As a landscape photographer, composition is everything. It is the glue that holds our photos together and it is what separates a great shot from a mediocre shot. Our compositions tell a story. They are our artistic expression of the natural world.

But what exactly is composition? This is a constant conversation among photographers, but oftentimes it can be quite elusive and difficult to understand.

In landscape photography, composition usually involves two key components – a focal point and the available elements in a scene. The goal is to arrange those elements so that the final image offers a smooth, visually pleasing transition to the focal point. That’s composition in the most basic sense. How you include (or don’t include) those elements can make or break your composition. My goal is to shed some light on how I approach composition, using it to create dramatic photographs. Most of us are familiar with the rule of thirds and the incorporation of leading lines. Those are some of the first compositional techniques we learn during our progression as photographers. I’m going to dive a little deeper here to discuss some of the lesser discussed techniques/resources that I use in my quest to create compelling compositions.

Pre-Visualization – Finding a Focal point
When I think of a focal point and the elements of a composition, I almost think of them as having two different magnitudes. I refer to these magnitudes as macroscale and microscale. Macroscale refers to the general location of a place and the available focal points, while microscale refers to the smaller elements within that location. Think of macroscale as the jagged mountain peak and micro scale as the stream flowing at the base of that peak. In this section, I will mainly focus on the macroscale aspect of composition.

To create a great composition you need a great foundation. That means your focal point needs to be exceptionally strong. If you don’t have a strong focal point then your composition is bound to fail. But, finding a powerful focal point can be difficult. Especially when you’re looking to get a shot from a remote area or of a spot where few people photograph. Not all of us have an unlimited amount of time to scout new locations and travel as much as we’d like so I’m going to show you some resources I use to find great focal points in a short amount of time.

My most powerful tool is Google Earth. Google Earth’s 3-dimensional view is one of THE most useful resources for me as a landscape photographer. It’s great for scouting locations you’ve never been. It gives you the information you need to determine if a certain location has a good focal point and ultimately if it has the potential for an exceptional composition.

For instance, the picture below shows a 3D view of Oregon’s Mount Hood. After flying through the area via Google Earth, I found what I thought to be a spot that had a lot of potential to produce a great composition. Mount Hood is the clear focal point of the scene. The ridges below Mount Hood form a nice U-shaped bowl and frame the mountain. There’s even so much detail in the 3D imagery that I could see a glacier-fed stream flowing down the valley too. Just from a few minutes of scouting on Google Earth, I had an idea of what this spot could offer, what the focal point would look like, and even what microscale elements (the stream) I might be able to incorporate in my final composition. I also believed that the greenery shown in the alpine valley might harness wildflowers.

Mountain Light – TVC 24L+ BH-55 – Nikon D810 + 14-24mm f/2.8 – 14mm, 1/4s, f/11, ISO 100 -Matt Meisenheimer

I can’t stress enough how important a high-quality tripod is when you strive to capture action and dramatic scenes. Most of the time you will find yourself in less than favorable environmental conditions. I consistently find myself shooting in fast-moving water, in high wind situations, and in extreme temperatures. That’s why I choose to use Really Right Stuff products. A Really Right Stuff rig makes a difference for me because most of the conditions I capture only show themselves for a brief moment. That gives me little time to set up a stable platform that I know won’t fail on me. My current configuration has worked out awesome for those situations. I use the TFC-14 and BH-30, it’s a great rig for travel photography since it is ultralight.

Now, here is another example from the high country of Glacier National Park. During an afternoon hike to Grinnell Glacier, I found myself caught in a brief flurry of snow. Again, wanting to capture the snowfall and dramatic light, I quickly set up and started taking exposures at 1/90s to freeze the snowflakes. If you can visualize the scene without the snow, the composition is relatively basic. However, you can see how much atmosphere the snow adds to this scene. The viewer can almost feel the snow falling and the composition is much stronger as a result.

The Cave – TVC 24L+ BH-55 – Nikon D800e + 14-24mm f/2.8 – 14mm, 1/4s, f/13, ISO 100 -Matt Meisenheimer

This cave can be found in Olympic National Park and it is actually quite small. I got as close to the walls as I could to magnify the size of the cave. This frame works particularly well. The movement of water draws the eye right to sea stack and the frame of the cave keeps the eye fixed on the stack.

Reflect Your Focal Point 
Reflections can result in powerful compositions. When I think about an idyllic reflection, a vast mountain range reflected in a large alpine lake comes to mind, but I stress you again to look smaller. Subtle, smaller reflective scenes are all over where there’s water, you just have to look for them. If you do find those scenes, the symmetry between the subject and its respective reflection often results in a fantastic shot. When I explore water worlds, I always keep in mind that even the smallest pool can be used as a reflective element. Here are two examples.

Mirror – TVC 24L+ BH-55 – Nikon D800e + 14-24mm f/2.8 – 14mm, 1s, f/16, ISO 100 -Matt Meisenheimer

In this shot from Elowah Falls, the pool in the foreground is very small, probably around 1’x1’, I again used my wide-angle lens to magnify the scene. My camera was almost touching the pool of water and I needed to get it as low as possible so that the reflection was actually visible. After some tough setup, I was in the right position and was able to create this final image. The key is getting your camera almost level with the reflective surface so that a reflection is possible. Another reason I love my RRS setup, I know I can get my camera as low as I want with the right leg configuration.

The shot below is of Mount Chephren. The reflective pool was about the same size as the example above. Once again, I got as low as I possibly could to enlarge the pool and get the mountain to reflect.

Reflection of the Self – TVC 24L+ BH-55 – Nikon D810 + 14-24mm f/2.8 – 14mm, 1/6s, f/16, ISO 64 -Matt Meisenheimer

Summary
All of us are after that one great shot that shows our skill, wows our peers, and exemplifies our artistry, but shots like that are hard to come by. However, all of us can get closer to getting our ‘best’ shot by working on our compositions. No matter how you process your work composition is the foundation of landscape photography. Without it, we have nothing.

I hope these tips help you on your quest for your best shot, I know that I am still searching for mine! We discuss all of these tips and more on Backcountry Journeys Workshops, and there is no better way to learn than in-person at some of these actual locations. Consider joining us for a future workshop!