FACE-TO-FACEAerial view of the Cathedral Peaks from the west

Teton Range, Wyoming Have you ever felt as if you’ve “worn out” a location? That you can find nothing more to photograph there?

Even here in Eastern Idaho, where we live in the shadow of the iconic Tetons, I’ve heard it: “I don’t know what else to shoot. I don't seem to have anything more to say about the park.”

Familiarity isn't always viewed in a positive light. 

Don't get me wrong: I enjoy photographing landscapes that are new to me. Who doesn’t? It’s a kick to experience something different, and especially if you’ve been in a bit of a creative rut, a change of pace might be just what the doctor ordered.

Still, as exhilarating as it can be to work a new location for the first time, a second visit always generates better photographs. Frequent the place and the results are better still. 

Variety might be the spice of life, but when it comes to elevating your photography, continuity is often is the better bet.

Consider this: feeling a little bit "stuck" - as if you've exhausted your photographic options - may actually be a positive indicator. Now might be the time things could start to get really interesting in terms of the images you'll create. Think of your connection with an often-visited landscape as a relationship - because that's exactly what it is. You've moved beyond your initial infatuation with it and are now ready to establish something much deeper. 

Just like people, places have personalities. It takes time to really get to know an area: to be able to hear what it has to say to you. You’ll discover more about a location, move beyond the superficial, and begin to understand it by spending more time there. You'll begin to recognize and appreciate the location's character and complexities.

Just as people evolve over time, reacting to life experiences, nothing is ever exactly the same in nature. There is, of course, a constancy to the changing seasons, but various elements in the landscape always combine differently. Sometimes the variation is subtle; other times it's dramatic. Month to month, week to week, day to day - even during the course of a single day - things change. There will be something unique to each of your visits.

Look past the obvious. Experiment. Try a new lens or a different technique. Use your imagination. Guide the camera to reveal something new or unexpected.

Explore. Check out a different trail. Find out where that dirt road leads. 

Let go of expectations. Be open to whatever the place is offering you on any given day.

You will begin to notice more details and find more nuance. There is always something new to see and more to learn.

The more time you spend in an area, the deeper your connection to it will be. You will build a history there. Maybe you'll fall in love with the place. A story will begin to emerge – a rich, visual account of your relationship with that location. 

A love story. A valentine to a place that has claimed you.

You won't want to make the same photographs time and again, so you'll be forced to think about different ways to interpret what you're seeing and feeling. Your artistic vision will evolve and the quality of your work will improve.

So yes - by all means, go back. Again and again. You will learn more than you ever expected to know about the place, and ultimately you will create a photographic story about it that is uniquely yours.