How to find photo spots

Three questions, not one

"Finding a spot" bundles three things. What you want to shoot, which might be a mountain or the moment the sun sits between two towers. Where to stand, which way to face and what focal length to use. And when to be there.

You already know the first. The other two can mostly be worked out at home, from maps and from photos other people have taken.

Work it out on a map

Contours: can you see it?

The most common way a landscape spot fails is a ridge you didn't notice, sitting between you and the subject. Draw a straight line from where you'd stand to what you want to shoot. If a contour ring along that line is higher than both ends, the view is blocked. Climb higher or move.

Two more habits help. Contours that bulge toward lower ground mark a ridge, and a ridge line is often the path that sees both sides. And estimate the height gain early. It tells you more than map distance about how long the walk takes and whether you'll be doing it in the dark.

Satellite: what's on the ground?

Contours don't show trees or buildings. Switch to satellite and look again. Is the viewpoint concrete or scrub? Is there a row of power poles in the foreground, or a stand of young trees? Plenty of well-known spots have grown over in the last few years, and satellite imagery shows it at a glance.

Where street view exists, check junctions, railings and parking. After a few passes you have more than a place name. You have "second lay-by, facing south-west, 70 to 135mm".

Work back from other people's photos

If someone has shot it before, treat their photo as a set of measurements.

• Focal length tells you the distance. The same tower shot at 24mm and at 200mm puts the photographers kilometres apart.
• The order and overlap of two landmarks puts the camera on a line. A third landmark turns the line into a point.
• Where the horizon sits in the frame says whether they were above or below the subject.
• Shadow direction and length, with a date, give you a rough time of day, so you know when that light comes back.
• Don't scout in spring from an autumn photo. Before and after the leaves fall are two different pictures.

This is for finding the spot, not copying the frame. Once you're there, go and find your own picture.

Count back to a departure time

"Sunrise is 5:40, so I'll get there at 5:30" never works. Blue hour starts well before sunrise, and you still have to walk in, find the spot and set up. Start from the moment you want and work backwards.

Rules of thumb. Somewhere new, allow more. Waiting twenty minutes at the spot beats arriving late.

Before you set off

It's easy to overstep when you're hunting for a spot, and the cost usually lands on someone else.

• Core zones of reserves, military areas, water sources, private land and building sites aren't open just because nobody stops you. Check local notices. If unsure, don't go in.
• Drones depend on controlled airspace, airport zones and temporary bans. Follow the local rules.
• Paths trampled into alpine meadow, dune crust or wetland edges take years to recover. Stay on existing trails.
• Cliff edges, tidal flats, icy viewpoints and loose scree before dawn are where accidents happen. Go in pairs at night, with a headlamp and spare batteries.
• Near homes, temples and villages, ask before photographing people, and put the camera away if they say no.
• For small, fragile places, don't publish exact coordinates. The general area is enough.