Finding your photo

[Bonish Photo]

When traveling to a new location on assignment, how do you find your photo?

Do you do advanced research or do you get to an area and spend a day or two scouting out the scene. I know when on assignment, you usually have plenty of freetime to make sure you get the shot you need, but how would you recommend for someone traveling to a new area that might be on a tight schedule?

If you do get to an area and the scene isnt what you wanted, do you wait for say clouds to show up, clear skies to show up or just shoot what is available and photoshop in the rest?

[totalyfrozen]

looks like the pros are all over these questions LOL.. why put it out there if no one is going to answer? Pat the work that you do is right up there with the pros. Sorry I had to say something about this section.. after not being on here for a while and to come back and see an exciting section pop up like this but no responses is pretty discouraging. I do want to give a huge thanks out to the ones that do give us "amateures" some great tips and to think that you guys are not as good as some pros dont give yourself enough credit.

[Wayland]

Well I'm no pro but I do a fair bit of research before I visit a location.

Firstly I'm always looking at guide books, magazines, postcards etc. to see what kind of subjects are in the area. Inevitably this will lead you mainly to the hotspots and iconic views.

Next I start searching through location by location on picture sharing websites with the help of a good map, this often throws up quirky locations that you just didn't know about.

Last of all is just a matter of staying open to different possibilities as you approach your chosen location. This, I have to admit, is something I struggle with. Often I'm so focussed on the shot I'm aiming for I walk past other great pictures that are just waiting to happen.

I find visiting the same location again is often useful, because you often don't want to repeat your previous shots you look at a subject differently.

I find working with another photographer can help as well, especially if their style is a bit different to your own. All of a sudden you see them looking at something tiny on the ground and you realise that not all pictures have to be sweeping vistas.

[Edd]

looks like the pros are all over these questions LOL.. why put it out there if no one is going to answer?

Charles I think they are using this area to gather questions to put to a panel of pro's that will be published in Julys edition.

I agree it would be great to get answers here, but hey ho !!!!

Ed

[Bonish Photo]

Thanks for the compliments Charles!!

I know some of these answers, but I asked so it might be a question they would answer in the print issue. I know it's probably one of our most asked questions we get when people look at our shots, and I agree with Wayland, we do quite a bit of research before we visit major destinations so we know a little of what to expect.

I learned a great trick in a Photo Seminar years ago that thefirst thing you should do when getting to a new area is go into one of the gift shops that has a big slection of post cards and study the cards.

Cindy and I were visiting Cumberland Falls on one trip through the Smoky Mountains and when I looked at the post cards, many of them were from a higher vantage point than the overlooks they offered at the visitor center. I picked up a post card and went and found a Ranger. I asked how I could get a photograph from this angle and she told me of a little trail that almost no hikes because of how wet and steep it was.

But from that trail, we'd have a birds eye view of the falls and if we were to hike a few hundred yards farther back, we'd find a secluded waterfall that almost no one goes to named Eagle Falls. It turned out to be an awesome hike, we snagged some great photos and the Eagle Falls shots were some of my favorite shots of the vacation.

So it pays off to do a little asking when visiting a new area, and the Post Card tip has always been one of my best kept secrets. Now I just gave it away

[peter nap]

Actually, I thought you were a pro too, Pat.

Close enough for me anyway!!!

[totalyfrozen]

thats great about them doing an article. Thye still should have someone answer the questions, if they are going to make a section like this.

Also thanks for that tip on the post cards LOL I have done that a few times and its a great idea.

well enough grazing the forum, I have to get back to work.. we have are annual art auction fund raiser going on today.. so its been pretty hectic this last month just getting that ready. We have managed to hit 400 people for attendance which is great for Anchorage.

[Bonish Photo]

Actually, I thought you were a pro too, Pat.

Close enough for me anyway!!!

Thanks Peter, Canon considers you a Pro if you generate 50% of you income from sales or services performed in the business of Photography. So I think I'm far from a pro...LOL Although, that was a great compliment that put a smile on my face!

We have managed to hit 400 people for attendance which is great for Anchorage

Isnt that the entire population of Anchorage? Just Kidding, I coudlnt resist! Good luck with your show!

[totalyfrozen]

LOL yeah you are correct.. the whole town was there LOL... ok maybe not. but that was pretty funny Pat LOL

[gdietzman]

Another resource are people who work in the field. When I'm shooting on public land there is nearly always a resource person available to chat with that has intimate knowledge of an area; people like park rangers, recreation specialists, visitor center staff, etc. I find that the best assistance comes from staff at less used public lands. For instance, on a recent trip to Oregon, I stopped in and chatted with Forest Service staff at several rangers stations and they talked freely about birds they were seeing, their favorite hiking trails, great viewsheds and photographic vantage points, etc. On one occasion, I was given a hand-drawn map of a little, less well known hiking trail that provided extraordinary views of Mount Hood and only took a couple of hours of walking (roundtrip). Just ask these people about their favorite spots and be specific. Ask open ended questions such as:

What's your favorite half-day hike in this area? Why?
Are there any small, really peaceful, more intimate places to visit (away from the maddening crowds)?
What altitudes are wildflowers blooming at right now? Any really good spots that you'd recommend?
Are there any little out of the way waterfalls, intriguing gorges, etc. in the area?
What bird species are around right now? Have you seen anything unusual? Where at?
Has there been any wildlife sightings lately? Where at?

The questions, I ask not only get me information, but they also provide the resource person with a better understanding of who I am, what my interests are, and that I'm careful not to affect the resources. I leave any questions about wildlife until last, because I want to develop a relationship first and because rangers and other staff may be a bit more protective of wildlife than they are of landscapes and wildflowers.

Interestingly, I find less help at more popular spots. That is probably because there is more concern about over-use (simply because of the numbers of people), because there is a waiting line of people wanting information (so staff has to be really efficient by saying the same thing over and over), and because they are typically dealing with people who want to see the superficial landscape (grand as though it may be) and its simpler to direct them to the best overlook, best turnout, etc.

I also will Google for information for the area so I have a better understanding of what questions to ask, but I look for images in addition to text. That gives me a feeling for a place, provides ideas, etc.

Just some ideas.

[kernix]

I'm a hiker and mountain biker so I tend to go the place I want to shoot during the day and reconnoiter the area, so I can have an idea where I'll go when I come back at dusk or dawn. Even then I'll still hike around. You'll never know what you will find around a bend or following an overgrown trail.

[Don Fischer]

I know this is old but intresting to me. I was reading somethere a while back where a well known pro claimed he shot 11,000 frames in just two or three days. After thinking about it a while I did the math and he'd have a hard time doing that and sleeping at all. Also, very little attention could be paid to what he was shooting. Leaves me with the feeling that the real answer to this is "blunder and stumble"! Pull the trigger as many time as you can reguardless of content and something will show up. My sister is very very good at seeing things but, she watches a moment and studies a subject befor shooting.

[Justin_Smith]

I'm not a pro, but I can tell you what I do. I use Google Earth to find out what a scene looks like from a particular vantage point. Suppose you want to shoot a mountain reflected in a pond... you can get an idea if the top of the mountain will clear the hill in front from that angle. You can also find out where the sun will rise or set relative to what you're shooting. It's very useful. I often have a few compositions in mind before I've ever set foot on the place for real. The only problem is that it won't properly show trees obscuring views.

[Bonish Photo]

I know this is old but intresting to me. I was reading somethere a while back where a well known pro claimed he shot 11,000 frames in just two or three days. After thinking about it a while I did the math and he'd have a hard time doing that and sleeping at all. Also, very little attention could be paid to what he was shooting. Leaves me with the feeling that the real answer to this is "blunder and stumble"! Pull the trigger as many time as you can reguardless of content and something will show up. My sister is very very good at seeing things but, she watches a moment and studies a subject befor shooting.

Hey Don, I've read or heard people comment like this, and when they say they shot this many frames in that short of time, they're usually talking about shooting wildlife types of photography. I cant imagine any landscape photographer shooting this amount of shots, or they could later piece them all together and it would be a film...LOL

I know I've read posts from Arthur Morris who is one of the top bird photographers in the world who will talk about going out in one day and shooting thousands upon thousands of images. Now consider he's carrying two camera bodies with him at all time which both are capable of shooting around 10fps. When shooting birds, you're shooting non-stop especially when he's know for his Birds in Flight and unique shots of them flapping their wings or when they're coming in for a landing. So I could understand that comment when wildlife is involved, but not landscape

[wpratt]

I'm not a Pro but I can tell you that the two things I do are, 1. Get off the beaten path. Likely you will be in a place 1000s of pictures having already been taken. I try areas and angles most people would not think of. 2. Take a lot of pictures. Don't rush it, compose every shot the best you can but I found the more photos I take of an area the more likely it is that I get 2 or 3 shots that are really good.