17 Comments
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Kara's avatar

This is so true! My favorite image I’ve ever taken was on a cold, rainy, windy day on the North Shore of Lake Superior. I did NOT want to show up that morning and did it anyway. Was rewarded with a breathtaking sunrise!

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Christopher Crowhurst's avatar

I thought you were going to go Wayne Gretzky on us. I also believe you are only going to make great photographs if you stand in front of great things.

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Bryan Hansel's avatar

I know the name Wayne Gretzky, but I don't know anything about him.

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Poetry Tracks In Snow Holly L's avatar

I share your same home town and you will see it in my poetry. Love that I found you here on Substack by recognizing your photo 💛

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James Hider's avatar

So true Bryan. Finding good landscape images is 100% correlated to time in the field.

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Fontinalis Rising's avatar

This is what I find. When I actually dig my camera out I get some good images. Personally I shoot photos to go with my writing.

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Stephen Pope's avatar

So true and yet so hard. The older you get, the harder it becomes. Now in my late post-stroke sixties, I fondly recall the times I did have the ability to hike down to the shore and see if I would get to photograph yet another beautiful sunrise. Nowadays I am fortunate to be able to walk. My advise is simple, go out and capture the photographs you dream of while you still can.

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Paul Princejvstin Weimer's avatar

Given what happened to me on the GSM trip...yeah...

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Eric Joseph's avatar

Forty-five minutes before sunrise is my absolute favorite time to be at the ocean (on the east coast that is)! Love these photos and so true, need to be there to do something with what is there. I'd love to get up north to your area some day!

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Barry Medlin's avatar

Love this and so true!!!

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Over_by_art_Minnesota's avatar

Always love your photographs, Bryan! Maybe this summer we'll make it back up there.

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Tim Fearnside's avatar

Quite true (and timely, given tonight’s blood moon, which most—including me—will likely miss in the middle of the night). As a hack, I don’t give much advice, but on the few occasions I have, it’s been “stand somewhere beautiful in good light and take a lot of pictures.”

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Kam Muhle's avatar

Your post is dead on. There is a discipline to photography. Being in the right place at the right time also means you make the effort to be there. Milky Way photography is early morning this time of year, yet the sight of it along the horizon is beautiful. Keeping that image in my mind gives me motivation to get up and out. It can be hard but the rewards are endless. Thanks for all your posts! PS Are you going to photograph the Lunar Eclipse Mar 13-14?

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Tyler Rickenbach's avatar

Beautiful man. These are great photos — love hearing your thoughts

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Pamela Leavey's avatar

Bryan, your post and theory are both interesting. I see photography as an art. I do a lot of landscape photography but I show up on my schedule and look for what strikes me as good light, an interesting composition, and other components that I can use to create a photograph that others will find attractive. As artist, imagination is everything.

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Ruthetta   Getchel's avatar

Love that you are doing notecards…I’ll have to call and see what I can do. Such tools are my treasure from a distance!

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Benjamin Williamson's avatar

Excellent point! I’m glad I found your work and writing.

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