Freezing wind in my face. Waking up before sunrise. Shivers from the cold damp clothes. That’s the usual routine of hundreds of photographers who are out there shooting landscapes.

I’m one of them.

There’s something to be said about this kind of experience. Somehow, the premise of just traveling somewhere, enduring the struggles that nature throws at you, and just experience it doesn’t cut it for me. I feel the need to do something, and for me it means I carry my camera and a tripod with me.

Landscape photographers are accustomed to crazy schedules (not Hollywood crazy, but waking up at 3am can mess up with my well being very quickly), freezing temperatures, strong winds, torrential rain. They are the one’s buying headlamps to get to that pretty spot in complete scary thick darkness. It’s such a radically different experience from fashion or product or macro photography, that it warrants its own story.

It’s just the fact that, basically, I feel like it’s the only thing that I can do—it is what drives me to travel and seek new experiences, to endure it all to try and capture something new (and yet, I come back with shots similar to hundreds of other photographers… go figure).

Old, white-headed El Capitan by Evgeny Tchebotarev on 500px.com

So to the hundreds thousands of other adventurers and travelers, I want to tell them just one thing: what you feel and what you experience on these journeys is the most precious thing ever.

These moments with just yourself (or your friends) are true memories that are worth being cherished and remembered.

How does travel and searching for light makes you feel? Let me know in comments.