With the first edition of The Landscape Awards closing for entries in just a few days, we’ve gathered up a few more tips to get you thinking about how to shoot successful landscapes, no matter your skill level or where you live. You can also see our seascape tips from last week here.

1) Shoot when the light is good

It’s a fundamental of photography we’ve all heard plenty of times, but I’ll say it again – all genres of photography benefit from the right light. What is ‘right’ will vary depending on what you’re shooting, so once you’ve identified your subject spend some time working out how the light affects it.

Time of day and weather are the main influencers of light in landscape photography. Early mornings and late afternoons often produce the best conditions and so called ‘bad’ weather can sometimes make for great photos.

2) Be deliberate

While it’s fine to take snapshots, if you want to excel in a competition like The Landscape Awards, you’re going to need to be more deliberate. That means visualizing the result you’re seeking and then breaking down the steps to get there. While sometimes you will get lucky, great landscape shots are rarely the product of chance.

3) Strip away the excess

Where a painter adds to their canvas with paint and a brush, a photographer should try to do the opposite – use their composition skills to remove distractions. Decide what part of your image is the main focal point, and then remove anything in the frame that detracts from it.

4) Edit softly

It’s been said that where photography is the composition, editing is the symphony. And while editing can be a controversial topic in photography competitions, the reality is you’re not doing your work justice if you don’t edit your images well.

Learn what your chosen editing tools do and take your time editing your masterpiece. And edit softly, often the best editing is invisible.

5) Enjoy yourself

Landscape photography allows us to experience nature in all its glory at the times of day where it looks its best. This is a privilege that few people ever get to enjoy, so don’t forget to enjoy yourself. And remember, if you miss the shot today, there’s always tomorrow.

The Landscape Awards, presented by Eizo, is looking for Australia’s and New Zealand’s best landscape photographers to share in a prize pool worth more than $24,000. Plus, in our inaugural year, $5 from each entry will be donated to the Australian Conservation Foundation. Entries close January 29th. You can enter here.