonic DMC-FZ8.

Millennium Park Bean 
I was visiting Chicago in 2006 and wanted to see Millennium Park for years. There's this giant metallic structure which created a unique landscape on a ...

morning 
This photo was taken in my mums back yard in ballina nsw australia. It was taken with a Nokia 6120 2.0 mega pixel camera. i had the flash turned off because ...

Mighty Oaks in Snow 
I knew it had snowed, so I got up early at home to take some photos. This was taken in the early morning after a night of snow.

Speed:ISO 200
FL: 14mm
...

Beautiful Richmond Virginia 
I wanted to capture the beautiful sky line of Richmond, Virginia using my Cannon EOS Rebel utilizing the point and shoot auto settings.

admiring the Lahaina sunset  Not rated yet
I took this photo when me and my best friend went to Maui a couple of years ago. While we were in Lahaina, waiting for dinner I noticed this awesome sunset ...

Mount Rainier Sunset  Not rated yet
Nikon D40 w/ Nikon 18-200 VR
Exposure 1/200
Focal length 200mm
F5.6
ISO 800
Taken 6-18-2008 at Rye Grass Rest Area
I-90 West Bound
Ellensburg,...

nature  Not rated yet
camera-canon powershot SII IS

Sunset at the Fair  Not rated yet
Taken at the Butler Farm Show in Western Pennsylvania. Always remember to look around you, not just at what you want to photograph.

Surreal cow  Not rated yet
Although i've finally bought a new digital SLR camera, i actually took this one a few years back while on holiday in Africa (Zanzibar Island)with a very,...

Lulworth Cove  Not rated yet
I took this shot at the end of a long day mooching around some public gardens. We were on our way home and decided to stop at Lulworth Cove, as it is ...

Georgetown From the Pass  Not rated yet
I was up in the mountains in Colorado with family this summer up near Georgetown. I took this picture of Georgetown from the top of Guanella Pass. I don'...

Fungi Reveals Beauty  Not rated yet
Shooting Mode Apeture-Priority AE
Tv 1/100
Av 2.5
ISO 400
Lens 50mm 1.8 Canon Rebel
Haliburton Highlands, Ontario Canada
Hiking
Want to ...

A Misty Morning Walk  Not rated yet
I used the auto setting on my Nikon 4300. I was on holiday in Whitby, North Yorkshire, England.

Cold n' dry  Not rated yet
One of my interests in landscape photography is the shapes of trees, especially when they are dry. I came to find this tree when I was visiting Singapore ...

My Office Panorama  Not rated yet
Camera: Canon G4
Exp: 125 @ F4
A 5 picture panorama from my office window on the 6th floor of an office block in Kelowna, stitched together in photoshop....

Sunset in the valley  Not rated yet
This is Kettle Valley overlooking the Okanagan Lake on a Sunday afternoon just as the sun was starting to set.
Canon 30d with 17-85 IS USM
ISO 200
F14 ...

Zaka Fire Sunset at Santa Barbara  Not rated yet
f-7.1 @ 1/320 sec at ISO 400
Canon Rebel Digital with Canon 75 to 300 Zoom at 125mm.
This un-retouched digital photo was taken on 10/24/2007 at Shoreline ...

Morning Flight  Not rated yet
A picture taken on the Cape Fear River, in North Carolina. Bright and early in the morning is the most beautiful time in this area.
Want to make ...

Southport Afternoon  Not rated yet
This is one of the landscape pictures from my front yard, with a Olympus E-500 and a 44-150 MM lens.

This picture was taken in Southport, North Carolina....

Magic Water  Not rated yet
This was taken with my Sony, Cyber-Shot, on Auto Setting. It was taken below Magic Resevoir. We were on a ATV ride, with Family.
Want to make a ...

Ice on the Lake  Not rated yet
Using my Sony 5.1 Mega pixels Cyber-shot Camera with a Carl Zeiss Zoom lens, this landscape picture was taken at Little Wood Res. just north of Carey,
Idaho....

Wish you were here.  Not rated yet
This is my second post from a place where my family visits at least once a year - The Damai Laut, Perak. We like the peaceful nature of the place which ...

The Cove  Not rated yet
I am new here and I found this wonderful site through the search engine. I am in Kedah, Malaysia and most of the time I have my Nikon D80 with me and on ...

Emerald Tree  Not rated yet
Day off with a friend; just hiking the falls and taking photos. Camera: SiPix SC-33000 Digital Camera, with Automatic setting. Location: Texas Falls, Hancock,...

catching serenity  Not rated yet
As a 28 years old mother of twins, I enjoy taking pictures because it's a major stress reliever. Its something that I can call mine... and be proud of....

skyICEcrapper  Not rated yet
i was walking around the ozo gymnasium and noticed these small melting ice on the streets..took a picture on a macro setting. this is one my favorite picture....

Serenity  Not rated yet
Snow free to good home...well in truth any home! Although pretty we are getting rather tired of it here in Ontario. This was taken at our Cottage in the ...

Sunset Over Georgian Bay  Not rated yet
I was driving through Wasaga and saw the promise of a sunset. I raced through the town, luckily without getting a speeding ticket and headed for the beach....

HUGE  Not rated yet
Location: Under the Mission Bridge - Mission, British Columbia
Want to make a Social Bookmark?

We have found a site that provides ...

PEACEFUL  Not rated yet
This is the Kennedy River along the road on the way to Tofino, British Columbia. Photo was taken with my Canon EOS Digital; setting was on "Landscape."
Want ...

Morning Silhouette  Not rated yet
The view from my back porch early one morning. Taken with my Canon Digital Rebel XT. Aperture f 5.6, shutter speed 1/60.
Want to make a Social ...

Tranquility  Not rated yet
While on vacation in Florida, I was walking along the beach where birds were flying everywhere. I was happy to get the bird. The sailboat was a bonus.

I ...

A Colourful Sunset  Not rated yet
This location is out the front of my house.
One day I saw the magnificent colors and I quickly decided to take photographs of it :)

Camera: Uniden ...

A lazy afternoon at the camp  Not rated yet
Taken at my former pastor's camp on Lake Dorcheat, Louisiana, our senior citizen's group had gone there for some fishing fun. As you can tell by the ...

Klaloc Beach  Not rated yet
I work at the lodge in Klaloc, which is near Forks, Washington.

I know nothing about taking pics. Sorry I cant help you on all the other stuff (EXIF)...

random fisherman  Not rated yet
While taking pictures of San Francisco, I captured the moment of a fisherman, facing Alcatraz. The picture is B&W because it was a gloomy day outside.

I ...

Tranquility  Not rated yet
this photo was taken at Stoney Creek State park in Shelby, MI. My wife and I were walking one of the trails in the park and I couldn't resist capturing ...

A Day At The Park  Not rated yet
I didn't play with the aperture or shutter speed. I most commonly use the "auto" feature. This is a park in South Portland, ME. I was visiting with ...

Sunday morning  Not rated yet
Up early one morning I went for a walk and took this on my phone (Northampton, England).
Want to make a Social Bookmark?

We have ...

Ice On The Okanagan  Not rated yet
A beautiful sunset silhouetted through a tree. 1/250 at F4; Canon G9; ISO 80; Original 4000x3000

Ensign Peak Sunset  Not rated yet
I made an excursion to the top of Ensign Peak in North Salt Lake and arrived in time to take this picture of a couple basking in the subdued light of a ...

Barr Falls With Ghostly Figures  Not rated yet
Photo taken June of 06 with a Sony Cybershot point and shoot camera. ISO 100, F stop 2.5, auto exposure.

It wasn't until I was looking at the photos ...

Still Standing  Not rated yet
I was out shooting pictures of covered bridges and on the way back spotted this barn in the middle of no-where. It reminded me of old times when barns ...

Snow 2008  Not rated yet
I used Canon Rebel set on auto.
I was in Collins Mississippi traveling through going to Jackson Mississippi.
It was snowing and my husband was driving ...

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