I was watching a landscape photography video from Roman Kurywczak called “For the Love of Landscapes.”  In the video, he reminded me that to be a good landscape photographer you must have discipline.

Specifically, the discipline to get to a location early and stay late.  To linger.

For a sunrise, you should get there an hour before the sunrise and stay for an hour after the sunrise.  This is not a message I like to hear, as it means getting up at 4:00 AM or earlier to get to a location in time.  However, it is a message that I need to hear regularly because he is right, and it is worth it.

He is right because a lot of the beautiful magic happens well before and after the actual sunrise.  Roman correctly points out, if see something happening before you are there, you have already missed it.  Unfortunately, I know this from experience.   Countless times seeing the clouds turn while driving to a location and knowing no matter how fast I drive I am too late.

Getting to a location early and lingering afterward lets you see this incredible transition from darkness to blue, to gold, and finally to daylight.  The same scene can look totally different and tell a completely different story, all within an hour.  Same place, same stream, or trees, or mountains yet in a matter of a few minutes it “feels” totally different.

You don’t have to be a photographer to enjoy this.  If you go to a location, especially in the afternoon, take your time. Linger. 

There is a transition that is worth the price of admission to watch.  At a lake, many times, the transition follows a pattern.  In the afternoon it mostly calm with flat colors, then just before sunset the wind kicks up, the water is choppy, and the colors have this golden cast.  It is the day taking its last breath.  Finally, after the sunset there is this stillness that descends upon everything.  The water goes still, it gets quiet, and if you’re lucky the high clouds catch on fire with yellow and oranges.

To experience this, you don’t have to move locations you just have to linger in one place for a while.  While sometimes you get duds, many other times you get one heck of a show.

The series of images in this post of the Owens River in the morning transition is a perfect example.  If you want to see another incredible transition at Lake Tenaya, message me.