Camera
Landscape composition: Beyond landscape
So far in my landscape photography series, I’ve talked about compositional elements, their weights and how to use their properties to balance the composition by imagining a balance of torques around the middle axis of an image. I also discussed balancing of negative space, the perception of subject direction and the often-overlooked importance I reserve to the separation of elements. I then discussed the perception of depth and how to use sky in a landscape image, and finally how to connect the elements in a way which makes sense. I suggested one idea to guide the photographer when composing in the field, and showed how widely known photographic techniques are in fact private cases of the framework I explored in the articles.
My good friend Ian Plant always says “If you can shoot landscape, you can shoot anything”. I tend to agree, because in my view, composition takes the highest importance in landscape photograhy when compared to other genres. If you don’t have a good composition when shooting landscape, you have achieved nothing. I would claim that this isn’t necessarily true in street photography, for example, where what’s happening in the frame is most important, even more than composition.
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As an addendum to the series, I’d like to show in this final article that the ideas I presented can be extended beyond landscape photography. This makes a lot of sense since, with the exception of the article about sky, nothing I wrote talks about landscape elements exclusively. I could have called this series ‘About Composition’ just as well. I only chose landscape because I’m most knowledgeable and experienced in this area, so to give the series the last stroke of validity and to persuade you of its merit, let’s look at a couple of photographic fields and discuss what principles apply to them, especially. I have added a lot of examples – I urge you to examine the images and think to yourself how what you’ve learned in this series reflects in what you see.
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A female yellow-cheeked gibbon, perched high up in the trees at sunrise. What would you say about the composition here as compared to the landscape compositions you’re used to seeing in this series? Specifically, how would you treat the main compositional mass if it weren’t an animal, but a non-living subject such as a flower?
Canon 5D4, Sigma 150-600mm |
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| A strawberry poison dart frog in the jungles of Panama. How good a job did I do balancing the compositional masses and minding subject direction? |
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Work dogs being gathered to shelter during a powerful snow blizzard. A nice example for balancing compositional masses around the middle axis, but one may ask – isn’t this a landscape shot?
Canon 5D4, Canon 70-300mm f/4-5.6 |
Composition in Wildlife Photography
Wildlife may be the closest genre to landscape, in essence, and in the considerations one takes to produce a shot. The animal you are shooting is situated in nature, where everything else is basically landscape, and thus the ideas governing landscape composition are very much valid here. I would say that when it comes to animal subjects, the prominence of the mass associated with that subject is almost always very large. An animal is almost always the center of importance in a wildlife shot, even if it isn’t very large in the frame, and thus requires everything that a landscape subject of large prominence would require, and more: a large amount of negative space, for starters, and then a special consideration of subject direction (since we actually have a clear direction in which the animal is looking). Separation is also critical – the animal should not overlap other elements in a disturbing way.
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A massive male Komodo dragon. Aside from the subject direction, which is pretty clear, I think the most important aspect of this composition is the separation of elements. The dragon’s head (the main focus of the image) is situated in the opening between the trees in the background, which contributes to depth perception and helps us avoid tension.
Canon 5D4, Sigma 150-600mm |
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A cheeky baby orangutan peeks while hanging upside down while holding onto its mother. How would you analyze this composition in terms of balance between compositional masses?
Canon 5D4, Canon 70-300mm f/4-5.6 |
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This gorgeous Indri Indri lemur did its best to challenge me with regard to subject direction, as its face was pointing in the complete opposite direction to its body!
Canon 5D4, Sigma 150-600mm |
I would claim that framing is an idea that’s utilized in wildlife photography much more often than in landscape (and produces a stronger effect), since animals tend to position themselves in natural frames. The clever photographer also knows how to position himself to use existing natural elements to frame a subject by juxtaposing these elements with the animal.
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A female Sumatran orangutan and her baby. The animal was hanging from a branch that supplied a perfect frame.
Canon 5D4, Tamron 24-70mm f/2.8 |
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A Decken’s Sifaka perched on a Y-Shaped branch.
Canon 5D4, Sigma 150-600mm |
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I took a lot of work and sweat to perfectly frame this golden bamboo lemur in a heart-shaped frame of leaves.
Canon 5D4, Canon 70-300mm f/4-5.6 |
In wildlife photography, if the animal (or animals) serving as the main subject is interesting enough, it can, admittedly, dampen the need of a proper composition, but the best wildlife images are those which show the animal in its natural surroundings and include interesting elements from its habitat. Better yet, if the animal is interacting with its surroundings.
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A beautiful red-shanked Douc feeding in a fig tree – the source of its favorite food.
Canon 5D4, Sigma 150-600mm |
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An adult male Bornean orangutan showing off a power pose, as it’s taking a break from traversing the canopy. How did the pose contribute to the overall composition? Hint: lines.
Canon 5D4, Canon 70-300mm f/4-5.6 |
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A male yellow-cheeeked gobbon leaping between tree branches high in the canopy.
Canon 5D4, Sigma 150-600mm |
Street and Portrait Photography
I’m not much of a people photographer, but I have done a bit of it during my travels. I think that while the photographic ideas and principles here are further away from landscape photography, the framework of thought still very much applies. For me personally, the compositional ideas I presented in this series are very much present when shooting people.
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| Tribal people of the Omo Valley. I would say that subject framing, leading lines, subject distance and balance of compositional weights are most definitely present. |
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| Separation of elements is applied here by way of lighting. |
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| How do the different elements counterbalance each other in this image? |
Thank you for staying with me throughout this long series. I hope it’s been helpful, and I especially hope that it made you think about composition in a different way and take a moment before you click the shutter to make sure the subjects are in place and nicely separated!
Erez Marom is a professional nature photographer, photography guide and traveller based in Israel. You can follow Erez’s work on Instagram and Facebook, and subscribe to his mailing list for updates and to his YouTube channel.
If you’d like to experience and shoot some of the world’s most fascinating landscapes with Erez as your guide, take a look at his unique photography workshops in Svalbard, Greenland, Madagascar, the Lofoten Islands, Namibia and Vietnam.
Erez also offers video tutorials discussing his images and explaining how he achieved them.
More in The Landscape Composition Series:
Selected Articles by Erez Marom:
US Public Broadcasting Service’s (PBS) outdoor photography show is back for a third season with a broader, national scope and nationwide availability. View Finders has grown from a quiet regional favorite into a nationally distributed, Emmy-nominated PBS series. The show, which is only viewable in the US, is hosted by professional photographers Chris Greer and Paul Daniel. It follows the duo as they explore breathtaking landscapes across the United States, seeking stellar shots while sharing tips on lighting, composition and storytelling through photography.
What began as a YouTube project focused on Georgia’s natural beauty has evolved into a cross-country adventure. Season three premiered on March 17th and takes viewers to Grand Teton National Park, the Wind River Range and the White Mountain National Forest, among other destinations. View Finders’ mission remains unchanged: celebrate the outdoors, educate the public about these places’ ecological and cultural importance and inspire others to connect with nature through photography.
“The show has grown tremendously,” Greer, who is also a Georgia College & State University professor, told Flagpole. “It’s kind of transformed from a Georgia-based television show to a national television show, and this season reflects that national footprint.”
The road to national syndication began after two successful seasons on Georgia Public Broadcasting. In 2023, Greer pitched the series to 300 PBS (Public Broadcasting Service) stations nationwide and received a warm reception. In Greer’s opinion, what sets View Finders apart is its unique blend of adventure, photography, and conservation, an angle not often explored on traditional travel shows.
The show also addresses the growing urgency around public land preservation. With interviews from park rangers, ecologists and historians, View Finders integrates expert commentary into each episode. Beyond seeing beautiful places, viewers learn why they matter and must be protected, “so they don’t turn into developments and condos.”
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The View Finders crew captured footage using lenses like SIGMA’s SPORTS 60-600mm F4.5-6.3 DG DN OS.
Image: Sigma |
Another signature element of the series is its music. The soundtrack features a blend of independent southern artists and nationally known names like Hozier and Bon Iver. This season highlights music from Athens, Georgia-based acts including Grassland String Band, Family and Friends, and Hotel Friction. Greer believes the combination of powerful music and visuals creates an immersive experience and resonates emotionally with the audience.
All third-season footage from Greer, Daniel, and camera operator Nathan Burnett was filmed using Sigma lenses, as the company is the official lens sponsor. You can watch episodes from all seasons, including the current season, on PBS’ official site. The final three episodes for this season will air soon. Greer told us that distribution for the UK, additional European and worldwide markets isn’t finalized at this time, though the show could potentially find international audiences at some point.
DHL Express, the world’s second-largest delivery company, has temporarily suspended some of its international shipments to the United States, citing a surge in customs processing requirements tied to new US import rules. The change, which went into effect today, impacts business-to-consumer (B2C) shipments with a declared value over $800, as Fox Business reports. For example, consumers ordering camera gear from Sony or drones from DJI could face significant delays.
The suspension follows a policy revision by US Customs and Border Protection, which quietly lowered the threshold for formal customs entry from $2500 to $800 on April 5th. Under the new rules, any shipment entering the US valued above $800 is subject to a more complex customs process, including additional paperwork, duties and inspections. For logistics providers like DHL, this change triggered an immediate spike in formal entries, creating bottlenecks across international networks.
In a statement to customers, DHL said it saw “multi-day transit delays” for packages over the $800 threshold and confirmed that it would no longer collect or ship those parcels if destined for private individuals in the US. The company stressed in its last announcement that “this is a temporary measure, and we will share updates as the situation evolves.” DHL is reportedly scaling up operations to handle the uptick in customs volume, but it hasn’t offered a precise date for when service will normalize.
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Nikon’s Z6III is now subject to processing requirements.
Image: Nikon |
The suspension is explicitly limited to international B2C shipments, packages sent from businesses abroad to individual customers in the US, with a declared value over $800. Lower-value packages, including all shipments under this amount, are not affected and will continue as usual.
Business-to-business (B2B) shipments, packages sent between international companies and US-based businesses, are also exempt from the suspension. However, due to increased workload at customs, they may face processing delays. This can potentially impact new product shipments to retailers, including B&H and big-box stores such as Best Buy.
The policy shift has sent shockwaves through international shipping and e-commerce channels. The effects of US Customs change are being felt beyond DHL. Earlier this month, Hongkong Post suspended its sea mail service in response to what it deems unfair trade tactics by the US. DHL will continue processing shipments from Hong Kong but has warned that customers should expect slower processing times and prepare for more changes, in light of more regulatory adjustments expected on May 2nd.
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DJI’s Air 3, which starts at $1,099 and ships from China, is now subject to additional processing.
Image: DJI |
US officials have not publicly commented on the motive behind the customs threshold adjustment. The move, however, is deemed as a broader effort to tighten control over under-declared shipments, counterfeit products, and illegal drugs such as fentanyl, all of which amount to lost tax revenue. It could also increase pressure to localize inventory.
While DHL works to resolve internal backlogs and scale its infrastructure, affected businesses and consumers will be impacted. We’ve become increasingly reliant on fast global delivery; even a temporary disruption like this has wide-reaching consequences. If you’re ordering any new gear from your favorite electronics brand’s official website, you should be prepared to track updates and plan for continuous delays.
| Image: Vivo |
Smartphone maker Vivo has released its latest device, the X200 Ultra. The Vivo X100 Ultra was widely seen as one of the best camera phones from last year, though it was only available in China. Unfortunately, its new device will likely have the same limitation, though it is still worth looking at, as Vivo is marketing it as “a camera that happens to be a phone.” Vivo has been teasing details for some time, but today it has officially hit shelves in China.
| Resolution | Sensor | Aperture | Equiv. focal length | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Main camera | 50MP | Type 1/1.28 (9.9 x 7.5mm) | F1.69 | 35mm |
| Ultrawide | 50MP | Type 1/1.28 (9.9 x 7.5mm) | F2.0 | 14mm |
| Telephoto | 200MP | Type 1/1.4 (9.1 x 6.7mm) | F2.7 | 85mm |
| Selfie | 50MP | 1/2.76 (5.2 x 3.9mm) | F2.5 | 24mm |
The X200 features the typical three rear cameras: an ultrawide, a main camera, and a telephoto. Interestingly, the main camera offers a 35mm equiv. focal length, whereas most smartphones use a 24mm equiv. focal length. The 35mm angle of view is more versatile (and natural-looking) than 24mm, which is why it is such a standard focal length for photographers. Though a subtle change, it is nice to see a company rethinking that main camera.
The phone also features a 3.7x periscope telephoto camera that offers the highest resolution of the three, thanks to the Samsung HP9 200MP sensor. Samsung released the sensor last summer and claimed it was the first 200MP sensor for telephoto cameras.
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The Zeiss-branded add-on lens offers a 200mm equiv. focal length.
Image: Vivo |
Where things get unique, though, is with the optional Photographer Kit. Lately, we’ve seen many handgrip add-ons for smartphones to make them more camera-like, either from the phone manufacturer directly or from accessory makers. Vivo has gone the latter route. The Photographer Kit includes the 16GB/1TB phone, a camera grip, a shoulder strap, a case and a 2.35x telephoto converter lens. While we’ve seen a few detachable camera lenses for smartphones lately from the likes of RealMe and Xiaomi, those were concepts and are not currently available for purchase.
Like all of the integrated lenses on the X200 Ultra, the add-on lens was co-engineered with Zeiss. The cute telephoto lens attaches via a custom adapter, sitting over the 200MP telephoto camera. The lens features 13 lens elements with an F2.3 aperture. It offers a 200mm equiv. focal length with 8.7x optical zoom and up to 70x hybrid zoom (a combination of optical and digital zoom), resulting in up to a 1600mm equiv. Vivo claims that images from the optional lens are “highly usable” at 35x.
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| Image: Vivo |
The grip looks similar to Xiaomi’s Photography Kit. It features a vintage look and convenient camera controls, including a shutter button, a customizable control dial, zoom controls and a video recording button. It also offers a 2,300mAh battery to extend the phone’s battery life, something that’s especially useful when taking lots of photos or videos with your phone.
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| Image: Vivo |
The X200 Ultra also features two custom imaging chips: one for pre-processing tasks and one for post-processing. It’s capable of 4K 60p 10-bit Log video from all three rear cameras, as well as 4K 120p video on all three rear cameras. Plus, even if you don’t opt for the Photographer Kit, there’s a dedicated shutter button on the phone itself that allows you to slide to zoom or adjust exposure, like Apple’s Camera Control feature.
Outside of camera specs, the phone runs on the Origin OS 5 Android skin, which is exclusive to China. It features a 6.8-inch AMOLED display with a resolution of 1260 x 2800 and peak brightness of 4500 nits. The phone’s internals include the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset and a 6000mAh battery, all of which are wrapped in an IP69 rating.
The X200 Ultra is available in China as of today in silver, red or black. According to Android Authority, the 12GB/256GB model is priced at 6499 yuan (roughly $890) while the top-end model (16GB/1TB) is 7999 yuan ($1096). The Photographer Kit, which comes with the top-end model, will cost 9699 yuan ($1329), though you can also buy it without the phone for a promotional price of 1699 yuan ($233) or full-priced at 2598 yuan ($356).
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