There’s nothing better than being in nature, breathing in every mood out there, deciding on the best possible camera position, and enjoying landscape photography. But what if having 25 other photographers by your side makes it hard to move just 20 inches left or right without disturbing another photographer?
In my latest video on YouTube, I take you with me on a tour through the beautiful region of Tuscany in Italy. This is a famous area that has been painted by the world’s greatest artists of the Renaissance period. Today, it is visited by landscape photographers from all over the world. This is not surprising, since the scenery there is indescribably impressive.
You can try to find your intimate spots there, but you have to depend on parking if you don’t want to walk long distances to a spot in the dark before sunrise. I arrived in Tuscany in a much larger passenger van than a regular car, so for the most part the ability to park by the side of the road doesn’t work in a lot of cases. This is why I mainly focus on some famous photography locations, while I also keep an eye on intimate locations.
Good luck with the light
Interestingly enough, a lot of landscape photographers assume it’s all down to luck when it comes to the right light and weather for a particular location and that the luckiest photographer comes back with the shot. best photo. But this is not a simple case. You can predict the weather using weather maps, which leads to great results in my experience. Of course, when you’re in an area for just a few days, you can also have the bad luck of getting the weather completely wrong for a particular composition. The trick is not to be fixed on single pixels or even on single compositions. I plan a few different locations for different weather and lighting situations so I prepare for each. And it’s important to note that it’s not just light and weather that make up a masterpiece, but you also have to finalize the composition.
Lack of intimate connection
I have to say; I love working on my own intimate spots in landscape photography. There’s a lot of exploratory work ahead, and sometimes, I decide to get back there weeks, months, or even years after the conditions are perfect. I often come back again and again to get to know the place and most importantly to have an emotional connection with it. The more you know about your subject, the more you can fall in love with it and the deeper you can compose. To get there, I have to stay focused and undisturbed. The bad truth is that this is exactly missing in an iconic location. When you get to the shooting location and there are 20 or 30 other photographers around, talking, laughing and limiting your ability to move around and trying to get the best possible perspective, your results can be overwhelming. may not be of the same quality as you are used to.
But there’s a simple trick to getting rid of that, and honestly, I don’t know why this isn’t done by the majority of landscape photographers who shoot at iconic locations. statue. I visit the photo location the day before or at least a few hours before there are less people around, where I can move around wherever I want, where I can feel the scenery and the frame. scene, where I can see a whole particular story because I completely focus on my photography. I can think about how the light will change by the time I plan to shoot. And it was very important to get back there early enough so that I could establish exactly what I had decided was my best possible camera position. And so, as other photographers frantically rush into the fields, looking for the last possible camera positions, you’re ready and just enjoying the sunrise and the fast pace of photographers’ lives. Photographer eagerly beside you.
The truth about iconic places is that these places have been proven. The themes are well known, and copying a layout doesn’t lead to anything new. Instead, frame your own composition, consider the light and weather, get used to the scene, and arrive early for a great photographic adventure.
To enjoy the whole adventure and for more landscape photography tips, check out the video linked above. And leave us a comment below on how you managed to get great photos at iconic places.
