Great composition in landscape photographs can be tricky and there are so many tips, tricks, and rules, some of the more basic principles can fall by the wayside. Here are seven tips based around one area of composition that is too often forgotten.

We have some great landscape photographers here at Fstoppers, and one aspect of their work that continually impresses me is that they find these attractive and satisfying compositions, but without being in cliche locations and vantage points. Capturing everything you want in a scene, in a way that ties everything together, is quite the challenge, but landscape photographer, Nigel Danson, argues that a key element often goes forgotten.

That key element is how you use the sky. I’ve never truly figured out landscape photography, but whenever I’m lured in by its beauty, it inevitably involves the sky in one way or another. But simply capturing a post-storm, apocalyptic sky is unlikely to make for a memorable, lasting image. What you instead need to do, is house it into a scene. One of the tips in this video I hadn’t ever thought to look for is the mirroring of shapes. For example, capturing a cloud in the sky that resembles the river below it. This gives a sense of symmetry that can be pleasing in a final image.

How do you like to include the sky in your compositions?