I hope you guys don't get mad. Most of you guys have an eye for beauty but your composition stinks to high heaven. Only VBScripts compostion follow fundamental principles.
Don't worry too much about exposure, you will quickly learn to make the adjustment. In tricky situations, there is always bracketing.
Spend more time on composition. Here are some basic things to remember.
1) subject of interest cannot be placed in the centre - use the rule of thirds
2) horizon cannot be in the centre, it lies on the top or bottom quarter. If the foreground is interesting, horizon goes to the top quarter.
3) If subject shows or signifies movement then subject must be placed at the left if movement is to the right and vice versa
4) The eyes of a living creature must always be in a shot of the living creature
Obviously you guys enjoy nature and you take the trouble, just follow the principles and you will see a major difference.
By the way, the best times to take photos is before10am and after 4pm. In between the sun rays are too harsh and kills the subject especially landscape.
Further explanation on rule of thirds
http://photoinf.com/General/KODAK/guidelines_for_better_photographic_composition_rule_of_thirds.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rule_of_thirds