Have you ever woken up after a very short sleep with a hype running through your veins almost to a point of euphoria to go and catch that epic sunrise? How many times you’ve been disappointed?
Disappointment in Landscape Photography is much more common than YouTube shows us. I lost count of how many times I have spent the time, effort and even great amounts of money to get to places and get greeted with less than optimal weather conditions; completely overcast or completely cloudless skies. Even though good photos can be produced under these less-than-optimal conditions, for example a long exposure to create more interest on the endless cloud cover or frame your composition to limit the amount of the cloudless sky in your frame, the hype you woke up with is soon vanished as the photo, sometimes a good photo, falls short of meeting that epic sunrise expectation. Flooded with the disappointment, I used to pack my camera and leave the scene immediately after sunrise.
Over my short time of being a Serious Enthusiast Landscape Photographer, I’ve learn how big of a role patience plays in this photography genre. Lately I’ve come to realize that being in a hurry, putting pressure on yourself to get that epic shot is completely disruptive to your creative process. It limits your capabilities to establish that connection between yourself and the scene as you look through your viewfinder. Being in a hurry, in other words impatient, is similar to flying a drone in a closed building. That drone will only go as high as the sealing of the building is, or as close as you’ll dare to take it. You go to that “epic sunrise” with a mindset created by those expectations set by the euphoria; that mindset is the building sealing that won’t let that drone get any higher.
Lately I’ve been trying to apply patience to my Landscape Photography. I approach the scene of interest with as much of an empty mind as I can, no expectations. Before I even extend my tripod I get rid of my camera bag and just stare at the scene. I try to establish that first connection, explore the area and try to layout my game plan and then work my way through it, always willing to deviate from that first planned strategy. To better explain this process let me show you a sequence of images taken during sunrise at Sparks Lake, OR on September 1st, 2019.
Sparks Lake, Oregon just before sunrise, Single Row Panorama, Nikon D850 | f8 | 20s | 50mm | ISO200
As you can see in this image, there was not a single cloud in the sky, the ones at the mountain peak don’t count. This shot was the first shot I setup to take. It was just before the sun started showing above the surrounding mountains. I tried different compositions using different focal lengths, specifically trying to focus on those clouds kissing the mountain peak. Unfortunately I couldn’t come up with a close up composition of that mountain that was visually pleasing to me. Based on this I opted to do a single row panorama zooming enough to limit that negative space brought by the empty sky and trying highlight three main characters in the scene; the reflection, the clouds at the peak and the fog. I can say it is a good image, but not an epic image. I was happy with the image and just kept exploring different compositions and soon after I sat down on a beach tree lying at the shore of the lake just observing the scene. I can honestly say that there was nothing else in my mind. Just observing how the light changed as the sun rises. I kept waiting and observing. The sun was already out and the light started to become a little bit too harsh on the pine trees on the left of the frame of the image above. Soon after I saw several colleagues pack their things up and call it a day. Sounds familiar? By that time, about 50 minutes past sunrise, there were only two photographers on location including me. There I was sitting on that fallen beach tree waiting and observing. Did I mentioned fog previously? Ah yes, the fog on the first image, one of the three main characters I wanted to highlight. It turned out that suddenly the sun started to hit the fog located just beneath the peaks where the sun was rising from. At that very moment, was where all the magic and epicness started to happen. As I was getting my camera set, I remember just not being able to stop smiling. “Once again patience paid off” - I told myself. The scene was finally alive and all the pieces were dancing in an epic choreograph. I was able to frame several compositions as the fog was being lifted by the sun rays hitting it and making its way through the pine trees in the area. One of the first shots I took was the following:
Mystic || Sparks Lake, OR - Nikon D850 | f13 | 1/5s | ISO64 | 165mm
Out of many other compositions this one was one that made the selection. The main reason is that it shows how much the fog lifted from the lake. It formed something similar to those “wave tubes” we see on the surfing magazines and the surfer (the trees in this image) is riding through it.
With a little more patience the peak epic moment arrived. The fog was descending rapidly on the trees and the opportunities for epic/moody shots were countless, only for a brief time and constantly changing but they were right there, just a click away. The following image is my favorite image from the epic sunrise I woke up for after very little sleep.
Heavenly Clearing || Sparks Lake, OR - D850 | f13 | 1/8s | ISO64 | 260mm
By the time I left the location it was about 2 hours past sunrise. As I made my way to my rental van, I once again realized how big and important role patience plays in Landscape Photography. Take your time to enjoy the experience. Be open to the possibilities the scene will offer and make the best of them but most importantly, have patience in your Landscape Photography.