Have you ever arrived at your vacation destination (after planning and looking forward to it for a year), and you were possibly overwhelmed because you didn’t know where, what, and when to shoot. It can be difficult, ever for some professionals. Here’s what to do to simplify your “once in a lifetime vacation” and make it a memorable experience.
In the old days, the days before the internet, we would call or write (depending on the time we had) the Tourism Department of every country, state, and city I was going to be in and would ask for information as to what to see; we would also contact the Film Commission for similar information.
Now, with the inception of the internet, it has become so easy to obtain the same results. These sites are meant to attract photographers to come photograph their city, state, or country. To them it’s free publicity, and photographs are a quick way to spread the word around.
I know what you’re thinking, why go to the places that all the tourists go to and photograph the same things? For me, the reason is simple. Tourists will go to these places after breakfast when the quality light is gone. Or, they’ll go right before or right after lunch, when the light is the hottest. They will usually be through well before dinner so they don’t have to worry about it while sipping their glass of wine.
I go out well before breakfast (sunrise) when the light is the best. Then I have breakfast. Since I’ve been up a the proverbial “crack of dawn”, I’ll go back to my room and rest up (if I can). During the lunch hour, I’m sitting at an outdoor cafe, eating the local fare while sipping a glass of wine figuring out what I want to shoot at sunset during the golden then blue hour. Then I go to dinner and enjoy my dinner while thinking back to what I’ve shot that day.
These are the photographs that I’m looking to have prints made with. These are the important photos because I’ve spent the most time in the pre-planning stage and are taken in the best light.
The above photo represents a lot of time surfing the web looking for places to shoot in Provence in the Fall.
These are areas I cover with my online class with the BPSOP, and locations I’ve scouted out for my “Stretching Your Frame of Mind” workshops I conduct around the planet.
Check out my website at: www.joebaraban.com, and my 2019 workshop schedule you’ll find t the top of this blog. Come shoot with me sometime.
JoeB
