Master Landscape Photography: All My Guides & Videos – 15 Years as a Pro [2026]

This page distills all my knowledge from 15 years as a full-time landscape photographer who has hiked over 22,000 miles.

These aren’t standard guides & videos; they are in-depth, step-by-step systems, battle-tested in the wild.

If you want to master landscape photography, this page has it all.

Take your photo trips to the next level & learn ultralight hiking too!

Table of Contents

---

Why You Will Fail: How to Succeed Instead

It took me 3 years to go pro after picking up a camera. 

Most photographers stagnate from information overload.

They learn the wrong skills in the wrong order.

When progress slows, they quit.

In 2015, I left aerospace engineering to build a field-tested photo system that will 10X your learning speed.

I will teach you how to hijack the exact neural habit-loops that drive addiction.

♻️ New Skill ➡️ New Location ➡️ Great Photo ➡️ Dopamine

My goal is simple: teach you to improve quickly using a common-sense, repeatable system that creates world-class photos.

Here are the critical traps your brain will trick you into while trying to learn:

Mistake 1: Consuming Without Vetting

Most photographers fail because they blindly trust dozens of YouTubers teaching conflicting techniques.

Before taking advice from anyone—including me—vet your teachers:

• Do you love their photography?
• Are they producing the specific results you want?
• Are they a working photographer, or a content creator selling camera advice?
• Is their photo portfolio growing quickly with high-quality work?
• Does their teaching style match your learning style?

For 15 years, I’ve earned my living in the field.

If you don’t like my images, don’t learn from me.

If my work aligns with your goals, this page contains all my knowledge.

Mistake 2: Skipping First Principles

First principles means stripping a system to its basic physics and building up from ground zero.

If you can’t explain a topic simply, you don’t understand it.

Most photographers say, “I’m an artist—I don’t need physics, I just need creativity.”

They have it backwards.

Your camera is not a creative device.

It is a light collector. It operates on pure physics.

Zero creativity required.

Creativity only exists in three places:

1. Composition
2. Color Harmony
3. Lighting

Operating the camera isn’t one of them.

If you are fighting buttons and exposure dials, your brain has zero bandwidth left for art.

Creativity only unlocks when camera operation becomes entirely subconscious.

Most photographers hunt YouTube for “creative hacks,” skip the fundamentals, and stay stuck.

The real secret isn’t flashy: master the mechanics from the ground up until the camera is just an extension of your hands.

This is what I’ll teach you below.

Mistake 3: Relying on Luck, Not Systems

Without an optimized, repeatable photography system, you will fail.

If you’re second-guessing techniques, you have zero mental bandwidth left for creativity.

Are You Relying on Luck or Systems?

• Have you written down every step in your camera technique?
• Have you analyzed those steps to purge the non-essential?
• Have you re-sequenced the essential steps to optimize the flow?

Most photographers don’t.

It demands intense focus.

Relying on luck is much easier.

They like the idea of being world-class, but don’t want to put in the work.

To improve quickly, you must mute the noise and direct 100% of your energy toward one goal: system optimization.

Over 15 years in the field, I optimized my systems out of sheer survival.

If my process failed, I didn’t eat.

I’ve dedicated my life to this craft.

How to Succeed: The 60-Day Challenge

If you’re serious about transforming your photography, give me 60 days.

I will teach you how to hijack the exact neural habit-loops that drive addiction.

By leveraging this dopamine loop, you’ll increase your learning speed by 10X.

♻️ New Skill ➡️ New Location ➡️ Great Photo ➡️ Dopamine

It will also remove any chance of you getting bored or quitting.

Step 1: Mute the Noise

For 60 days, unsubscribe from every YouTube channel, turn off alerts, and stop hunting for quick hacks.

Dopamine thrives on singular focus & defined goals.

When the dopamine slows, you get bored, stall out, and quit.

The Pushback: “I’ll miss out on new techniques.”

The Reality: You’re drowning in conflicting advice from creators who prioritize algorithms over fieldwork.

Worst Case: You get two months of mental clarity and zero distraction. If my method fails, you can turn the noise back on and resume slow progress.

Step 2: Master the Mechanics

Master the first-principles guides & videos on this page until camera operation becomes subconscious, not guesswork.

Once technique is automatic, your brain frees up dopamine to fuel creative problem-solving, also known as inspiration.

The Pushback: “I want to be artistic, not technical.”

The Reality: Operating a camera is mechanics. Until it’s subconscious, you have zero bandwidth for art.

Worst Case: You build permanent, effortless camera control, even if you decide to go back to fighting settings later.

Step 3: Use Your Skills in New Locations

Constantly go on trips to new & exciting locations and test your new skills.

New environments trigger a massive dopamine hit that accelerates learning.

♻️ New Skill ➡️ New Location ➡️ Great Photo ➡️ Dopamine

The Pushback: “I prefer to improvise.”

The Reality: Improvisation without a system is relying on luck. Repeatable results require repeatable systems.

Worst Case: You walk away with a field-tested workflow you can steal, strip down, or adapt to your own style.

Start Here: My Photography System

Every skill on this page builds on this foundational photography system.

Don’t waste time trying to master it 100% of the way:

80% is enough for great results.

The last 20% is slow. Optimize it later.

Keep your learning loop firing. If it slows, you will quit.

♻️ New Skill ➡️ New Location ➡️ Great Photo ➡️ Dopamine

After hitting 80%, shift your focus to Composition (next section).

Learn the following skills in order.

PDF: How to Take Landscape Photos – My 5 Step System

---

PDF: Favorite Photography Gear

---

PDF: Sharp Focus System

---

PDF: Exposure Triangle System

---

PDF: Camera Technique System

---

PDF: How to 10X Your Landscape Photography

---

PDF: Black & White Photography System

---

---

Composition

Composition is the next skill to learn that will improve your photos faster than anything else.

See how this system works?

We knock out the high-yield skills, hit 80% mastery, and use them in brand-new locations.

Fresh scenery fuels new inspiration, and new inspiration creates the ultimate feedback loop:

♻️ New Skill ➡️ New Location ➡️ Great Photo ➡️ Dopamine

Download my 5 Composition Secrets Guide & watch the videos below.

---

PDF: Color Theory Photo Guide

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

Sharp Focus

Got my photography system down and composition locked, but noticed your focus was slightly off in specific scenarios?

If your focus is off, you lose confidence.

In this section, you’ll learn how to nail sharp focus in tricky scenarios.

This will improve your confidence and ensure you keep improving.

♻️ Sharp Focus ➡️ Confidence ➡️ Dopamine

Download my Sharp Focus Guide to take out shooting with you.

---

---

---

---

Long Exposures & Shutter Speed

Mastered all the sections above, and want to take your photos to the next level?

I will show you how to pick shutter speeds that match the emotion of your scene & subconsciously guide the viewer’s eye through the photo.

Stacking this skill onto a stable foundation fuels an accelerated feedback loop:

♻️ Stable Foundation ➡️ Layered Skill ➡️ Instant Results ➡️ Dopamine

Download my Camera Technique & Shutter Speed Guide to go with the videos.

---

---

---

---

Vlogs: Behind the Scenes

Now it is time to put everything together from the sections above.

You need a real-world look at how the entire system operates in the field under pressure.

These videos cover my favorite trips to some of the most dramatic landscapes on Earth.

Watch the entire playlist on Youtube.

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

Written Guides & PDFs

Learn every skill, step by step, required to master landscape photography.

Each guide includes a downloadable PDF.

Gear: Photography & Hiking

The guides below include gear lists, videos & knowledge from 15 years as a pro.

• Favorite Landscape Photography Gear – Best Camera, Lenses, Tripod & Tools
• Ultralight Hiking: All My Gear & Skills

Podcast & Blog

Below, I’ve include my favorite articles:

You can also checkout my Podcast.

• The Secret to Success [For Creators]
• Why Your Photography Business Will Fail & How to Succeed Instead
• How to Build a Profitable Business in the Internet Age
• The Secret to a Creative Life
• The Biggest Mistake Creators Make
• Read more on the blog

How to 10X Your Learning Speed

The fastest way to master landscape photography is by learning firsthand from someone who has spent over a decade optimizing these skills through trial and error.

Blogs and videos are great for theory, but they cannot replace real-time, field-based instruction.

I offer high-intensity workshops and tours designed for all skill and fitness levels.

In a single 3-day session, I can teach you my entire system—start to finish.

You will receive 1-on-1 feedback in the field that will improve your skills faster than years of self-teaching ever could.

My students often learn more in three days than they have in the previous 20 years on their own.

Stop guessing and start creating portfolio-grade images.

CLICK HERE & SEE MY UPCOMING WORKSHOPS