Painting Outdoors - Is it Different?

I've been painting landscapes outdoors for nearly 50 years now.
And I love it more than any other type of painting.
Why? and is it any different to painting in the studio?
Well, I love to be out in the open, I love the landscape - the skyscapes, land shapes, the animals, trees, buildings, lakes, rivers, seas, the man-made world of house, villages, rooflines, and fences, roads and telephone poles - I know that not everyone likes these poles, but I do.
And outdoor painting - that is, painting 'en plein air' - is very different to painting in the studio.
In the studio, you can control everything - the setup, the lighting, your seating, your privacy, your ambient sounds or silence - like listening to music or the news channels on radio.
And it's reliable and constant for as long as your painting session lasts - and you control that.

Whereas outdoors, so many things change and are outside your control - the weather, the direction of light from the sun, the people/cars/trucks/boats etc that block your view or enter or leave your painting scene.
It's a challenge knowing what to include - everything you see, or do you select certain things - and can you change things around to suit your canvas size, or your creative imagination?
Boats float in the water-filled harbour when you arrive, you set up and draw them, then, by the time you start to paint them, the tide has gone out and all the boats are tilted in different directions. And the sun is behind you now, and all the shadows have changed.
And then there's peoples' curiosity and instant critiques of your work - though that's usually complimentary from my experience. You've to handle people watching over your shoulder, getting closer, asking permission to take your photo and the painting, or worse still there's those folk who sneakily take lots of photos from a distance without permission. None of that happens in your studio.
I remember my first time painting out, on the pier in Howth while taking lessons from Henry Healy RHA, and being so engrossed in all the challenges that I didn't realise there had formed a semi-circle of about 12 strollers watching my every stroke!  But when I looked around, I froze!  And I then resumed painting without any awareness of what I was doing - my mind was on that judgemental semi-circle behind me.  
However, I got over it, and soon became 'sold' on outdoor painting and its joys - the sheer pleasure of being able to capture an artist's view of what most people mightn't notice, bringing home a new painting, perhaps not fully finished but well on the way.
And this voyage of landscape painting has brought me to paint in many parts of Ireland, and in France, Italy - including Sicily and Sardinia, and the USA. 
By the time I was competent enough to share my skills, about 20 years ago, I brought and taught art groups to/in Roundstone, Cong, Cross, Athlone, Portmarnock, Charlestown, Kilrush, and overseas in Umbria, South of France and Sardinia.
Outdoor painting has rewarded my curiosity with so many wonderful memories and experiences, and gifted me lifelong friendships.
Tell me about your experiences, or ask me any questions you might have about Landscape painting - En Plein Air - I'd love to hear from you through this blog.
Thanks for reading this.  John