The purpose of this gallery is to pass on some photography tips for taking better landscape pictures with your camera. Some of my friends have asked for this so here are some techniques that I have learned in the last 20 years of taking photographs of God's green earth.

BASIC RULES TO FOLLOW: (if you want better photographs)

1.TRIPOD: Always use a tripod; no exceptions, no excuses. You cannot take a sharp image without a stable platform. I use two different tripods; a Gitzo carbon fiber with a Swiss-Arca ball head and a Slik carbon fiber tripod and Slik ball head. I use the Slik for travel because it is less than half the weight of the Gitzo/Swiss-Arca combo. Get a good solid tripod that will not vibrate with the wind. You can always attach a backpack to the bottom to add some stability.

2.CAMERA SETTINGS: Set your Exposure MODE to Manuel. You need to learn to set the exposure and not rely on the camera's automatic adjustments.(f stop and shutter speed). In most scenes use the smallest diameter on your camera (f stop) so your depth of field is in front of the camera to infinity (ie, f/22). Set your ISO to its lowest value. On my Nikon D200 it is 100. This will eliminate "noise" in the digital image. When you do this and you manually adjust your exposure you'll find your shutter will most often be very slow (below 1/30th/sec and hence the reason for the tripod). If your camera can take RAW files, then shoot in RAW mode with the largest size image. I also take a JPG image along with the RAW file. RAW files are uncompressed digital files and are easier to work with in digital imaging software. Set the FOCUS to MANUEL and learn to use the hyperfocal distance scale on your lens. It allows you to get the sharpest photograph from foreground to infinity.

3.ACCESSORIES: Use a remote shutter release or use the built-in self-timer. You do not want to touch the camera shutter button and cause unnecessary camera movement. Also use a bubble level in the flash bracket to avoid a tilted horizon. If you have a backpack or fanny pack hang it on the tripod. The extra weight will steady the tripod and avoid shaking by the wind. Another handy accessory is a bubble level which fits the flash shoe. The level helps you to keep your horizon from being tilted.

4.FILTERS: The most common filter for landscapes is the circular polarizing which allows you to adjust the amount of polarizing effect by rotating the outer surface. The best one I've found is the Moose Peterson warming-polarizing. This filter will enhance the blue sky. Some other filters which come in handy is the split neutral density filter made by Singh-Ray. I have two of these Singh-Ray filters which covers most lighting challenges.

5.LENS: Buy and use the sharpest zoom lens possible for your camera. My landscape lens is a Nikon 12-24mm f/4. You will most often use your wide angle lens at its widest setting. With a zoom lens you can zoom in and get rid of some objectionable trash in your viewfinder.

6.LIGHT: The kind of light you use will determine the "wow" of the photograph. The best light of the day is 30 min before sunrise and two hours thereafter and two hours before sundown to dark thirty. Its what photographers call the "golden hours". Some of the best light is before the sun rises and after it sets over the horizon. If you're really lucky you'll get some high light cloud cover that difuses the light of midday. Avoid taking landscape photos during the middle of the day when the sun in at its apex. The light is harsh and direct.

7. COMPOSITION: Remember the KISS Priciple; keep it simple stupid. Have a center of interest, a focal point. There are three elements of a good landscape photograph; foreground, midground, and background. The person viewing the photograph should see the foreground and his/her eyes naturally follow through the photograph to the background. Where do you put the horizon? Use the rule of 1/3's. If the sky has texture,(ie: clouds) put the horizon at the bottom of the frame. If there is interesting foreground, put it at the top third of the frame. Almost all great landscape photographs use WATER in the scene somewhere; as a reflection of the sky, flowing in a waterfall, reflecting a mountain, etc. Try and find some water element in your landscape photograph. Another composition element to think about is taking your photograph from a high point of view.

8. METERING THE SCENE AND TAKING THE PHOTOGRAPH: Set the WHITE BALANCE MANUALLY. I use an Expodisc and manually adjust the white balance to the actual light on the scene. Set the aperature to its smallest opening. My lens it is f/22. Set the Exposure Meter to spotmeter and point the camera at a middle tone object; grass, rock, etc and meter this light. Your meter might read f/22 @ 1/10th/sec. This is your initial exposure setting. Compose and focus the lens on the scene and shoot it at that setting. Move the shutter speed two clicks slower, and trip the shutter, then move the shutter speed one click slower to the original setting and trip the shutter again. Repeat this procedure with the shutter at two faster shutter speed settings. You will have five images. Look at all five exposures. One will stand out as the best one. This will be your base line settings for additional photos. Don't forget to take some shots in the vertical format as well as horizontal. If you sell you photographs a publisher might want a verticle image for the front or back cover, you never know and you will never have another opportunity as the original image.

Look at your camera's histogram and see how the light is balanced in the photograph.

BY MANUALLY SETTING THE EXPOSURE AND FOCUS YOU CONTROL THE OUTCOME OF THE IMAGE, NOT THE CAMERA'S METER. DON'T ACCEPT A CAMERA'S AUTOMATIC SETTING FOR YOUR PHOTOS. REMEMBER THE CAMERA'S METER ATTEMPTS TO MAKE EVERYTHING IN THE SCENE MIDDLE TONE. BY MANUALLY ADJUSTING THE EXPOSURE YOU ARE IN CONTROL.

REMEMBER THE BEST IMAGE IS THE ONE YOU HAVEN'T TAKEN. GET UP EARLY, FIND THE RIGHT SPOT AND GO TO WORK. DIGITAL CAMERAS ARE WONDERFUL BECAUSE IF YOU DON'T LIKE SOMETHING JUST HIT THE DELETE BUTTON.