This is the first in a series of photo tips that I will be publishing, likely once every two weeks.

Feel free to pass these on to anyone who may be interested in improving their photos.

Have you visited a scenic location and joyously photographed it? But how often have you been disappointed in the photos that you came home with, sensing that your photos did not do the location justice?

Too often we try to put too much into the photo. There may not be a point of interest.

C_16_0492 What is the subject of this photo? Note how your eye jumps all around, not settling on any aspect in the image.

Think of photography as a process of elimination. What should you exclude from the scene is a question you should ask yourself.

S_20_0197 This photo is too busy. Think, what attracted you to photograph here. Probably the yellow flowers, or the geology of the alvars.

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So if that was what got your attention, this is much better. The image is much simpler. The cracks in the alvar lead your eye  from the bottom of the frame to the top. But this can be made even simpler by moving in closer.

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Your eye goes immediately to the lone yellow flower, the brightest part of the image. Being selective makes for a very simple image.

T_19_0654Terraced vineyards along Douro River, Pinhão , Portugal Here is a pleasing photo of Portugal's Douro River Valley and its vineyards. A nice landscape, yes.

T_19_0679Terraced vineyard along Douro River, near Pinhão, Portugal But as I simplified the image by using a longer focal length lens, you now get a sense of the terrain of the vineyards. By creating a simpler photo, with the tractor creating a sense of scale, the viewer is now in the steep hillsides. You are among the vines.

U_16_0241Barn and tilled fields, Colfax, Washington

You can still create simple images even with wider views, as in this farm scene in Palouse Country in eastern Washington.

I've excluded any extraneous items and created a simple uncluttered photo.

34000319 Use weather conditions to create pleasing simple photos. The viewer's eye here goes to the colouful trees with the fog hiding any background details, on Crystal Lake in New Hampshire.

C_07_0356 Here is another clean simple image. Great evening light on the Alberta prairie and storage sheds as a focal point.

K-703 Even though this is a wide angle view of the landscape in Ladakh, northern India, with the green valley pulling the viewer's eye in an otherwise barren landscape, a simple uncluttered image is the result.

S_20_0193 A simple uncluttered photo of Gore Bay, Manitoulin Island, sets a serene calm mood.

C_18_0181 How can you create a simple image of cherry blossoms among the crowds in an urban park, Toronto's High Park?

Look up at the shapes of the tree trunks to frame the blossoms and eliminate the crowds.

C_18_0113Small tree with red leaves in snow, Kalamalka Lake Provincial Park, British Columbia, Canada

Kalamalka Provincial Park, British Columbia.

C_18_0159Small conifer in snow, with shadows, Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada A lone tree and shadows, Banff National Park (at the edge of the highway).

U_12_0368Twisted pine Pinon Pine, Zion National Park, Utah.

These are three examples of finding an interesting subject and filling the frame with it. Who cares what is outside the frame?

T_06_0262Sycamore Gap, Hadrian's Wall

A lone tree and great clouds at Sycamore Gap along Hadrian's Wall, in the north of England.

980329 To photograph flowers or other subjects up close, use a wide aperture to avoid a distracting background. This will blur any details behind the subject and focus attention on it.

So I hope these examples help you with your photography. Try to keep it simple, and your photos will usually succeed.

For you travellers, one more suggestion. We all like to recall memorable meals we've been privileged to eat. Avoid the clutter of the table by getting a higher point of view and looking down on the food you're photographing. 

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Simplify!