The Joys and Benefits of Photographing a Landscape Scene Multiple Times

Landscape photography can be both a fickle and bountiful thing depending on the conditions. This great video examines why photographing the same location multiple times can be highly beneficial.

Coming to you from Thomas Heaton, this neat video follows him as he photographs the same mountain on three separate occasions, obtaining three strikingly different results. Landscape photography is a genre that can require a lot of patience and commitment, as you don't have control of the light and conditions, but that same thing can yield a lot of markedly different shots of the same subject. This allows you to get multiple shots and looks without changing your location if you have the patience. It's important to note Heaton's intense attention to the local meteorology. This allows him to have a good idea of how the scene will evolve in the immediate future, allowing him to then be prepared for the next ideal shot. You don't have to go into advanced meteorology, but having a good idea of the local weather forecast and using an app like The Photographer's Ephemeris to track the light can help quite a bit. 

And if you really want to dive into landscape photography, check out "Photographing The World 1: Landscape Photography and Post-Processing with Elia Locardi." 

Alex Cooke's picture

Alex Cooke is a Cleveland-based portrait, events, and landscape photographer. He holds an M.S. in Applied Mathematics and a doctorate in Music Composition. He is also an avid equestrian.

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2 Comments

I try not to hit the same spot over and over for the same image unless.... I catch an error I made while reviewing at home, want to do something slightly different that will make the image that much better, a season change, lighting/time of day, and/or weather changes.

I wholeheartedly agree with Thomas in this area. If you only photograph a location once, you could miss out on so much, plus different seasons bring different scenes. Thomas has Switzerland, I have Kawaguchi-ko. Upon my second trip I discovered new compositions, took advantage of one I found the year before, and found a waterfall that only the locals know.