As a devoted wanderer, the joy of visiting a new photography location is like food for my soul.
Fresh sights, sounds, smells, and experiences await with every unknown place I go, and the whirlwind of excitement is all-encompassing as I make images of all the things I’m seeing for the first time.
Because I know this experience so well, I can attest to one fact: the pictures almost always turn out better the second time around.
I know, I know – how can this be? Isn’t art a product of passion? How can anything improve after the initial enthusiasm wears off?
Photographing in a state of elation is fantastic, and no less important – it can be both inspirational and meditative, but it doesn’t always produce the most well-crafted images. This may seem counter-intuitive, but there are many reasons why subsequent shoots tend to be much more successful than the first.
For example, I spent this past summer in Sidney, British Columbia, only a short drive away from the world famous Butchart Gardens, which is the most popular tourist attraction on Vancouver Island. It’s beautiful, manicured, crowded, and perhaps not somewhere a person who likes to be alone in nature would go. But I bought a season’s pass so I could visit multiple times from early spring to late fall and I used the opportunity to exercise my creativity.
Here is what Butchart Gardens looks like when you see it the first time – the standard postcard shots.
Please click the images to view larger versions.
As I returned to the same location again and again, I started seeing new compositions and noticing more intricate details in the landscape. With each visit, the photos kept getting better.
Rational Thinking
Photography is a different kind of art from any other. No matter who is behind the viewfinder, the camera sees things exactly as they are. On its own, the camera won’t pick out the important parts of a scene and filter the rest from view, the way our brains do. They render just as much detail in the mundane background elements as they do in the main subject.
That’s why it’s up to the photographer to make considered decisions about composition, focus, depth of field, and perspective to turn an everyday scene into a striking still image. Those decisions are usually better made once you have had a chance to get over the awe of being in a new location.
The Portrait of a Landscape
Places are like people; they have unique personalities and histories just like we do. And, just like people, you get to know a place better the more often you meet it. With every visit you notice something new, and become more in tune with the landscape – its geological makeup, its natural lighting, the way the sun moves across the sky – and this deepening perspective will be made apparent in your photographs.
Notice the Details
When we first experience a new location, we’re likely to react in the same way as most other people. Our eyes are drawn to the largest, most prominent features of the area, and we instinctively want to try to fit it all in the frame at once. This is not necessarily bad, but it will probably leave you with the exact same photos that have been made by every photographer who walked in your footsteps before you.
Once we get those obligatory shots, though – that is, once we’ve had a chance to shoot freely and get ourselves acquainted with the space – we can begin to examine it more closely. On a second shoot, we are ready take an entirely different approach by focusing in on the more overlooked details that make up the larger picture.
Self Improvement
After your first shooting session, it can be very helpful to look over your images and ask yourself, “Could I have done this any better? How?”. Once you identify ways in which the shots could be refined, you can use those notes to go back and re-create the pictures the way you really want them to be.
This type of self-critical exercise will help you in all situations; by identifying aspects of your work that need improvement, you can begin to understand the way you shoot and what you can do differently to become an even better photographer.
Come Prepared
No matter how much research we do, it’s impossible to know exactly what to expect when we visit a new place for the first time. As we’re packing our camera bags, we often have to make tough decisions about what equipment to bring and what to leave at home.
No matter how well we decide, at some point during a first shoot at a new location we’re going to kick ourselves for not bringing a tripod, a neutral density filter, a different lens, or some other piece of equipment that would have been perfect for the situation we find ourselves in. It’s no big deal, though – if you make note of what gear you wish you had and why you wanted it, you can remember to bring it along on your second shooting session.
Refine Your Personal Vision
Due to the nature of photography, your personal vision as an artist doesn’t always come about right away. It is usually developed as you are shooting by making small adjustments to shape the way the camera captures the scene through careful composition and exposure control.
Once you’re familiar with a location, you can start to formulate your own unique ideas about the way you want to present it, and how you can accomplish that.
Time and Season
As long as your location is natural, or gets any natural light from the sun, it will change quite a bit depending on the time of day and the time of the year. Of course the sun moves through the sky between day and night, but what we notice less is the way it moves from summer to winter, sinking lower in the sky throughout autumn and rising up again in the spring. In the northern hemisphere, the sun always sits toward the south, and in the southern hemisphere, it’s in the north. How noticeable this change is depends on how close you are to the equator.
Every location changes throughout the day and year, as the weather, lighting, and plant life go through their many seasonal stages. All these elements work together to create the atmosphere of your final image; therefore, every visit will be a little bit different, and every shoot will show you the place in an entirely new way.
The natural world never stays the same, even when it is a manicured garden like the stunning Butchart Gardens where all the photos in this post were made. It is in constant change and, like a river, is never the same twice. While new places are an important source of inspiration and vision, greater images can be created by building a relationship to a location that you love, and returning again and again to photograph it in its many different forms.
Do you have a favourite location you like to revisit and reshoot? Has it helped your photography? I would love to hear about it, so please let me know in the comments!
If you enjoyed this article, don’t forget to “Pin It!”
Anne
The pictures that you put on your posts are exceptional.
It would be nice if you put a “pin it” button on each photo. I have seen these on other blogs. Since it is such a visual environment, Pinterest users will find your blog very useful.
Somesh
Hi Somesh, thank you very much for the compliment 🙂 I used to have a plugin that put the “pin-it” button on every image, but it kept breaking so I removed it. I’ll check into it again though, maybe they fixed it or there is a different one.
Good post Anne and I especially like that photo of the tree trunk surrounded by fallen leaves – gorgeous! I do most of my photo shooting on our own property and agree, it’s always changing and even when you set up the same composition in the same location as you shot before, it’s never the same image that you get the second (or third, or fourth) time around….definitely worth going back to do it again.
Thank you very much Laurie, that is my favourite image of the group too! I very much appreciate your comments, my friend.
There are some really stunning images there! I agree with Laurie, the photo of the tree trunk with the leaves on the ground is gorgeous. Thank you so much for this post, I could certainly benefit from revisiting some of my favorite photography haunts.
Hi Grace, thank you very much for your comments, I’m glad you found the post helpful.
Very true Anne, the natural world never stays the same and I love that you see it during each transformation and capture that process for us to enjoy.
Thank you so much Maria, your comments are always appreciated.
Beautiful pictures as always Anne! My husband and I were just discussing the idea of the changing quality of light through the seasons last night. I have a couple places I intend to begin shooting on a regular basis as part of a light study (a beautiful botanical park here in VA and a particular section of rolling hills in the Piedmont).
The suggestion of finding the shots you just don’t see the first time really resonates. Thanks and wishing you well.
Hi Denise, I’m so glad the post is helpful for you and came at the right time. Doing a light study is one of the most beneficial things you can do with your photography. I’m sure you will learn a lot. Thanks for your visit and comments.
Great advice Anne and beautiful images! It’s true – the more you visit a location the more opportunity you have to discover its various moods and layers, which ultimately flows into your photography.
Thank you so much Russ, I like the idea that a landscape has moods 🙂 That’s a beautiful way of conveying what I’m trying to say in this post.
Absolutely love this post and the fabulous pictures. A treat to the eyes. What is stated is very true. The first visit is over-whelming and exciting but doesn’t let you see things differently. Once you have seen and absorbed the usual scenery, your creativity looks for other compositions and angles…which is fun 🙂
On that note, I would definitely love to visit again some of the amazing places that I have seen just once.
Hi Anupama, I couldn’t agree more. The places I have only been to once I always want to return to and spend more time to get to know them better. Thanks for your visit and comments.
Very nice Anne. Butchart Gardens is by far the most amazing garden I’ve ever visited.
I know, right? Butchart Gardens is amazing! The Butcharts did an incredible job of reclaiming this quarry pit. I bet no one has done it better. Thanks for your comments Richard, always appreciated.
I so agree with your enlightenment! I too have revisited and have fav spots that I shoot again and again.Open one self to creativity.Cheers love your vision.
Thank you so much for your kind comments Gare 🙂
Great post Anne, and I couldn’t agree more. When visiting a location for the first time it’s easy to be overwhelmed by excitement and ultimately coming away with snapshots instead of creative images. And if it’s an “iconic” location you add the pressure of coming up with something different from the previous 8 or 10 million photographers who were there before you. Second time around is usually much more productive for me.
Hi Bill, thank you very much for your visit and comments. It’s impossible not to photograph the icons. I like icons 🙂 But yes, you have to get it out of your system to move on to create more original images.
That’s an excellent article, Anne. And so very true. I think on first visits, the emotional part of our brain takes over and we shoot impulsively, without much thought, so caught up in the ‘new’. And of course, because we are not paying attention as well as we should do, to the selection of the best settings, and are just shooting from the hip’, we make mistakes. On the second visit, that excitement is abated, and we take more care. I know this is exactly what happens to me!
Hi Andy, thanks for your comments, I’m glad the post resonated with you. Whenever I go somewhere I always want to stay longer, I’m never ready to leave!
Anne, thank you for bringing back memories for me. I visited the Gardens several years, and it was breathtaking. Your pictures make it even more beautiful.
Thank you so much Janis, that is very kind 🙂
Wonderful garden – we saw it in 2000. I had a K1000 so have a few phoos from there but would love to see it again. So much to see….
But Anne, you make the photos we all want to emulate! Thanks for your stunning photos and down-to-earth advice. I think often of you at this tough time.
Hi James, thank you very much! The gardens are huge and it is quite a bit to take in in one day, let alone photograph. I like having the season’s pass because then I can go and just visit one of the gardens and photograph it, and not feel like I have to see everything in one day. I appreciate your thoughts right now, the waiting is the hardest part.
This looks like an amazing garden, but I am sure your great photography made it look so much better.
Hi Anne, – beautiful images! And you are writing about a very essential topic.
I think that revisiting the locations is not only the best method to learn to see a location properly, but even more: it’s the method to learn to SEE properly. For me photography (as a hobby, not a profession) is not only about trying to capture things I see, but also an attempt to capture HOW I see things. Or: photographing is a process of learning how to see things.
All the technical and aesthetical stuff are tools for that process. And learning is not always easy and comfortable: it requires work and patience, and constant search of new possibilities; I mean mentally, in the first hand: a new lens doesn’t help too much if there’s nothing happening behind it.
Hi Hannu, you are so right! It takes time and patience to learn how to see, and how to convey emotion in an image. Those are things the camera cannot do for you. Thanks for your visit and comments.
“…a new lens doesn’t help too much if there’s nothing happening behind it..”
Great line, Hannu! One of the best quips I’ve ever read!
Hello Anne….so many beautiful images…hard to choose just one.
Sounds like a fun way to visit places, meet others and bring back treasures to enjoy over and over.
So glad I spent more time on Pinterest and found your site.
Thanks for the images…I’m inspired.
Hi Ann, thanks for hopping over here from Pinterest 🙂 I’m glad you are enjoying the blog.
It is the first time I see this approach to photographing something written I immediatly “felt at home” as it is my usual approach
Anne, great pictures and great advice. There is always something exciting about visiting a new place but there is also a lot said for revisiting your favorite spot. In some ways it is like putting back on a pair of comfortable shoes, you enjoy them and it feels comfortable to be in them. Know a place enables you to look around and know when the colors are going to change, when the people are there or not there, the right locations, etc. You don’t have to guess but can just enjoy the moment and be part of the scene and then try to capture that feeling with the camera. Thanks again for the great advice. We enjoy going to Glacier National Park and Jasper National Park.
First of all let me say that I love your work. I especially love how you help other aspiring photographers through your E books. I have other E books from other photographers, but they are not near as user friendly and as complete as yours. Yours gives practical steps in achieving what we need to practice in the field It is an outstanding way to learn.
Having said that, have you ever given it any thought of along with any image of yours that you are mentioning in an article to write a one sentence info note about the image. Like the one most important thing you did to make it happen and along with the particular camera settings you used. It doesn’t have to be more than one bullet point, a short sentence like a footnote under the image itself. It could be like a “Photo Tip” to give us a little more insight into to how the image came about.
Dear Anne, I am a senior citizen but a beginner in photography. Just learning how to use light, location and composition. My main interest is nature and color. I am fascinated by your photographs, especially by the color composition. Your tips are very valuable and I am planning to go back to the garden locations and reshoot again to get better photographs, hopefully. As a beginner, I notice one thing that you would not give any technical details like camera, lens, shutter speed, ISO etc. Is there a reason for it? Providing such information could help many starting enthusiasts like me. However, I am really thankful to you for all your tips and suggestions.
Hi Anne! I really enjoyed this post, and especially the gorgeous photos that you took, and I believe your advice is very true, that the second time is better, because instead of trying to get the big picture, you are looking for the little details instead. I am just learning how to understand and work with the light and composition, and your posts are always most helpful! Thanks again for all your helpful tips! 🙂
I have had the pleasure of visiting the Gardens exactly once. AWESOME place, and you do it justice with your images.
One of my favorite places to revisit is the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum. I always see something new with each visit. This fall (Oct and Nov) I am signed up for two behind the scenes photo walks (2 days each). I am very excited about that!
Bill
I went to the lovely Butchard Gardens,however, I did not see the intense colors you obtained, lack of rain, I think. Beautiful shots,however. We did miss the Tulips, they were removed two days prior to our arrival. There were 200 different colors, from snow white to jet black. Would have liked to have seen them.
I guess, I am trying to talk myself into going back aren’t I?
Hi Anne.
I always wondering how Beautiful pictures you posted.
I’m been folowing your E books and this way I’m trying to improve my English, that just I been learning.
CONGRATULATIONS
WILSON
What a GREAT article with some stunning images! Thanks for sharing Anne!!!
Thank you so much for all your fantastic tips and gorgeous photos. I have realised i could perhaps consider more how i might be using photos i take, the end product as it were. E.g. I have a collection of great bird photos but i wish i had taken more photos of the environment those birds where in like trees, water, etc so i can make more beautiful presentations like your stunning collages. I think these would really make the subjects pop. I think it is also important to take them at the time so the photos have the same light and feeling about them. Again thank you for your continuing inspiration Anne.
To use Denise’s phrasing, this post also resonated with me.
Ever since 1990, I’ve vacationed in the Wisconsin northwoods for a couple of weeks in summer and for a long weekend, at least, in October. Beautiful country, of course, especially in the Fall.
So I’ve “gone back”many times and still shoot plenty of the postcards. But then I always start looking around–and especially look down at the ground, as you did in several of the photos in this post. “The devil is in the details” usually isn’t applied to situations like this one, but you know what I mean, I’m sure.
Yes, it is so easy to shoot the postcards, and we should. I shot postcards on almost every re-visit. But after every postcard photo, we should remind ourselves, “Anybody could shoot this photo,” and start looking around for the things that everyone else walks by and doesn’t see.
My favorite example: During a re-visit some years ago, I was showing the proprietor of the resort where I stayed some of the photos I’d shot the previous year. One shot was a closeup of a tiny wildflower growing out of a crack between a couple of rocks.
He said, “Did you shoot that here?” Yes, I did. It’s 6 feet from his mailbox. He walks past it at least twice a day.
Late in 2012, Fortune smiled and I was able to buy a tiny cabin up there, just off the grounds of the resort. Now I live there for most of the summer, not just for 2 weeks. I can’t believe how my photography of the area has changed. Even the postcards are better!
Everything you’ve posted here I had to learn the hard way. Why didn’t you post this sooner?
I’m 70 and still learning. Keep posting, teacher!
Thanks for this very thought provoking article. I took those postcard shots at Butchar!. My favorite was the red bridge in the Asian section shot through some lacy maples. Remember it? I lucked into a couple of more mindful shots while meandering. The place is a real tribute to the art of gardening. as a whole and loaded with tiny gems such as you have illustrated here.
Hello Anne. Your posts are exceptional and photos so inspiring. I love that you keep it simple, don’t bombard us all with lengthy technical jargon and yes I agree the tree trunk photo with the leaves is fantastic. Thank you so much for your inspiration and help. I love your books which I downloaded on Kindle and keep going back to them despite having others to refer to. Your books win hands down! I noticed a post about a single line please with the photo just giving us a little info on that image. It would be so helpful. Perhaps just some of the settings to help us along. Thanks very much.
Anne – beautiful pictures that evolve in their nature/composition through the blog. Thank you for consistently challenging the brain to get outside of the norm, whatever that is. Would love to understand the amount of post-processing you undertake on your photos.
I always enjoy your tips. This one hits home I love the woods and find going back at various times and seasons often reveals surprises as seasons or light changes with the time of day. again thanks for the great tips. Tom
Loved this and found it very inspiring. Images of autumn so apt and I’ll now be returning to my local Woods with your advice in mind!
I am retired on a poor pension. So—-I don’t get around too much, especially now that my feet and knees are beginning to fail me. One of my joys was to walk great distances and in difficult terrain. No longer can do it.
Returning to favorite sites locally is kind of boring since they are just park locations in this small city. But at times there are surprises. My objectives for returning are to try to “see” different things or perspectives that I missed, to practice my “eye”, and improve my compositions.
A few days ago, just shooting for lighting conditions I saw two birds arching over the marina, and once I noticed they were swans and not geese, I focused on them as they dropped their landing gear (black feet) and then slid gracefully along the water covered ice to land. Angry at myself for having the camera set to single shot focus, but at least I got two good shots.
Your article on revisiting and reshooting was a pleasant read, as I do that a lot. I enjoy a lot of your articles and your wonderful photos allow me to travel vicariously.
Thanks for your work on this site.
Hi Gerome, thank you very much for your very kind comments! I think one really nice thing about photography is that you can do it anywhere so if you’re not able to get around easily you still have lots of opportunities nearby or even in your own backyard. I’m glad you have a park nearby and I encourage you to find an interesting composition there and then try to shoot it under various lighting conditions. Thanks again for your visit and comments!
Hi Anne,
Thanks for another great article. This topic is simple yet often overlooked. This is good exercise for any photographer to do and improve upon his/her skills. I have come home with some good pictures from my nature photo shoot thinking I had got what I wanted to capture. When reviewing the images on the computer screen revealed that a few of them were not up to the mark as I hoped for. This could be due to the weather, lack of proper light, perhaps poor composition or even not a good subject. I often thought of the remedy and today I came across your article which explains everything. I would definitely revisit the locations and try in different light/time of the day etc.
Thanks again for a wonderful article.
-Anand Joshi
Hi Anand, thank you so much for your wonderful comments. I love hearing when one of my posts really resonates with someone. I often find that I have to visit a place on multiple occasions to get to know it well enough to understand when the best time to shoot is. Of course, we don’t always have that opportunity, especially when travelling, but if you do have the opportunity to revisit a location during a different time of day or different weather, you’re certain to learn something more about the place. Thanks for your comments!
A great post about a looking deeper within each scene to reshoot and see all there is that others walk past. Thanks for the reminders and wonderful teaching.
I like Arches national Park.
This is so true, I visited Butchart for the first time this Fall, and as I began my walk through, I was “snapping” and not composing. By the end of the day, I settled down into noticing the details, the angles, the light falling through the Japanese Gardens. What a fantastic location, and thank you for this article. My one wish would be that I could follow you around for a week!!!!
Thank you for this article. I go back to places I have been before, ie., a zoo, park etc., but taking notes on which lens to bring another time hasn’t been something I thought of. I am getting ready for a trip to southeast Georgia and i usually buy an annual pass to the Jacksonville Zoo. I go multiple times, so this advice is timely for me. Thank you for your many tips. There is always something I can use and think about.
Thanks Patricia, I’m so glad you enjoyed the tutorial. Sometimes I force myself to go out with just one lens so that I come home with different shots than the first time. Plus it’s always nice to walk around with just one lens and not carry you’re whole kit. Thanks for your comments!
Thank you for the thought provoking article. Great images! Love the gorgeous colours of nature!
Glad you enjoyed it Vasantha!
Thanks I enjoyed the tutorial .for me Bisetoon international heritage complex is a favorite location.usually I visit there to take photo but never thought about the points you explained in tutorial .It should be a dfiferrent experience next time I visit BISETOON.
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed the tutorial, I appreciate your comments.
Kew Gardens in Richmond, (near London), is one of my favourite haunts when I’ve dropped my 6-year old grand daughter off to school Anne! The colours, shapes, textures and surprises are equally beautiful in all seasons, and as it’s a very important centre for collections of trees and rare plants, there are beautiful old plant houses and ancient trees as well, so plenty of variety. Grasses, alpines, a tree-top walk, plenty of open space and secret hidey holes under the trees for a picnic, and I’m in my element! My son’s family have an annual pass as it’s just down the road from their garden-less flat, and spend a lot of their free time in there. And a Noddy train in case you get tired! What more could I want?