When it comes to landscape photography, the ultimate goal for many is to capture that next stunning shot, one worthy of being printed and hung on a wall, or shared online to be applauded by thousands, right? But do we truly appreciate the process and adventure that goes into securing these shots?
In his video, Nigel Danson shares an interesting perspective on how we should approach each photography adventure. He discusses his recent trip to Iceland and the unique challenges it added to his adventure story.
It’s worth thinking about. With insightful and thought-provoking ideals, Nigel offers great tips and advice from which even the most seasoned landscape photographers can benefit and learn.
Far too often, we get caught up in the end result. With these blinkers on, it’s easy to miss the many things that can occur along the way. The best-laid plans are always at the mercy of the weather in landscape photography, and even iconic locations like Iceland can be difficult to shoot when the weather decides to be uncooperative.
If you are only chasing the shot, there will undoubtedly be times when you question why you are doing all this. However, if you embrace the 'whatever happens, happens' mindset and enjoy it for what it is, you will likely end up with a different set of feelings and emotions when it's all over.
How about you? Are you a destination photographer, or do you enjoy the journey along the way? Let's continue the conversation below.
This past August my best friend took me to Durdle Door on the south coast of England. The beach was crawling with people and wasn't the image I was looking for to take home. We agreed to return before sunrise to capture this icon on the Jurassic Coast in Dorset. The next morning we walked from the car park to a spot on the ridge over looking the beach and the Door. The beach was deserted. We had the company of a woman and her two dogs and another photographer far off on the ridge.
Darren Spoonley asked,
"How about you? Are you a destination photographer, or do you enjoy the journey along the way? Let's continue the conversation below."
With my wildlife photography, I enjoy the process as well as the final images. I love the research done online and on the phone to find new places to find wildlife, the days of travel to get there, the connections I make with the locals, the hours spent hiking, or sitting in a blind, and the hours spent with the subjects, waiting for them to do something photogenic. I love all of it!
However, with landscape photography, I honestly only care about the final image. Guess that's why I am not really a landscape photographer ..... I only take landscape photos when a beautiful scene just happens to appear in front of me while I am out for wildlife. I just don't enjoy doing the things that one must do to intentionally get good landscape photos. So when it comes to landscape photography, I just skip the journey altogether and go right for the end result, when it happens to be right there for the taking with very little effort.
Spot on Darren - this is exactly why i love my landscape photography. It's the research, the exploration, the discovery of new ways to shoot known locations and the unknown ones. Delving down into the minutiae infront of the grandest scene, capturing the light and conditions at at a point in time that will not be repeated but will live forever. And the adrenaline hit when it all goes right and the image pops up on the rear screen for the first time and you know you’ve got 'the shot' you were after.