....or, more accurately, what once had been a vehicle which is in a place where there factually isn't a road.

Please pardon the somewhat repetitious 'walk-around' views. Ordinarily I find instances of 'indecision' like this to be either the mark of a lack of confidence, or alternately, to simply be banal. That is, of course, when it's exhibited by anyone other than moi.

I do have several other 'walk-around' angles and/or views (and even some macro close-ups!!!) of the self-same subject though, so if perhaps there's someone who harbors a deep-seated, existential need to see them.... oh, I dunno....... I suppose I could be convinced.

Recent trip to Melbourne (Australia). This was the scene in a dead-end alley off a larger alley. About eight people seemed to have set up residence here: homeless, obviously. When we walked back this way, about an hour later, several police cars and ambulances were in attendance with a couple of bodies covered in a white sheet on a stretcher. Goodness knows what had happened, but it made me very grateful to be heading back to a nice comfy hotel with my wife later that afternoon, though I did feel a little guilty sipping on a glass of Sauvignon Blanc and nibbling on cheese and crackers gazing out at the world twenty-seven floors below.

I'm not sure why you would feel guilty about working and earning a living wage that allows you to enjoy life. I'm long retired and after working hard for a lifetime and saving and investing, I live a comfortable retired life. Never a guilty thought about my life! I hope you enjoyed the wine!
I was in that same alley or maybe an adjoining one in Melbourne a few years ago. We were doing some laundry and a kid from Peru (student) in the laundro-mat recommended it as an art attraction in the city. Very colorful like your photo. But no "homeless" people there, then!

Second trip to Yosemite recently. Specifically to shoot the famous Firefall event, which happens 2n and 3rd week every February. With only 50% snowfall and weather issues, I was feeling it was unlikely to happen. I got in position 6 hours early to make sure I had a spot. It was scary with on and off cloud cover most the day. But I hung in there to the end with hundreds of not well over a thousand photographers. The sky opened as the sun was settimg at just the right angle to create the glow in the falls and was able to use all 12 min of shooting time.

In my early days of learning, knowing almost nothing, I imagined the photo I wanted and then tried to create that image. I failed most of the time but every once in awhile I succeeded or even exceeded what I had in my mind, and that kept me going, driving me to learn more so I could create what I saw in my mind. Looking back on that now, I realize I don't do that as much. I think the gap between what I see and what I can produce has narrowed, and also my knowledge of what my skills can produce has increased.

But your post reminds me that the weakest part of my photography is the pre work. Imagining what I want and then taking the steps to get there. I do some of that, but rarely do much other than show up with my expensive equipment, click away, and then see what magic I can create afterwards in my computer.

Preplanning as you describe, has always been a thing to do someday, and it's one of those somedays that never seems to get here. Maybe it's time to change that. Work backwards, as you describe. Imagine something I'd like to create and then work backwards to figure out all the steps I need to create that.

But, just to show off a bit, preplanning is not completely alien to me. In the attached photo I imagined how these elements would all work together. The car lights, the light painting and the model. Yes, it all happened in real time so there were pleasant surprises and failures but the whole shoot required scouting and imagination and preparation. I just need to imagine more projects and tackle them that way. Thanks.