Location scouting - landscape photography
Location scouting is one of the best things you can do as a landscape photographer.
I do this all the time, when we get a weekend off and go hiking, when I am out on a photography shoot and the conditions aren’t right, or if I am visiting a new area.
It is just great to get out into the outdoors and explore and it can turn into quite the adventure!
“Not all those who wander are lost.”
Today I head up to Llyn Y Fan Fach in the Brecon Beacons and find some locations for future photo adventures … and this is a place I definitely will visit time and time again!
Location scouting can help in many different ways.
Looking on google maps, a hike can look quite easy, but when you get there, it might be very different. This was the case here at Llyn Y Fan Fach … the hike up from the carpark was a bit of a slog … but well worth it!
If you are planning a astrophotography shoot, a sunrise or a sunset, some or all of your hike might be in the dark. If you know where the dangerous things to avoid are, you will be less likely to get into trouble. So hiking somewhere in the middle of the day will definitely help you get your bearings and get you familiar with the location you might be heading back to with less than stellar lighting conditions.
If you are going to a remote location, there might still be a mobile signal … but if there isn’t you can plan for this … however if you don’t go on a location scout, you might find you get in to trouble and not have any way of communicating to the outside world. This one is an important one.
When there is no pressure, you will more than likely start to find potential compositions and photographs … so when the weather is rubbish, this is the perfect time to location scout … then when the conditions are better, you will know exactly where to go back to to get some great landscape photography images that you will be proud of!
You might see a location on a map that looks great, but when you get there, it might not be so good … if you are limited with the amount of sunrises you can do, location scouting can be fundamental to utilising this time when the light is good, properly. So when you do get a hall pass and you are allowed out for a sunrise, you can really get the most out of that amazing light!
Whenever I get to a new place, I will always location scout it out and find the best potential landscape photography places I can return to the next morning, in a few weeks time, or when the weather breaks.
Proper planning prevents p!5s poor performance!
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Thanks
Mike