Tip of the Day: Shooting powerful landscape pictures

A few key techniques to keep in mind when shooting nature landscapes:

• Keep your compositions simple and avoid clutter to make your images more powerful.

• Avoid putting the horizon in the middle of the frame. Decide if you want the sky or land to dominate the picture.

• Shoot before 9 a.m. and after 5 p.m. to avoid harsh midday light and end up with better pictures.

• Alternate dark and light tones within your frame to add visual interest.

Adapted from Digital Photography by Derrick Story. (O'Reilly Media, Incorporated, 2003; $15)