Jumping in the car and hitting the road for a day of exploring is a great way to expand your horizons and improve your photography skills. But before you snap a single photo, you will need to cover a few bases. Listed below are several tips designed to help you avoid making mistakes that can ruin a day of shooting.
Equipment checklist:
- Make sure all chargeable devices are charged and in the camera bag: Camera batteries, GPS, phone, flash units, etc.. Also make sure to bring extra disposable batteries for the devices that need them.
- Make sure all devices are reset and ready for new input. Format the memory cards, clear GPS tracks, etc.
- Make preliminary adjustments to your camera. Set ISO, fstop, and speed to generally match the days lighting conditions.
- Make sure all devices are properly synchronized. Accurate geotagging requires the camera’s clock and the GPS to be synced.
- Make sure everything listed above is in the camera bag.
- Also included in your bag: Reflective vest, pepper spray, pocket knife, bug spray, small flashlight, and sunscreen.
Vehicle Checklist:
- A paper map or atlas. The GPS is very handy for recording tracks and providing real time telemetry, but paper map is extremely handy for quick reference.
- Have a jacket, hat, food, and water on hand in case you get stuck or stranded.
- Make sure the vehicle is operating safely. Check tire pressure, hazard lights, washer fluid, fuel level.
- Stow your gear in a way that will be easy to access from the curb side of the vehicle.
- Make sure someone knows where you are going and when you intend to be back.
Shooting strategy:
- Have a general idea of the area you want to cover, decide where you would like to be during the best light.
- Drive with the sun behind you. If you are shooting in the morning, drive west and north. If you are shooting in the evening, drive east and north. Driving due south will provide good lighting, except during mid day when the sun is in the middle of the sky. You will undoubtedly come across scenes and locations that will look better at a different time of day. This is one of the benefits of geotagging each image.
- Check the weather. A dreary day doesn’t necessarily mean bad photos, cloudy days make great high contrast black and white photos. If you live in an area where storm chasing is an option, get a sense of the intensity and direction of the storms. Plan your route so that you are following the storms, not being chased by them. You will have more time to shoot as the storms move away from you. It also helps to reduce the chances of being swept over the rainbow.
- Some of the best photo opportunities come from taking roads that run along or near an interstate. Before interstates, these roads were the primary roads for the locals as well as people traveling through. Many businesses were forced to close as the traffic sped by, but the buildings still stand.
- Follow local speed limits carefully. I try to remember that I am the outsider in small towns I visit, a little courtesy goes a long way.
- Obey all “No Trespassing” signs.
- Use caution when entering abandoned structures. I do not go into structures when I am shooting alone, but that’s because I am chicken.
A full day of shooting could cover 500-700 miles and around 12 hours, so eat your Wheaties. You may have a cluster of photo opportunities all at once followed by three hours of nothing. There will be plenty of time to practice being patient.
There are unlimited photographic opportunities on the roads that crisscross our country, leave the interstate and go exploring.
