I read a blog post the other day where the author knocked the idea of shooting a landmark or other 'generic' location that a million other photographers have already shot. "Why would you want the same photo on your website that is on everyone else's website?" he asked. And went on to imply that if you didn't spend hours or days scouting a traditional location for a photo angle that no one else has ever come up with then somehow you're taking the easy way out. You're not a professional.

Well duh! No kidding! You do you, I'll shoot what I like, regardless of the thousands that have been there before me. They aren't me. Maybe I'll get a better shot, maybe not as good, but it'll be my shot. Why do I have to look at yours because you got there before me? Makes no sense at all.

Photo and story by Jason Dozier

Some evenings are perfect for cityscape photography, and some are not. This visit to Davenport was one of those not-so-great evenings for a shoot. My intention was to shoot Davenport’s small skyline from the eastside of the Mississippi River to take advantage of a colorful sunset. Unfortunately there was no colorful sunset on this evening, with mostly overcast skies.

The eastside of the river is home to the small town of Rock Island, Illinois. It has a main street with a few businesses and breweries, and is a nice area. But on this evening, there were high, constant winds. The high winds caused a slight shake in the tripod on occasion, which resulted in a good number of the photos appearing slightly out of focus.

Photo and story by Jason Dozier

On the back-end of a 14-hour trip to mid-Michigan, I hurried to hit my downtown Toledo, Ohio photo location before nightfall. Just beating total darkness, I was able to pull into my pre-determined photo location, which was the riverfront parking area just off the Main Street Bridge on the east side of the Maumee River, looking west at the city’s business skyline at about 8:45 PM.

The sun had already set, and since it was still early in the year, I was left with the last remnants of light in the western sky. It was a clear night, so the horizon, which was directly in front of me from this location across the river, had a nice pink glow, giving way to a deep blue sky.

Photo and story by Jason Dozier

Midnight on a cold March evening isn't the best time to photograph downtown Minneapolis, but a last minute business call left me no choice but to pack up the van and head to the great white north, just missing a 30-plus inch snowfall.

Upon reaching town, I hurried to my pre-planned photo location. I found a free parking spot along the riverfront in the 100 block of SE Main Street. While the fresh fallen snow had been plowed from the city streets, it was piled high between the street and riverfront, where I needed to be to get an unobstructed view of the city from across the mighty Mississippi River.