966 Lessons Learned from Photo Safari XXXVIII

It’s time for the Lessons Learned. Every day is a learning experience and as long as Brooks Jensen and I have been out photographing in the world, we always learn something new, or maybe relearn something we forgot from an earlier Safari. So, here we go:

1. Yes, you can go back. In fact, you should go back to a location. (See Blog # 783  June 3, 2021 Stepping Foot in the River.) In our case it was the Klickitat River and it paid off big time.
2. You never know what you will find in a small town that no one, and I mean no one, has ever photographed.
3. Respond to a situation, capture the images and then worry about what they mean later. When you start discussing your reaction to the situation, you will begin to understand the meaning of the images. This may not happen right away, but hang in there, you will find their meaning.
4. Don’t worry about not being able to find images immediately. It takes some time to warm up to the task at hand. Athletes always warm up before a game. This also applies to photography.
5. Don’t be afraid to drive down a dirt road.
6. Google Earth in satellite view is a great way to plan where to wander about. You can get directions based on visual clues and being a photographer you know how to respond to these visual clues.
7. Google Earth will answer the question, “How can I get to that road at the bottom of that canyon?”
8. Interesting things to photograph are out there, you just have to look for them.
9. It’s tough to concentrate on photography when you are hungry or thirsty. Snacks in the field are important.
10. Look for the interesting, off beat and peculiar. Be prepared to spend some time with these places, and more importantly, spend time with the people in these places. The interesting, off beat and peculiar offer more substantial subjects that the spectacular “one shot” opportunity. Depth is more productive than width.