Wake Up!

How to Get the “lag” and “lame” Out of Your Travel Photography

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Traveling is my favorite thing to do. Why? Because I get to take photos of these magical places! It’s a strange state of being but I find the further away from home I am the more I know myself. I guess it’s the different perspective and being clearly reminded of how different I am from the new surroundings. Either way, beyond the lugging and lagging that is a part of the journey these experiences are a total rush for me!

I have been blessed with travel karma since my 40^th year and have been able to visit several countries in continents of Asia, Europe and Australia. Through experiences of countless days and night lagging due to new time zones I have become wise to planning excursions to get the photos I want.
Here are a few…

Click Thumbnail for Full View Take the cliché shot… Go ahead! Get it over with and then move on! While in Sydney you’ll have the irresistible urge to photograph the Sydney Opera House. Go ahead – you earned it after the long flight – make yourself proud and take that vernacular snapshot… Now that you got that out of your blood I would suggest you take a tour of the structure, walk the Botanical garden alongside it and take a ferryboat that will give you several other views. Try night time ferry rides. What else can you include in the frame to give this structure meaning? Here are my favorite shots I took of this subject.

Group Tours are Lame– They Will Cripple Your Photo Ops Don’t sign up for a group tour and expect to get the photo you really want. OK depending on where you are you may be stuck in a group but make it a small one and get to know your guide – let your guide know you are looking for something beyond the trivial of a place. Avoid including the tops of other tourists’ heads by arranging for a private tour. In many countries the difference in price is not that different and well worth it. Then you can tell the driver where and most importantly when you want to go shoot. Choose the correct time of day for optimal lighting to visit an area. If the location is popular find out what times and days of the week that area has less traffic. The less people, the less distractions and heads in your photos, unless of course you are photographing an event.
Working All Funky-Like Due to the Time Zone Change There us no real cure for jet lag except taking the time to adjust but I hear dried cherries help! Ironically, I have often found some of my best travel photos have been taken when I am a bit loopy and not completely there yet. Either way, who says great photos can’t happen on your body’s time?

This photo I took in Venice happened around 1:30 AM. That city doesn’t sleep and I certainly wasn’t that night so I headed out with my camera, remote and tripod and looked around for some cool photo ops.	I had 24 hours in Siem Reap and didn’t want to miss a minute. I settled on 4 hours sleep, ate lots of carbs and drank enough caffeine after those 4 precious hours to hold me through. In that short time I was able to shoot in the twilight, sunrise and throughout morning to afternoon, choosing my lunch during high noon.	My best advice is to sleep when you are tired and slowly let your body adjust to the time around you. In quick trips to a specific area just blitz it! Stay awake as long as you can and sleep on your way to the next destination.
Be open to many shooting possibilities and not necessarily the same experience as the trip before. Each country and culture will present different challenges and opportunities for you and your camera. Go with the lag and the creative sparks that emerge from your internal clock being reset!