Why You Keep Going Out


One of the great things about being a landscape photographer is that every day is different.

The weather is not the same. The clouds are different. The seasons change. No two sunsets are exactly alike.

It is completely different every day.

That makes this all the more exciting as every dawn has the potential to be something spectacular. So for me, just getting out there is it's own reward.

Here are a couple of examples to illustrate the point. Both images were taken from the east end of the Grand Canyon, near Point Lipan. The day I made the top image had started out overcast and then became a white-out of snow. That scares off most people, photographers too. I stayed out in it. I was rewarded. Suddenly the clouds started to part and for fifteen glorious minutes the scene looked like this. There were low clouds in the canyon and the sun was shining on the river.

It was one of those wow moments.

When I talked to other photographers later they told me what a terrible day it had been. I asked if they saw the clouds part. They said no, they had given up in the white-out and gone to the lodge. Man, did they miss out.......


The second image is from my last morning in the canyon. I had packed up camp in the dark and stopped again at Point Lipan to photograph the dawn.

Standing in the early morning predawn light with single digit temperatures I made this image. What a way to end a trip!

It is reasons and places like that why I keep going out and what I love about being a photographer and in particular a landscape photographer.

On a somewhat related note to getting out there, I'll be giving a presentation to the Lake Granbury Art Association at 7pm on Monday, July 12th in Granbury, Texas. The title of the presentation is "Thinking like a Landscape Photographer" and I'll have a slideshow, talk a little about why I like photographing rocks and trees (hint-they move in geologic time!), etc . If you live close, come on over to Granbury and see the show.

More info on LGAA plus map:

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