Taking less photographs at a location can actually have a huge impact on improving your landscape photography skills. While it might seem counterintuitive, focusing on fewer shots with more intention often leads to better results. 

Here are a few ways that shooting less can enhance your photography: 

1. Improved Focus and Intentionality When you shoot less, you are more deliberate about your composition, lighting, and subject choice. You take more time to think about each shot and refine the details. This leads to more thoughtful, well-composed images rather than relying on quantity. It is much better to return home from a landscape photography journey with at least one great shot than rather a hundred mediocre photographs that will eventually end up forgotten.

2. Better Understanding of the Scene By slowing down and taking fewer photos, you're more likely to observe your surroundings closely. You start to notice the little things that can make a shot more compelling—like the way light falls on a subject or how different angles affect the mood of a scene. Slowing down allows you to become more present in the moment, and that's where the magic happens. When you take the time to observe your surroundings, you start to notice those subtle details that often go unnoticed in a hurried rush. A beam of light streaming through trees, the texture of a surface, or the way shadows play across a subject can all add layers of depth to a photo. Similarly, experimenting with different angles can drastically change the story a shot tells, turning something ordinary into something extraordinary. It’s these small, thoughtful observations that can make a shot feel alive and full of character. 3. Less Is More in Editing With fewer photos to go through, you spend less time editing and can focus more on perfecting the images you’ve captured. This can lead to stronger post-processing results because you're not overwhelmed by a massive number of images. You can really fine-tune your best shots, making sure every detail aligns with your vision.  4. Developing Patience Photography is not just about snapping hundreds of pictures, but also about waiting for the right moment. Shooting less teaches you patience. You’ll start to learn when to wait for the perfect light, when to adjust your camera settings for the best exposure, and when to take that perfect shot rather than trying to shoot everything all at once.  5. Improved Technical Skills With fewer photos, you're less likely to rely on the "spray and pray" method where you take a large number of shots and hope one turns out well. Instead, you’ll be more mindful of technical aspects like focus, depth of field, shutter speed, and aperture. This will help you hone your technical skills over time. By being more selective, you shift your focus to the fundamentals of photography—the technical aspects like focus, exposure, and composition—because you’re putting more thought into each shot. You’ll be encouraged to understand how each setting affects the final image. For example, adjusting aperture to control depth of field or playing with shutter speed to capture motion adds a whole new layer to your creativity. Over time, this mindfulness enhances your technical skills and helps you become a more confident and skilled photographer. It’s rewarding to see how much you improve by simply slowing down.

6. More Meaningful Work When you take fewer photos, each one has more significance. It’s about quality over quantity. You become more selective about what you want to capture, leading to a portfolio that feels more cohesive and meaningful. By focusing on quality over quantity, you naturally become more discerning about what you want to capture. Each shot starts to feel like a deliberate choice, which adds a sense of intention and depth to your portfolio. This approach also allows you to curate a collection of images that really reflect your unique perspective and vision, rather than just a random assortment. A cohesive portfolio has the power to tell a stronger, more compelling story. That habit for selectiveness will lead to a deeper connection with your work.

7. Less Stress and More Creativity Shooting less can reduce the stress that comes with having too many images to sift through. When you’re not overwhelmed by a mountain of photos, you have the mental space to experiment with new ideas and think outside the box creatively.  When you focus on shooting fewer images, it’s like giving your mind a breather. You can really take your time with each shot, experiment with different perspectives, and try new techniques without the pressure of having to sort through hundreds of photos afterward. It makes photography feel more intentional and enjoyable, rather than a race to capture everything. Plus, those fewer images can often feel more meaningful and impactful, since each one gets the attention it deserves. You will discover that having fewer photos to go through helps you stay more creative in your process. 

By focusing on fewer, more thoughtful shots, you give yourself the chance to really develop and refine your eye for photography. Taking fewer, more intentional shots allows you to really think about composition, lighting, and subject matter. It gives you the space to slow down and focus on the details rather than just capturing everything in sight. Over time, this approach can really elevate your skills and help you develop a more unique photographic style.