Scouting; How To Tame The Headless Chicken
Good research is probably the most important element in successful image making and there can be no better research of a location than having actually been there before.
I probably enjoy searching for images more than I do making/taking them, the capture being the end of a journey and the packing away of equipment rather like that of closing up your suitcase ready for the return from a really enjoyable holiday. Of course there is still the satisfying work of preparing a file for publishing or print but the most fulfilling part for me is just being outdoors, wandering in the hope of finding something new.
I often visit a hill for the first time and pray for average light so that I can spend time wandering and feeling the tension between elements in the foreground, foreground and background etc increase and decrease as I subtly shift my position without the pressure to set up and capture the moment. I always take images and go to the effort of setting up properly though as this is all good practice. The more I can visit a location the better as I build not only a knowledge of the potential foreground features but also an understanding of how the light will play out in different situations and at different times of year. At the very end of December 2022 Simon and I made a first visit together to the top of Clee Hill in preparation for filming for YouTube and arrived near the trig point just as a spectacular double rainbow arced across the sky between us and Brown Clee. Even though we both knew the area well with multiple solo visits between us the sudden arrival of incredible light caused panic. The summit is littered with quality rock tipped from the old quarry but with the pressure of fleeting light I effectively tripped a switch and went into headless chicken mode, the result being that I missed the best of the rainbow and screwed up the focus of one of the two exposures I did make. A missed opportunity down to poor preparation and allowing myself to get swept up in the event. Photography is and can be very exciting but you often need a cool head to get a job done.
The first image shows great light but a horribly thrown together foreground ( mostly down to large areas of deep shade) and the second is full of slightly out of focus but quality rock that should have been pulled together far better except that I already knew the moment had passed. Frustratingly I’d set up on the rocks in the second image on a previous solo visit but on this occasion I let the moment overtake me.
Recently I made a first ascent of Corndon Hill which sits proud on the border with Wales. With frequent visits to less popular areas of the Stiperstones ridge my curiosity had been piqued by Corndon’s rock and scree strewn eastern flank which dominated the view as I drove North on the A488. This feature isn’t apparent when you see the hill from the most popular place to photograph it beside one of the quartzite outcrops on Stiperstones even though those rocky slopes face the viewer.
Note; this image was taken on my fifth visit to this specific location including the time I first discovered this foreground.
The main approach to Corndon’s top is via a very steep five hundred foot climb which brings you abruptly to the trig point on the summit at the western end of the hill. The views here are lovely and beside the cairn there’s a wooden bench where you can sit and enjoy the scenery reaching far into North Wales. With only sheep cropped grass though it offers little in foreground interest so I strolled straight past and continued for five hundred metres to reach to rocks i’d seen on its eastern flank. The potential was clear to see and I enjoyed an hour or so of scouting, shaded from the sun and out of the strong westerly wind.
None of these would be considered ‘portfolio’ quality but a thoroughly enjoyable few hours out with my thoughts and my camera and some good ideas to work with next time.
Another recent first visit to a location saw me at the very top of High Vinnalls in Mortimer Forest. Having scouted for an afternoon I found it to be perfect for woodland photography but not particularly for wider views as the woodland now obscures or partially obscures the views out across South Shropshire and Herefordshire. Great to know as I wouldn’t then waste time heading there in inappropriate light for the location. I did manage to get a shot of this glimpse view towards Titterstone Clee Hill though as a huge storm cloud passed between it and my location.
So, having made many scouting trips I’m able to make far better informed decisions about where to go when weather forecasts predict certain conditions and where not to waste my time heading to.
But critically for me all the accumulated experiences while out hunting for potential images are transferable across to other locations too. The immediate foreground will always be unique to a place but my experience watching light rake across hillsides in Shropshire will apply to similar landscapes elsewhere too. My workflow behind the camera in Derbyshire, The Lakes or Scotland will be far better because I’ve dealt with the same set of conditions before on multiple occasions closer to home.
Just as long as I don’t let that inner chicken out again!!