It’s OK to Stand Where Ansel Adams Stood

Mt Gould glacier national park
A view of Mt. Gould over Swiftcurrent Lake behind Many Glacier Hotel in Glacier National Park.

When photographing some of the most iconic landscapes this July in the Tetons, I was excited with what I was able to achieve and the experience of being there. I will be unveiling a complete gallery of new images from this trip soon, but before I do I want to lead off with one image and some thoughts about the importance of creativity in photography.

When it comes to art, I just don’t care for rules. There are so many rules in the rest of my life, why on Earth would I want to bring any of those concerns into my art? Creativity is a place to escape rules, to break the imagination free, to stop limiting yourself, and to throw in the garbage the limitations others place on you. There’s nothing that can’t be done.

How many times have you heard this stupid rule: “Don’t photograph from the same spot as someone else?” There’s too much of a negative attitude toward this and a lot of other stupid rules. Why do people listen to the same songs over and over again, or see the same movie more than once? It’s because good things are worth experiencing again. Until you’ve shot an iconic landmark, even if it’s from Ansel Adams’ spot, it hasn’t been shot, and nobody has seen your take.

Who’s in control of your photography, you or the whiny rule makers? You don’t have to make a better picture than Adams to make it worthwhile. But if you do good photography, you’ll make a better picture than the whiny rule makers who whine and complain more than they shoot. Also, if photography makes you happy, it doesn’t matter where you take it. Adams said, “There are no rules for good photographs. There are just good photographs.” The experience itself of beholding grand landscapes is exciting. And no matter how many people photograph the same spot, no two photos will ever be identical. If someone had photographed the parks before Adams, who’s to say Adams would not have become famous? Your vision is different, and how you photograph the same angle is different, as is how you develop it.

What if Adam’ works are destroyed? What if the scenery changes? What if someone needs a photograph showing exactly what you produced? Not taking the iconic landscape becomes an excuse. Of course moving to different viewpoints is also good, but I would never say don’t shoot the iconic ones. I’ve been to the iconic points. Dozens of trails have been made around them, and some photographer has shot from every spot on those trails at least once. Getting something that beats Adams is going to take a lot more than simply getting off of the beaten path. It’ll take a lifetime dedication to photography.

Making a rule never to shoot from a certain spot doesn’t guarantee anything positive. So next time you’re at a famous landmark, go ahead and take the iconic viewpoint and see what you can do with it. Part of the fun is taking the challenge of reinterpreting a common scene and putting your own stamp on it. There comes a point where nobody is shooting the iconic viewpoint anymore and the fun of it gets lost. Never let a whiny rule maker keep you from doing what you want. Just shoot it, and make it good.

I leave you with the Mt. Moran at Sunrise image. It represents that there’s more to come. I will be unveiling each new image with a blog post and then the entire collection will be available in the gallery.

Grand Tetons Ansel Adams overlook
Grand Tetons overlook in Grand Tetons National Park.

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