Landscape photography, like most things that produce a glamorous-appearing final product, is rather unglamorous behind the scenes. All the skill, patience, and devotion can still lead to coming home empty-handed or in this case, with a single image. Whether it’s worth it is up to you.

Coming to you from Thomas Heaton, this great video highlights the pursuit of images only to see them evaporate before your eyes, yet remaining devoted and persevering in spite of the setbacks. I was particularly impressed by his restraint in choosing compositions. I would be lying if I said there haven’t been times I’ve gone out to shoot some landscapes, not really found a proper composition given the conditions, but still taken a bunch of shots that were ok, but not good enough to take the time to edit and put into my portfolio. So, I ended up spending an hour culling shots that I would never use anyway. Yet, I always find myself going back out, because I love it. And really, I suppose that’s the test of love for the craft: the ability to come home with nary a shot and still itch to get out the door for the next sunrise.