The Most Important Thing in Landscape Photography.

There is one thing in landscape photography that is of the utmost importance. This can be the difference between a print-worthy portfolio image and relegating a failed image to the darkest depths of a hard drive, never to be seen again (Admit it, you never delete any images either). It is not a tripod or the best stabilization money can buy; It is not all the megapixels you can cram onto the head of a pin, either. The one thing that can improve your photography is patience. It is taking the time to consider your composition carefully. Is it as good as you can make it, given the conditions? (let’s be honest, conditions are never as good as we want them to be.) Are you confident that you have sharp focus where you need it? Is your shutter speed going to impact your image negatively? Did you forget to reset the ISO from the last image you took? Are you about to introduce more noise than the eruption of Krakatoa? 

These may seem like simple things, and they are, which makes them all the easier to overlook. When you rush about and are caught up in the moment, it is easy to forget your lens cap is still on or you didn’t even check your focus. Whether it is the excitement or the frustration, taking a moment to double-check and be patient can make or break the creation of your image.

I know this because I made all the mistakes just a few weeks ago. I was at an incredible location, a small rocky outcrop called Flat Rock Beach. I was surrounded on all four sides by astonishing photography opportunities. I had an ocean on three sides and an amazing, colorful, shapely rock formation behind me. I was a kid in a candy store! My first mistake was spreading myself too thin. I was trying to capture a time-lapse in one direction and shoot still images in the other while trying to capture it all on video. My attention was divided, to say the least. Instead of doing one thing well, I was doing three things poorly. My second mistake was locking into one idea. Long-exposure! I wanted to spread those waves out and make them look like clouds. By not considering other options, I left that beach with 25 images of the same thing. I love long-exposure photos, don’t get me wrong, but some variation would have been a good thing. Had I taken a moment to think it through, I would have used a faster shutter speed to get some of the texture in the water to show better the path the water had to take while forcing its way around the rocks. Or a high shutter speed to freeze the waves as they crashed into the rocky shore. Telling a different story of the constant struggle between Sea and Land.

Ocean Clouds

 I did manage to capture some images I was happy with, but I can’t help but feel I could have done better had I just slowed down and practiced some patience. Had I taken a moment to truly consider what was in front of me and what I wanted to say, or how many different ways I could show the character of this small and beautiful place, I would have left this beach feeling more accomplished. I will return to this spot, and next time, I will leave the extra gear at home and pack a little more patience in the camera bag.