I've been a landscape photographer since the late '70s so I know how to plan for a landscape photography outing.
- Step number 1: Look at the weather
- Step number 2: Check the weather reports
- Step number 3: Study the weather reports
- Step number 4: Study season details (angle of the sun; time of sunrise/sunset; etc.)
- Step number 5: Study the location
- Once all of this is confirmed and you still want to go ahead, then prepare your gear and the rest...
Let me tell you a story
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I really loved yesterdays photoshoot. As mentioned in yesterday's post, although the plan was to photograph people and I ended up photographing water lilies, the shoot did exactly what I needed.
So, this morning when I woke up, I decided I would like to continue what I have done yesterday. But this time I will do it more professionally.
Yesterday I found it difficult to get good composition which I blamed on the fact that I was using my Fujifilm X100F which has quite a wide angle fixed lens. So, this time, I will take my X-T2 with the 50mm lens. This will bring me much closer to the lilies and therefore simplify the composition more.
I also thought to the reflections of yesterday, so decided to take my polarizing filter to remove the glare of the water.
But then I remember that I do not have the correct adaptor ring for the 50mm lens. I decided to first go to Huaqiangbei (the electronic market) and buy the correct adapter ring. At 1 o'clock I arrived back at home - mission accomplished.
After lunch, I decided to go on my photoshoot as we had an appointment at 15:30. I arrived at the spot at 14:30. The sun was blasting down on me. I never checked the weather report. I did not even notice we are having a cloudless day when I went to Huaqiangbei.
But here I am, with less than an hour to accomplish what I planned in the bed this morning, lets shoot.
I fitted the polarizer and start searching for a composition. Found one.
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I turned the polarizer to remove the glare. And it worked! But this is not what I had in mind. With the glare removed, the water turned totally black. Furthermore, because of the sunlight, the whole mood is different. It is not at all what I had in mind!
I continued to shoot but decided that the polarizer is ruining the mood, so I shoot mostly without it.
Eventually, I ended up with three photos that I liked as a series, not of the lilies, but of the dying leaves.
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Time's up! I had to go back home, my hour has passed.
I went back home happy again - not because of my great photoshoot, but because today I learned from my experience.
It is not about the gear, but about the light!