"If you want to be a better photographer, stand in front of more interesting stuff." - Jim Richardson

Scouting is an important part of landscape photography. If we are unable to find interesting subjects for ourselves, then we have little choice but to follow in the footsteps of others. And where is the fun in that? A disproportionate amount of my time is spent looking for interesting subjects that make interesting photographs. 

For my latest project, "30-Minutes from Home", I have identified 48 villages within a half-hour drive of my home in Cumbria's Eden Valley, most of which I have never photographed before. My plan is to spend time exploring the area surrounding each village to see what I can find. 

Whenever I am scouting, I like to focus on the job in hand. I am not there to take photos, I am there to find subjects, so I leave my camera at home. If something catches my eye, I take a couple of photos with my phone to remind myself. 

It is important to cover as much ground as possible, so I don't worry too much about composition at this stage. When I get home, I select the subject I feel has the most potential and plan to return at a later date to finetune the composition.

From my morning scouting the area around the village of Renwick, I feel the abandoned farmhouse has the most potential. I will return at some point in the future to explore it further.