Use the right light

Generally the best light for outdoor photography is shortly after sunrise, or in the late afternoon right before sunset. Try these tricks too:

• 1. Turn off your flash and work with available light. Be sure to use a tripod if you are in a low-light situation.
  
• 2. Experiment with where light is shining in your scene: front, back, or on the side. Side lighting produces more texture between light and shade.

Choose a point of interest

Like the castle in this shot, give the viewer's eye somewhere to rest in your photo by including a specific point of interest.

Possibilities include: Trees; Flowers; People; Clouds; Birds; Houses.

Create depth

Capture an object in the foreground of your image to create depth. Using the landscape shooting mode should allow both this object and the background to be in focus.

Or, you can go fully manual and adjust depth of field by choosing a custom aperture and shutter speed. Experiment with different f-numbers. Each one will subtly change your depth of field.

Place the focus off-center

Please the eye by placing your object of interest or the horizon off center rather than mid-frame. This is known as the rule of thirds. Here's how:

• 1. In your mind's eye, divide the picture area into vertical and horizontal thirds (like a tic-tac-toe grid).
  
• 2. Rather than placing your subject directly in the center of the grid, try placing it on one of the four lines to create a more interesting picture.
  
• 3. In landscape photos, try aligning the mountains or horizon on lines one or two.

Shoot panoramas

A panorama is a series of photos digitally stitched together to form one wide image.

Several digital cameras offer in-camera panorama stitching—a feature that fuses up to five single shots together to create one seamless image—right in your camera. No software needed!

Include people

Including people in your landscapes can give your photos personality and help establish scale.

Try shots with your figures up close and great scenery in background. Or, capture figures in the distance for some drama.

Snap snowy scenes

Snowy days are the perfect time to capture magical Winter shots. The key to great snow pictures is white balance. This camera function balances colors based on the lighting situation.

Just set your camera to the snow shooting mode (on select models), and it will automatically adjust the camera's white balance to compensate for snow and lighting conditions.

Or use your camera's manual controls to adjust white balance until the snow's color is correct. You'll be able to see the image change on your camera's screen, so adjust up or down until the whites in the photo look accurate.

Experiment with black and white

The enhanced contrast of black and white accentuates lines, textures, and edges, making it a good choice for capturing landscapes (a jagged mountain range, sand patterns in the desert, a stormy sky).