Landscape images rarely win photo competitions - and for a reason - most are mundane, everyday, and sometimes unfortunately fairly mediocre.

For some photographers, landscapes are rather disparagingly referred to ’backgrounds’, but the art of landscape photography is one to test every photographer.

It’s easy to ’point and press’ to take an image, but to get a landscape image with real impact, one that you instantly know is a ’great shot’ requires careful evaluation of many factors.

In fact, much of photography is all about choice - for example, the choice of which lens to use, what aperture, what shutter speed to set, what ISO, whether high key or low key, what depth-of-field is desired, how to compose the shot, whether filters such as a polariser or a neutral density filter are required, and how to use the available light to best advantage - ultimately, how to combine all those choices to achieve the vision, the image in the mind’s eye, the one planned for and intended.

All that takes skill, but what makes landscape work so unpredictable is that it is largely dependent on Mother Nature, the weather and the light on the day and at the time of your shot - so patience, planning and being prepared to wait till all those factors come into harmony for your shot are necessary.

Know the location and be prepared to find a different viewpoint rather than the ’well-travelled road’ used by every photographer before you.

So the view from the car at the bottom of the hill will probably have been done to death - whereas a shot from the top of the hill involving a strenuous climb is more likely to provide the unusual and perhaps amazing shot with real impact.

Early morning or late afternoon is generally thought to provide the best and most flattering light for landscapes, the light at midday usually overhead, too strong and ’flat’ for the best images - but clouds, even rainy conditions can give presence and atmosphere for added interest and impact.

Use of a tripod will ensure a sharp image with maximum resolution of detail, but depth of field is down to your artistic intentions - usually a landscape is expected to be sharp from foreground to infinity (requiring a shutter setting of f8-f16), but a wide-open shutter can isolate the subject matter for creative effect.

Composition and having interest throughout the image is again expected with a landscape - so a good foreground, mid area, background and sky are usually required. The rule of thirds and use of lead-in lines such as fences, roads, rivers or tree lines will all help to create impact and encourage the viewer’s eye to explore the resulting image. A polarising filter or neutral density filters to balance the light on the foreground and sky are also likely to prove helpful.

Why not consider joining a camera club such as the Isle of Man Photographic Society and take the opportunity to gain experience and skills?

Members of the society will always give a warm welcome to new members and be happy to share their knowledge, and give advice to help develop your skills. Have a look at our website - www.iomps.com or our Facebook page for lots of ideas to stimulate your interest.

Chris Blyth