Composition is one tough cookie to crack. Once you've sorted out all the technical aspects of photography, it's the composition that really makes or breaks an image. Some people just "have it", they instinctively know what works and what doesn't. Others, like yours truly, have to work at it.

Sure there are 'rules' (better thought of as guidelines) and theories etc, but many of the *best* images break these rules, so what help does that give to those of us that don't 'get it'? 

Over the years, I've come to notice a certain style in my landscape photography. In fact, there are three things I often use in landscapes, sometimes all at once. The first is the most surprising of all.

Allow me to demonstrate: 

Yep, verticals. Who'd have thought it? A landscape is, well, landscape shaped right? Even the orientation of the camera is called landscape for God's sake! So what am I doing with these verticals? Well, it seems I see landscapes vertically rather than horizontally. It's something I've been aware of for a while, but I was looking back through some images recently, as well as some newer shots, and I was left with the over-whelming feeling that for me at least, vertical landscapes are where it's at.  So rather than fight it, I'm going to embrace it more fervently from now on. I can only guess that my brain works that way round... maybe it's a function of being tall and slim (*Ahem* sort of slim....ish!) rather than short and wide. Who knows?

OK, so that's one of the way; what else is there?

Next up is foreground interest. Now this is pretty well-known, but it's surprising how many people overlook it when composing their 'landscape' images. You NEED something in the foreground to give interest and help hold the shot together. It's something I do a lot of, and in some cases turn the foreground interest into a leading line as well. I know, get me! 

Two lots of heavy foreground interest and one lot of foreground interest with leading lines. See, I told you this was going somewhere...

And now for the final one, and another surprise: a bit of motion. Yep, movement in the landscape. Now it's not always possible and not always advisable. But as will a lot of images I take, I like to get some motion in the shot - a slower shutter speed, a pan, zoom burst, second-curtain sync... anything to stop the shot being completely frozen.

Here's a landscape with some motion. Vertically. With foreground interest. 

You may tell me the sea thrift in the foreground is out of focus, certainly others have said so. But you'll have to take my word for it, it's not! It's just blowing in the wind and some are blowing more than others. 

So there you have it. Dave's guide to how he shoots landscapes: Vertical, foreground interest and motion. Or any combination of the three. 

Interestingly, while thinking about this post and looking through some pictures, I realised that actually it's not just landscapes I shoot vertically. No, nothing is safe from the vertical treatment, not even birds in flight, GT1 cars and Moto GP bikes!

If any of you have views on why this might be, or indeed your own ideas about how you shoot landscapes, I'd love to hear them so fill up the comments!