Landscape Photography 101 & 102: Tips to Instantly Elevate Your Landscape Photos

In today's episode, Court records in-location while prepping to photograph the Rocky Mountains from Boulder, Colorado—then pours a couple decades of landscape photography lessons into a practical, no-fluff playbook. From where to focus (so everything’s sharp) to when to shoot (with specifics for best times of day), to nearly a dozen other tips, this is a field guide you can use immediately—whether you’re shooting mirrorless, DSLR, or point-and-shoot. He concludes with bonus content on editing and forecasting for the best weather and sun position.

Summary

Landscape photography gets dramatically easier when you simplify it into a repeatable workflow:

1. Build the scene in layers (foreground, mid-ground, background).
2. Lock in focus and stability (hyperfocus “one-third in,” tripod, and a no-shake shutter method).
3. Let time-of-day do the magic (golden hour + blue hour are your unfair advantage).
4. Nail exposure the smart way (manual settings, protect highlights, and hedge with slight underexposure).
5. Edit with intention, not chaos (masking first, then a few powerful sliders).
6. Scout light and weather (and use tools like Sun Surveyor to predict where the sun will be in relation to your subject).

Mentioned Resources & Links

Sun Surveyor (official site): https://www.sunsurveyor.com/

Will Patino's Editing Videos: https://www.youtube.com/@WilliamPatinoPhotography

Court's Websites

• Check out my photo portfolio here: shop.courtwhelan.com
• Sign up for my photo and conservation blog at www.courtwhelan.com
• Follow me on YouTube (@courtwhelan) for more photography tips
• View my camera kit and recommended camera gear

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