Is Murray White even-handed in his view of landscape photography, or does he have an odd view of composition and framing? Read on!

"Photographers are frequently warned against using an even number of similar elements when composing a landscape image. This is because our eyes tend to dart around an image when visually confronted with pairings (or multiple pairings), and it is especially so with features that share the same physical characteristics; a cluster of pebbles or a stand of trees, for example.

"With small groupings, aesthetic qualities are likely to be improved by deliberately restricting your photograph to an odd number of common elements. Our minds may then enjoy trying to find a more complex balance within an image, rather than be confronted by an orderly arrangement, where we can become distracted by looking for natural groupings.

"Three elements usually work quite successfully in a structural sense and with an offset placement, there is often the creation of a dynamic triangular association between the features. Other arrangements of one, five or even seven elements could also provide a pleasing aesthetic, which may in itself be sufficient reason to capture the image.

"By way of contrast, limiting your photograph to just two elements can lead to a particularly static composition, or worse still, may weaken its impact by dividing the viewer’s attention between these competing features. However, there are times when a grouping of two creates much deeper visual interest, by revealing the latent power of an underlying relationship. Potentially competing subjects then emphasise these sometimes unexpected connections that exist between elements of our landscape.

"A capture depicting duality can invite an almost forensic assessment of the image, as a viewer is inevitably drawn into the process of comparison. In this setting, it is possible for a pair of trees to unite visually with as much intimacy as a photograph of two people might. Unfortunately, traditional landscapes...

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