Explore. Experience. Create. Why?
Explore Landscapes #10
Those three words are far more than a marketing tagline for me (although they do serve that purpose). They succinctly describe my 3-step approach to photography while I'm out in nature and how I can get myself into the right frame of mind to 'see' the landscape photographically, i.e., how I get into a flow state.
I find this approach to be a good way of reducing the feeling of disappointment if I don't get any keepers or if I don't shoot any images at all. After all, I've had a good day out, have explored and experienced nature, I can chalk it up as a hiking, scouting, or training day (delete as applicable).
This approach feels much healthier to me and less stressful than making the day all about getting that perfect image. Since adopting this approach a few years ago, I've found my photo trips more productive and far more enjoyable.
Explore
I love being out in nature and like nothing more than exploring somewhere new, taking a look at the map, finding a trail, and following it to see what I find. Being out in nature puts aside the stresses of everyday life, resets my overstimulated mind, and lets me focus on what I'm seeing around me. It takes no more than 15 - 20 minutes of exploring a trail before I can feel myself relaxing and opening up to what nature has to offer.
This past weekend I took a flight to San Francisco, courtesy of a covid-credit for a flight canceled back in 2020. As is typical when visiting a new location (typical for me), I’m excited but somewhat apprehensive. My thoughts are on the specifics of finding the trailhead, starting the trail in the right direction, and worrying about what I’ve forgotten to pack.
Fifteen minutes later and that's all forgotten, I'm enjoying the trail and starting on my way, exploring as I go. It’s exciting to discover something new around each corner of the trail, I’m looking around, soaking it all in, and getting into a good hiking pace.
Experience
Once relaxed, my body is ready to experience, and appreciate, nature, with all my senses. I start seeing details, shapes, textures, light, patterns, and potential compositions.
I start to hear the movement of trees, the chirping of birds, and the motion of water over rocks. I touch a rock as I walk past it, feel its rough surface, and notice the different inclusions and crystalline elements that formed over millions of years.
Within a mile from the trailhead, I see a sign letting me know that my trail includes a cave and that a headlamp or flashlight is required. I step into the cave entrance, the trail leads down narrow steps, turns a sharp corner and everything goes dark. Very dark. On goes my headlamp, and this subterranean world suddenly feels less intimidating.
Inside the cave I’m on all fours at times, feeling the sand under my knees, and the damp rock on either side of me. Shuffling through the narrow passageway, edging my backpack ahead of me as I go. I get to a point where I’m starting to regret entering the cave, don’t know whether to continue or back out of the cave. Then I notice a painted white arrow. Forwards it is then.
After 5 minutes I’m through the cave section of the trail and back out into the light. I’m enjoying seeing the trees covered in Spanish moss, the vivid green lichen on the North facing rocks, and the reddy-brown pinnacles towering above me.
Now I’m starting to see compositions that I want to try out with my camera. I’ve been walking for over an hour now, and it’s time to create.
Create
I pause, put down my backpack and get my camera out. I have an idea for composition and want to try and get an image.
I chose my lens, put it on the camera body, start framing my composition and start working through my image workflow. I won’t go into my workflow now, as that will make for a post all of its own.
In this post, I wanted to highlight how important I feel it is to explore and experience nature before you try and create an image. Next time you go out to photograph why don’t you give this approach a go? I’m pretty sure that you’ll feel better for it and may find that you take more satisfying images. Let me know in the comments how you get into you flow state.
Until next time, explore, experience, and enjoy our wildlands responsibly. Think before you geotag. Adopt the 7 Principles of Leave No Trace and practice Responsible Nature Photography.
Bye for now,
Jon
