Often during the winter the best days for photography are grey and overcast. When sunlight reflects brightly off the snow covering the ground, most cameras are overwhelmed by the conditions. Too much bright light will result in an overexposed image. There are some adjustments that can be made to the camera, such as reducing the aperture opening, increasing the shutter speed, or using exposure compensation. Dark filters can also be placed on the end of the lens but sometimes that affects color reproduction. Many times it is just a better choice to wait for the right degree of cloud cover.
Recently the sky was appropriate for a day of outdoor photography. I had been compiling a list of locations that I wanted to capture in winter conditions. All of the locations were within a short drive of each other so I planned a route that would easily lead from one to the next. One of the sites, a local waterfall, had been photographed in the summer and I was curious about how it would look in the winter. Each of the other locations were new to me (except for the initial scouting) so I was not sure what to expect. No matter, I was excited to get outside to observe and photograph both familiar and new subjects.
There are several tools that I use to plan such a day trip. First, I follow several local photography and history groups on Facebook. Many different people post information and/or photos on those groups that can present possibilities. Any subject that seems interesting in some way to me are noted for further exploration, reference, and research. My second tool is a pair of notebooks. One is kept with my cameras and is used to record both potential locations and a log of places and subjects that I actually shoot. The latter is important to identify the photos I took when I sort them into the appropriate files on my hard drive. The other notebook is kept in my vehicle to note locations that catch my eye while I am driving so that I can return with my camera, if the conditions or timing is not right for snapping photos at the moment. These both give me a written reference that I can use over time to organize my photo trips.
A third tool is a set of detailed paper county maps for the area within about 100 miles of my house. These maps allow me to spend a good amount of time studying roads and terrain as I plan my trips. By knowing (or at least having an idea) of what types of options may be available I can plan routes and possibly anticipate some photo opportunities. With plans in place I have the option to make these day trips on relatively short notice when favorable weather presents. There are also companies that produce state gazetteers (or atlases) that show many more details than any single state map could show. These paper resources, along with mapping software on your phone or in your vehicle, will guide you on your route from one location to the next, and so on.
Creating a number of planned routes and possible subjects provides a good “library” of potential photographic opportunities. Any of these possible destinations can be chosen quickly at the appropriate time. When the light is right, or changing to what you want, it becomes easy to grab your camera and gear to head out for a day of photography on relatively short notice. The time devoted to pre-plan study provides the flexibility to travel in any direction and shoot the images you choose. This is an efficient use of our time and gives us options to choose from when the right light and the right day merge together.