Is this normal for a landscape photographer?

[leuallen]

Sometimes when I go out the light is not so good and there does not seem to be any interesting subjects. I go anyway because I want to take a photograph and it is good therapy for me. I go to one of my favorites sites and there is not a good image to be had, at least at first glance. I put on my long telephoto and scan the landscape. Occasionally I find something of some interest like I did here. I ended up really liking this image. The color, contrast, pattern, and uniqueness speak to me.

Does this happen to you? You go with low expectation and return with something you really like.

Larry

[David Eckels]

All the time, Larry, all the time. Not just with landscapes, either.

[Two23]

Sometimes when I go out the light is not so good...

The light is always good for something.  Since you can't change the light, you have to change your thinking.


Kent in SD

[Peter McLennan]

Absolutely, Larry. Your image is perfect example.

[James Clark]

It's rare that this DOESN'T happen to me.  I could count on one hand the number of times I've ever planned a shoot, found expected "good" light, and come back with a shot that I pre visualized.

My general "plan" is to work some time for photography into my general travel schedule, then head out and get images that are appropriate to the light, weather, and location.  Another way of putting it might be that I see the skill in photography to be in the seeing and understanding the opportunities that come from any given combination of light, location, and opportunity, as opposed to planning a photograph like one might in a studio setting.  (That's certainly a skill, just not one that I possess.)

I love your image, by the way.  Great example of finding a frame in the world around you.

[langier]

Sometimes I go out without a plan and no expectation. It clears the mind of clutter if nothing happens. But then, if you are not out there, the unexpected. With Weston, if something didn't gel, he'd simple fold up the tripod for something better along the way. Even Ansel would be surprised at what God had in store for him being out there.

Take note of Moonrise. Ansel was trying to make something happen with some stumps out by Abiqueue... nothing worked and he called it a day...then the timing...just one frame taken and trying for a second...the light was gone, as was the moment, the decisive moment as HCB would call it...All because he was out there.

I recently went with a friend to see the Indiana Dunes in the rain. Went to the cold, windy, lifeless beach. Nada mucho. Then as we were leaving the parking lot...something and we stopped, got out and explored a little way. Something. In the vicinity of a photograph and I got something. We continued onward. More rain. More gloom. Something. Getting interesting. Seeing.

On the ground and in the woods, the intimate and more. Reality far exceeding expectations. My friend took me there to show me where he liked to run. My expectation was doomy, gloomy sand dunes, like I expect in the California desert. I came to look, but ended up seeing! And not just a simple frame, a single image!

[leuallen]

Larry, my day was much like that. No expectations but it turned out to be a very good day. After I took the photo of the trees I moved on down the road and I saw this on a tree. Not a landscape, but unusual and makes me chuckle. I went to my favorite bar for a beer and some home cut fries, it was late afternoon and I thought the photoday was over. Left there and was driving home and I saw they were harvesting beans in my favorite valley. This valley is large, slopes down, and it rolling in places. It has some interesting features. I have taken some very good pictures of the harvest there. This year for some reason I missed the harvest of the upper part of the valley and all that remained was the lower part which was quite far away and inaccessible for an old guy like me. All of the other fields were in and I thought they were going to let this field go unharvested. I was very happy to see the farmers in there.

I went to the top of the valley where I usually go. It is facing west and is backlit. The pictures there were very poor. The light had no contrast or color. The best I could to was this pano. It is freehand, no time for tripod. It was shot with as a hail marry, I did not think it would be successful. Note that for most of the pictures I am in my van shooting braced on the window sill. I am getting quite old and not able to scamper like I used to. The pano mirically did not require any touch up.

I move to a field across the road that I was able to drive my van in. It was getting nearer sunset and the light was improving greatly. I was working with my PL 100-400 Panasonic lens mostly at 400mm. The results were not good, too much dust and haze in the atmosphere. Nothing sharp. Switched to the 35-100 Pansonic at 35mm (70mm equivalent). That is wide angle for me. Got a lovely image.

Switched back to the 100-400. Figured if the long shots were not working I would try something closer. Focused on some beans that were relatively nearer with the machinery in the background. I was at 400 ISO and 1/125 so the image is not particularly sharp for an 800mm equivalent focal length. If I had been thinking I would have used 800 ISO and had a better chance, noise be damned.

Larry

[luxborealis]

The light is always good for something.  Since you can't change the light, you have to change your thinking.
Kent in SD

Good point, Kent. I agree. We’re only limited by our ‘seeing’. For me, as Larry and David pointed, it’s is more frequent than we’d like, perhaps.

[Paulo Bizarro]

Interesting shot. And yes, it happens to me too.