As a beginner landscape photographer, I am genuinely excited to share some of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned from Max over the past year. These lessons have come through my own trial and error, and also thanks to the guidance and inspiration I’ve received from my mentor, Max Rive. When I first picked up a camera in late 2024, I was completely new to photography. I didn’t know anything about composition, light, or how to shoot in manual mode. Through practice, patience, and making a lot of mistakes, I slowly started to understand what makes a landscape photo truly work. I hope that by sharing the mistakes I made (and still sometimes make!) I can help you avoid some common pitfalls.
When I first started learning manual settings, I made the classic mistake of overexposing a few shots and quickly realized that an overexposed image is often very difficult to recover in post-processing. After that, I ended up swinging too far in the other direction and began underexposing most of my images out of fear of blowing out the highlights. Finding the right exposure is tricky, it takes a lot of practice. Here are some basics to help you get started.
You can tell this is over-exposed because the detail of the mountain is lost. The sky is too bright,
You can tell this image is underexposed because the dark parts lose detail.
Don’t get caught up in histograms and technical data too early. It’s important to train your eyes to understand exposure. Your eyes are your best tool in the field. Max taught me to constantly review my images on the camera, evaluate how they look, and make small adjustments as I go. That’s how I started developing a feel for proper exposure.
The process that helped me the most was learning how to work with my settings in a specific order:
1. Start with shutter speed — especially important if you’re hand-holding your camera or capturing motion.
2. Then adjust your aperture (f-stop) based on the depth of field you want.
3. Lastly, set your ISO — often I found my ISO was too low in my underexposed era or just didn’t match the rest of my settings, leading to dark or grainy shots.
Now, if I take a shot and it looks too white or bright on the screen, I’ll first adjust the shutter speed, then tweak the ISO, and recheck the image until it feels right. That “feel” takes time to develop — but it comes with practice and being intentional about reviewing your shots and learning what works.
Too Much Sky or Too Little
This one isn’t just for beginners, I’ve seen many professional photographers make this mistake too! Getting the balance of sky in your frame is so important. Too much sky can make your subject (often a mountain or other landscape feature) look tiny and disconnected. It can also flatten the sense of depth in your image. On the other hand, too little sky, can throw the whole image off and make it feel cramped or unbalanced. Mostly I see people shooting with too little sky especially when using a wide angle lens.
This image has too little sky
This image has too much sky.
Here’s the tip that changed things for me: tilt your camera down, don’t move it, just tilt. By doing this, you naturally bring more of the foreground into the frame, which is where your leading lines and depth often are. I’ll usually start by tilting the camera down so far that I’m completely cutting off the sky — not taking the photo yet, just lining things up. This shows me the maximum amount of usable foreground.
Then, I’ll slowly tilt the camera back up, adding the sky bit by bit until the scene feels balanced. Only once the overall framing feels right do I start refining the composition, experimenting with foreground angles, leading lines, and so on. This simple method has made a huge difference in how I approach sky composition in landscapes, and it helps me avoid the extremes of “sky overload” or “sky starvation. If you want more advice on composing Max has written a great article on it here, Elements of Strong Compositions.
Avoid the Classical Compositions
Don’t get stuck taking the same photo as everyone else. Yes, in some locations there might only be one or two obvious compositions and sometimes those are popular for a reason like Alpe di Siusi for example. However, I encourage you to, when you arrive at a new spot, challenge yourself to see it your way. Go exploring and try to find something unique. Even at those classic spots where there is one famous well-known composition, there are other photos there too! Especially when it is misty or if the light is changing frequently then different parts of the landscape become the center of attention.
The first image below is the classical shot from Alpe di Siusi. This place is a great example of everyone taking the same composition. I have seen tour groups arrive, everyone set up their tripods, wait for the sun, take a picture and then immediately get back in the van and go to breakfast! Even when the light and mist are epic for shooting, the exploring mindset is lost.
The classical shot has the barns in the foreground, trees in the midground and the mountains beyond.
Now let me share a couple of my favourite pics from Max's autumn collection where he focused on light and trees as the subject instead! If you are in a spot to shoot a particular composition, use your free will to follow your interest and see what else is there, you might just find something special. Not only will it probably be unique, it will be your own photo and no doubt that will make you even more proud and satisfied if it's a good result.
The focus here here is how the light creating a shadow on the tree and sunbeams in the background.
Photo from the Dolomites Autumn taken in 2018.
As a total beginner, I first had to figure out what where to begin when you start composing a shot. Once you get a basic understanding, like placing the mountains in the background. Aligning the tallest peak near the center to create balance. Then you have the freedom to explore and get creative with everything else like the foreground and midground.
If you are struggling to find something unique because you don't know what to look for yet. Then I suggest take the most obvious photo. Then look at it and ask yourself why does it work? Usually the answer is something like "well everything is in the frame, there's balance, symmetry, the light comes from a good direction etc". THEN ask yourself what would it look like if I moved more the right, maybe you can already visualise it without moving. Maybe you take a walk to the right and see what changes. Does the mountain become bulky, more angular? Does the lighting hit the mountain differently? If it doesn't look too bad then look for foreground in that area! Each stage asses your images, ask yourself questions and get really familiar with how the landscape moves when you move too.
The below photo I took in Patagonia summer-time during my first few months of photography. Looking back now I don't like this image because it's a bit obvious and simple. But it is a good example of how I followed Max's instructions to look for a leading line. Everything else was all there, midground and mountains, you can't really go wrong! I had also learned the camera tilt to include more foreground and balance the amount of sky. The main thing that I was practicing was finding something original. I had no reference for compositions and Max certainly didn't show me what to photograph other than to keep the lake and mountains in the scene and look for leading lines. By exploring this way you find things for yourself. Now let's compare it to Max's image as well.
Below is Max's image from this same area. I actually noticed the line in this rock and suggested he shoot here by the way!! Obviously he made it his own by including the line on the right as well and noticing the tree framing which transformed the simple idea and makes this scene. I think it's cool to see the difference between a total professional and an amateur from the same scene and the results that you can get.
When you move your body the landscape moves too, everything from the shape of the mountain, how the light hits it, to the height of where you stand or hold your camera can have a dramatic effect on the end result. So the best thing you can do is start playing and exploring. The background mountains are the easy part, the foreground is what makes the scene!
Avoid Buying Too Much Gear
Thankfully, I haven’t fallen into this trap myself but I strongly urge you to avoid it! You don’t need a mountain of gear to take great landscape photos. In fact I think you only need three things:
• A camera with decent dynamic range
• A wide-angle lens
• A telephoto zoom lens
It doesn’t need to be expensive, and it definitely doesn’t need to cover every possible focal length. All of my camera's have been second hand from Max or ones he purchased second hand online. So you certainly don't need to buy brand new either. Your wide lens could be 15–30mm, 14–22mm, 10–50mm. Just start with something. Same with the telephoto, whether it's 70–200mm, 50–500mm, or whatever combo you happen to own just use what you’ve got.
Max explaining the actual reason you need to pack light on gear is so you can pack more cookies.
Most people end up hauling around way more gear than they ever use. Not only is it extra weight to carry (and worry about damaging), but it can also slow you down and limit your freedom to explore creatively.
When you first start, people will probably tell you that you need to have a tripod. I didn't use one for a long time and often don't use one now. If you want stability for your shot, try resting your camera on whatever is nearby and use your body like your knees, your feet etc. for support.
Tripods are a lot of extra weight on bike hikes and personally, I’d rather carry extra snacks than extra gear on a long hike. My biggest reason for not recommending them as a beginner is because tripods inhibit your movement. Once you’ve set one up (which takes time!), it’s tempting to stay locked into a single spot or composition, instead of moving freely and experimenting with different angles. Too often I see people missing the light, or the conditions (pink sky, clouds breaking open, changing mist) because they are messing around getting their tripod in the perfect position. and once it's set up they are locked in place at that height. It's a nuisance to change the level of the tripod or angle of camera. Much easier to go handheld and enjoy your freedom while shooting.
Tripods do have their place for long exposures, night photography, or low-light shots in the 200mm+ range.
Avoid Focusing Solely on Sunset/Sunrise Colours
This one’s a bit interesting because, at first, some people need to be told to shoot at sunrise and sunset because they don't realise that the angle of the light can make a scene flat if it is too harsh. So if you've just figured that out, then you're not wrong! It is technically the best time too shoot. It’s when the light is most dynamic and the colours are often at their most intense. But it’s important to move beyond just chasing colourful skies.
For example Max took this photo was taken during late afternoon after a break in the storm.
Landscape photography is just as much about mood, atmosphere, and emotion as it is about colour. Some of the most dramatic conditions can happen after a storm or rainfall in the middle of the day. Mist forming just after sunrise, low-hanging clouds wrapping around peaks, or the soft, diffused light of an overcast day can all create powerful, evocative images. Many photographer's don't understand that daytime light (even harsh daytime light) can become soft and perfect for shooting if there are enough clouds to cover the sun. It's all about waiting for the right moment.
Another image taken during daytime after a break in a storm.
Avoid Focusing on Social Media
Don’t jump straight into photography with your main focus on social media. A lot of beginner photographers want to become popular really quickly, but that shouldn’t be the goal. Starting a photography page should be more about learning, getting feedback, and finding inspiration from other photographers, not chasing likes or followers.
Social media won’t give you ultimate freedom as an artist. In fact, it often does the opposite. You’ll likely find yourself copying others or following trends just for the sake of popularity, instead of exploring your own artistic vision.
Final Thoughts
I hope you will take away at least one point to ponder after reading this article. My advice comes from my recent experience being immersed in the world of landscape photography. Even people who are experienced in landscape photography may not be experienced in a particular style. Maybe you are an expert at layers using a tele-zoom but not at wide-angle shots, maybe you are great at shooting for black and white but want to expand your knowledge in other areas. In this way we are all beginners at something! The mistakes I have made and see regularly regarding exposure, sky balance and over purchasing gear are really common so give them some extra consideration in your photography.
Max Rive is most driven by seeking new perspectives in the natural world and capturing them in his own distinguished style. Max's powerful portrayals of his interactions with the mountains has earned him international recognition in the outdoor community.
Madison McCardle is a passionate landscape photographer driven by curiosity and a desire to capture the true essence of each place she explores. Through her lens, she seeks new perspectives that reveal the beauty and authenticity of the world.
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