Landscape Photography Inspiration: What Happens When You Let Intuition Take Over

Not forcing the shot and being open to possibilities can make a big difference.

As with any photography genre, the desire to create an impressive landscape photo can get in the way of achieving an authentic shot. Letting that pressure take over can sometimes get you results that are technically sound but don’t make you proud or happy in the long run because they’re overdone. You may even eventually realize that these photos don't speak about you as a photographer.

No wonder Scottish landscape photographer Alister Benn asks, “What happens when you stop forcing the photograph?”

Benn contemplates the answer in the video above, first by sharing his thoughts about traveling to Namibia for the first time for a landscape photography workshop. Anyone who has done the same will know how exciting it is to come across new scenes, vistas, and opportunities to create beautiful photos.

However, some destinations are iconic enough to be sought after specifically for landscape photography. So, as Benn cautions, it’s easy to feel pressured to make photos that are popular or photographed in the same way by everyone else. This is especially the case when you’ve seen a lot of photos of a well-known and well-photographed location, which makes it easier than expected to be influenced by them.

“It can be extremely difficult to allow your own natural intuition, your natural creativity, your own natural way of expressing yourself, your own voice, your own being,” he warns.

What he found to be an antidote of sorts is to pay attention to the compositions that the landscape is opening up to you, not what the place has come to be “iconic” for. Surrender to the landscape, as he poignantly calls it. While this can be a difficult task when you’re constantly being stimulated by your surroundings, he recommends simply starting by trying to be yourself. Let your intuition—not the plan—take over, and allow it to guide you toward what resonates with you the most. This definitely takes a lot of interaction with a place and sharp observation skills, but nothing that ample practice can’t take care of.

Make sure to watch Alister Benn’s full video for more of his insights about doing landscape photography in popular locations.