As a travel photographer, you encounter a remarkable variety of subjects—from vibrant cultures and urban architecture to exotic wildlife—but it’s the landscapes that often leave the deepest impression. There’s something almost magical about capturing a scene that looks too perfect to be real. Yet photographing landscapes effectively is far more than just pointing a camera and clicking. With practice and intention, your images can reach a whole new level of quality.
Below are ten worthwhile tips that will help you elevate your landscape photography while travelling.
1. Start with the basics
Before diving into landscapes, solidify your general travel‑photography foundation. Know your gear, understand your camera, and recognise common pitfalls. These fundamentals will significantly improve how your landscape shots turn out.
2. Handling sunsets and direct light
Sunsets and sunrises can be tricky. When shooting into the sun, your camera’s light meter may misjudge the exposure. The workaround: frame the scene with the sun out of view initially, hold the shutter button halfway down to fix focus and exposure, then recompose to include the sun. This technique helps avoid blown‑out highlights and captures the depth of the scene.
3. Dealing with water reflections
Water can add beautiful textures to a photo—unless it’s combating glare and unwanted reflection. A polarising filter is one of the best tools for reducing surface glare and enhancing colour in water or wet rocks. If you don’t have one, in post‑processing you can reduce highlights and use a “Dehaze” tool to recover details that might be lost to bright reflection.
4. Long exposures for moving water
An overcast day isn’t always a disappointment—it can actually be ideal for photographing streams and waterfalls. The soft light reduces contrast and allows you to use long exposures: the land remains sharp while the water becomes smooth and dreamy. On bright days, you may need a neutral‑density filter to avoid overexposure when stretching shutter time.
5. Capturing rainbows and vibrant skies
When you spot a rainbow, a polarising filter can make all the difference. It boosts contrast and colour saturation—bringing out deeper blues in the sky and richer tones in the rainbow itself. It’s a simple accessory that consistently upgrades your landscape shots.
6. Focus strategy for wide‑scenes
Landscape photography isn’t the time for a narrow focus on one element—your aim is clarity throughout the scene. Instead of focusing dead centre, choose a point about one‑third into the scene from the foreground. At the same time, use a smaller aperture (higher f‑number) to expand your depth of field so everything from front to back remains in sharp focus.
7. Let light lead the composition
Light is a decisive factor in landscape photography—it can turn an ordinary scene into something extraordinary, or it can make an extraordinary scene look flat. Don’t just pick a “nice place” and wait: find the light first, then decide what scene to capture in this light. A sunrise or soft side‑light often makes the difference between a so‑so image and a captivating one.
8. Working with overcast skies
When skies are grey and bland, many give up—but don’t. Instead of letting the messy sky dominate your frame, shift the focus of your photo elsewhere. Use compositional elements (a bridge, a tree, a rock formation) that draw the eye downward and away from the sky. With the right angle you can still create a powerful image despite dull weather.
9. Shooting in fog
Fog can feel like the enemy—but it’s also an opportunity. With reduced visibility and diffused light, you can craft moody, atmospheric shots. Use a polariser to cut through haze, and if you forgot the filter, later in editing apply a “Dehaze” tool to lift clarity. These techniques help maintain detail when conditions are challenging.
10. Choosing the right camera sensor
If you have the budget and are serious about landscapes, a full‑frame camera offers real advantages. It captures more of the scene and more light, especially useful at sunrise or sunset when shadows and low light matter. The broader sensor improves dynamic range and yields richer details in dark or bright areas.
Closing thoughts
Landscape photography is an invitation to slow down, look closely, and respond to your surroundings. With the right gear, thoughtful techniques, and attention to light and composition, you’ll not just photograph a place—you’ll tell its story.
By building on these ten practices, your travel‑landscape images won’t just document what you saw—they’ll invite viewers to feel what you experienced.
