Patience in Landscape Photography: Waiting for the Light in Zion

In today’s modern age of digital cameras and near-instant results, it doesn’t take long for the pace of modern society to end up outside with us on the trail. This video helps show how being deliberate and slowing down can make for a relaxed and refreshing landscape photography experience.

A slow and deliberate approach to landscape photography can be very rewarding. There is potential for better photographic results and a more tuned-in, relaxed experience. In this video, we follow Ben Horne, using his large format camera, through the side canyons of Zion National Park.

Horne takes a slow, thoughtful approach as he hikes, commenting on the smaller things in nature one notices, from when the slight breezes move through the canyon to even noticing much smaller scenes amongst the grand landscape.

When Horne finds a scene he wants to photograph, his approach is very deliberate. He composes the scene very deliberately and his camera setup is unrushed. At one point, he sets up and patiently waits for up to an hour for the light to hit the canyon wall to light his scene in a more pleasing manner.

As a landscape photographer, I appreciate Horne’s deliberate but in-the-moment approach to landscape photography. His tip on visualizing a scene in 2D is well worth watching the video for, as it is helpful for both film and digital photographers.