The lessons that landscape photographer Thomas Heaton wishes he had learned earlier

posted Monday, June 3, 2019 at 1:00 PM EDT

Landscape photographer Thomas Heaton has captured many landscape images over the years. Accordingly, he has learned a lot along the way. Although very broad, Heaton wishes that he had gained an understanding of light and subject earlier. What he means by this is that after learning about landscape photography and realizing that a photographer could go out into nature and shoot images, it still took a while after this realization to understand what good light looks like and how to make a strong image. At first, Heaton just assumed that if he got up early enough, he'd come home with good images. The primary takeaway here is that capturing a good photo is more than getting up early and going to a pretty place, it involves a deeper understanding of quality of light and composition.

To change gears a bit, a good-quality lens is often an important component of capturing a good landscape photograph. Likewise, a good tripod is a critical part of a good landscape kit. Readers, what are some aspects of capturing a good landscape photograph you wish you had known earlier? Have you learned any big and important lessons along the way? Let us know in the comments below.