Our goals can only be reached through a vehicle of a plan, in which we must fervently believe, and upon which we must vigorously act. There is no other route to success. -Pablo Picasso
Maine to Hawaii… it’s been a long, productive, relaxing, and fun month. I spent five days at Acadia National park, flew back home to Florida to do laundry, and then out to Hawaii for two weeks. Needless to say, I took a few photos.
I wouldn’t say I’ve necessarily been in a photography slump, but I certainly haven’t been taking as many photos as I would like to have been lately. It’s been since April since I’ve shot with my DSLR. True be told, the panhandle doesn’t have the type of terrain I thrive in. Maine and Hawaii, on the other hand, are right in my wheelhouse.
I knew I’d be juggling multiple activities on both trips – mostly hiking in Maine, and a mix of beach time, hiking and driving in Hawaii. This meant I would have lots of opportunities to shoot, and that I would also have to have a plan to be efficient to get what I wanted without leaving my traveling companions waiting too long.
I planned both trips like I normally do and like I’m sure many photographers do. I looked online to see where the normal places to shoot were, looked at some other places that looked less visited, watched the weather, planned what kit I would bring, and so on. On the flight to Maine, I wrote down (in a newly acquired photography journal) my goals for each trip. As these trips were back-to-back, I came up with one set of goals.
- Come away with at least two printable shots.
- Get better at flying my Mavic (specifically for photos and video, not just for fun).
- Get better at using my grad ND filters.
So how’d I do? Well, I currently have three gorgeous prints, one from Acadia and two from Hawaii, fresh off the printer. One of the Hawaii prints is at sunset where I was able to really work my grad ND. As for my Mavic flying, one of the other prints is from my Mavic. Three for three right?
You may have noticed the last word in the title of this post is “journaling.” At the end of each day, I took a few minutes writing down what I shot. I included what kit I used, what the conditions were like, what I saw, what I think I missed, and most importantly, what I learned that day. I also wrote down notes about things I wanted to remember during post-processing. As I wrapped up each day, it refocused me towards what my goals where and how I was making progress towards them.
Over to you. What do you do to prep for a trip besides the usual research on shooting locations? Any suggestion for me?
