How to compose a landscape?

I myself have a good eye for compositions, i would like to say thats one of my strong points. But i cant simply depend upon what i believe in so i have done some research on how to compose a landscape and what it should consist of, information taken from http://landscapephotographytoday.com/composition/

The people who look at your landscape photographs will normally like some of your pictures better than others, but they can’t always express why. Quite often, the landscape pictures that stand out are those they have been thoughtfully composed. When you see a beautiful scene, you can just start snapping digital photos right and left, and you will end up with a bunch of okay pictures. However, if you take time to compose your landscape photo, you will bring back a number of pictures that are outstanding.

 The Rule of Thirds

One of the oldest rules of photography is the Rule of Thirds. According to this rule, you should divide the scene you see in the viewfinder into three equally spaced vertical parts and three equally spaced horizontal parts.  The key parts of your photograph should be placed along these lines or their intersections. When you do this, it creates more tension, energy and interest in your landscape photo.

To put it in simpler terms, normally avoid placing the main subject in the direct center of your photograph. Instead, place it at about the one-third mark from the edge of the photo. In the picture I took of a Paris metro station sign (above), I placed the sign off-center, both vertically and horizontally, which makes a more interesting picture than if the sign were centered in the exact middle.

At the same time, I often find it hard to follow the Rule of Thirds both vertically and horizontally in the same picture. Photography is my hobby, not my profession. I’m not composing pictures for a photo contest. Rather, I’m usually on a trip or outing having fun. If I have to worry too much about my composition, it takes the fun out of photography for me. I took the cityscape picture below from the Eiffel tower in Paris. I ignored the Rule of Thirds because I felt the picture looked better with the grass mall area in the center of the picture. However, I followed the Rule by placing the horizon two-thirds of the way up from the bottom of the picture. Nevertheless, I ended up with a fairly ordinary photo, not a great photo. Sometimes the scene before you doesn’t allow the creativity that another scene allows.

 Try to avoid placing the horizon in the center of your landscape photographs. Normally, it should be either about one-third of the distance from the bottom of the photo, or two-thirds of the distance.  If you want to emphasize the sky, then make it one-third up.  If you want to emphasize the landscape, place it two-thirds of the way up. Obviously, don’t be overly concerned about following this rule exactly. Just try to avoid putting the horizon in the exact middle of your landscape picture, dividing the photo in half. And if it’s an overcast day, try to show as little of the sky as possible in your landscape photo.

 Emphasize the Subject Through Reflection

 

One of the nicest ways to emphasize your subject is to capture a shot where the main subject is reflected in a pool of water.  It’s not often you get the opportunity to emphasize your subject in this manner. But when you get the opportunity to do so, the results can be spectacular. 

Sometimes you have to go to a bit of extra work to get just the perfect shot.  The photograph above of Chateau Chenonceaux in the Loire Valley, France, took some extra steps to capture.  For one thing, you can’t get that view from on the grounds of the chateau. I learned from one of the locals that there was a way to get to the far side of the chateau (from where the picture was taken) by driving down a winding, unmarked road and then hiking through the woods on public land.  I did that and was able to capture the shot below.