The Beginner Photography Podcast

Capture Simple Landscape and Wildlife Stories with Talor Stone

• Raymond Hatfield

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#528 In this episode of the podcast, I chat with Talor Stone, a passionate photographer and PhD researcher. Talor shares her insights on enhancing your travel photography, balancing planning with spontaneity, and using storytelling to create more impactful images.

THE BIG IDEAS

  • Invest in Local Expertise: Hiring a local guide or joining a group can add immense value to your travel photography, offering unique perspectives and insights you might miss independently.
  • Flexibility in Planning: While planning is essential, being able to pivot and improvise can lead to your most memorable shots. Adapt your strategies based on the situation.
  • Importance of Storytelling: Move beyond mere documentation; focus on capturing stories. Consider environmental context and the behavior of subjects to add depth to your images.
  • Patience and Intent: Patience and a clear photographic intent often result in more meaningful photos. Understanding your subject's behavior can help you anticipate the perfect moment.

PHOTOGRAPHY ACTION PLAN

  1. Use Google Earth for Scouting: Spend time exploring potential locations and angles for your next shoot. Identify key features like bodies of water or unique land formations that can frame compelling shots.
  2. Hire a Local Guide: Research and connect with local guides who are knowledgeable about the area's hidden gems. Collaborate with them to access exclusive spots and gain insider information that enriches your photography.
  3. Balance Planning with Flexibility: Set a flexible itinerary, allowing extra time for spontaneous photo opportunities. Be prepared to change plans based on weather or unexpected scenes, keeping an open mind to what unfolds.
  4. Storytelling through Environmental Context: Integrate elements of the environment into your photos to provide context. Focus on capturing interactions and relationships between subjects and their surroundings.
  5. Improve Patience and Focus: Sit quietly in a chosen location, observing and waiting for the right moments to develop naturally. Practice understanding your subject’s behavior to predict and capture significant actions and expressions.

RESOURCES:
Visit Talor Stone's Website - https://www.talorstonephotography.com/
Follow Talor Stone on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/talorstonephotography/

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Thanks for listening & keep shooting!

Talor Stone:

I have the very firm belief that you will take better pictures of your subject if you understand it as more than a rock or a tree or a river. If you understand the big picture of how your subject fits into this landscape or the ecosystem or the community, you're gonna get much better photos.

Raymond Hatfield:

Hey, welcome to the beginner photography podcast. I'm your host Raymond Hatfield. And today we are chatting with landscape and wildlife photographer, Taylor stone about using your camera to bring awareness to issues important to you. But first you know that the beginner photography podcast is brought to you by cloud spot. Cloud spot has everything you need to build a thriving photography business. You can impress your clients, deliver a professional experience and streamline your workflow all in one platform. So grab your free forever account over at deliverphotos. com and only upgrade when you are ready. So today's guest, Taylor Stone, she has a really interesting story. She is a photographer, but she's also a PhD researcher who uses her skills as a landscape and wildlife photographer to collect evidence and strengthen her research papers to shine a light on issues that have global consequences. But don't think that she's just using her camera to simply document what's there because she creates some of the most beautiful and full of life landscape images that honestly I've ever seen. I think her eye as a researcher allows her to capture stories in these quiet details. I suppose that many others, I think would just pass by myself included. So today we talk about making the most out of your travels as well as how you can use your camera to shed light on issues that are important to you. Now I would love for you to join us in the free and amazingly supportive Beginner Photography Podcast community. There you can ask questions and participate in the conversation. So join thousands of fellow listeners by heading over to beginnerphotopod. com forward slash group now. And remember that listening to this podcast is not a passive experience. I bring you these interviews so that you can take the lessons from some of the world's best photographers and become a better photographer yourself. So listen close and be sure to stick around to the end, where I'm going to recap the biggest lessons that you can implement into your photography from this interview with Taylor stone. Taylor, what I want to know first is, when did you first know that photography was going to play an important role in your life?

Talor Stone:

I think that I knew when I was a child and then I forgot about it. Which is something I think that's normal, right? So you have like childhood dreams or ambitions and then, like little kids want to be an astronaut or a fireman. And then, you know, reality hits and you're like, Oh, you know, engineering sounds nice, you know, so like we, we go through these evolutions in life, but when I was a little kid, I was always saying that I wanted to be a National Geographic photographer, which is like a very strange thing for like a five year old to say, you know, and then I got a little older and I, you know, I was running around in the swamps of Louisiana with a point and shoot camera, just taking pictures. None of them were good, by the way. Don't worry, I didn't have any, like, savant, magic when I was a kid. But then just normal life happens and you finish high school and you go to college and you get a normal job and you forget about these childhood dreams, as many of us, I think, do. And so when I left the military, I thought to myself, like, okay, well, what was my childhood dream? And maybe this is an opportunity to explore that. And I bought a camera. So, I'm actually new to photography, which is kind of wild, because I feel like I've come really far. But I didn't even buy my first camera until 2016. so if you're out there and you're brand new, don't worry. You're in good company. I'm also

Raymond Hatfield:

Yeah. I want to know like, when you think back to your childhood, when you think back to you just like running through, the swamps in Louisiana, and as you said, like, these weren't great photos, what was it about? Was it the experience? Was it something about those photos themselves? Like, what was it that spoke to you about photography enough so that years later when you had to ask, like, what is it that I want to do? Was it that I loved? Photography popped into your head.

Talor Stone:

I think it's just the way that I like to see the world, I can give an example. So, if I'm out with, my partner or friends or family, sometimes they'll say, Oh, just put the camera down and just enjoy it. I'm like, well, if I'm taking pictures, like that is my truest form of enjoyment, like, because I'm able to take something beautiful that I'm experiencing and I'm also creating. And so that's just, for me, like, the way that I want to experience the world is through the lens of a camera. When I picked up photography, I mean, that was definitely, like, early on, my connection to it. But when I picked it up later in life, I had gone through a lot of challenges and hardships before I I bought my first real camera and I didn't have a lot of faith in the world or humanity and I think the camera was a way for me to teach myself again that the world is a beautiful place, that there's all these amazing things out there and that it's safe to enjoy them because I can see them through the lens of a camera and it kind of reframed this, pessimism that I had about the world around me. And, actually like refocused me into believing that it's beautiful again.

Raymond Hatfield:

Wow. So then when it came to, I guess picking up the camera for the second time, First of all, I love the dog squeaking the toy over

Talor Stone:

I'm, I'm so sorry. Let me take his toy

Raymond Hatfield:

no, it's okay. Okay. Poor

Talor Stone:

even catch him. Well, hopefully it won't be too loud. I'm sorry.

Raymond Hatfield:

Our dog, loves, um, like the super hard chew toys, like every time we've bought him a toy that's like that with a squeaker in it Immediately it gets destroyed and we bought apparently there's this brand of dog toy that's made out of Kevlar and we bought it thinking like oh She'll be able to you know chew on that for a while. No, it was gone in like six minutes Like it was wild. It was crazy. So Is your dog a chewer a biter like a destroyer or

Talor Stone:

He has been silent all morning and now he decides to get the squeaky toy. He saw us hit record and immediately decided Actually, let me try and get it from him. Mia, will

Raymond Hatfield:

Okay.

Talor Stone:

please? Yeah, sorry. He's gonna

Raymond Hatfield:

weren't, uh,

Talor Stone:

Sorry, Bob.

Raymond Hatfield:

giving him any attention and decided, yeah, it was time to play. That's so funny. Um, well, no worries about that at all. So, let me think back to, the question that I had, okay, right. So, in the beginning, right, you're taking photos as a kid, you're just wild. You're free. You're just photographing literally whatever is in front of you. Right. But, when you get older, when you buy that camera again, Talk to me about the learning process of photography at that point because now it's no longer just like point and shoot But there's there's more that goes into it. There's lenses. There's all the technical stuff. Like what was that learning process for you?

Talor Stone:

Well, I mean, I knew nothing when I started. I mean, I have no training in photography. So, I had to figure it out. But I kind of did some of it on my own. And then on the other side, I had an amazing group of people around me. Everything just kind of came together at the right time because I was part of a very, very active photography club in my local town, which was Virginia Beach, and so when I first thought I wanted, here's how much of a nerd I am, I'm about to tell on myself, I do my research with everything, and so before I even bought a camera, I didn't even own a camera, and I joined a photography club. because because I

Raymond Hatfield:

putting the cart before the horse there.

Talor Stone:

Yeah. well, you know, I joined this club because I wanted to learn, and all these people let me try out their cameras. and so I got to dabble and play and try with different cameras and kind of learn before I made a purchase, which I thought was fantastic. And,

Raymond Hatfield:

Genius. Really? Yeah

Talor Stone:

Yeah, it was great. And so all these people helped me kind of learn the initial steps of photography and we got out and did a lot of photo walks and had shoots together and educational opportunities with speakers. And so I just learned a lot. And then from that point, within about a year, I ended up actually living in my car on the road for a little over a year, just driving around the Southwest, taking pictures. So then it is photography by immersion. So, you know, I had a little bit of skill that I started with, and then it's just the practice of doing. Right, so, if you're out and you're shooting every single day, and that's all you're doing from the moment you wake up till you go to sleep, you learn a couple of things.

Raymond Hatfield:

Mm hmm. Yeah, that is for sure. So, I understand that, like, that is, just being thrown into the deep end is a fantastic way to learn, for sure, because it's either sink or swim, right? You either figure it out or you don't. like, normally, I guess, what I try to find out is, like, what is something from your experience that, you went through that you think really turned it around for you? When did you go from, hmm, I think I like photography to, oh, I think I'm getting the hang of this. I might be able to make this a thing. Does that question make sense? I feel like that was a big

Talor Stone:

yeah, I think, often, people do ask me how they move into professional photography from, amateur or hobby photography. And, truth is that I wish I had a real, like, roadmap for people. I kind of feel like, for me, I don't want to say it happened by accident, but there were a lot of things that came together that allowed it to happen. So Part of it came back to community. So I had that community of people and when I thought, okay, well, maybe I'm feeling more confident with photography. I didn't even start offering workshops. What happened was all the people in the photography club, after I had been on the road for so long, they started writing me and asking for me to arrange trips for the group. To all these places that I had been. So it wasn't even a workshop when it all started. It was me saying, well, yeah, sure. Totally. Y'all are my friends. I'll rent a van. We'll just go take pictures. And I would just drive them around places that I knew really well. Like I wasn't making any money. Like it was definitely not a for profit at all. Like I didn't even have a business at this point. It was just me helping people in my community get out and take pictures. And after that happened, maybe the first couple of times, it became evident to me that I actually had something to offer. And that was the biggest hurdle, right? Because the idea of imposter syndrome or that you don't have anything of value to offer people, especially if you're young, female and new, I mean, so I had a lot of factors that were telling me that I had no business. Instructing or knowing anything about photography. Instead, I had this group of people who empowered me and showed me that I did, in fact, have something to offer because we would be out taking pictures and they would ask me questions. And to my own surprise, I knew the answers. So it never even started out with the idea of, oh, I'm going to launch a company and start offering workshops. It was just started with community. And then those people who came with me loved it. They told their friends and it just kind of grew. Eventually I was like, okay, this feels like a business. I should probably make this legit.

Raymond Hatfield:

Right, yeah, at least maybe get some insurance if you're, going out into the wild.

Talor Stone:

I realized that path is not like easily replicated by other people. So I do want to give like the thing that I did learn that I think people can adopt. Which is if you're trying to make that transition, my experience taught me that it's all about community. So it's really hard to do anything by yourself. It's so much better when you have people who are supporting you, that believe in you, that are backing you. And I know that sounds easy, but it takes work, right? You have to invest yourself in other people for them to believe in you. And so being a team player and building a community around yourself will help you make that transition.

Raymond Hatfield:

Do you think that you could have a similar level of growth in photography if it was all virtual, if it was all online, or did being in person really facilitate your growth? Mm.

Talor Stone:

helped a lot for me. I don't know that I would have had the confidence to do it virtually. And even today, I don't offer really virtual services. It's just I like the direct interaction. But also it comes from the realization that teaching photography workshops is not knowing photography. It's an interpersonal skill. it is a customer service job with really beautiful views and it's just, you have to know how to do so much more than properly expose a shot. It's people management and logistics and those are areas that I do really well in and I think that helped a lot with my early success.

Raymond Hatfield:

So, you were in this photo club, you weren't in it for long, and before too long people are asking you to take them out to photograph some of the places that you've been.

Talor Stone:

Yeah, talk about a plot

Raymond Hatfield:

to go back, if that is, yeah, so I want to know, like, maybe a little bit more of like, maybe the why behind this, like, do you think that your images were standing out for a certain reason? Was it just the locations where you were going? Why do you think that your images stood out above others?

Talor Stone:

I don't even know if it was so much about the photos. I mean, I would love to say that, like, oh, I was just that good. But, you know, I think the reality is that I was just doing the work every day. And that people are watching. so if you want people to trust you to go to certain places, do the work every day. Go do it. Go be there. Post about it. Share it. Show that you're competent in that area and people will want to join you.

Raymond Hatfield:

I see. that's good. Yeah, I mean, It's funny when it comes, and I don't know if you fell in the same trap, but I hear from a lot of new photographers who talk about how many tutorials they watch on YouTube, how many videos they watch. But at the end of the day, it's like their photos aren't getting better. And it's like when you dive deeper, it's like, Oh, cause you're not going out and implementing the things that you're learning. Like you're just taking in the information, but you're not actively doing right. a thing

Talor Stone:

I know I, have the luxury, right, I have the luxury that I get to travel. And a lot of people have normal jobs. Maybe they live in a metropolitan area. Like it's not that easy for them to just get out into nature. And I recognize my privilege with that. but I think if you actually really want to invest yourself into it, you can find those opportunities, think local, think smaller, there's always an opportunity somewhere around you to explore photography, even if it might not have been, what you initially gravitated towards those opportunities exist.

Raymond Hatfield:

right. Right. Yeah. Well, I wanna know,'cause I know that you are, a lover of learning I guess. Uh, so I wanna know more about your learning process in photography outside of just like doing, right? So when, you put together these workshops, is there an educational aspect of it that you are, putting into it?

Talor Stone:

So for workshops in general, I always think about a workshop in terms of like a more holistic approach. I know that sounds very woo woo, but just stay with me. So it's not just about helping people get great photos. I mean, that's fantastic. Obviously I want. the people who come on my trips to get amazing images and I put a lot of work into making that happen but it needs to be more of a holistic experience so that they take away more than just a photo. I'm creating a memory for that person and I recognize the responsibility that comes with creating a really great memory that has impact. I do a lot of trips in the regions. That's kind of my niche specialty and I'm very well educated in the issues, particularly in the Arctic. I've spent a lot of time researching these issues and understanding climate issues, environmental issues, cultural issues, and so I put so much effort into, providing that information to my clients so that they leave with a really deep understanding of the place. And a lot of that comes from. I have the very firm belief that you will take better pictures of your subject if you understand it as more than a rock or a tree or a river, right? If you understand the big picture of how your subject fits into this landscape or the ecosystem or the community, you're gonna get much better photos.

Raymond Hatfield:

How did this all start? I guess let me, preface here that I know that your education specifically ties in to what it is that you photograph and your mission So tell me how all this started for you for those who are listening who have no idea about who Taylor is and like what it is that you do like I guess we need a little bit more backstory here

Talor Stone:

being a photographer, I am also a PhD researcher. I study the impacts of globalization on Greenland's indigenous hunting communities, which is very niche. I think like a whole five people will read my research. But it's something I'm just really passionate about. Um, in terms of learning, I've been a lifelong learner. I have never not been in school. So, I'm 36 years old, and I have literally never not been in school since the moment I started as a child. As soon as I got out of undergrad, I was already signed up for master's. As soon as I got out of master's, within a year, I was back in a PhD program. I just, I like to learn. I'm a nerd. It's just my thing. I get a lot of personal growth and satisfaction out of it. For my Greenland research specifically, I know it's a very obscure topic, but it about because I went to Greenland, I went there, I spent time in the communities, I connected with the ecosystem and the environment, and I started asking questions. And like, curiosity is what's going to make you a good photographer, but it's also going to drive education, right? So I think just curiosity and like wanting to know more is really the driver, not just behind, you know, my academic research, but also in photography. I'm very interested in the things I'm photographing.

Raymond Hatfield:

Tell me about the things that you're photographing

Talor Stone:

Oh yeah, it's so much.

Raymond Hatfield:

is this I guess when I think like landscape photographer when new photographers think, landscapes, they're thinking very wide, very big things, huge rocks, epic, scenic vistas. But I know that some photographers also focus on, the smaller details, how life interacts with other pieces of life, I suppose. so I guess where on that scale do you think that you fit in and tell me a little bit more about, your photography?

Talor Stone:

Yeah, I, actually was recently kind of forced to figure out what my guiding principles and photography were, um, because I was

Raymond Hatfield:

You were forced to do so. Oh,

Talor Stone:

was asked that question. I had to, like, really think about it. and so what I came down to is that my guiding principles are, an unconventional perspective, simplicity, and geometry. Like, that's what I use to create my images. And I think a lot of that is reflected in my portfolio. So, I don't do just wide angle landscapes. Of course, there's some of that. I focus mostly on very simplistic compositions with, strong geometric components that tell a story, something unconventional. So, a lot of my work in the hunting communities in Greenland are trying to showcase, how that community interacts with their environment. through storytelling or a collection of images. I also have a series that I haven't released yet, about shark photography that kind of, changes the way that sharks are viewed as more of a fine art subject rather than, something threatening in the water with teeth. So it's just kind of taking this unconventional perspective and, trying to simplify it a little bit so that people can connect with it.

Raymond Hatfield:

How do you come up with the images that you take in the sense of like the shark project, right? Did you just think to yourself, sharks are cool. Let's go photograph them. Or was there a deeper, issue with sharks? Mm hmm. And now you want to use your abilities as a photographer to, to highlight them. how do you decide what it is that you're going to photograph?

Talor Stone:

I wish I could say that I had like more noble intentions at the beginning, that I had some grand plan, but really what it came down to is I really wanted to venture into underwater photography as a way to challenge myself creatively, and sharks is kind of what got my attention. Right out of the gate, just the experience of being able to dive with them and be in the water with these large animals and it really surprised me from the very first encounter, just how different my experience in that moment was from what I was told my experiences with sharks should be. I just wasn't, it wasn't frightening. It wasn't threatening. There were animals around me who were curious about me. Yes, they are dangerous. Like you can't, you know, not pay attention to them. But, that interaction really led me to think about sharks differently. And I think that my photos that I took from those sessions with them reflect that, right? So it's reflecting these very, very graceful and beautiful animals that I had a non confrontational interaction with, and I want people to see them in that way.

Raymond Hatfield:

What's the next step for the photos? What do you do with them to get them out into the world?

Talor Stone:

I really want to release them on my website, but I think I need a couple more shots, to kind of round it out. So, the portfolio is a little light, because I, if you go on my website, you'll see that I generally drop my images in stories. I call them visual stories. So I don't just have a gallery where I drop onesie twosie photos. Instead, I curate a collection that helps tell a specific type of story. And, uh, It was really important to me when I designed my website that people were forced to learn something new when they went on, on my page. So if you go into one of my galleries, you cannot view my work without learning something new about that place. I made it impossible. So, I have text blended with the photos and a lot of the text. stories also have a video and audio component so that you can enjoy the story that I'm telling you in more than one way. So it's not just a still photo, you also can hear it and you can see it move as a living thing that it is and there's text so that you can learn something to engage with it directly. And so I think I'm just not quite ready with the shark portfolio. I need a couple more shots and I need some video to go along with it.

Raymond Hatfield:

Okay, so, let's build this out here. Let me try to figure this out because, first of all, I love this, like going to your site, that was the first thing that I noticed, is that when looking at the galleries, and forgive me, I don't remember the names of the birds, but there's a bird that, it migrates and these guys are catching them out of the air with like these giant nets. that was one of the most fascinating things that I had ever seen. I didn't even know that, that was a thing. And here are people just standing on the side of mountains throwing a net up into the air to catch these birds. So, for you, like, what is, let's start here, what is going to be the educational component of the story about sharks?

Talor Stone:

think it's just going to be educating people on the overfishing of sharks is really what interests me the most. I think people don't realize how big of an issue it is with sharks being overfished for the fin industry and also as bycatch for the industrial fishing industry. So sharks are really like a very important part of the marine ecosystem. So the more sharks that are present, it tells you a lot about how healthy that marine ecosystem is. So I want people to be able to connect with them in a way that kind of challenges the dominant view of what a shark is, which, I think the dominant view is that they're threatening and dangerous, and I want to present it, as, in a way that challenges that perspective, so that people can maybe reform how they think about them.

Raymond Hatfield:

photographically, what does that mean? Like, what are the images that you're capturing?

Talor Stone:

I'll just have to share them with you. Ha ha ha!

Raymond Hatfield:

perfect tease. Look at that. Oh my gosh.

Talor Stone:

Yeah.

Raymond Hatfield:

I'm imagining this isn't just images of quote unquote man eating sharks eating fish. So I guess from a larger perspective, is this. Is it the community aspect of sharks

Talor Stone:

Yeah, no, I'm

Raymond Hatfield:

you're searching for?

Talor Stone:

Yeah, it goes back to geometry and simplicity, I think, which, is something that really drives my images. So I'm shooting mostly minimalistic black and white images of sharks, and I'm focusing on the graceful form of the shark. Because they're very elegant animals when you see them up close, the way that they move through the water, the way their bodies curve. They're just incredibly elegant creatures and I think that that is something that people don't see very often. So, yeah.

Raymond Hatfield:

Um,

Talor Stone:

an image that I really love and I waited so long on this dive. we were at like, 70 feet in the water and there's all these sharks around and I had this vision in my mind that I really wanted to get a shot of two sharks that look like they were embracing in a way, like mirroring each other. And it took the entire dive to get the shot of just waiting, waiting, waiting. And it, I ended up with a top down photo of two lemon sharks and they're opposing each other, kind of around each other to where they look like yin and yang. Like that type of shape. Yeah. And it was actually really cool to like have that happen. Cause I was really specifically looking for that shot and it took patience and I got it and I love that photo.

Raymond Hatfield:

That's a very high risk, high reward type shot, right? So, you're obviously pre planning these photos in your head. When you come up with these stories that you're trying to tell, to bring awareness to these, these different issues, that are facing not only the people of Greenland, or the hunters of Greenland, but ultimately the world, how much pre planning into the story, do you do like, cause obviously there's the story element of it, right? here's the issue. Here's what's causing it. And then there's an artistic side of the story as well, of how you're framing, what it is that you're capturing the connections,

Talor Stone:

for

Raymond Hatfield:

the shark. So can you explain a little bit more about that as well?

Talor Stone:

Yeah. It was some, some photo projects are story driven, and some, the story is revealed through them, right? So, for example, the sharks, I didn't really have a story in mind until I started doing it. The story was the result of the work. But, for example, the hunters catching the birds in Greenland, that was very much story driven. I knew going into those shoots that what I wanted to show, which is like the close connection of this community to this animal that is a long standing, millennia long connection. And also what I found particularly interesting about that story is the way in which, traditional practices and modern materials have blended together in a way that didn't actually erode the tradition. They've just become seamlessly, uh, part of each other, which I think is That is, a very confronting idea. You know, in Western culture, I think we have this very dominant idea that modernity somehow erodes cultural traditions. And in some ways, maybe that does happen, but I think cultures, especially indigenous cultures, are a lot less fragile than we think. and that has certainly been my experience, is that these communities are very resilient, and they will take modern tools and blend them into their culture. Their culture, Culture doesn't become erased, it just evolves and changes and adapts over time. And I think that that's really fascinating. For example, the image that you're talking about with them catching the birds in the net, That tool is called an epoch, and the oldest epoch that we know from archaeological records is like something like 4, 000 years old, okay? This is a really old tool, and it used to be made with driftwood, and the hoop was the baleen of a whale. Uh, from a, from a filter feeding whale, and then the net was made from the ligaments and tendons or the sinew from a seal. Today, the epoch is still the exact same tool, except the hoop is now made of bamboo and the net is nylon, but the traditional practice has not changed. We've just like incorporated different materials, and I think that's a really interesting example of cultural resiliency.

Raymond Hatfield:

Yeah. What do you hope your images do? Like, how do you hope that they make an impact on the world?

Talor Stone:

I think if it, if the only thing that it does is make someone ask a question or confront maybe, an assumption that they had, then that would be enough for me. I don't really have, lofty ideals, in terms of making this huge splash or changing the world. I think if I can, change one person's mind, that would be enough. would be okay with that.

Raymond Hatfield:

That's beautiful. I want to get a little bit more tactical now. Like could you tell me when was the last time, you had found yourself in Greenland?

Talor Stone:

well, I was in Greenland four, four different times this year. I was just there the last week or the first week of October was the last time I was there. So very recent.

Raymond Hatfield:

Very recently. Okay. when you, are there, when you are planning to go, right? as you said, there's a story that it is that you want to capture. But, can you walk me through, in terms of maybe not the wildlife aspect of it. Like, like we're talking with sharks and with, these birds here, but, more from like the landscape perspective of it. How do you approach the landscape photography in terms of what images you want to capture? cause there seems to be two different sides. There is everything's pre planned. I know exactly where I want to go. I know what time of day I want to be there. I know what kind of weather conditions I'm hoping for and I'm just going to drive around and whatever I see I'm going to capture. where do you fall on that spectrum? Yeah,

Talor Stone:

this would be this year I went to East Greenland and South Greenland to locations that I had never been before so It's a really cool experience Good case study, I guess, for what you're asking me. So for those trips, I of course, hopped on Google earth and kind of just scrolled around, to get an idea of what the landscape looked like. You don't have time to see everything. So I wanted to make sure I was putting my time into the most target rich environments, right? So make sure I go down the right fjord basically. Um, yeah, so, but beyond that. I kinda just let things happen on their own. try to always be really open minded about what's in front of me. And I think anticipation is key in photography. So not only am I open to what's ahead of me, but I'm like anticipating and looking ahead and considering what the options are. So, looking at the weather, how is the light going to change? How much time do I have to get to this location? And I just consider all of these factors. And at the end of the day, know, hopefully things come together and If they don't, that's also okay and you can just enjoy being somewhere beautiful.

Raymond Hatfield:

no kidding. Yeah, especially somewhere like Greenland.

Talor Stone:

Yeah, I mean, sometimes I don't even take a picture. I mean, there have been countless times that I've gone out to shoot for sunset or sunrise and I didn't take a photo because that's just reality. work with a lot of clients and I think they sometimes have this idea that every photo I get is great. And I, I am just so grateful that they can't see my camera roll.

Raymond Hatfield:

when you say clients, are you talking about other photographers?

Talor Stone:

yeah, like workshop clients.

Raymond Hatfield:

Oh, yeah. Well, they should be the ones to know that like that's not, that's not the case. That's

Talor Stone:

It's just not the case. I take, I take terrible photos like everyone else or compositions that don't work for me. And to some degree, planning can help with that. certainly there have been photos that I've intentionally planned for, but I think for me, my strength is in improvisation. I do enjoy improvising.

Raymond Hatfield:

So if I were to ask you to think of one of your favorite photos that you've taken this year, is it something that's been more improv'd or really, tell me about it.

Talor Stone:

I

Raymond Hatfield:

Tell me about it.

Talor Stone:

was in Iceland in March this year and I really was super excited about photographing a snowy landscape and instead it was just like crap rain. Uh, and I was, I was so devastated. I had a week, and I wasn't going to get any sleep. This beautiful white snowy landscape that I wanted to photograph. I didn't take a lot of pictures on that trip. I was really bummed out by the conditions. And on the very last day, at the last minute, I mean it was raining so much that there were just like, rivers of water going through, like this volcanic landscape. And I was like, whatever, I'm just gonna put up the drone. Like, I just. I'm just curious, last ditch effort here. And I ended up getting probably my favorite shot of the year. And I think one of the best pictures that I've ever taken and it was just totally improvised.

Raymond Hatfield:

What makes it so powerful?

Talor Stone:

So what happened is when I got from the ground, everything just looked like mud. I mean, it, was very un photogenic. You would have been hard pressed to get a good photo. and instead when I got in the air and the perspective changed, I was able to see that the snow had melted in a braided river pattern. So I think we're used to seeing Iceland with these blue glacial braided rivers and what I was able to photograph actually was that the snow had melted in that way. And so Instead you just get this black landscape and this incredible braided snow everywhere. and yeah, I mean, it surprised me. I wasn't expecting it, but it was a totally improvised shot that I almost didn't get because I almost didn't take the chance.

Raymond Hatfield:

Well, having been to Iceland just once for a very short period, that is the land of magic. So, like, if anything magical is gonna happen, it seems like it's gonna happen in Iceland for sure.

Talor Stone:

for sure.

Raymond Hatfield:

let me go back to a question that I had earlier. when you were talking about, scouting locations, right, going on to Google Earth, you go on and look for, you said, target rich locations. What does that mean? What, what are the target Rich locations.

Talor Stone:

Right, okay, so like for an example on the South Greenland trip I just did, I'm looking on Google Earth, which is gives you like a three dimensional view, of fjords that have prominent mountains. or small lakes that are able to be hiked to, because I know if I get in proximity of those things, I can create photos. Because you have some type of subject, or you have the availability of a foreground, like a lake, or something that you can use. So, I'm just looking for, what I would call the building blocks of a good photo. So, a subject, some type of foreground, that you're able to put into good use.

Raymond Hatfield:

So if somebody is listening right now and maybe, they are going to take their quote unquote once in a lifetime trip, right? Whether it be Iceland, whether it be Greenland, what advice would you have for them to be able to be open, to capture the vast landscape, that is these locations with, The second part of this story is how do we add context to these images so that they, include more or mean more than just, here's a mountain with a stream and some light.

Talor Stone:

Right. Well, the first part of the question is, my advice is to do a little bit of research and then don't schedule everything because the reality is that when you get there, you might know what you wanted to photograph, but the light might tell you to do something different. And I think as a photographer, it's our responsibility to photograph what the light is telling us to do, not what we thought it would. we were going to do. I encounter this a lot during photography workshops, because maybe we won't get the conditions that we wished for at a location that was very important to some of the guests. And I understand the frustration, but when that happens, you have to be flexible and willing to pivot and photograph what the light is telling you to photograph. Because there is no such thing as bad bad light There's just bad subjects for the light you're given. So, it's up to you to be flexible. So I think it's important for people to plan for flexibility, which I know sounds like a contradictory phrase,

Raymond Hatfield:

flex.

Talor Stone:

but plan for flexibility. Like, know that, you're going to need to be flexible and just kind of have a loose idea of your goals and be willing to pivot. The second part of your question was about storytelling, and I think it's, it's That comes down to like really being curious. it's your responsibility to be curious about the place you're going. Otherwise you're going to just end up with pictures of mountains, which is cool. I mean, sure. I bet you're going to get amazing photos of a mountain or whatever your subject is, but it would be far more meaningful if you really understood more about the environment. This is like an easier concept to demonstrate with wildlife photography. For wildlife photography, you could go to Africa or somewhere or the Arctic and get a portrait of a polar bear. And that's great. And some people are going to be happy with that. And if you're happy with that, knock yourself out. I just want you to be happy. But if you want to tell a story about a polar bear, a portrait's probably not the only way to do that. Think about other ways that you can include that animal in its environment or showcase unique behaviors of that animal. Polar bears are very aquatic creatures. How can you incorporate that unique species behavior into your photography to tell like a more detailed and rich story of what that animal is about? And I think it comes with intention. You have to be intentionally thinking about these things, otherwise you'll miss your opportunities.

Raymond Hatfield:

How often did that happen to you? Cause it sounds like that comes from experience.

Talor Stone:

It comes from, from experience for sure. And sometimes, I mean, sometimes I don't do it right either. I'm, I'm not perfect at this, okay? Like, I am very fallible. Sometimes I just end up with a bird on a stick. You know, and not some unique species behavior. But, and it also, it comes with being patient. Uh, and not being satisfied just with that initial photo, but being curious, how can I get something more powerful out of it? How can I get an interaction out of this animal or what are the unique behaviors of this animal? And I've done that research in advance that I can showcase.

Raymond Hatfield:

So, going deeper into a photograph, the best way you have found is through patience.

Talor Stone:

Be patient, and have a clear idea of what you want to demonstrate. Right? So, in the example of a polar bear, like, I take the time before the trip to educate myself on the behaviors that are unique to polar bears, or I watch a lot of footage of polar bears so that I understand what their behaviors are like, and you're just going to get better photos that way. And you're going to get more unique photos rather than simply a portrait. If you're patient, you'll get the behavior that you're hoping to showcase. Thanks.

Raymond Hatfield:

Yeah, yeah. First of all, I love all this. I really appreciate you coming on and sharing all of this information for us, specifically because, For many listeners, like, traveling is a very difficult thing, right? As you said, they could live in metropolitan area or have a 9 5. So getting away is difficult. So, going to these locations and photographing them often feels like a once in a lifetime experience. So, for you, I guess this is my last question for you as I know that we're coming towards the end of our time here. What advice would you give for people who may have an opportunity coming up to, to visit somewhere, new and they want to capture something that is going to represent their trip, something that is more than just that postcard shot?

Talor Stone:

Right, yeah, so I have two pieces of advice. The first one will sound like a shameless plug, but I don't mean it that way. It's okay if you're going somewhere new and for example, maybe this is the only time you'll get to go to that location or you have a limited amount of time. Then it's okay to hire someone or go with a group or hire a local guide or go with someone like me, because that's our job to help create those opportunities for you and in a way that you will truly get the most possible out of a trip. Do your research and whether you go with someone like me or a local or whatever that is, don't be shy to hire a local guide. I work professionally in this field and I am a workshop participant on other people's workshops sometimes because sometimes I don't have the time to do the research or I need the logistics figured out or I just know that I will have a better, richer experience by going with someone who really knows that area. but I understand not everyone is going to do that. And some people do truly want to explore on their own, and that's perfectly okay. So for the people who do, I would just say, spend some time doing some research.

Raymond Hatfield:

Totally get it. Um, well, Taylor, again, uh,

Talor Stone:

are for that trip. to know what you're going to need to have success. A little bit of research is going to tell you a lot about what season to go there, what lenses are appropriate for that area. There's a ton of information available online. What time of day to go to certain places. So a lot of that information exists, but like I said before, you just, you want to plan for that flexibility. You got to plan for the unplanned.

Raymond Hatfield:

I just want to say thank you so much for coming on today. I know that there's people listening thinking. I want to see some more Taylor's images. I want to see what it is that she's talking about how she incorporates her photos with stories. So tell us where is the best place to find you online?

Talor Stone:

Sure, so if you want to check out the visual stories, they're still, being built out on my website, but it's just taylorstonephotography. com and Taylor has no Y in it, so. If you can spell my name correctly, you will find the webpage. the same goes for my Instagram, so taylorstonephotography.

Raymond Hatfield:

Now, before we get into the recap, again, I wanted to invite you into our, supportive and private and free beginner photography podcast community to share your biggest takeaway from today's interview. To join again, just head over to beginnerphotopod. com forward slash group now. Okay, let's go ahead and recap those takeaways so that you can implement what you learned on the podcast into your own photography. First is harness the power of pre planning. Failing to prepare is preparing to fail. So utilize the tools at your disposal like Google Earth to scout out where you're going, you know, find those potential locations, find those subjects that you can anticipate and find those potential locations and anticipate subjects and landscapes. This way, you can balance the thorough preparation with the excitement of, I don't know, spontaneous discovery. Takeaway number two is to also embrace flexibility. You always have to be ready to adapt your plans. Sometimes unpredictable conditions can lead to some of the most stunning photos if you're open to seeing it. It really is a balance between, planning and flexibility. Any great shot, and the closer that you get to mastering that, that delicate balance, the closer you're going to be able to get to capturing not only beautiful images, but meaningful ones too. And lastly, don't be afraid to turn up your experience with local experts. There are so many local guides or groups that you can join while traveling. They offer invaluable insights and access to, these hidden things that, you know, just you as a, as an out of towner may not know that locals do. When me and my wife were able to go to Iceland a few years back, of course, we looked on Instagram for all the perfect photo spots, all the cool things to check out. But we also asked locals, you know, when we stopped to get fuel, when we stopped to eat, the hotel staff. So, are the places that we should check out if we were up for an adventure? And that, that was one of the most exciting things about the trip is that we learned something new, something that you aren't going to find on Instagram or on a top 10 list, but something that a local, somebody who lives there, somebody who experienced experienced all of it. If they say, go check this thing out, you go do that. And it was, it was amazing. It was well worth it. Well, that is it for today, until next time I want to say, uh, thank you for joining me on the beginner photography podcast today. And remember that the more you shoot today, the better of a photographer you will be tomorrow. Talk soon.