Here are just a few tips that you can use to get more of a WOW factor into your landscape pictures.
Choose the right time of day. When at all possible, avoid the middle of the day for landscape photography. Your colors will be much more vibrant at the early and late hours of the day. In fact, sunrise is an awesome time for landscapes. Or, if you can catch an early or late time when it has just rained, the color is even deeper.
Use Graduated Filters. Again, at the early or late hours of the day, the sky is usually much brighter than the landscape features. Graduated filters can take some of the brightness out of the sky and help your camera to balance the highlights against the shadows in the land area.
Use a tripod. This is a top recommendation in any kind of photography when feasible. You can take better pictures when you can avoid camera shake and lens blur.
Employ the Rule of Thirds. Visually divide your photo area into sections or thirds. One of the most common mistakes that render a possibly great photo into just another snapshot is getting everything centered. Of course, it is a natural tendency to put the most dominant feature in the center of your shot, but think about moving it to avoid the center. If you have a straight horizon, move your camera up or down to move the horizon away from the horizontal center.
Avoid those blue skies. Think about some of the most dramatic landscape shots you have admired. Many of them have a dramatic sky rather than a blue sky. Yes, there are times when a blue sky is best, such as a beautiful fall color photo, or a snow topped mountain. But consider using the drama of an impending storm to change things and add some pop.
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