“It’s all about the light!” pretty much describes my personal philosophy when it comes to outdoor photography; of course it also applies to any type of photography…after all, as obvious as it may sound, where would we be without light? What I’m meaning to say is the importance of preparation, prior to going out to shoot, because it’s the attention to lighting conditions that will determine whether you get a quality shot or not. For example, in landscape photography - equipment aside - its’ knowing such things as the surrounding topography of the site, the position and height of nearby vegetation, the expected weather, where and how high the sun will be for that time of year, and whether the effects of shading may or may not be desired. Because in reality a great photograph cannot be created by a camera – it is made in the mind’s eye of the photographer long before it ever exists as a printed image.