Not all photographs are the same. Not all landscape photographs subscribe to the same recipe. Some of them work very well without a foreground, while others don't really feature a middle-ground. Sometimes we break all the rules and still end up with a lovely image. Pro-photographers work beyond the rules, but they know what works, why it works, how to spot the image, and when to break the rules. Most photographers do not function at that level, yet. Hence I suggest a good old rule which just works most of the time (for landscape images).

          Make sure your image has a strong foreground, a defined middle-ground, and a drawing background. Most landscape images that follow this recipe are very pleasing. This rule is almost a fail-safe default that you can follow. Let's look at an image:

The first grasses and the ripples in the sand are the foreground. It adds interest and helps to create depth. I like to make the foreground stand out a bit by just lightening it a bit in post processing. Then there is a defined middle-ground right in the center of the image (little hump, dune with grass). You don't have to place the defined feature in the center. Lastly you have the background formed by the large dune.

          Why does this recipe work so well for so many images? A good strong foreground anchors the eye, grabs the viewer's attention at once, and creates depth. Then your eye is drawn into the image by the middle-ground. It just brings your attention in with a small jump from the foreground to the middle-ground and leads you on to the background. This is what good landscape photography seeks to do; draw the viewer into the image rather than seeing a flat image from side to side. These "grounds" almost act like stepping stones for your eyes, creating a path to walk on into the scene.

          Try this recipe for yourself and see if it makes a positive difference.