8 creative compositions for landscapes

Stefan ForsterLeestijd: 5 min01 apr 2026Camera 101

Nikon magazine - Landscapes with Stefan Forster

What makes a strong landscape composition? Nikon Ambassador Stefan Forster takes us through some of his favourite techniques…

To be certain that a landscape image will be strong, I return to the same location several times before I take the photograph. In landscapes, the subject is important, but what matters even more is the mood created by the light, the weather and the composition that places the subject at the centre of the viewer’s attention.

At the beginning of my photography workshops, I often notice photographers struggling to make the decision about how to compose an image. That’s where these tips come in.

What makes a strong landscape composition? Nikon Ambassador Stefan Forster takes us through some of his favourite techniques…

At the beginning of my photography workshops, I often notice photographers struggling to make the decision about how to compose an image. That’s where these tips come in.

Stefan Forster

AmbassadorLandscape & Environment

What’s in my kitbag?

Z8Fast, full-frame hybrid camera

NIKKOR Z 24-120mm f/4 SLightweight with advanced optics

Z8 + NIKKOR Z 24-120mm f/4 S, 46mm, 1/30 sec, f/9, ISO 64, ©Stefan Forster

1. Classic composition

This classic composition places the main subject in the centre with the small stream acting as a leading line toward Iceland’s Maelifell volcano. The camera height was chosen deliberately so the stream is never overlapped by the foreground, as framing too low can cause unwanted overlap of visual layers and disrupt the image.

How it’s done: Find your main subject, then move through the landscape until you discover a foreground element that points toward it. Don’t settle for the first foreground you come across. Take your time and allow the composition to reveal itself.

Z8 + NIKKOR Z 24-120mm f/4 S, 24mm, 1/40 sec, f/9, ISO 200, ©Stefan Forster

2. Leading lines

Sand dunes are perfect for learning composition, as everything is filled with lines and even a small shift in height can ruin an image. The real challenge lies in identifying and connecting the most important lines. In this image of Oman’s Rub’ al Khali, a main ridge runs across the lower 62% (following the golden ratio), while a central line links foreground and background. Light and shadow define the dunes, creating sunlit and shaded segments that subtly frame the scene from both sides.

How it’s done: Climb to the highest point and work your way down, following the lines. Never hold the camera too low, as it reduces depth and shortens the visual length of the line. Aim for 1.3m to 1.8m.

Z9 + NIKKOR Z 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 VR S, 400mm, 1/2000 sec, f/8.0, ISO 640, ©Stefan Forster

3. Yin and Yang

I like to describe this composition as Yin and Yang, as the snow-covered iceberg is divided into two contrasting halves. To give the white area the same visual weight as the dynamic blue section, I waited until the gentoo penguin appeared at the centre of the Fibonacci spiral, restoring balance to the composition.

How it’s done: Complement a colourful subject with strong lines and high contrast by adding a deliberately plain, quieter area, positioned diagonally or opposite it in the frame. It’s essential to introduce an element into this monotone area that counterbalances the more dynamic side. For example, in a blue sky, a small cloud is often enough.

Z8 + NIKKOR Z 14-30mm f/4 S, 14mm, 1/50 sec, f/10, ISO 64, ©Stefan Forster

4. The rule of thirds

Some compositions thrive on a sense of vastness, but the key lies in deciding what deserves 66% of the frame, in line with the rule of thirds. Here it’s the colours and shapes of the foreground set against the openness of a Greenland fjord. Vertically, dense cloud cover fills the upper two left thirds, balanced by lighter clouds and blue sky on the right. In the foreground, a colourless rock separates the vibrant lichens, creating a division at the front.

How it’s done: Get too low and even at f/16, you risk losing sharpness from front to back, plus you’ll also lose depth from colour variation as the immediate foreground would block the next 10m to 20m.

Nikon magazine - camera 101: creative compositions for landscapes

Z7 + NIKKOR Z 14-30mm f/4 S, 15mm, 1/80 sec, f/10, ISO 64, ©Stefan Forster

5. Central composition

Placing a subject centrally is often avoided for being ‘too simple’, but some subjects can’t be placed any other way, especially when they extend equally in all directions. In such cases, the simplest solution is often the best one. Here, a rainbow helps to create a balance that naturally suits a central composition.

How it’s done: The rainbow is given space to breathe on all sides, made possible by a wide-angle lens at 15mm. Here, overcast conditions enhance the green of the foreground more than direct sunlight. For me, ice, glaciers, forests and waterfalls often look their best in bad weather.

Z8 + NIKKOR Z 24-120mm f/4 S, 49mm, 1/160 sec, f/11, ISO 250, ©Stefan Forster

6. The golden ratio

Many photographers focus on the vastness of a landscape and overlook the richness of little details, so sometimes it makes sense to isolate a smaller section. In this image from Patagonia’s Fossil Canyon, shaped by glaciers and layered rock, the focus is on small lines, colours and shapes rather than the classic ‘grand’ landscape.

How it’s done: I placed this “miniature landscape“ along the golden ratio, with the mountain peak about 38% in from the left. The distance between the isolated stone’s shadow and the bottom edge mirrors that of the mountain peak and the top edge, while jagged peaks in the upper right counterbalance the stone in the lower left. If a composition isn’t obvious, I’ll frame it slightly wider, say 40mm instead of 50mm, and crop it later in editing.

Z9 + NIKKOR Z 14-24mm f/2.8 S, 22mm, 60 sec, f/7.1, ISO 100, ©Stefan Forster

7. The rule of reflection

One of the simplest compositional techniques is the reflection rule, seen here in this image of Torres del Paine in Chilean Patagonia. The horizon is placed centrally, with equal distance from the main subject to the top edge and from its reflection to the bottom.

How it’s done: For a perfect reflection and centred horizon, absolute calm is essential. If you think the effect can be achieved using an ND filter and long exposure despite wind disturbing the water surface, you’d be wrong. Long exposures may smooth the water, but they don’t create true reflections. In this case, patience is the only solution.

8. Break the rules

This image from Bolivia’s Salar de Uyuni breaks every rule, and that’s the idea. Photography follows certain rules but if breaking them improves the impact, it’s justified. My goal here was to find a camera position with centimetre-level precision so both cave openings were visible and neither cactus touched the edges.

How it’s done: This composition was only possible with a 14mm lens, plus three bracketed exposures, each two stops apart, to manage the extreme contrast. A CPL filter darkened the sky, while a tripod, delay mode and having the stabilisation switched off ensured perfect alignment for merging later in post.

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