Awesome Photos

Four Steps to a photo trip:

Step 1: Decide on a cool landscape to shoot. Part of being a photographer is setting out into the wild blue yonder and finding something worthwhile to shoot.  Something that people (buyers) will gravitate towards.  In other words, most often, you have to leave your neighborhood.  Sometimes, leaving your home state is a plus (figuratively and metaphorically.)  And once in a while, leaving your country. (Though, unless you are independently wealthy, world famous or not the parent of two small children, the last idea is a little harder to come by.)  So, hopefully you are getting the following reality: if you are an aspiring landscape photographer, you need to get out there.

Step 2: Gotta bust-a-move. You need to get to your destination fast.  Why?  because you are the hardworking type of person who hates wasting unnecessary moments and, well, there is a sunset happening in Big Sur in approximatley 4 hours.

Step 3: Be ready to eat crappy, get little sleep and smell foul. When you apply step 1 and 2, you will quickly see this is no time to be a “foodie” nor is it a time to rest peacefully.  Often finding the right shot takes time.  And when you find the right shot, there is lighting to consider and weather. So when you are hungry, you eat what is available.  Hopefully you’ve packed a snack.  (If you have not had the foresight to do so, the occasional odd plant usually won’t kill you.)  When you are tired, you sleep in what is available (i.e. your vehicle.)  And, importantly, you don’t complain.  In fact, you like all of this.  Sleeping in your car with an empty tummy means you are out on the road, working hard, smelling disgusting.

My 2001 Toyota Tundra has clocked almost 100,000 miles – a lot of it on these kinds of trips.  (The rest of it is made up  driving to art shows where the photos are sold. ) I am usually gone for about 4 nights.   When I arrive back in town, before I arrive home to shower and greet my family, I drop my film off.  Priorities people! And then late that night, when everyone is asleep, I dump my digital shots onto my computer.  By about 3 p.m. the next day I have my film back and I’ve sorted through my digital shots and I know then if  the trip has been a success or not.  If so, Step 4: Give thanks.