Are you the type of landscape photographer who visits a location once and then head off to other new locations, never to return? Or are you the type that returns to a location over and over? Revisiting a location presents significant opportunities for the landscape photographer.
As a landscape photographer, I like to revisit locations to help increase the odds of walking away with a portfolio-worthy image I am proud of. The repeated visits help me learn the area, find strong compositions, and determine what environmental conditions are helping create a unique photograph.
Advantages of Revisiting
If you revisit a location, it affords several advantages over just visiting an area once. You learn simple logistics that make subsequent visits easier and more efficient: which overlook is best, which trail is best, where to park. All of this helps make getting to the most promising spot more familiar and straightforward.
When approaching a scene for the first time, it is easy to get overwhelmed. I frequently find my senses overloaded at new locations. While I have techniques to help slow me down, I often take the “obvious” shot instead of really working the scene to find an interesting composition that tells a story.
I can think and process more reasonably if I revisit the scene on the second and third visits. My compositions improve or become more interesting because I am more in tune with the area.
And finally, the environmental conditions change on other visits. On first visits, the newness of a location makes everything seem like it is excellent. But was the light really the best? Were the clouds cooperating? Does fog or rain make the place even more unique? The more times you visit a location, the odds of you witnessing and recognizing special conditions increase, likely leading to stronger, more interesting images.
If you visit a location once, it might seem impressive initially, but is it just the “newness,” or is it the right conditions and composition lining up simultaneously?
My Recent Experience
I recently visited Arizona, specifically the Superstition Mountain area. I will likely be in this area several more times in the coming months, and I had considered this initial trip a scouting trip. Learn where the trail heads were, view the area from different angles, and get a feel for the area, so that on future visits, I increase my odds of success in capturing a great photo.
Upon my arrival, there was one park that I wanted to visit right away. Its location to where I was staying was convenient, and from my research, it seemed to offer lots of potential. But I needed to get a feel for the logistics: entry passes, park hours, trailheads, and what it looked like in person.
Over the course of three days, I visited, scouted, and photographed the area five times. On my first morning, I visited the park to scout what I thought was a promising trail. I made waypoints during my hike for return visits, and since it was overcast, I also took a few pictures.
The very evening of my first day in Arizona, I returned to the park for sunset and used my waypoints to reach a spot for photographs quickly. I was treated to amazing colors on the rock walls and felt good about my scouting.
The next day, I returned for sunset. I chose a slight variation of which trail I took to get a different angle. In addition, the sunset that evening was incredible, and I had different colors on the rock walls to photograph.
I returned for sunrise the next morning. That trip wasn’t the most fruitful, but I again visited a different area of the park and learned more about good angles and objects for the foreground that I could use for the more optimal sunset time.
And finally, I visited one more evening, using what I had learned on previous trips and then getting lucky with a rare rainbow over the scene. Simply by revisiting the location, I increased my odds of experiencing a more unique scene.
Why Revisit
Revisiting an area helps you become more in tune with the location, from logistics to refining your compositions. It also helps increase the chance you will witness some truly unique scenes.
How about you? Do you revisit landscape photography scenes? Do you find it helpful for your photography?
I've lived in Mesa, AZ for +10 years now & have been to most trail heads in Tonto NF. Have you tried Second Water Road, just past Lost Dutchman State Park on SR88? I'm telling you that 2.5 mile dirt road is probably the most dramatic Spring (April/May) scenery in Arizona you will ever see! The combination of fields of wildflowers & blooming saguaros with the Superstitions in the background are breathtaking.
Also, taking Second Water Trail at the end of the dirt road shows the 'back' of the mountain can be just as dramatic as the front.
I stayed in Mesa when I was out there! I did take a forest road just a bit just past the park. There was trailhead for Jacob's Crosscut Trail and seemed like fewer time restrictions than the park (who wanted to open the gate at 6 and close it a 8.
Would love too see it in the spring - I will likely be out another 3 times between now and Feb...
I'll definitely plan on exploring that road a bit more next time.
You also might want to take Peralta Road into Tonto NF close to the southern edge of the Superstitions near Gold Canyon. The 8-mile dirt road is much better maintained than Second Water Road & Peralta Trail at the end is a 3-hour gentle switchback trail that leads to the top of a canyon that overlooks Weaver's Needle & the canyon itself is full of abandoned mining camps of those who failed to find the Dutchman's Gold.
I did that one too! I even hiked up to the Weaver Needle overlook - great hike (though I will say Ohio legs and lungs here might not call it a gentle switchbacking trail... :D ) Had a great time - my most recent YT video was a vlog of that hike actually.
What can you tell me about the Siphon Draw Trail back at the park? I am curious about that one - too hot for this most recent trip, probably won't have time on my next trip for a longer hike, but hoping I can make it work for one of my other trips.
For Siphon Draw start hiking early or you will be climbing back down from the Flat Iron in the dark! On the way to the back of the box canyon you will encounter the dinosaur head; a boulder about about two-stories high that looks like Godzilla's skull with eye sockets & snout that is a popular bouldering site.
At the back of the box canyon you will need good hiking boots to ascend the slick rock & you will definitely need a hiking staff for balance. There are no switchbacks up this loooong 45-50 degree slope!
Once you reach the top of the canyon, take a break, you're going to need one for what's next! To get to the Flat Iron from there, you will need to climb hand over hand for 1-3 hours depending on your physical fitness. What a view from the top though!
Just remember to bring enough water & there is no shade.
The only rescue I have ever heard about from the Flat Iron, was a couple of years ago when a woman reached it just as the sun set. She was also out of water. She called 911 for rescue & they told her to sleep rough & they would get her in the morning.
Thanks for the trail description! From what I'd read, it didn't seem like an easy trail. I definitely didn't have the time window to make the hike and avoid the heat in August. I would like to tackle it though - just need to figure out how trim down my camera load even more.
I have a fair amount of scramble-type hiking though, just a matter of whether I am still as fit as I used to be!
Something else you might consider on your next trip to Mesa are a couple of experiences in Usury Mountain Regional Park.
On full moon nights they have a park ranger led hike through a saguaro forest & let me tell you, walking through a saguaro forest under a full moon with owls, bats & nighthawks flying overhead will make you think you are on another planet! Edibles are made for experiences like this.
Also, they have park ranger led scorpion walks at night once a month, where everybody has blacklight flashlights to look for green glowing scorpions. It is only during the summer because scorpions only come out at night when it stays above 72F.
Both these events are free with park admission.
Nice! Great tip!
Where I stayed on this last trip was literally minutes from that park. And probably only 1/4 mile away as the crow flies from the park.
Send me a DM on Instagram desertvulturemultimedia & maybe we can meet-up while you're here. I live in East Mesa & we seem to be about the same age.
Whenever and wherever possible I attempt to do this whether at home or on vacation. For me being able to revisit a spot is always helpful in either refining an image or my craft.
Same here! Even on vacation, I tend to choose an area I want to explore and will revisit it even on the same trip. As you said, helps me refine my compositions as I feel like the repeat visits help me notice the small things more.