Sometimes, Waiting on Good Conditions Is Overrated

It is common in landscape photography (and other genres) to want to wait for the best conditions before heading out to shoot, but sometimes, that can make you miss other great shots. This awesome video talks about the importance of not becoming too reliant on conditions and instead learning to rely on your skills to make great shots.

Coming to you from Simon Baxter, this great video discusses why great conditions are only one small part of the equation when it comes to making great photographs. It's easy to want to wait for that perfect foggy morning if you're a landscape photographer or that warm golden hour light if you're a portrait or wedding photographer, but the simple truth is that the weather doesn't always cooperate, and if you leave yourself at its mercy, you might be disappointed. Depending on what you shoot, this can mean a lot of things: you might need to learn how to use artificial light or you might need to expand your creative horizons and start shooting images that take advantage of the light and conditions in front of you instead. Check out the video above for Baxter's full thoughts. 

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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5 Comments

My best landscape image so far this summer is of dark storm clouds rolling in. They eventually drenched me, and would have likely damaged my camera if I didn't have a bag to put it in. But it was worth it. My second best is of low-lying fog after a different storm cleared. I'm no storm chaser, but I do like some drama in my landscapes!

I think Simon does alright to be fair, his work is immense.

Thank you, Stuart :)

No probs mate, keep up the great work. Love the fact you are from my neck of the woods too so that little bit extra inspiration to get out and explore.

You should have kept watching, Jonathon. The latter part of the video creates the connection with the video title. I work very hard for my images but I also have a clear vision for what I want to achieve based on my knowledge of the environment and subjects I choose to shoot. I often create images under conditions when most people would go home, but you need to watch the part filmed in my office ;)