12 Landscape Photography Secret Tips To Stand Out

As someone who's spent countless sunrises chasing the perfect shot, I've learned that truly breathtaking landscape photography goes far beyond the traditional rules.

Sure, concepts like the rule of thirds or golden hour are important, but the real magic often comes from breaking conventions.

Here are 12 unusual landscape photography tips I've personally tested and found incredibly effective, explained in detail to inspire and guide your creative journey:

1. Shoot Through Things

Instead of always seeking unobstructed views, deliberately include foreground elements such as branches, grass, flowers, or rocks.

Framed by blurred evergreens, this snow-dusted barn scene I shot in Switzerland draws the eye inward, showing how shooting through foreground elements can create natural depth and focus.

This adds depth, frames your subject, and guides the viewer's eye into the scene, making your landscape imagery dynamic and immersive. 

Try different apertures for varying degrees of blur and clarity.

By shooting through a field of bright yellow wildflowers, this image creates natural depth and atmosphere. This stunning photo was taken by featured photographer Micha (@michisfotokiste)

2. Abstract Reflections

Rather than capturing direct landscapes, focus solely on reflections in water surfaces such as lakes, ponds, or rivers.

Layers of golden mist and blurred tree reflections merge into a dreamy composition, showing how soft light and still water can turn a real scene into something abstract and painterly. Shot by Ales Krivec

Abstract reflections create intriguing shapes and colors, transforming ordinary scenes into stunning, artistic images full of mystery. 

Calm waters at dawn or dusk yield the most vivid and clear reflections.

Reflections don’t have to be literal - at night, artificial lights and bold colors create surreal, abstract effects on water. Photo captured by our featured photographer Ani Ahoi (@linsen.blicke)

3. Unconventional Angles

Challenge traditional landscape photography by changing your shooting angle drastically.

Get low to the ground, use a drone for aerial perspectives, or find high vantage points like cliffs or rooftops.

Here, a top-down composition transforms a forest road into a leading-line masterpiece, with autumn colors framing the entire scene. Shot by Woodland Presets user @_pixelshutter_

Unique perspectives like these create striking and fresh compositions that set your photographs apart.

By getting extremely low and using the train tracks as leading lines, this unconventional angle pulls the viewer directly into the frame. Shot by featured photographer Netti Meyer (@augenblickErleben).

4. Embrace Bad Weather

Don't pack up your gear when stormy weather approaches.

Here, moody skies and golden storm light transform a lone tree into a powerful focal point. Shot by Woodland Presets user @parrcreekphotography

Rain, fog, snow, or clouds can dramatically enhance landscape photography by adding mood, atmosphere, and depth.

Moisture on surfaces creates reflections and textures, and diffused light softens harsh contrasts beautifully.

The soft light and layered haze in this scene create gentle contrast and atmospheric depth - the kind of subtle drama you only get in overcast or foggy conditions. Shot by featured photographer Max (@Mspelziniphoto)

5. Intentional Camera Movement (ICM)

Intentional Camera Movement (ICM) is a creative technique that involves deliberately moving your camera during exposure to create artistic, abstract photographs.

With the right motion and timing, even a sunset can become surreal. This horizontal drag creates a mirrored sun effect. Stunning photo by Dave Hoefler

To achieve this effect, set your camera to shutter priority or manual mode and choose a slower shutter speed, typically between 1/5 and 2 seconds, depending on the available light and desired effect.

As you release the shutter, smoothly move your camera vertically, horizontally, or even rotate it.

Vertical movements can enhance linear elements like trees or tall grass, while horizontal motions are ideal for horizons or water scenes.

A vertical pan during a slow shutter exposure turns an ordinary forest into a painterly scene. Awesome image taken by Alessandro Matonti

Rotation creates spiral or radial patterns.

Experiment with varying shutter speeds, movement directions, and degrees of camera motion to achieve diverse results.

Remember, ICM photographs often look best with simple, high-contrast subjects and balanced lighting conditions.

Practicing this technique frequently helps you understand the best movements and exposure combinations for your desired aesthetic.

This technique turns fields and skies into soft bands of color - a perfect example of ICM's creative power by Bernardo Lorena Ponte

6. Minimalist Landscapes

Less is more.

Reduce landscape compositions to the bare essentials, focusing on one or two key elements like a solitary tree, distant mountain, or open sky. 

A single tree, a soft fog, and a wide-open sky are all you need to create impact with space and simplicity. Shot taken by Woodland Presets user @sabrina__natuurfotos

Powerful negative space creates compelling minimalist photographs, evoking feelings of serenity and simplicity.

The windmill and treeline become simple shapes, grounded by a glowing sky. Taken by featured photographer Netti Meyer (@augenblickErleben).

7. Stacking Multiple Exposures

Stacking multiple exposures is a powerful technique that combines several images taken at different settings to create a single photo with exceptional dynamic range and depth of field.

This waterfall scene was captured by Woodland Presets user @charlie.gordon.photography  using a slower shutter speed to smooth the motion of water.

Start by placing your camera on a sturdy tripod to ensure precise alignment between frames. 

Capture separate images at different exposure settings, one optimized for highlights, another for mid-tones, and one for shadows.

Additionally, you can shoot different focal points to maximize sharpness throughout the scene.

This shot taken by Joshua Earle uses twilight to balance the sky, stars, and foreground for a clean, vivid result.

Combine these images later using editing software like Adobe Photoshop or Lightroom.

This process allows you to maintain incredible detail and clarity across the entire image, ideal for scenes with challenging lighting conditions.

Motion can tell a story your eyes miss in real-time. A slow shutter turns eruption into energy, light into lines, and chaos into art. Stunning shot taken by By Topo.

8. Night-Time Landscapes

Photographing landscapes after sunset opens up an entirely new world of creative possibilities.

Every scene demands something different. For shots like this, start with your subject - then choose the settings that will bring it to life. Highlight shot taken by featured photographer Netti Meyer (@augenblickErleben).

To capture compelling night-time landscapes, use a sturdy tripod and set your camera to manual mode. 

Opt for longer exposures (from 15 seconds to several minutes), wider apertures (such as f/2.8 to f/4), and higher ISO settings (800–3200) depending on your camera's performance.

Compose your shots thoughtfully, considering the Milky Way, star trails, or city lights against natural landscapes.

A peaceful mountain scene lit only by moonlight and stars, showing how dramatic landscapes can come alive even after sunset. Shot by Luca Bravo

Experiment with different white balance settings to enhance nighttime colors. With practice, you'll produce stunning images that reveal the unseen beauty of night.

Using long exposures and high ISO settings will yield impressive night images full of beauty and wonder.

A quiet forest silhouette beneath a glowing night sky, with light pollution creating a natural gradient - perfect for experimenting with night landscape exposures. Shot by Luke Thornton

9. Light Painting

Light painting involves illuminating specific elements in your scene during long exposures at night or twilight to add depth and visual interest.

Use intentional movement and long exposures to turn night scenes into dynamic, otherworldly compositions. Shot by Anton

Place your camera on a tripod and set it to a long exposure (usually between 15 and 60 seconds). Use a flashlight, headlamp, or portable LED light to gently illuminate foreground objects such as rocks, trees, or plants. 

Move the light slowly and evenly to prevent harsh shadows and hotspots.

Don’t be afraid to bring color into your light painting shots. Red light adds atmosphere and keeps your stars sharp. Shot by Sean Pierce

This technique creates a balanced, artistic composition and highlights intricate details that might otherwise remain unseen in darker conditions.

Spotlight a single subject to create contrast and mood under a starry sky. A flashlight or phone light works in a pinch. Shot by Simon Joseph

10. Long Lens Landscapes

Step away from wide-angle lenses occasionally and opt for telephoto lenses.

Longer lenses compress perspective, isolate distant elements, and allow for intricate, intimate compositions.

This technique reveals hidden details and creates compelling landscape portraits.

I took this photo in Mont Saint-Michel with a 70mm lens to pull the distant rainbow tight against the castle wall, creating an unexpected blend of color and architecture through natural compression.

11. Textured Black and White

Black and white landscape photography accentuates textures, contrasts, and subtle tones.

Deep contrasts and reflective textures make this black and white conversion feel bold and dimensional. Shot taken by Woodland Presets user @drewritchiephotography 

Removing color can highlight shapes, patterns, and dramatic shadows, giving landscapes a timeless, classic feel. 

Try using Lightroom presets or other editing software to fine-tune contrasts and textures for maximum impact.

Minimalist composition and clean contrast turn this quiet moment into a story, a lone boat anchored in still water while birds break the silence overhead. Shot by Esteban Amaro

12. Vertical Landscapes

Break the horizontal habit and embrace vertical orientation to showcase the height and depth of landscapes.

Vertical framing captures the dramatic rise from valley floor to snowcapped summit, adding scale and depth to this moody highland landscape. Shot by featured photographer Max (@Mspelziniphoto)

Vertical framing emphasizes tall elements like mountains, waterfalls, trees, or reflections, creating dynamic compositions that differ significantly from traditional landscape formats.

Soft rainbow light meets pastel waves in this vertical composition, emphasizing the dreamy height and openness of the scene. Photo taken by Woodland Presets user @sabrina_natuurfotos 

Take Your Landscape Imagery Further

Every unconventional method here opens doors to creativity and can help elevate your landscape photos beyond common snapshots.

Try pairing these tips with tools designed specifically for landscape photography, like our Landscape AI Lightroom Toolkit, for polished final results in your imagery without the hassle of editing for hours.

Check out how professional photographers from our photographer spotlights leverage these techniques to craft distinctive landscape photography.

Thanks for reading!

Got your own unusual tips or curious to explore more? Let me know in the comments!