94 LandScape photographY: From SnapShotS to great ShotS
sees it. And your point of view is valid and important because it enriches all of us
when we have a diversity of views of our landscapes. It makes you and the landscapes
more important.
So, just being aware that you have the potential of seeing this landscape with fresh
eyes will help you start seeing your compositions better. Your choices about com-
position define both how you see the landscape for your photograph and how any
viewers of your photograph will see that landscape. You’re influencing other people’s
views of the world.Chapter 4 Assignments
Get Out of the Middle
A great way to help you avoid middle compositions is to go out and spend some time photograph-
ing a scene where every picture keeps “important stuff” out of the middle of the photograph.
Work at it. Consciously place things in your composition that are away from the center of
the frame. As you do this, watch your background, too. Be sure that you don’t have a horizon
going through the middle when you’ve worked so hard to put a tree on one side of the image
or the other.Sky versus Ground
For this assignment, find a location where you have a strong horizon between sky and ground.
Take a series of pictures of this scene as you vary the position of the horizon. Try taking a picture
with the horizon at the bottom of the frame, and then try the same scene with the horizon at
the top of the frame. Take a look at your images and see how that changed composition affects
how you feel about and perceive the location.