Landscape Photography -- Not for the Weak

Landscape photography is much more difficult than most individuals give credit for. I’m sure you've all read some form of magazine, from the beautiful landscapes on National Geographic or Backpacker Magazine to the mountain background for a “rugged” vehicle on Maxim or Cosmopolitan. One thing most individuals do not think of is how much trouble some photographers go through to provide these images to the world.

I recently attempted this myself by venturing out to brave the wilderness of the San Bernardino Mountains, just south of San Gorgonio; is one of Southern California's largest mountains, to capture the mountain with one of the most dramatic effects you can have on a landscape, snow. Snow can be very difficult to travel in, especially when weather is bad. Yes I checked the weather before I left! It was supposed to be scattered showers; instead we received rain for 6 straight hours. My brother and I only hiked 4 miles total, but the weather was brutal! It rained, snowed, and hailed non-stop while we were hiking through San Bernardino Mountains. Even as we sat down to eat our lunch, it continued to pour down rain, so we ended up eating soggy sandwiches, not very appetizing. After hours of waiting for the rain to subside, my brother and I looked to each other and agreed that a part in the clouds was not going to be a part of our trip. It was at this point that I had enough I was cold, wet, and with the weather coming down on us as persistent as it was, we tallied up the score, and began the hike home, Mother Nature=1 Chris=0. Though our trip was long and the weather was rough, we were nowhere near where we wanted to be, but due to the weather as well there was almost no chance of getting the shot I was hoping to get. I hate to sound cliché, but it is true what they say about mountaineering, most accidents happen on the way down. On the way back down, I must have fallen about ten times. One time I fell and hit my knee on a rock, I still feel it strain caused by it too! I even lost my water bottle while I was “stumbling” down the mountain. It was flooded in the area, so when there is an abundance of water in the snow, it becomes slushed, slushy snow is NOT fun to walk in, let alone hike. I was so bummed to have not one shot, so I decided to take a quick self portrait of myself to document the trip. My camera got so wet just from taking it out for one shot; it is amazing to think what professional landscape photographers go through to get these shots and the lengths they travel to obtain them. I only went 4 miles and only got this one shot! Though I am not at the caliber of a professional landscape photographer, I will be, until then I will continue to train and practice, I am ready for round 2 next week :) who’s coming with me?!