15 fresh ideas for summer landscapes

Landscapes looking flatter than a prairie? Try Tom Mackie’s fantastic ideas for breathing new life into your photography

From playing with scale to clever tricks with colour, we’ve got lots of great ways to give your landscape photographs a boost

Everybody thinks that autumn and winter are the best times of year for landscape photography – summer isn’t the season that first springs (ahem) to mind. Because the sun is higher in the sky in summer than in other seasons, you may think that it’s not an ideal time to produce striking landscapes. However, there’s no reason it can’t be.

When I lived in Los Angeles, where it’s summer all year round (even in the winter), I had to adapt to the harsh light. Landscape photography is all about working with the light you have, not the light you want. Choosing subjects that work with the existing conditions is a great way to train yourself to consistently come up with the goods.

The summer holidays are upon us, so here are some ideas to help you think differently about landscapes. Wherever in the world you are with your camera, you can apply these ideas to get the creative juices flowing.