One of the more nuanced and difficult aspects of landscape photography is composition. This excellent video features a professional landscape photographer as he talks through how he chose the compositions for two of his images.
Coming to you from Ben Horne, this great video follows him as he discusses the process of composition for two of the photos in his portfolio. Composition can be a tricky subject to tackle simply, because unlike things like choosing shutter speed or ISO, there are not quantifiable parameters when it comes to it, and any rule is more a guideline than any sort of hard and fast law that must be followed. Of course, that does not mean there are not general methods and aesthetics that can help you become better, and one of the best ways to improve is to see how an accomplished photographer thinks through the process. Composition should serve to tell a story in an elegant and concise way and encourage the viewer's eye to linger on the image and explore it, rather than reading it in a one-dimensional manner. Check out the video above for Horne's full thoughts.
And if you really want to dive into landscape photography, check out "Photographing The World 1: Landscape Photography and Post-Processing with Elia Locardi."
Ben Horne is the modern Ansel Adams but for colour
1) Your Comment berates Ansel Adams
2) Have you ever heard of Eliot Porter
3) Neither of which that I'm aware of waited for the light. It's there or it ain't.
4) Large format cameras are not the ordeal main make them out to be. Like anything new they can be intimidating and "slow" but the more and more experience and confident you acquire using one they are only slightly more time consuming than working with any other tripod mounted format.
Update see link:
https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=Eliot%20Porter&tab=objects
These are the best online examples of Eliot Porter work I have seen to date!
Composition is one of the most important parts of photography that requires patience. Rushing to take a shot rather than waiting, studying your environment and visualizing your photo can make a difference between an Ok shot and a very good one. Once you compose your shot, the settings and all that will come into play since you already have that photo in mind.