Years ago, I took some shots of the, then, new museum in Ulsan. Over the following years, I have upgraded my camera and changed how I edit my images. Thus, I have been wanted to go back and retake some of my shots.It is always a good idea to return to places with a new perspective of sorts so that you can greatly improve your photos.
Learn from your Past
For myself, I am never finished with a location. The thing is that you must always be learning. There is that saying “if you are not improving then you are getting worse” and I truly believe that it is true in many regards to photography.
We often talk about “capturing” events but for people that may be true but for landscapes they are always there. During the short time that many of you will be in Korea, the landscape may not change too much. The sky and the time of day may vary but the staple elements of the frame will be consistent.
So what does that mean? Well, it means that if you have a particular idea for a shot, you MUST keep returning until you get it right. Sometimes the sky maybe boring. Sometimes there may be too many people or the wind is blowing to hard. Whatever the thing is, don’t thing of this as a vacation shot. Go back and do it again, if you are not happy.
Don’t Settle for “what you got”
Often we have a “been there, done that” attitude when it comes to places especially around our own area. However, that can be a bad thing as there may be times when the elements (sky condition, light, weather) work better for that particular location. Thus, you have to be willing to experiment with it. When a dramatic sky comes around, you have to have a good location in mind to create the best results. It does not matter if you have been there 1000 times before if that one shot makes all the others look boring. That one shot for that location is what you are going for.
Thus, you need to find new locations but you need to constantly improve on the spots that you have already been to. It is also nice just to be able to head out to a familiar location when time is short.