Beginning landscape photographers generally take a lot of snapshots. There is a lot to learn, both technically and artistically.

Once the fundamentals are mastered, though, what enables a person to move beyond the prosaic to create more interesting images, and how do we continue to elevate our photography over time?

Fortunately, it has nothing to do with iconic locations or "perfect" conditions. After all, a person can be standing in his favorite national park witnessing something pretty incredible and still fail to make a great photograph.

The "secret sauce" is shifting how we see. Going beyond the literal - and beyond labels - will make a big difference when it comes to finding interesting subject matter, and taking what attracted you to a scene and arranging the elements in such a way that will create a strong composition.

Rather than seeing things like trees or mountains or rocks or flowers, try looking at the landscape before you in terms of shapes, colors, and lines. Patterns. Textures. Light and shadow. The relationships between objects.

Setting labels aside and instead focusing on these types of qualities (substituting adjectives in place of nouns) will help you identify a focal point; make order out of chaos; tell a story; draw the eye into and through the photograph.

It can help you convey the personality of whatever you're shooting.

Perhaps it will move you to think beyond the representational and into the abstract.

Anthropomorphism is another way to go beyond the literal. A time-honored kids' activity (i.e. spotting elephants and cats and ballerinas and who-knows-what-else in puffy cumulus clouds as they drift across the sky), the photographer might assign feelings or other human characteristics to inanimate objects. A tree standing by itself in a meadow shrouded in dense fog seems lonely; a mountain looks like a sentinel.

As you get beyond labels, you'll begin to see more potential subject matter and your compositions will become more refined.

Following are a few examples of what getting beyond the literal means to me.

These first three photographs are examples of anthropomorphism. I made the image of the clouds literally from my front door. I'd been in the Teton Valley all afternoon chasing some really spectacular monsoonal activity. By the time I got home, the storms were nearly overhead so the sky had mostly flattened out while the thunder rattled. However, a few clouds with definition lingered. As the sun was setting, the sky lit up with tripped-out colors, which is what initially caught my eye. But it was these two little clouds, about 90 degrees away from the psychedelic show, which sent me running for the camera. The lines of shadow cast by the larger cloud connected the two - which made it look to me as if they were locked in some sort of serious conversation. Or was it a "Beam me up, Scotty" moment? You decide. I titled it Dialogue.

What drew me to this next scene was - again - a cloud. I'd had zero interest that day in photographing the mountains because there was so much haze from distant wildfires, but that cloud changed my mind.

I see in it a grizzly bear's paw, clutching at Mount Moran. 399, perhaps? After all, her den is, like Moran, located in the north end of Grand Teton National Park.

It was the cloud - the paw - that was the driver. I didn't have a lot of time to arrange this composition but knew I could use the trees at peak color to anchor the foreground. There is no photograph without that cloud. Even with the intense orange in front, the cloud has just as much weight, and with it there is a story. Now, rather than, "Gee, Moran looks kind of lousy in all that haze" there's a sense of mystery about it.

The pair of tulips below transcended flowers: to me they represented devotion. As if I needed further proof, in the petals of the red tulip I see an abstract heart. Once I saw the story, it was a matter of getting myself into a position so I could set this pair apart (this was a bed of massed flowers) and arrange the background blooms such that they would not be distracting elements.

 In this next image you can see that the shadows of the cottonwoods create wonderful repeating leading lines. They intersect with two horizonal lines: one formed by the mountains, another by the cottonwoods on either side of the barn.

This photograph is also about the relationships between colors. The blues of the shadows match the blue in the sky, and the barn and lines of cottonwoods behind it also match.

On this early morning there wasn't a cloud in the sky: never a photographer's dream. Yet looking beyond the objects to see shapes and colors, a compelling composition was obvious.

I made the next photograph in Shenandoah National Park. It's a forest, yes - but this image really isn't about trees per se. It's the diagonal lines that are striking, all created by light and shadow. The geometry is what makes this an interesting photograph. It's an unexpected way to represent the beautiful lime greens of early spring foliage, to which I'm drawn.

Next time you're out in the field, make a conscious effort to look at scenes less literally. Think about what's attracting you to the subject matter. What's catching your eye? What's making you stop and say, "Wow!" I'll bet it's not simply going to be trees. Or mountains. Or a meadow.

Set aside labels. It'll make a difference. You'll see things differently.

In Local News

The Tetons got their first dusting of snow this week, and Yellowstone had its first road closure due to winter weather conditions yesterday. Get ready; it's coming!

Yellowstone is starting to wind down. A lot of the campsites are already closed for the season, but you can still stay at Madison (through October 19) and Slough Creek and Lewis Lake (through October 14). New this year: Mammoth campground is going to remain open, even in the winter. I'll pass on that, thank you.

You can access YNP with your vehicle through the first week of November. After that, all roads will close so the park service can prepare for the winter season.