About a month ago, I went on a trip out west with my wife and 3 year old son, to see some of the most amazing national parks in America! The drives were long, but the reward was huge! I had seen pictures of places like the Grand Canyon, Yosemite and Antelope Canyon before, but being there first hand to see it with my own two eyes was a completely awe-inspiring experience! 

Ever since my trip ended, I've been thinking about where I'm going to go next! Not only to see the amazing beauty of this world (especially in a time with so much destruction going on), but to take pictures that will take my breathe away! 

The secret to getting a good shot? Getting your butt out the door and letting the shot develop in front of you! Not to mention, you need to know composition, ND filters, graduated filters (and every other filter known to man), the right tripod, where the sun is setting and rising, when the moon is going to be full or not, what the weather is going to be like, time zones (so you don't arrive late), a vehicle to get you to hard-to-reach places, a camera that will produce a huge print after you take that magical shot and so much more! I didn't realize how much went into it!

But the most surprising thing I found, were the great shots no one else was taking! As a Photographer, you have to look at everything different. You have to see your angles before you get to the spot you need to get to. You have to watch the color of the mountains change and capture it correctly with the right settings.  You have to compose your shot in a way that is pleasing to the eye. Composition is the part that I see most landscape photographers fail at. It's also the most important part of being a landscape photographer! I tell everyone that I mentor, composition has to come naturally. If you have great natural composition, you can learn the rest, but teaching someone composition (who doesn't get it) is probably the hardest thing you can do IMO.

I've shown a few shots that I took while on vacation. They will all be for sale eventually and I have a very special sale coming up soon, which you can find more details about at www.joehendricks.photography 

I can't to tell you more about my landscape photography in the future!