Top 5 Most Common Mistakes in Landscape Photography

If your landscape photography is leaving something to be desired, you’re not alone. Armed with a little knowledge about what’s going wrong, though, and your images should improve pretty quickly. Here, Joshua Cripps shares what he thinks are the top five most common mistakes made in landscape photography (and how to correct them):

Here’s the count down:

5. Too Much Empty Sky

Often we see landscape photography of a beautiful scene that just comes out boring because the photographer included too much sky and not enough foreground details.

landscape mistake sky

Too Much Sky

Instead of pointing your camera in the middle, try things such as panning down, zooming in or even get closer to the main subject. This will create a more interesting image.

landscape sky vs foreground

Less Sky, More Foreground

4. Poorly Exposed Photographs

When out in the field, especially on sunny days, your LCD screen can be difficult to read, resulting in over- or under-exposed images.

photography mistakes poor exposure

Use Your Histogram to Check Exposure

Take the time to understand how to read your histogram, and you’ll be able to check your exposure no matter how bright it is outside.

3. Lazy Field Work (Too Much Post-Processing)

Avoid spending hours at your computer processing your photos. Take the time to determine the best location and your camera settings before you start shooting. Strive for the best photo when out in the field. This way, you’ll spend a lot more time shooting and a lot less time with Photoshop.

2. Bad Light

Whenever you can, wait until you have pretty light that accentuates the landscape.

landscape photography lighting mistake

Boring Light

The best times to capture landscape photographs are at sunrise and at sunset. This is when the light is softer and even, resulting in colorful, beautiful landscape images.

landscape photography golden hour light

More Interesting Light

1. “Complexification” (Not Showing What the Photo is About)

Keep it simple. Ask yourself, “What is the main message of the photo? What is the photograph’s story?” Avoid obscuring the message with too many distractions that take away from your main subject.

With these five common mistakes and their solutions in mind, go out and photograph some amazing landscapes. Do you have any other common problems to add to this list?

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