It's a Fate We Can't Escape

I am currently exploring my terrain in photography. I have an affinity for nature landscape photography and I always have. Many days I find myself on Flickr stumbling through thousands of photos, wishing I could capture something just as great. Although I do believe I can capture beautiful landscapes, I also think I'd need some better equipment to work with. This isn't necessarily true, I was reading on a website and it said that "the best camera in the world won’t take good photos if a monkey’s using it," which is spot on. Ideally, I would like to purchase a new lens (still not sure what to buy, feel free to leave suggestions). I was looking at some landscape photographers and there are many I like. Ian Plant's work really intrigues me. He has a series of photographs called "Dreamscapes." His photographs are truly dreamlike, and that's something I really enjoy about his work. I can't really explain why I enjoy it so much, but it's so beautiful. He stated that his work "relies on long exposures, unique lighting conditions, non-traditional perspectives, and special natural events." Given the circumstance that all of the previously mentioned above work together to provide the right conditions, he captures his dreamscapes. Before seeing his work, I've always been interested in taking photographs with long exposure for landscapes. I can't seem to find interesting places to photograph on a regular basis. I will be doing a lot of traveling this year so I will have more opportunities to get nice pictures. Here is one of Ian's pieces: 

Another photographer I found is Alexandre Buisse. His work is more realistic and not as dreamy as Plant's. My favorite picture of his, although not a nature landscape, is quite marvelous. 

It's titled "Chasing Ghosts." The shot isn't one that is hard to achieve (long exposure gets that ghost quality) but it's artistry is something to appreciate. 

I'm not sure if would want to do more dreamy landscapes or realistic ones. I don't want to limit myself, but I'm sure with a lot of practice and experimentation I will find myself liking one over the other. 

I watched some Terry Richardson interviews. When he first started, he just had a snapshot camera. He would show up to an entire job with just ONE snapshot camera. Obviously everyone thought he was crazy, and I guess that's what to expect when you do something that's so different from the norm. He eventually realized that if he used two cameras he could shoot quicker. I was looking at the setup he currently uses and it's just a one light setup... and it's a built in flash. That actually blows my mind. I've read a lot about him all over the internet, and whether you love him or hate him there's no denying that he took risks and explored a terrain that wasn't necessarily accepted/liked in the professional photographer community.