“There’s no shot around here – time to head home.”

Let’s say you’re out in the landscape, looking for a pleasing composition.

“There’s no shot,” you finally decide. “Not around here. Not in this light, not with my gear.”

You head for home, a bit crestfallen. :(

Whose fault is this?

You’re not really going to blame the landscape or your gear, are you?

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Originally Posted by Heroique

Who’s fault is this?

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Fault? You don't have a legal right to a great shot every time you leave the house. I recommend reading Minor White...

Michael

I never head home crestfallen when I *don't* make a photograph. I consider all of it research for the next time I come back. Film is expensive, why make bad photographs?

The only time I'm a bit peeved is if I miss a shot I should have taken. 'I'll have a cup of coffee before I take the picture' has ruined quite a few shots!

Adrian

A bad day of LF landscape photography is just a good of of exercise.

I totally enjoy hiking in the redwoods -- even with 60 lbs of 8x10 gear and no film exposed. There might be wind, rain or whatever.

But sometimes I am walking around seeing nothing -- so I'll just set up the camera on anything closely resembling a image -- and that gets my head into the right space.

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Originally Posted by Adrian Pybus

The only time I'm a bit peeved is if I miss a shot I should have taken. 'I'll have a cup of coffee before I take the picture' has ruined quite a few shots!

Adrian

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Ditto

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Originally Posted by Adrian Pybus

The only time I'm a bit peeved is if I miss a shot I should have taken. 'I'll have a cup of coffee before I take the picture' has ruined quite a few shots!

Adrian

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Yes.

Rick "who has given up on making pictures at a spot many times and not felt the need to assign blame" Denney

Yeah I get bummed but I don't blame it on anything. However I am trying to take more shots as practice (especially on 8x10 x-ray film). The more I shoot the more I learn, so if I leave the house with x number of sheets I try to shoot all of them. On 4x5 with T-Max I'm a little more conservative due to cost.

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Originally Posted by Vaughn

But sometimes I am walking around seeing nothing – so I'll just set up the camera on anything closely resembling an image – and that gets my head into the right space.

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Originally Posted by Corran

The more I shoot the more I learn, so if I leave the house with [x] number of sheets I try to shoot all of them.

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I think these two observations suggest a psychological truth.

Namely, that “Going through the motions” can help restore an ailing vision.

They’re also self-critical – they don’t point fingers at their gear, or “the light.”

Sometimes trying too hard isn't so good. I stop seeing potential images if I try too hard. But then at other times I really need to take any picture to get the flow going.