Iconic locations, photograph them?

Photographing iconic locations should I or shouldn’t I?

Iconic locations are on many people’s bucket lists, ranging from vacationers snapping a memory to photographers painstakingly working on the best composition. Yep, iconic locations make it easy as pie, NOT. You’ve got a clear subject in all its glory just click and you have it.

Well, what is the sky like that day? Is it a blaze with color or flat with no clouds? What about composition rules, foreground, leading lines and don’t forget is it all in focus? The payoff is definitely when all that magic comes together, and you hit the jackpot fo photographing an icon.

It’s undeniably inspiring to photograph and visit these wonders. When I can photograph an iconic location, I usually ask myself a few questions about taking the shot.

Do I feel this is a must-have shot for my portfolio? Considering it will be a similar image to what thousands of other photographers, tourists, and social media influencers have shot? Is it possible to compose the shot making it uniquely mine? There are for me some perplexing times between the excitement of seeing, breathing, and witnessing these mammoth beauties of nature and what, how, and if, to capture it.

Our National Parks are loaded with such iconic and inspiring locations and today’s blog is about such a visit. On a trip to Utah, I found myself asking these questions repeatedly at each jaw-dropping location.

I have two examples of specific moments the questions I ask myself truly impacted how and more over if, I took the photo. The first was a not-so-great moment, where if it had a title would be ‘shot vs reality’. The second example is when it all came together and I took the shot that inspired this blog.

It was a sunrise shoot and we arrived with plenty of time to hike to the location and set up our gear for this anticipated iconic shot. There were only a few in our group and only a few additional people there when we arrived. We were all lined up in a single row, tripods and cameras positioned patiently waiting for this magical sunrise moment to happen.

Quickly all the serenity changed. Within a short time, I was surrounded by a claustrophobic number of other photographers.

I started running my questions through my mind and contemplating taking the shot. I decided that for me this was not a shot I needed to take.

So, I carefully and quickly picked up all my gear and squeezed my way out of the sea of photographers. I looked back, wondering about it all, they literally sucked my spot up like a swarm of ants moving over a crumb.

Not taking a shot is all a personal choice, but if you haven’t already experienced this craziness I thought you should know it exists.

Now for the special moment that inspired this blog.

Once again it was a sunrise shoot in a popular part of the park. The day before knowing of this opportunity I ran my questions through my mind and this time I wasn’t too concerned about the throngs of photographers.

I was only going with two other photographers, and others would unlikely be to this specific spot. This held true as only one other photographer showed up after we were already in place.

There are a few key factors in getting this shot. One of course is the weather, the time of year, and setting the tripod in the right spot on the ledge. There are a few slight variations from this vantage point but it will be similar to everyone else there.

This morning a chill is in the air adding to the exhilaration of the entire experience. Soon the sun begins to rise, and the rock faces that surround you start to have this subtle warm glow. The higher the sun rises the more the red and orange tones in the rock emerge. You need one more thing to happen, so your fingers are crossed that color will appear in the sky and clouds through the window eye.

I felt extremely lucky that every element came together that day, and we all stayed safe. My decision to take the photo others were taking was worth it, and a once-in-a-lifetime shot for me.

Know your limitations but be adventurous within them. Make wise choices and be safe when capturing the light.

Thank you for your time, now go out explore responsibly, and try new things!