Why Scouting is Essential In Landscape Photography
A skill often overlooked is the power of scouting before you even take your camera out, it is important to take a look around the area to see what you are playing with and when it comes to leading a workshop in a specific season, every detail counts, and that’s where scouting comes in. A recent visit to Derrycunnihy Falls and the nearby cascades reminded me exactly why scouting is so essential—especially when autumn colours are part of the promise.
Derrycunnihy Falls
Derrycunnihy Falls was the first location on my list, and it didn’t disappoint. This is one of those spots that feels like it’s been set up perfectly for a shot—water tumbling over rocks, with vibrant autumn leaves blanketing the ground and trees around. The contrast of wet rock against those fallen leaves made the scene come alive, and I knew right away that this part of the location was ready for my workshop.
For these shots, I used a shutter speed of 0.5 seconds. This is my go-to setting for seascapes, but it also works well with waterfalls, creating that silky flow without losing the texture of the water. It’s long enough to blur the movement while keeping the details of the scene intact. I wanted my participants to capture this effect, knowing it would add that bit of magic to their autumn images.
Working with What’s There
The next spot was further upstream—a series of cascades that I’d planned to shoot as the second location. However, the scene there was far less photogenic than I’d expected. The surrounding trees had already shed most of their leaves, leaving bare branches, and without the carpet of colours around the water, it was honestly lacking that autumn vibe.
This is where scouting paid off. If I’d brought my group here without a preview, there’d have been some disappointed faces. I’d promised autumn colours, and here, they were mostly gone. So, I had to improvise and think creatively to make the best of the scene.
Using the few fallen leaves that had collected in patches, I worked them into my foreground to bring in that seasonal feel. I looked for compositions where those bright leaves could draw the eye and serve as focal points. The area was also unbalanced, with most of the scene’s elements pulling to the left. I spent a good few minutes searching until I found a rock that anchored the shot, allowing me to lead the eye more naturally into the frame. Here, the same 0.5-second shutter speed helped capture the water’s flow, but with careful attention to what little colour was around.
Why Scouting Matters
Scouting these spots ahead of time reminded me just how crucial it is to put eyes on a location before the actual shoot. Without that preparation, I’d have risked leading a workshop to a location that didn’t match what I’d described, and the experience would’ve suffered for it. Instead, I knew exactly which areas would showcase those rich autumn colours and which areas I’d need to get creative with to deliver.
In landscape photography, scouting isn’t just about seeing if a location looks nice; it’s about understanding how the conditions will work in a particular season and making sure you’re delivering what you’ve set out to. Whether it’s getting the right balance of colours, planning your compositions, or adapting to the unexpected, scouting makes all the difference. And when the season and colours are what you’re after, it’s the best investment you can make.
So if you’re thinking about shooting a location—especially for an audience—make sure you’ve scouted it first. As this experience showed me, the difference can be as simple as knowing when to stick to plan A and when to adapt to plan B, all to capture the best of what the season has to. This lesson isn’t just for workshops, it can form part of your own workflow, taking the time to look around even in unideal conditions can give you a better chance of bagging that shot when the conditions are exactly what you had wanted, plus you won’t be rushing around trying to find compositions when it is all kicking off, you will already know where you want to point your camera so half the battle is already won.
