Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

I agree also.
Many times I take a couple of reminder shots.
I try to memorize more than photograph including smells, weather etc.

Photocraig

As usual, Linda IS right. And Sharpie is, too. First, there is no shame in snapshots, period. Those taken by serious photographic enthusiasts, like many of us, are usually better than most.
Second, there is no such thing as bad light. The light that is there will yield a good photograph, it is up to us to find it using the equipment, composition/framing/positioning techniques we know or can invent (or experiment with) on the spot.

With the ease, today, of HDR, Focus Stacking and stitching in Post Processing, many mid day shots that I would have passed by back int the film daze, can be put together for a good photograph. Again, as Sharpie says, If you're shooting for you and not National Geographic or a client, go find a photo that needs making. What I look for are detail shots in the shade, "mini landscapes" are often found at streamside or oceanside where almost all the elements of the Grand Landscape are at play in miniature, right at your feet. With proper composition you can make a 2 foot water fall look as dramatic as a 100 foot one that is obscured or so brightly lit that no detail can be captures easily.

What else are ya goin' to do, drink beer????

Have fun,
C

stogieboy Loc: Marlboro, NY

If I'm out, and the light isn't "right," I'm still going to take photos. Maybe my shots won't be of the subject I set out to capture, but I'll get something. I generally turn my attention to macro subjects if the light is too harsh. I can create shade with my hat or hand, if the mid-day sun is too direct. Often, I'm not far from a wooded area, so I tend to venture that way if the sun is too bright.

hawleyrw Loc: Dayton, OH

I’ve been an enthusiast photographer for many many years, and I’ve learned to “see“ a photo for long before I actually take it. Sometimes The light isn’t right, sometimes it is. You have to judge of what your eyes see, judge the available light, possibly coming back at a different time of day When the light better suits your subject. Like one of the others said likewise: I have visited places and the light not be right for the entire trip, taking very few pictures while on the trip.

SteveLew Loc: Sugar Land, TX

Thanks, all of you, for submitting your take on shooting with or without "light". The consensus is that when shooting for memories Hoggers shoot in any condition. Some Hoggers return to a site if there is not enough light. Other Hoggers say that with various techniques they make the best with lack of light.

tomcat

Plus, it's a whole lot safer. Nothing worse than being thrown under the bus--it can ruin your day.....

sirlensalot Loc: Arizona

Sometimes it's about how much time you want to spend editing and how skillful the editor and is it worth the effort.

treadwl Loc: South Florida

As a landscape photographer I fully understand that everything depends on the light. If I'm at home or going to a place that I can easily return to then I'll keep trying until I get the light. If I'm traveling I will take the best shot I can get with the light that is there. Bad weather often makes good pictures. Often, I'm the only one who will see that photo as it is not up to par. When traveling, I'd rather come come with one great shot than a bunch of so so images. That often means I'll hang around a location to get the shot I want.
Ansel Adams said 12 pictures a year is a good crop. If that was good enough for him, it is good enough for me.

I will always use my creative skills to get the best shot I can. Sometimes they turn out to be better than I thought.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

When it's right, it's magic. As in photographing Zabriskie Point in Death Valley, California, at sunrise in February. As in photographing the Badlands of South Dakota in late afternoon in early August. Neither of those scenes is terribly interesting at Noon. And neither is always interesting when you think it will be. The light changes rapidly at those times of day, so you have to be quick and make many exposures.

I have had just a few chance encounters with "right place, right time, right light, nice picture," but I have many more images taken in average (boring) circumstances. Many famous photographers have made serendipitous photos on chance alone. More have probably studied a scene, and returned again and again, in hopes of catching that magic.

hassighedgehog Loc: Corona, CA

I usually just shoot anyway. At the very least, it gives me some to experiment with (abstracts, different effects etc.). Or go for details. That is also why I don't delete anything until I can see it on the computer screen.

PAR4DCR Loc: A Sunny Place

Don

RichardSM Loc: Back in Texas

I also agree!

NCMtnMan Loc: N. Fork New River, Ashe Co., NC

You work with the light you have. Might not have the opportunity again even if you are able to come back later. It will never be the same. Might get an effect you didn't realize was there. You're not using film so if the shots suck, then just delete them. Shoot in RAW and work with it in PP.

Ron Dial Loc: Cuenca, Ecuador

There is no substitute for a schedule of sun up and sunset, a good watch and a good compass, and a lot of patience if you are trying to get the right light for something.

Photographer Jim Loc: Rio Vista, CA

One of my mentors used to tell a story during the first week of his class. He tells of a young amateur hiking into a beautiful area who meets an old pro hiking out. The young guy asked the old pro, “Did you get what you wanted?” The old pro replied, “Well, I got what the land gave me”.

The point, my mentor said, was that we often don’t have control over the condition in which we are shooting, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t still make some wonderful photographs. The key, he said, is not to focus on what isn’t there, in terms of what we had hoped for, but rather to immerse ourselves in what is in front of us.

I try to recall this lesson whenever I’m out shooting and the conditions aren’t perfect. A few years ago I was shooting in the Southwest and spent a week where I never saw a cloud in the sky. Not tremendously helpful for the landscapes I had in mind. But remembering what my mentor had said, I concentrated on finding compositions that eliminated, or at least deemphasized, the sky. Another trip when I had a full day of drizzle, I moved in under the trees and worked at getting intimate landscapes of the undergrowth and tree trunks.

Sometimes we get lucky and get the perfect light in the perfect place. When we don’t, relax, enjoy, and appreciate what the land gives us.