The love of nature photography can bring us to many wonderful locations throughout the country and world. We desire to see that magic light bask itself on new settings. We relish in capturing its beauty in our own unique manner.

But sometimes our desire to capture a stunning image can be foiled by a lack of knowledge of a location. Whenever I go somewhere new, I always try to gather as much information about that location as possible. But, for as much information as one can gather, nothing beats first hand knowledge of what a location is all about. This is why I think scouting locations is invaluable to a photographer.

Scouting a location before shooting gives the photographer a sense of the place. One can see how the land plays out; what lenses will work best? What foregrounds look interesting? Where does the sun rise and set? The list can go on. For me, one of the crucial elements of scouting is eliminating "wastes" of time during the magic light period. By scouting, I can usually pick out a couple spots that I want to shoot from. This aids me in moving from spot to spot without questioning what my next shot is; I already know.

I have been to Acadia National Park in Maine many times. Yet every time I go, I always like to walk about an area I'm going to shoot before I actually shoot there. Whether it's Cadillac Mountain, Otter Cliffs or any number of the harbors I've shot before, getting the opportunity to reacquaint myself with the surroundings only benefits my photography.

The term 'pre-visualization' is used a lot. I don't know how other people pre-visualize but I have found it very hard to visualize anything without the scene being in front of me, at least once. When you scout a location; feel it under your feet, smell the air, touch the textures around you, then you can get a better hand on pre-visualizing your shots and executing them well.

Otter Cliffs, Cobble Beach and the surrounding coastline are favorite subjects of mine when I visit Acadia. Before I shoot a sunrise session there, I like to drive out to it and spend a half hour or so walking around. I always take a quick compass reading to see exactly where the sun will rise. I also check out the tide tables because the landscape there changes immeasurably between low and high tides. If the opportunity permits, I like to visit the location at a time proportional to what the tide will be when I arrive for my shooting session. By doing this, I get a much better idea of what the landscape will look like, plus, it helps me to pre-visualize some shots that I have in mind.

Another benefit to scouting is to get a sense of the color tones. I try to see where my highlights will be, where the shadows may lie and where my mid tones will thrive. When I shoot Otter Cliffs and the surrounding area, I can easily see that I have a several issues to think about. First and foremost is the tonality of the rocks and the possible exposure ranges therein. Then there is the issue of the trees, how will they correlate? Water is generally in most shots, so that needs to be assessed and of course the sky has to be reckoned with. By preparing myself for a variety of exposure latitudes, I can better assess how an image will turn out.

While strolling about a location I can also get a feel for what kind of filters I may need to have at the ready. Will there be lots of sky to deal with? What kind of split neutral density filter will I need? Is a warming filter going to be appropriate? How about a polarizer? All these questions can be addressed when you take the time to scout out a site.

When I find a location, I square up a shot using my hands to simulate a viewfinder, unless of course I have my camera with me. Once I believe I've found a shot, I can then evaluate the scene. I can look at the scene and think, 'I may need a 3 stop soft split ND to control the sky and there is going to be at least a couple stops difference between these foreground rocks and those trees lining my background.' By not only pre-visualizing your shot but a possible exposure scenario, you will be better prepared for capturing that special shot the way you envision it.

If you've never scouted a location, you should try it. You can practice near your home. Go to a local park or favorite shooting area in an off time and walk about an area; bring a compass along and plot out the path of the sun to see where the light might work best for future shoots. If I'm away at a new location, I watch the local news or get a paper to see what kind of weather conditions I'm going to be faced with. This will also enable me to visualize what the light and the sky might look like. Scouting doesn't have to take a long time, it only needs the effort and that effort will pay off huge dividends.

Like the Boy Scout motto says, Be Prepared. I highly value scouting locations. Not every scouting session has to be as involved as the above scenario but getting the general feel of a location can go a long ways to producing exceptional images. Whether you're visiting a new location or rediscovering an old one, scouting can be an invaluable tool to becoming a more complete photographer.

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