The iconic Mayon Volcano. Found in the heart of the province of Albay in the Bicol region of the Philippines. Known and adored for its near-perfect cone-shape. The volcano is often covered by thick clouds to an extent that seeing it’s entirety is of such delight both to locals and tourists. Superstition even says that being able to see the volcano brings the person good luck.

A harsh reality in Landscape Photography

Landscape photography surely has its own kind of thrill. Behind each photograph is an adventure to the scenic location. Behind each exposure is a victory against the challenge of taking a well balanced exposure. The Landscape photography workflow indeed is a challenging one that requires the photographer to adapt to the drastically changing conditions of light that are sadly beyond anyone’s control.

I recently went on a 4-day trip to the province of Albay in the Philippines to photograph the iconic, perfect coned, Mayon Volcano. While the weather wasn’t as vibrant as I had wished, I was thankful that the volcano showed itself each time I went out to shoot. That is not the case for many photographers who go the distance to do so.

The harsh reality about it is that we landscape photographers, are in fact, slaves to the weather. While skills and know-how are essential in capturing a place and the light, luck plays quite a huge role as well.

Slaves to the weather

Each shoot requires a lot of planning and research. Getting to the location itself can be very tasking in a sense that one would either have to travel very far or overcome challenging terrains to get to the location. The sad part about it is that even after that, once the weather decides to be greedy, the envisioned outcome becomes an impossibility.

Make do with what you’re given

A close-up interpretation of the Volcano taken at noon. I had hoped for this amount of sunlight to be present at sunrise or sunset so that the sky would burst out colors but it was not what was given to me. The strong sun came in only at noon and I knew I had to take the chance to at least capture the contrast of the sky.

That, pretty much, is a Landscape Photographer’s ideal mindset in times when there is less than ideal weather. While one may have a preferred time of day and light condition, it is beneficial to be versatile in shooting the changing environment. With the changes in the weather and the light, one must be able to know the potential beauty that can come out of it. It is crucial to accept that landscape photography is not a documentation of a certain phenomenon but an interpretation of it. Much like how a musician can interpret a piece composed by someone else based on how their style can enhance the piece, a landscape photographer interprets the environmental phenomenon presented to him. As always, adjusting to the situation is the key. May it be through doing monochrome images, changing exposure times or playing with color balance, there is often a way to bring out the best of the condition. You just have to know what to do, when to do it, and how to do it.

Thanks for reading!