Hockey Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky once famously said, "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take."

You don't have to be a hockey player to understand what he was getting at: the idea can be applied broadly. Consider nature photography. In this context, I don't interpret shots as the number of photographs captured. This isn't a public service announcement to "spray and pray." Instead, I think about how important it is to show up, both physically and mentally.

If you're not out there, you can't make the picture.

The more often you're present with your camera, the greater the likelihood you'll score. Showing up more frequently means you'll see more things, some of which might be quite unique. You'll experience more. You will learn. You'll continue to grow as a photographer. There will be exponentially more opportunities to create good images.

You'll also miss 100% of the shots you don't take because your head isn't in the game.

Don't limit yourself to working only in "perfect" light or "perfect" weather. You'll spend a lot of time waiting, and very little time out in the field. Sometimes the best light and the most optimal weather is whatever is happening right now. There are many ways to define perfection.

The flip side of that coin? Once you're on location, be patient. Be willing to linger and see what happens next. Making the most of the conditions, whatever they may be, doesn't mean opportunities will appear instantly. Pack up your gear too soon and you risk missing the best opportunities.

Be willing to pivot. Maybe the forecast was wildly inaccurate, and the conditions you've encountered are nothing like what you expected. You can either let frustration and disappointment limit your thinking - and as a result, the camera stays in the bag - or you can adapt to the situation and consider what might be possible. You never know what might happen. The photograph you end up making might be far better than what you originally had in mind.

Be present. It's hard to be creative when you're preoccupied with a million other things. It's much more difficult to get in sync with nature when your mind is somewhere else. You end up not seeing anything, or just "not feeling it" - and you don't shoot.

Don't let expectations hold you back. Not every capture must be a masterpiece. Give yourself permission to experiment, to practice, and to make mistakes. That's how we learn.

Finally, if you don't have your camera with you, you can't make the photo. Of course it's impractical to take your gear everywhere, but one option is to pare things down to a minimal setup - maybe just the body and a single lens - that's easy to have with you as often as possible. Of course there's always your smartphone's camera. I don't happen to love mine; yours might produce better results.

Bottom line, good photographs won't just fall in your lap.

Take the shots.