How much time and distance do you put into a landscape photo?

[Iluvmycam]

Do you wait around for lengthy periods for the light to be just right? Do you travel long distances to get your shot?

How much time and distance do you put into a landscape photo?

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

You can get exact numbers (for time) on Michael Fatali's site, for instance.

[Iluvmycam]

Thanks, he is hardcore for sure!

[BernardLanguillier]

It depends on the location.

Where I am based in Japan, the typical trekking time to get to the locations I like most is perhaps 10-15 km over 1000-1500m elevation, so 4-6 hours walk on average to steep terrain. Many of the interesting spots around here have no road access (there are of course many exceptions too).

I used to shoot a lot on the way, but nowadays I plan a bit more and am happy if I can get between 2 to 5 nice images from a trip. This gives me enough time to get the light right and capture it with a high res pano.

Cheers,
Bernard

[PeterAit]

I guess my approach is somewhat different. I never "go out" to get a specific landscape photo. I travel - car, foot, plane, boat, helicopter - to see places I want to see. I am always alert and looking for good photos, and if I may say so I've gotten quite a few good ones over the years. I never set out with the main goal of taking a specific photo. Not that there's anything wrong with that, the dedication of some people is quite impressive! But, just not my way.

[BobDavid]

As far as landscapes go, I mostly take pictures of moody houses in suburbia. I will drive by a particular home at least six or seven times at different hours before I get an idea of when and how to photograph it. I also take a lot of skyscapes. Those shots are fairly spontaneous, although I habitually look up at the sky to see what's going on. Central Florida is a skyscape photographer's paradise.

[Iluvmycam]

I have traveled a day for some photos. (It was a bust.)

My biggest wait in one spot was an hour and a half waiting to get a pix of a plane landing. It turned out fantastic! But, it was murder for me. I'm not much for waiting around.