Returning to Landscape Photography: Inspiration, Process, and Enjoyment
Somewhat recently, I returned to photography after quite a break. I won’t dwell on what excuse I allowed myself to go this long without picking up a camera, but what is worth dwelling on is how to take this disadvantage and potentially turn it into an advantage. This is my experience, but I hope it helps others; whether as inspiration or something to consume, you’ll learn what I mean in a few paragraphs’ time!
I think when getting back into photography you’ve got a unique opportunity that is different to when you first started, because back then you probably didn’t have any equipment. The first thing that you do is buy a camera, and I think that can lead to a lot of obsession about gear — watching videos in your first couple of months, consumed by figuring out what you need — and that stops you from really learning what photography is actually about. But you could easily fall back into that rhythm, since time brings technological advancement, and you may wrongly think you need new gear to compete.
You don’t just wake up one morning wanting to start photography again. It really takes a little bit of inspiration, and for me this came from watching some YouTube and happening across a video by James Popsys. Now, being a landscape photographer, I would not necessarily, at this point, be in awe of his photos. Instead, I was intrigued; he seemed sure of himself in some regards, not so sure in others, and talked aloud about the latter. He is a straight-talking photographer with a good sense of humour, and he taught me a lot — not necessarily about composition, but rather about inspiration and the creative process. In honesty, I hadn’t put too much thought into improving my process in my past photography experiences.
I am dubbing this initial step, for the sake of this blog post, the inspiration stage.
The next stage of returning to photography, I think, is consumption: looking up more videos, reading more articles, looking at more photos, and understanding what you like. What kind of photography you want to be doing, and who inspires you to be a better photographer. Try understanding why you like some of the photos that stop you dead in your tracks.
This stage is the consumption and reflection stage; this is, in my opinion, the most important, and you need to get it right. Don’t follow the gear, follow the knowledge. Listen and observe — sure, sometimes it will take practice to understand, but that is part of the journey.
If you need help, look up some of these photographers, in order of my own discovery:
James Popsys - Great mind, made me thing about more than just composition
Thomas Heaton - Amazing lifestyle, imagery and thought leadership,
Lucy Lumen - Very visionary, I love her thoughts and how her photos are simply ordinary made extrodinary
I also took to Pinterest a bit, odd place for a photographer maybe, but I made boards of what I liked, and why I liked them, to help me develop initially and later on.
That brings us to the final stage of returning to photography: actually returning. Maybe we need to give this the catchiest name of all the stages… let me ponder that. Entering this stage means you are ready to give it another go. You dust off your kit, charge your batteries, make sure everything works, and remember how to use the basics. Then, get up and go. Now, although I do believe there is a right subject for all light, some conditions need more expertise than others. So keep it simple — if it’s winter, a sunrise; if it’s summer, maybe a sunset. Do your planning, make sure it’s good weather, and don’t give yourself any excuse to give up after the first trip.
Whilst you are out for the first time, you will need to check your mindset. Now, I am talking landscape photography, so for me, you need to mentally reinforce why you’re there. If you have not been out in years, or even months for that matter, you’re not going to take your best photos just because you followed the previous steps. But you are, of course, on your way. You don’t need your best photo; you need to enjoy yourself, to remember what it feels like to be in the landscape, to understand it, and how to show it in its best light. So bring some creature comforts — some coffee if that’s your thing, food, water, warm clothes. Discomfort is effort; comfort is enjoyment.
So I guess this last stage is the drug. Catchy enough? This stage keeps you coming back, keeps you working at your skill. Now, there is always continuing development, but let’s discuss that in another blog. For now, thanks for reading, and if you want to stay in touch, feel free to subscribe to my newsletter.
The above photos were taken on my first day back ‘doing’ photography, I did a sunrise, I wasn’t blown away by the photos, but good enough for the hook, and as I said, if your standing on this beach, with these light and conditions, how can you not love it? After that, on the same day, I went to Jurys gap and got the tractor shot because I was just dying to go out again!
