Landscape Photography's Odd Duo Have a Laugh on a Mountain: Stunning Images Ensue

When it comes to landscape photography, picking a beautiful location is about a quarter of the battle, the rest is timing, execution, and editing. This video has all these elements with the added bonus of two highly skilled photographers just enjoying each others company and having a laugh.

Coming to you from one of landscape photography's most effervescent and talented photographers, Gavin Hardcastle, creator of the educational and entertaining YouTube channel Fototripper, is a video full of mirth, personality, and top-notch tips. Hardcastle is joined by his partner in crime, world-renowned landscape, time-lapse, and aerial photographer, Michael Shainblum. Here they tackle a trail with a rather ominous name as they trek to a vantage point in order to photograph the beautiful Smith Rock State Park in Oregon during a sunset.

Not only is the video is a good lesson in how important it is to choose a good location, but also why planning a shoot with all the possible variables in mind can prepare you for a successful outing. Not all goes according to plan, which is par for the course in landscape photography, but the guys persevere in good humor, only to be rewarded for their determination and patience. After the shoot, Hardcastle briefly takes us through how he edited his favorite image of the evening.

It's definitely worth watching their back-catalog of videos if you haven't seen them before. I love the interaction between the two — always  humorous and engaging. One might expect the calm and somewhat reserved Shainblum to be the straight to Hardcastle's edge, but he's well able to get a laugh out of the Fototripper.  

As they mention in the video, using an app like Photopills offers you the best chance for accurately planning a successful excursion. Other apps like Planit Pro: Photo Planner and The Photographer's Ephemeris are good alternatives, with the latter having a handy desktop web application.