5 Common Mistakes to Avoid as a Landscape Photographer

Landscape photographer Mads Peter Iversen has put together a helpful video where he covers 5 “crucial” mistakes to avoid in landscape photography. Crucial might be an overstatement, but the video points out five of the most common mistakes you’ll see from novice landscape shooters in particular.

Iversen covers five mistakes that he believes apply to everyone from novice all the way to advanced shooters. But in our experience, these are much more common with beginners, and most intermediate and advanced landscape photographers eventually “grow out of” falling into these common traps. The five faux pas are:

1. Not Going Out – Specifically, allowing “gloomy” weather to be the reason you don’t get out and shoot. You’re missing out on some incredible photo opportunities if you only shoot in perfect, golden hour conditions.
2. Not Learning from Your Mistakes – Pay as much attention to your mistakes as your successes, you’ll learn much more from the former.
3. Misleading Lines – A major compositional mistake. Make sure your lines are not guiding your viewer’s eye out of the frame, but rather guiding them through the frame and/or to a focal point.
4. Not ‘Testing’ Your Photos – Check your photos on a variety of devices before you release them into the world. This isn’t just about color space, because different screens can have a big impact on a viewer experiences your photograph.
5. Not Photographing with Intention – Always shoot and edit your images with intention. Otherwise, it’s far too easy to automatically begin following trends and shooting the same image as everyone else.

To hear Iversen’s thoughts on each of these common mistakes—with plenty of great sample photos to go along with them—check out the full video up top. And if you’re a landscape photographer, definitely check out his rapidly growing YouTube channel tips, advice and inspiration.