The challenges of creating a portfolio-worthy landscape image

 

 

Thomas Heaton has over a quarter of a million subscribers to his YouTube channel, he has tons of Instagram followers and he regularly travels the world capturing photos. It'd be easy to think that this means he's always capturing amazing, portfolio-worthy photographs. However, sometimes it's not that simple.

In the video below, Heaton discusses the idea of "keeper" photos in landscape photography. Ansel Adams, who is of course recognized as one of the best landscape photographers of all time and very much one of the forefathers of the genre itself, said that if you can produce a dozen worthy additions to your portfolio in a year, it's been a good year. Heaton, like many of us, goes and shoots way more than 12 times per year so is he producing way more great images? He doesn't think so.

Rather than feeling discouraged, there are positive lessons to be gleaned from the difficulty with which even very talented photographers such as Heaton create amazing work. It's okay to fail. Sometimes there isn't anything you could have done differently to turn a photo trip into a successful image. Other times there are things you can learn from failures that will allow you a better chance the next time around. Things don't always fall in your favor out in the field and that's perfectly okay.

(Via Thomas Heaton)