Why I don’t do any location scouting

I don’t believe in location scouting when it comes to landscape and fine art photography.

It’s not that I don’t find value in exploring a place before a planned shoot; it’s just that I don’t do it with the only purpose of “gathering information”, as it’s usually understood.

There’s only a first time for everything: you’ll only see a place with completely fresh eyes once. The second time you visit a location, you’ve already built some preconceived ideas about it. Over time, we may only be able to see a very limited amount of images in that location.

It is during that first time that our minds are most open. If we have a camera with us, we can play and experiment more freely; if we leave it at home, we prevent ourselves from even trying.

Deciding beforehand what the “right” and “wrong” time might be for a location we don’t even know can be a costly mistake.

On Failure

You can't fail when you go out to take some photos. You only fail when you don't.

Someone messaged me recently about their adventures in the fog: they tried once but failed; the second time was a success. I saw the work they created and it is indeed beautiful.

Those images weren't made on the second day, though. By exploring a location first¹, we know what to expect and where to go to make the most of the conditions.

Most times, we will come back empty-handed. We need to learn to fail and embrace it as part of the process. If we don't, we'll eventually stop trying.

The key to making good images is perseverance, and realizing that we will fail many times before we can succeed.

¹ This is not scouting: scouting implies you are exploring an area for future photoshoots. I prefer to explore with my camera in hand and try to make images right away. It makes it easier for me to see the potential of a location. Always carry a camera with you.