I think this is my favorite image from Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah. If you want beautiful scenic landscape images, you have to go to beautiful places. And, you have to be there at the right time of day. And you need to have the right weather for the kind of photo you want. Given all of those requirements, it’s never a sure thing. In this case, I got lucky on the first day, but that’s unusual.
I was at Bryce Canyon National Park for four sunrises, but this was the only one that provided any clouds. Of course, I went out for the other three mornings as well, and I got some photos that were OK, but nothing this spectacular. I guess landscape photography can be a little like fishing. You won’t catch a trophy fish on every cast, or even on every fishing trip. Unless you’re very lucky, you’ll need to go back to the same spots over and over until you get what you want. And even then, you’ll keep going back to those same places see if you can pull out something even better.
Do you ever wonder how photographers like Peter Lik and Art Wolfe get those amazing photos? Certainly, they have mastered the technical aspects, and they understand composition. But the most important thing is they have to be at the right place at the right time. Knowing how your subject appears in the various seasons helps narrow down the time of year. And, weather forecasts can help further. But in the end, you have to keep going back over and over to find the trophy shot.
So, I’ll keep exploring new places, but I’ll also happily return to places I’ve photographed before. You never know what you’ll find unless you go look.
