Nature Photography Photo Workshop

1.4. LOCATION SCOUTING

The best nature photographs almost always involve some preparation. Basic research like knowing where to go, what the sun and weather will do, potential hazards, and other environmental considerations goes a long way toward giving you the ideal set of circumstances in which to photograph.

The more you know about a place, the better. Location scouting involves visiting a place, looking around, and considering the photographic possibilities — at a time when you're not intent on getting a shot.

Many of the best nature photographs in history resulted after the photographer revisited a place many times. Even the familiar city park down the street can use some scouting from time to time. You never know when you'll discover something new.

1.4.1. ONLINE RESEARCH

The Internet is the nature photographer's best friend. Start by doing basic searches using the names of locations (or specific subject matter) that you're interested in photographing. Seeing photos that other people made of a location can really spark your enthusiasm and get your creative juices flowing. The photo sharing site Flickr is great for this.

Google Maps and Google Earth are excellent, free resources for getting the lay of the land. In the United States, the National Park Service and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) also provide very good maps in a variety of formats. Make a list or mark spots on the map that you want to consider as shooting locations. You'll start to get an idea of the time and ...