The Rules - The nine rules you need to know to shoot perfect landscapes

The Rules

Landscape pro Dan Santillo passes on his advice for great scenic shots

1 Go for quality

Good landscape photography is all about taking high quality images that are sharp from front to back and don't have any digital noise. To achieve this, you need to make sure that you're using the right file format and ISO setting.

2 Keep it steady

The very best landscape photos are often taken around sunrise or sunset when the light levels are low. Consequently, shutter speeds are long making it essential for you to have the camera supported to avoid camera shake. You could use a wall or fence, but the best way is to use a tripod.

3 Look around the frame

There's probably no photographer out there who hasn't, at some point or another, taken a great photo and upon inspection at home discovered there is something unwanted in the frame, such as a piece of litter or a person/car. These distractions can usually be removed on a computer later, but a couple of seconds spent now saves a couple of minutes later on.

4 Know your area

It is possible to turn up at a location you've never visited before and take a great photo, but there is no substitute for knowledge. It pays dividends to visit the location beforehand and spend time thinking about the photo you want to take, what you want in it, where to stand and what the best time of day.

5 Use compositional tricks

When you frame up your images, there are a number of tried and tasted compositional tricks that can be used. Use the Rule of Thirds, lead-in lines, proportion and foreground interest to put your landscape shots in a field of their own!

6 Get up early, go to bed late

Landscape photographers often keep unsociable hours. The reason for this is to make the most of the 'golden hour' - the first hour of sunlight in the morning and the last hour of sunlight in the evening. The sun is at a lower angle in the sky, which creates longer shadows and is softer and warmer in appearance, turning the landscape a golden colour.

7 Keep it sharp

If you look at a landscape photo closely, you'll see that the foreground is sharp and so is the far distance. To achieve this, you need a large 'depth-of-field' in your shots, which means taking your camera off the P or green square mode. Select Aperture-priority and choose a small aperture (f/16 or f/22) to get a large depth-of-field.

8 Use filters

There are two types of filter that are essential for landscape photography. A polariser increases the colour saturation and removes reflections from surfaces such as water and glass. Neutral density graduated filters help to reduce the brightness of the sky, so you can get detail both in the sky and the land.

9 Watch the weather

Iit's important to learn to watch the weather - some photographers become so proficient at this that they are able to forecast weather themselves to some degree. There are a variety of websites that forecast the weather for you.

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