Guide to Landscape Photography Composition: Framing the Landscape

Explore Landscapes #58: In this article, I share eight landscape photography composition rules (more accurately described as suggestions rather than absolute rules) that I use. So buckle up!

If you‘re new here, welcome. I’m a professional landscape photographer and hiking/backpacking guide specializing in Joshua Tree National Park. My weekly Monday newsletter is typically a long-form ‘teaching’ article for paid subscribers and workshop attendees. My free Thursday newsletter should interest a wider audience and is typically about my hiking, volunteering, or workshop adventures.

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Many People Look But Only A Few See, Pennine Way (UK) | © 2019 Jon Norris

I wrote a previous article on composition (see link below) that explored what I do when weighing up a landscape scene and thinking about how I want to photograph it.

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Composition is ... a feeling ... sometimes!

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In summary, the composed scene in my viewfinder feels right about 50% of the time (give or take). I haven’t had to try hard to determine a good composition - it’s just presented itself to me.

When I can’t make a composition ‘feel right,’ I pull out my mental ‘Rolodex’ of composition ‘rules’ and seek assistance. There are all kinds of composition ‘rules’ out there. In this article, I share eight landscape photography composition rules (more accurately described as suggestions rather than absolute rules) that I use.

1. Rule of Thirds: The Photographer’s Best Friend

Let’s begin with the golden rule of composition: the Rule of Thirds. It’s a tried-and-true method that works across all types of photography, but it’s especially important in landscapes. Imagine dividing your image into nine equal squares by drawing two horizontal and two vertical lines (your camera probably has a grid option to make this easier). Now, place the key elements of your landscape, like the horizon, a tree, or, in this case, the signpost, along these lines or at the intersections.