My friend, Steve Bennett, once joked that the best bit about being a photographer is the time between pressing the shutter button and seeing the image on the big screen, because “there’s still hope.” Most of us know exactly what he means. Few things are more frustrating than standing in front of a scene that…

Sharing our work is a big part of being a photographer. But most photographs on social media exist for just a few short minutes (if that). They appear briefly in somebody’s feed, collect a handful of likes, then disappear beneath an endless stream of newer content. Despite its incredibly short lifespan, social media can have…

One of the most limiting beliefs many photographers carry is this:“There is nothing interesting to photograph in my local area.” Most of the time, this simply isn’t true. With the growth of social media in recent years, our idea of “great” landscape photography has become increasingly narrow — to the point of cliché. We’ve been…

Photography isn’t just about reacting to what’s in front of you. The best photographs rarely happen in an instant. They take time. Not just time spent waiting for the right light — but time spent returning, refining, and beginning to understand what you’re actually looking at. Because a photograph isn’t always found. Often, it’s built.…

We’ve all been there. You find yourself in the right place at precisely the right time. Full of hope and expectation, you press the shutter button and capture your latest masterpiece. Yet later, as you review the image in Lightroom, you feel the familiar pang of disappointment. Yes, it’s pin-sharp, perfectly exposed, and even well-composed.…

As landscape photographers, we live or die by our locations. Once we have mastered the fundamentals of composition, storytelling and light, our success depends on our ability to continuously discover interesting subjects that make interesting photos. Many of us travel large distances to shoot some of the world’s most dramatic scenery. Others prefer to work…

Most photography advice focuses on technique — how to get perfectly exposed, pin-sharp photographs.  But sound technique is the foundation of good photography, not the pinnacle. To improve, most photographers don’t need better technique; they need better taste. What is Artistic Taste Put simply, artistic taste is the personal, subjective ability to make judgments about…

In the age of social media, we are bombarded by wonderful photographs on a daily basis. Many are of dramatic scenes, bathed in beautiful light. The sort of thing we all recognise as a “good” landscape photograph. Twenty years ago, they would have stopped us in our tracks. But today, they barely register. As more…

Creativity can feel like a rollercoaster. Some days, everything clicks. You can’t miss. It’s like shooting fish in a bucket. Then there are the other days. No matter what you try, you just can’t catch a break. The weather refuses to cooperate. Your compositions feel untidy. And the photographs that looked promising on the back…

Photography can be deeply frustrating. You head out early with only the best of intentions. The forecast is promising, and you’re filled with optimism about what you might create. But the gods laugh when men make plans. Later, when you look at your photos in Lightroom, you feel only disappointment at what might have been.…