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Lessons for Your Summer Photo Trip

CJ Chilvers
CJ Chilvers
— 1 min read

If you're hitting the road, or taking to the air, for a summer vacation, you're going to want to take a lot of photos and accomplish more than you possibly can with the time you have.

Here's the lessons I've learned this summer from my photo road trips:

  1. Rest and relaxation comes first. In a rested state of mind, you'll make better decisions about how to handle your limited time.
  2. Seek stories, not scenes.
  3. There's a temptation to capture an event or place from a distance for dramatic effect (see sunsets and HDR nonsense). Get close to the story. Get closer to the subject.
  4. Photography comes along for the ride. It must never be the reason for the ride.
  5. Don't stress about not getting the shot. There's always another. If you're not happy about anything you've done, schedule the next trip as a smarter, more experienced traveler.

In short, the trip is it's own reward. Be aware, be present.

Have a good time and the photos will follow. Even if you fail to capture what you want, at least you had a good time. That's worth more than the photos anyway.