While the "landscape masters" often use large format cameras to make their stunning images, it is possible to do good landscape photography in 35 mm, just look at the work of John Shaw. You too can learn some basic principles of 35mm landscape photography that will help you to create more interesting images. I'll illustrate these techniques with images taken right here in our own backyard, the White Mountains of New Hampshire and other parts of New England. Forget about Yosemite, beautiful landscapes await you right here in New England!

Do Research to be in the Right Place at the Right Time

To start with, you need to be in the "Right Place" at the "Right Time". This involves doing some research prior to visiting a location. Fortunately there are some relatively easy ways to do this.

The Delorme Atlas is an invaluable resource. From studying these topographical maps, I've found many interesting ponds, back roads and covered bridges. They also help determine if a location is either a good morning or afternoon shoot, based on their east/west orientation. When I find an interesting location, I make notes in the margin of my Delorme to help me find the place again in the future. These maps are now available for all states.

Photography guidebooks, such as Photo Traveler's "Guide to Autumn in New England" condense a lot of research down into a concise format, maximizing your photo opportunities. If you want to get serious about your landscape photography, the last thing you want to be doing is driving around looking for a spot to shoot while the good light fades away. These guides contain directions to specific locations and the best times of day to be there. They have already pre-scouted the location for you.

On the Internet I recommend searching the Nature Photography Q&A Forum at Photo.net to seek advice from other photographers on specific locations. I have gotten many good location recommendations from the helpful photographers on Photo.net. Luminous Landscape is another web site worth checking out for all kinds of information on landscape photography. Once you have arrived at a location, a more low-tech source of information is to study the post cards for sale in local gift shops. Local photographers who know the area well, and can lead you to good locations often take these photos. I've found several great spots by looking up the description on the back of a post card in my atlas.

Pre-scouting a location improves your chances of getting better images. I use the harsh light of mid-day to drive around an area looking for a place to shoot at sunset or the next morning. If the weather conditions are not what I expected, and the photography is just not happening, I don't just give up and go back home, I'll drive around looking for spots for future photo trips. Good landscape images require capturing the scene in dramatic light, but the light can change very rapidly, sometimes lasting for only a few seconds. If you have pre-scouted a location, you already have a pretty good idea of where to set up your tripod, and how you want to compose your scene. By not having to make these decisions in a rush, its more likely you'll capture an award winning shot.

Where to Find These Resources

Good Books

In this presentation I'm not going to get into exposure theory or technical equipment issues. Instead I'm going to concentrate more on the creative side of making landscape images and developing good working habits in the field. However if you want just one resource book that covers all the technical aspects of landscape photography, then buy Amphoto's book "John Shaw's Landscape Photography". This book is the bible for landscape shooters.

Be There at the Right Time of Day

By far the easiest way to dramatically improve the quality of your landscape images is to "Be There at the Right Time of Day". You need to shoot landscapes in dramatic lighting, which usually means being there at either sunrise or sunset. By restricting yourself to only shooting landscapes early and late in the day, you take one of the easiest steps towards producing more dramatic landscapes. Don't photograph in the harsh light of mid-day; these images will only be destined for the trashcan.

Learn instead to scout locations at mid-day, and come back later at sunset or early the next morning when the light is better.

Take the Right Equipment into the Field

Being prepared also means having the right gear. Using a Tripod is the Second Easiest way to dramatically improve the quality of your landscape images. A sturdy tripod is an absolute necessity for taking high quality landscape images. I take 100% of my landscape images from a tripod, and you are wasting your time if you aren't as well. Here's why.

With a tripod and proper technique, you guarantee that your images will be sharp. Judges demand that landscape images be tack sharp from front to back. This requires achieving proper depth of field by stopping your lens down to small apertures such as f16 to keep both the background and the foreground in focus. Now if you followed my previous advice, you are photographing in low sunrise light at f16, and getting an exposure of two or three seconds. Nobody can even dream of handholding a camera in this situation and getting a sharp image. Yes a tripod is bulky and heavy, but you can't do serious landscape work without it. I estimate that 75% of my landscape images have been made less than a 15-minute walk from a road. Carrying that heavy tripod usually isn't really such a burden after all, because you'll often be shooting right from your car. The tripod needs to be heavy, don't skimp on a lightweight one. Flimsy tripods are prone to vibration in the wind, which defeats the purpose of using one.

A less well-known advantage of a tripod is that it forces you to slow down and think about what you are doing. How is that an advantage you say? A tripod takes time to set up, giving you an opportunity to study the scene, and find a better angle or composition. Once you are set up, a tripod makes it easy for you to study the composition through the viewfinder. By slowing down and carefully studying the composition through the viewfinder you start to notice things like that distracting white rock in the corner which the camera club judge will use to knock your shot out of the competition. Careful technique to ensure sharp landscapes also involves using a remote cable release like this one. By using a cable release instead of depressing the shutter button, you keep the camera perfectly still, eliminate vibrations, and produce a tack sharp image. Your cameras timer release function can serve the same purpose but I prefer a cable release because then I can precisely control the instant at which the picture is taken.

In landscape images you need to avoid tilted horizons, another recipe for disaster with judges. Peering through that small viewfinder, it can be hard to tell if the horizon is tilted or not. To get perfectly level horizons, I use this $35 bubble level that slides into the hot shoe of my camera. This was the best $35 I ever spent on camera equipment. I also use an interchangeable viewfinder screen that has an architectural grid in it that looks like a tic-tac-toe board. By placing the horizon along one of the horizontal grid lines, I can easily make sure my horizon is straight.

Film choice makes a big difference in landscape photography. For bold, rich colors you want a slow, fine-grained film with enhanced color saturation like Fuji Velvia (ISO 50). Now that you are always using a tripod get rid of that grainy 200-speed film, handholding is a thing of the past. Velvia has become a de-facto standard for professional landscape photography because its bold colors create high impact images. Velvia produces deep, pure blacks, and bold greens that enhance the color of vegetation. On an overcast day, nothing punches up the colors like Velvia. However Velvia is a high contrast film, and doesn't work well on sunny days. If you want less contrast, try 100 speed films like Fuji Provia 100F or Kodak E 100 VS. These films will give you more shadow detail, and one more stop of speed. Their color palette is different from Velvia. Kodak E100 VS enhances warm colors like red and yellow, perfect for fall foliage photography. In shadows, I have found that Velvia gives whites a distinct blue colorcast, but that Kodak E100 keeps its whites more pure. However Kodak E100 VS is not as fine grained as Velvia. Fuji Provia 100F is more neutral in its color balance, but is extremely fine grained.

Use Filters to Improve your Landscape Images

I consider three filters to be essential for landscape photography, and they will all be illustrated with examples in my slide program. Polarizing filters remove glare and saturate colors. Graduated neutral density filters control exposure latitude problems under conditions of extreme contrast. Warming filters eliminate the blue color in shadows, and restore a natural color balance to the scene. To be successful, filters must enhance the scene and not be obviously overdone.

1) Being There at the Right Time of Day - Why Get up for Sunrise?

This whole game of landscape photography is really about the quality of light. You can create an interesting composition of a nice landscape, but in poor light, the picture will probably fail. If the light is dramatic, the scene comes alive. What you are actually photographing is the light upon the landscape, not the landscape itself. At sunrise and sunset, light has to travel through more of the earth's atmosphere, which makes the light warmer and richer in color, producing more pleasing images. Mid-morning light is rather dull and does nothing for landscape photography. However the strong shadows cast at sunrise creates a feeling of depth and texture in your landscapes, giving them a more three-dimensional feel.

2) Why Bad Weather Can be Good Weather

Sure it's easier to photograph on warm sunny days, but you'll get better images when the weather is nasty. When that alarm goes off, go out to shoot no matter what the weather, even if it is pouring rain. Weather can change very rapidly, and you want to put yourself in a position to take advantage of dramatic light when it occurs. Stormy days produce dark brooding skies, and dramatic light when the sun breaks through. Periods of changing weather produce some of the most dramatic conditions; I love it when weather fronts blow through. A blue-sky day is a dull death for landscape photography; it's the wild and windy days that produce eye-catching light. Many of my best landscape images have been taken when I went out to shoot despite the weather looking hopeless. When photographing flowers I actually hope for overcast days with a light rain or mist. On rainy days the lighting is very even, colors become saturated and details are revealed. Just use a polarizing filter to remove glare from the vegetation. Harsh contrasts in light often don't record well on film. The shadows within a forest on a sunny day almost never come out well on film. You need to train your eyes to see the landscape in the same way your film will see it. On overcast days, the lighting is very diffuse, and you can shoot all day long. Early morning fog or mist can add tremendous drama and mood to a shot. When shooting in wild weather conditions and rapidly changing light, the key is to work quickly and keep things simple. Don't fiddle around constantly changing lens and filters, you'll miss the best light or you'll get your equipment wet. Pick a lens/filter combination that works and concentrate on the photography, not your equipment. Protect your setup with a plastic bag over the camera, or use an umbrella. Don't attach the umbrella to your tripod; the wind will make it vibrate. Also use your lens hood to keep rain off the front of your lens. Listen to the weather forecast each day and look for unusual weather conditions

You can't concentrate on photography if you are cold or wet so dress accordingly. Carry extra jackets, socks and boots in your car as backup. I also like to use fingerless gloves to keep my hands warm, but they still allow me to work the controls of the camera. Good waterproof boots are a must on wet days, or when crossing dewy fields. Rainbows illustrate why bad weather makes for good photography. The only reason I got this shot was because I was out driving around in bad weather in the first place. Remember, you need an object in the foreground to complement the rainbow. Resist the temptation to show too much of the rainbow, if your angle of view is too wide, the foreground becomes less dramatic. A polarizing filter will saturate the colors of rainbows, and was used here.

2-A) Return to the Same Place Time and Again

One advantage to shooting here in New England is that you can easily return time and again to the same location, hoping to catch it in better light. The summit at Kancamagus Pass, about halfway between Lincoln and North Conway, is one of the best spots for sunrise photography in the White Mountains. The viewpoint is only about 25 yards wide, but I keep returning to this same spot over and over again. Each time the conditions are different. I've taken some good shots during one-week trips to the National Parks out West, but my highest quality landscape images have been made right here in New England because I'm more familiar with the locations. Only during a second or third visit to a location do you start to notice the subtle nuances of a scene that you need to see in order to create outstanding images.

3) Use Filters to Enhance your Landscape Photo's

Polarizing filters are best known for saturating the colors of blue skies and white clouds. A polarizer is most effective when the direction of the light is at a 90-degree angle to your subject. Thus it works best when the scene is side-lit, and is relatively ineffective if you are shooting straight at the sun, like at sunrise. Polarizers help remove glare on water surfaces and wet vegetation. For landscape photography I probably use polarizing filters on 80% of my shots. People often ask, how do I know when I should use a polarizer? Here's what I do. Hold up the filter in front of your eye, look at the sky and rotate it. You will be able to see if the filter has any effect, because the sky and clouds should darken.

Graduated Neutral Density filters help control exposure problems when the contrast range of highlights and shadows in a scene are too wide for the film to handle. Film can only see a difference of about 5 stops, beyond that the shadows go too dark, and highlights overexpose. Your eye can see more stops, that's why the scene looks good to your eye, but not to the film. The camera's meter mostly sees the dark foreground, computes a correct exposure for it, and you get an overexposed sky. Most people using auto-exposure are going to run into this problem in almost any scene that includes both the sky and a darker foreground. The Graduated Neutral Density filter solves this problem. This filter is a rectangular piece of glass that is dark on one end and fades to clear at the other end. You place the dark part of the glass over the bright part of the scene, and the clear glass over the dark foreground. This brings the highlights and shadows into balance, giving you a good exposure in both. Put this filter in place using a filter holder, and then meter the scene. Graduated filters also come in versions where the dark part is tinted a certain color. In this scene a magenta colored grad was used to add some color to the bald sky. Cokin P is the brand of filter holders I recommend, it's large enough to help avoid vignetting with wide-angle lens. Cokin grad filters are cheap, about $30 but are plastic and scratch easily. They also produce a grey color cast on clouds sometimes. The Tiffen and Singh Ray glass grad filters are more scratch resistant, and have a neutral color impact, but these higher quality filters cost about $100 to $150 apiece. You should have both a two stop and a three-stop grad, as they come in varying degrees of strength. The three stop grad works best when the sun is actually in your scene, the two stop works better when its only sky.

The 81A Warming filter adds yellow to the scene, helping you to eliminate blue shadows. On a sunny blue-sky day, shadow areas will have a blue colorcast reflected from the sky. Snow in particular is very prone to this. Our eyes screen this out for us, but it will show up on film. This is another instance where you must train your eyes to see something like film does. This blue colorcast is not pleasing, but using a Warming Filter can restore the natural colors to the scene, here keeping the snow whiter in color. This filter can also be used to punch up a weak sunrise or enhance fall foliage. You can also use enhancing filters that boost warm colors like red and yellow, some people use them for fall foliage. But to my eye, many of these enhancing filters go too far, and create unnatural colors.

Filters can also Create Problems that You Need to Be Aware of

With a wide-angle lens you can pick up part of the filter or its holder in the scene, which is called vignetting. Don't stack multiple filters. I use the Hoya Moose filter, which combines a polarizer and warming filter in one. Use thin mount filters or cut off the front part of your filter adaptor. Once you get down to around 24 mm vignetting can be a problem. It's often easier to detect if you use depth of field preview to look for it. Don't over-polarize the sky; it can turn almost black in color. Also when using wide-angle lenses with polarizers, you can also polarize one part of the sky more than another. Filters also increase your chances of getting Flare, so be careful when including the sun in your scene. Use your lens hood to reduce flare. Using Depth of field preview also helps to detect flare.

4) Use Both Wide-Angle and Telephoto Lenses in your Landscape Photography

Wide-angle lens, 28mm or shorter, are best for capturing broad scenic vistas. When shooting landscapes with wide-angle lenses, it's often best to have a clearly defined foreground, middle ground and background. The key to success here is to have some powerful element to provide some foreground interest. The perspective of a wide-angle lens makes near objects appear larger, and far objects appear smaller. Done effectively, wide-angle compositions create depth and a three dimensional feel to your images.

After getting that wide-angle shot, also try using a telephoto lens. In this scene I backed away from where I was standing before, and zoomed in with a telephoto lens. The perspective of a telephoto lens creates the opposite effect; it makes distant objects in the background appear closer. In this case I used a telephoto lens to make Mt. Washington appear larger and more impressive than it did in the previous shot.

Another common example of using telephotos for landscapes is shown here. Layered mountain ridgelines are actually miles apart, but a 300mm telephoto can compress them together, creating the effect of the ridges stacking upon each other as they fade into the distance. This optical effect is called perspective compression, and is a powerful composition tool. A 300mm telephoto can be used to make the ridgelines in the background appear to be closer to the tree in the foreground. I often work a scene by starting with wide-angle shots. Use an approach called Telephoto Extraction to zoom in and isolate parts of the scene that catch your eye. Creating landscape images involves making decisions about which things to either include or eliminate from a scene. Simpler compositions are usually stronger compositions. Don't fall into the trap of trying to include too much in a scene. This is a good example of where less is more. Another place where telephotos can come in handy, is when you want to blur your background to isolate your main subject. In this wide-angle shot of a lupine I had to stop down some to get enough depth of field to keep the flower sharp. Unfortunately the green leaves in the background are sharp enough to be a distraction. In this shot I used a 300mm telephoto lens to throw the background out of focus, and isolate my main subject.

Using vertical compositions with a wide-angle lens in the 17mm to 24mm range helps create strong foregrounds. By emphasizing the object in the foreground, the viewer's eye has an entry point into the image, and a clear anchor from which their eye can move into the rest of the scene. The background must also be strong, because you need to be led to an interesting place. If your composition gets the viewer's eye moving back and forth like this you have created a successful image.

The perspective distortion of the lens dramatically emphasizes foreground objects, creating a point of entry to the image. Once you've established that foreground subject, include a clearly defined middle ground, and an interesting background. The middle ground is needed to create a transition zone between the foreground and background. Without that middle-ground transition zone, you'll get the dreaded judges comment of "this is really two pictures here, what is your main subject the lupines in the foreground or the barn in the background?" Another interesting shot to try is to go into a forest on a sunny fall day, handhold your camera with a wide-angle lens, lie on your back, and shoot upwards at the treetops. The base of the trees appear larger, and the treetops appear smaller creating the key stoning effect.

Depth of Field

When you create near-far compositions be careful that you have enough depth of field. It is an absolute requirement that landscape images have front to back sharpness, nothing will kill a shot faster in competition than a scenic that isn't completely in focus. Regardless of the lens you use, the smaller the aperture you use on your camera, the more depth of field you'll get. Assuming that the camera to subject distance remains constant, shorter focal length lenses give more depth of field. As the camera to subject distance gets closer, the shallower depth of field becomes, which is why macro photography can get tricky. If you are shooting something at infinity, or very far away, you have lots of depth of field, even at wider apertures.

What should you do in the real world to maximize depth of field? Shooting at small apertures like f 22 will give you more depth of field. But if you stop down to f 22, lenses lose some image quality due to refraction. Most zoom lenses are not sharpest at their extremes, but are sharper at middle range apertures like f8 or f11, hence the phrase "f 8 and be there". You can use the depth of field scales on your lenses to focus your camera to focus at the hyper focal distance for your foreground subject. Basically you manually focus until the infinity mark on one scale is over your aperture number on the other scale, which tells you the minimum distance that will be in focus. This is complicated and many lenses have poor depth of field scales. With a wide-angle lens I usually shoot near/far shots at like f19 manually focusing on the foreground object, and I make sure that object is about 3 to 4 feet away. The hyper focal distance at f 19 on a 20mm lens is 2.5 feet, so I know that everything from 2.5 feet to infinity will be in focus. I then use depth of field preview to make sure everything is in focus.

5) Horizontal vs. Vertical Images

The shape of the primary subject often dictates whether a scene is best shot as a vertical or a horizontal image. Tall, thin subjects such as trees lend themselves to vertical compositions. But I often try to shoot a scene both as a vertical and a horizontal, so that I can later choose which one I like best. Some times I like both. Horizontal compositions are frequently used for creating panoramic shots. But a common problem with this type of shot is that it can leave too much bare sky or negative space in your composition. However you can create a feeling of three dimensions by using frames to outline your main subject. Here I used an overhanging tree branch and the reeds to frame the main subject. This not only creates a sense of depth, but it also avoids filling too much of the scene with negative space. This past spring when Frank Forward visited Bryce Canyon, he asked me where were the best spots to shoot that I had found when I had gone to Bryce. I replied that in good light, any part of the overlook at Bryce was a good place good to shoot, but that he should spend most of his time looking for interestingly shaped trees to use as frames or foregrounds. Small things like this can make the difference between getting a good image instead of just a record shot.

6) Eliminate Distractions

One of the biggest tricks in landscape photography is that it is more important to decide what to exclude from a composition than it is to decide what to include. Eliminating distractions leads to an increased emphasis on your main subject and improves your shot. Hot spots and other distractions detract from your main subject and can quickly ruin an image. These distracting white hay bags immediately catch your eye, and have become the bane of every photographer visiting New Hampshire or Vermont in the fall. Watch Out for UFO's, or Unidentified Fringe Objects. Carefully examine the edges of your composition before tripping the shutter to make sure that tree branches or twigs don't stray into a scene. Most cameras do not have a 100% viewfinder, making it easier for these things to creep in. Also watch your skies to avoid including jet contrails, which look very unnatural. One of the most common distractions encountered by landscape photographers are dull skies. An overcast day has great light for photographing the colors of fall foliage, but be sure to avoid including any of that light gray sky in the image. It always records as dull and uninteresting on film. The easiest way to solve this problem is to compose the scene to completely crop the sky out of the image. However dark gray clouds on stormy days do photograph well, and can help create very moody images. In macro photography make sure that your backgrounds are not distracting. The easiest way to accomplish this is throw your background out of focus by using selective focus. Telephoto lenses are particularly effective at accomplishing this.

Developing Compositional Techniques

As discussed previously, strong landscape images absolutely require good composition and dramatic light. Incorporating interesting design elements into them such as rich colors, strong patterns, interesting shapes, or a strong sense of time and place can further enhance these images. When design elements come together with strong composition and dramatic lighting, you've got a Blue Ribbon winning landscape shot. The Art of Seeing Landscapes is all about developing an ability to find these design elements in a scene and effectively incorporating them into a composition.

7) Make Effective Use of Color

Use Complementary colors such as blue and yellow to make something stand out. The contrast of yellow reflections against the blue rocks catches the viewer's eye, and emphasizes the shapes of the rocks. Red and green are also complementary colors. Harmonious colors such as blue and green occur frequently in nature and often work well together. The similar color tones draw your attention to the shapes, forms and texture in an image. That's why the blues of this lupine work well against the green background. Dominant Colors such as deep Red immediately capture your attention, and can sometimes make an image work on simply color alone. Blue is a cool toned color and speaks of cold and winter. Pastel Colors are very soothing in nature. The light toned pinks and blues of a sunrise are very pleasing to the eye.

Influence of Film on Colors

The film you choose can strongly influence how colors will appear in your images. For example, Velvia enhances the green color of the moss and ferns beside a waterfall. E100 VS enhances warm colors like the reds and yellows of Autumn Foliage. Recognize the differences created by different films, and where they will work best.

8) Shapes, Forms and Sunrises

Nothing does a better job to define the shape or form of an object than to put it in silhouette. An object is silhouetted when it is much darker than its lighter background. Here's a case where the narrow contrast range of slide film can work for you for you rather than against you. In sunrise shots, the contrast range between the sky and mountain is so great, that a proper exposure of the sky will always render the mountain black. Notice how your eye gravitates to the shape of the tree in silhouette, even though it has no detail. Combined with the strong form of the mountain in the background, and the dramatic color in the sky, adding this tree to the shot helps create a much stronger image. Also don't forget to obey basic rules of composition, place the horizon line about one third from the bottom. This illustrates a compositional principle called the Rule of Thirds, which says that centers of interest should be placed in positions that are one-third of the way from the edge of the frame either horizontally or vertically. Even though you are trying to show the shape of the mountain, your primary subject here is really the color in the sky. By placing the horizon near the bottom, the sky takes up about two-thirds of the image, emphasizing its colors.

Including too much mountain actually hurts the shot. Avoid placing your horizon lines dead center in the image. Dead center horizons make for static and dull compositions. By dividing your image in two you confuse the viewer about where the center of interest lies.

Metering Exposure for Sunrise

When the lighter than medium tone sky is dominant in a sunrise scene, using the camera's auto exposure will cause underexpose, especially if the sun itself is actually included in the composition. Using auto exposure brings everything back to medium tone; the bright sky and sun will be darkened, resulting in underexposure. For proper exposure of sunrises spot meter a patch of the sky away from the sun, and make it lighter than medium tone by manually adding 1 to 1.5 stops by using exposure compensation. By metering a patch of sky without the sun in it, your camera's meter will no longer be fooled by the bright sun. Bracketing also helps in this situation. Some times the underexposure created by the sun works to your advantage. Like when you want a foreground line of trees to be silhouetted. If you are including the sun within the scene, but you still want detail in your foreground, remember that it is necessary to use a graduated neutral density filter.

Patterns - Combinations of Shapes

Patterns are a combination of shapes and forms, repeated over and over again. Patterns are usually two dimensional in nature. The strength of a pattern shot often relies on the use of good color and lighting. Here is a patch of lilies in the shade beneath sunlit fall foliage. Some judges might say there is no center of interest here, but I think the pattern created by the shapes and light is the center of interest. Textures are three-dimensional patterns. This shot uses a strong foreground to background composition, in combination with the varying textures of the grass and the lupines to create more of a three dimensional effect. The repeating patterns of the green and blue layers help create this sense of depth.

9) Lines

Lines help to define form, and can draw the viewer's eye from one part of an image to another. Leading lines can draw you from the front to the back of an image. Leading lines are most effective when they lead you from an anchoring object in the foreground, to a clear middle ground, and end up at an interesting background. Even though this shot has a strong leading line in the fallen tree, it doesn't really work because the waterfall in the background isn't interesting enough to deserve having a leading line take you there. Also the tree isn't really pointed directly at the waterfall, it actually leads your eye almost outside the image. Therefore this shot fails for several reasons. See how much more effective this shot is when all of these elements do come together. The leaf in the foreground acts as a strong anchoring foreground. The crack in the rock acts a leading line, which takes you through the middle ground of other leaves on the rock and your visual journey ends directly at a more interesting waterfall in the background. Diagonal Lines help create tension in an image, and are very effective at grabbing your attention. The strong diagonal lines of the shadows and rays of light really make this shot work. Triangles are very strong shapes composed of diagonal lines. This study of the forest floor near Beaver Brook Falls relies on the triangular shapes of ferns to create a strong pattern.

Curved lines are very graceful, and can convey a sense of fluidity and motion to an image. Look for S-Curves in nature. The gentle sweep and flow of an S-Curve helps move your eye around an image. Repetition of lines and shapes creates a sense of rhythm. The repetition of the fences in this image acts like stepping stones walking you through the image. This shot of Cranes Beach is not from the White Mountains, but the alternating layers of sea and shore exhibit a strong sense of rhythm. The repeating layers of sand and sea in this composition take the viewer on a visual journey through the scene.

10) Incorporating Elements That Define a Sense of Time Or Place

Incorporating Elements that define a Sense of Time Or Place help create dramatic images. Examples of these things are including elements from different seasons, or weather related phenomena. This is primarily a waterfall picture, but you know immediately that it was taken during winter, which makes it an unusual shot. The colors of autumn also strongly define a season. This is another pattern shot of pine trees on a hillside, but the real stars here are the rich, warm colors of fall. Another good approach to landscape photography is to return to shoot the same scene in a different season. Here is the same pattern again, but this time the lime green colors of the trees tell you that it is springtime. If you know something about the flora of New England, you know that these alpine wildflowers were photographed at the summit of Mt. Washington in mid-June. Including the rock covered with lichen in this shot also tells you something about the harsh environment where these delicate tiny flowers grow. Sun stars are another neat effect that you can create for your images. Compose the sun so that it is partially blocked by an object such as this tree. Stop your lens way down to f22, and you will get these beams of light shooting out of the sun. Be sure that the sun is placed in a Rules of Third position like this to create a more effective composition. Photographing the moon in a landscape without a double exposure is not easy. Getting a proper exposure on the landscape often requires a long enough shutter speed that the moon will move and come out blurred in your image. Here I took advantage of the fact that a full moon always sets right at sunrise. There was enough pre-sunrise light on the landscape, that with a Graduated Neutral Density filter I got both the moon sharp and detail in the landscape. Speaking of really long exposures, if you go out on a cloudless night you can photograph star trails. The star trails are the colored arcs created by the rotation of the earth during a 20-minute exposure. The unmoving star in the center of the trails is the North Star. The sky turned green here due to reciprocity failure of the film during the long exposure. Adding people to your compositions creates a sense of scale. Including animals in the landscape serves the same purpose.

11) Use Moving Water in your Landscape Images

The numerous streams, rivers and waterfalls present in the landscape of New Hampshire make it easy to incorporate moving water into your images. What I enjoy most about photographing waterfalls is the challenge of pre-visualizing how your final image will look, even though your eyes can't see it. When photographing waterfalls, use long shutter speeds of ½ second to 2 seconds to blur the motion of the water and create the cotton candy effect. This necessitates the use of a tripod. Also be careful not to fall in the water, the rocks are wet and slick around most waterfalls. Waterfalls are best photographed on overcast days to avoid harsh shadows and reflections. On overcast days it is often necessary to use a warming filter to avoid getting "the blues" we talked about earlier. Also use a polarizing filter to remove glare from the wet rock surfaces. When you use wide-angle lenses to show the entire falls the height of the waterfall often doesn't appear very impressive. I often have more success photographing waterfalls by using a telephoto lens to zoom in on interesting details of the cascade. Use surrounding vegetation such ferns or moss to frame your waterfall. Having the water flow in a diagonal line also helps make your composition stronger. In autumn, look for swirling leaves caught in small pools at the base of waterfalls. By making 10 to 20 second exposures the swirling leaves in the water can be used to convey a strong sense of motion.

12) Reflections

Small Streams and Ponds are great for Capturing Reflections of Foliage in the fall. Images that capture the reflections of autumn foliage in water often have high impact because they make a strong use of color and light. Look for situations where the trees are still in direct sunlight, but the reflection is in the shade. Late afternoon light is often best for reflection images, the sun is low enough to create warm colors on the trees, but the stream is in shadow. Pay careful attention to the placement of rocks in the stream to try to improve your compositions. Rules of Third placements of the rocks are most effective; use them as frames around the reflection in the water. Look for tiny waterfalls in the stream; these small cascades create some of the most amazing colors in the water. Use a telephoto lens to zoom in and fill the frame with these colors.

Photographing Reflections of the Landscape

Photographing reflections of the landscape itself in water is one of my favorite things to do in photography. Some people prefer to photograph mirror-smooth reflections. This requires perfectly calm conditions with no wind, these conditions are most frequently encountered in the early morning before the wind comes up. But the effect of wind on the reflection in the water can create some interesting effects that look very impressionistic or abstract in nature. Sometimes it is best not to get so abstract that the viewer is confused by what he is looking at. The best way to solve this problem is to include the shoreline in the image. Placement of the horizon line is very important in composing reflection images. Dead center horizons can be too static in nature, particularly if the subject is very symmetrical. Placement of the horizon in the middle can be effective if the shapes of the subject and its reflection are interesting enough. When photographing reflections, remember that the reflected object is much brighter than the darker reflection. This creates a situation calling for a graduated neutral density filter. The dark part of the filter prevents the reflected object from overexposing. Placement of the horizon near the bottom emphasizes the interesting clouds in the sky. Placement of the horizon near the top of the frame allows room for an interesting foreground, and creates the leading line of the bank, which draws your eye to the church.

13) Putting it All Together in the Field

Small changes in the angle of view can create big differences in the strength of your final image. So what can you do in the field to improve your images? First of all film is relatively cheap. You bracket exposures to ensure that you get a proper exposure. When you find a scene that you know has potential you should also bracket your compositions. Try varying the camera height from the ground, using low vs. high perspectives. Avoid carrying your camera around on an extended tripod. By default you'll set up your shot at the height of the tripod, and you'll forget to try lower perspectives. When I arrive at a scene, I drop my tripod on the ground. I then spend several minutes walking around the scene, trying out different perspectives. This way you are not biased into tripod height shots. Your feet are one of the best tools you have to improve your compositions, so walk around until your shot improves. I moved until I found a pine tree I could use as a frame. The rock in the foreground also helps. So the next time that you are out in the field, don't be afraid to experiment and try some new approaches to your landscape photography.

Some of My Favorite Photo Spots in the White Mountains

I'm going to describe some of the locations by using the Delorme Page Number and Grid Reference.

Waterfalls

• Falling Waters Trail - Franconia Notch. (Pg 43 F11)
  This trail is on the State Parkway (Rt. 93) at the exit titled Trailhead Parking. It brings you to three waterfalls Stair Falls, Swiftwater & Cloudland. The hike to the top falls (Cloudland) climbs about 1,200 ft. and takes 1.5 hours. Stair Falls is reached in about 25 minutes with only moderate climbing. In the fall, this trail is a real gem.
• The Basin - Franconia Notch. (Pg 43 F11)
  This series of small waterfalls is only a ten-minute walk from the parking lot for those who don't want to hike far. This is also a great spot to shoot waterfalls in the winter because of the easy access. At the end of the paved trail, be sure to follow the Basin Cascades trail part way up the river.
• Beaver Book Falls (Pg 43 I 9)
  This is a great hike in the spring when the water is higher. This trail is also a steep 1.5 hour hike, and is the one where you want to avoid tragic results at the cascades. This trail consists of a series of five falls that are all over 30 ft. high. Park at the trailhead near Lost River, right off Rt. 112. Nearby Beaver Pond is a good spot for photography as well.

Sunrise Locations

• Elbow Pond (Pg 43 K 10)
  This is the pond where all of the reflection pictures were taken. Take Rt. 112 West out of Lincoln and turn towards Warren on Rt. 118. About one mile later exit to the left on a dirt road that has a sign for Elbow Pond. This pond also looks like a good spot for Moose watching.
• Mt. Moosilauke Overlook (Pg. 43 K 9)
  From the Elbow Pond turnout, continue on Rt. 118 toward Warren until you get to the top of the mountain. On your left is a parking area with a clear cut that has a spectacular view of Mt. Lafayette and the Swift River Valley.
• Kancamagus Pass (Pg 44 J 2)
  Head east on Rt. 112 from Lincoln towards Conway. In about ten miles you reach two rest areas at the top of the mountain. The second one is on your left and has a clear view to the east. It also has a small pavilion. From here you photograph sunrise from the grassy area below the parking lot.
• Mt. Washington Viewpoint (Pg. 49 I 9)
  About two miles south of Gorham on Rt. 16 there is viewpoint of Mt. Washington on your right where the Peabody river comes right up to the Road. The winter shots of Mt. Washington were made right here at the roadside.
• Sugar Hill Lupine Field (Pg. 43 C 9)
  From Rt. 93, exits onto Rt. 117 west towards the small town of Sugar Hill. At the top of the hill, turn left onto Sunset Hill road. On your left is a 12 acre field with a clear view of Cannon Mountain and Mt. Washington. In mid-June this field is filled with Lupines, and makes a great sunrise photo shoot. St. Matthews Church, seen in the reflections, is right on RT. 117 near the top of the hill, at a bend in the road. As you face the church, the reflecting pond is on the right, but hidden by vegetation. The smaller lupine field is to the left of the church. When in Sugar Hill, don't miss the Red Barn across the road from Polly's Pancake House. The pancakes here also are not to be missed.