Preparing for a Photo Trip–Part 3

Final Preparations

At one week prior to the trip, long range weather forecasts are available on the web. While long range forecasts may not be the most accurate, it's a good time to get a handle on what weather you'll be experiencing on your trip. I like to look at the predicted high and low temperatures and of course the chance for rain. Based upon this forecast I can decide on clothing that may be needed for the trip. If I'm going to be spending time on a boat, I factor in the wind chill factor planning on a wind chill factor of at least 10 degrees below the forecast low. So, for example if the forecast low is 50, I know I'll need a fairly heavy jacket to keep warm. If there is any chance of rain, I'll make sure I have my Poncho, if the there is a very low chance of rain, I'll bring a small plastic poncho or perhaps just rely on a large black trash bag. For really cold weather I'll make sure I have a parka and long underwear.

Depending upon the weather I may modify the equipment I plan on bringing. While I always carry large trash bags, if it looks like there'll be a lot of rain I may bring a protective cover for my long lens and make sure I have my waterproof case for shooting sessions. While my rain cover is a bit more difficult to set up than a plastic trash bag, for days with a lot of rain I do feel more comfortable with a rain hood. I will also carry a towel or two to put over the lens or carry on the boat to allow me to keep things as dry as possible.

I also will check tidal information or river stages where appropriate. For example one of the favorite shooting locations on my tours is Cow Island Lake. But the Atchafalaya river stage must be greater than 15 feet for us to be able to get over the weir at the entrance of the Lake. I can check the current stage and the predicted stage on this link. I will continue to track this to make sure I schedule the trip to insure I can do the shoot I plan.

Now is also the time to go through and double check your equipment and do a final cleaning prior to the trip. Using the equipment list you've developed, now is the time to pack everything for the trip. Make sure everything is properly padded and protected. I like to use small plastic bags for each camera body or lens to reduce the amount of dust and the potential for water. If I plan on shipping equipment to the shoot, now is the time to do that to make sure it arrives in time.

Finally it's good time to do a check on your travel arrangements, make sure the flight hasn't changed and the hotel has your reservation, etc.

Preparting for a Photo Trip Part 2

What to Bring

Deciding on what to bring on a trip is one of the most important parts of the planning process. Bringing too much can make travel difficult and can lead to frustration on the shoot when it's hard to choose what to use. Leaving important pieces of equipment behind is equally bad when you miss critical shots due to the lack of the proper equipment.

I'll use the upcoming tours as an example of how I approach this planning process. First I create a list of all the potential shooting locations. For each of these I list what I expect to be shooting and any special considerations for that particular part of the shoot.

For the tours this is a list of the potential shooting locations and what I expect to photograph at each.

• Henderson Lake - Shooting is from a boat.
• Osprey in Flight
• Small and large birds
• Nesting Eagles
• Landscapes
• Macro shots of insects and flowers
• Large and Small Swamp Creatures - Alligators, Snakes, Beaver, Nutria
• Miller's Lake - Shooting is from a boat.
• Nesting Wading Birds
• Ducks, Rails, Smaller Wading Birds
• Landscapes
• Macro shots of flowers and insects
• Dauterive Lake _ Shooting is from a boat
• Landscapes
• Lake Martin - Shooting from land and car
• Landscapes
• Small and Large Birds
• Large and Small Swamp Creatures – Alligators, Snakes, Nutria
• Macro Shots of insets and flowers
• Lacassine National Wildlife Refuge - Shooting from car and land
• Ducks, Rails, Herons and Egrets (not nesting)
• Smaller birds
• Swamp Creatures - Alligators, Snakes, Nutria
• Macro shots of flowers and insects
• Talons Landing Road Klondike Louisiana - Shooting on land
• Nesting Wading Birds

When shooting from a boat, I try to carry only what I'm going to use. Fumbling for equipment making shooting difficult and I do better when I have just what I need set up and ready to shoot. I like to carry the equipment in a bag or case that offers some water protection in case of spray when moving between shooting sites or rain. For all of the locations I'll need compact flash cards, two camera bodies, and my Rapid Strap. I also carry a HyperDrive to each of the locations to download images from flash cards in case I fill all my cards.

• Henderson and Miller's Lake:
  • 300 mm f4 flight lens
  • 1.4 X teleconverter
  • 28-70 mm f 2.8 lens
  • 20 mm f 2.8 lens
  • Macro lens or 50 mm f1.4 with extension tubes
• Dauterive Lake
• 20 mm f2.8 lens
• 28-70 mm f2.8 lens
• 80-200 f2.8 lens
• Lake Martin and Lacassine National Wildlife Refuge
• 600 mm f4 lens
• 300 mm f4 flight lens
• 80-200 mm f2.8 lens
• 28-70 mm f2.8 lens
• 20 mm f 2.8 lens
• Macro lens or 50 mm f1.4 with extension tubes
• Tripod
• Winmberly Head
• BH-55 Ball Head
• Bean Bag or Window Mount
• Talons Landing Road Klondike Louisiana
• 600 mm f4 lens
• 300 mm f4 flight lens
• Tripod
• Winmberly Head

Consolidating Lists I will need the following Equipment:

• Two Camera Bodies
• Laptop
• Laptop Bag
• Compact Flash Cards
• Compact Flash Card Reader
• HyperDrive
• Large Camera Bag
• Rapid Strap
• Small Camera Bag / Fanny Pack
• Waterproof case for use on boat
• 600 mm f4 lens
• 300 mm f4 flight lens
• 80-200 mm f2.8 lens
• 28-70 mm f2.8 lens
• 20 mm f 2.8 lens
• Macro lens or 50 mm f1.4 with extension tubes
• Tripod
• Winmberly Head
• BH-55 Ball Head
• Bean Bag or Window Mount

Planning and Preparing for a Photo Trip–Part 1

One month prior to a trip

With my photo tours starting in April and with impending reconnaissance trips and my normal increased spring shooting schedule, I've been preparing for the shooting season and I thought it might be helpful for those of you planning for your peak shooting season or planning a major trip, to document how I handle this.

My first workshop begins on April 1st and I've started working on the things listed here for 1 month out. I've loaded these tasks in a software planning tool called OmniFocus, but entering them in a computer calendar or on an old fashion paper calendar would work just as well. The key is to start the process as early as possible to make sure you have no last minute surprises.

Part 1

My first priority is to make sure all my equipment is in proper working order and I get anything needing repair back to the service center for repair. All the camera equipment comes out of the bags and is put through its paces in the back yard making sure all the lenses properly focus and produce sharp images. The camera bodies are checked and the tripods and heads are set up and I make sure that they operate smoothly. All the repairs needed that I can accomplish I do myself, anything needing further help is sent off.

Everything gets a thorough cleaning. I vacuum out the bags and carefully clean the camera bodies, lens bodies, tripods and heads. I clean each of the lenses using Zeiss Lens Cleaning Wipes, available at Wad-Mart in the glasses section. My Gitzo carbon fiber tripod is disassembled at each section, carefully cleaned and lubricated using the proper lubricant and any damaged or enlarged bushings replaced. My Wimberly head is disassembled, cleaned and lubricated and my ball head is carefully cleaned(but not lubricated).

All the camera options are checked and any changes to my workflow are thought through at this time and thoroughly tested prior to the shoot.

I thoroughly check out my laptop, run diagnostics, insure all software is up to date and make sure there are no hardware problems. For example while doing the check this year I noticed the battery was bulging and would not properly hold a charge so I ordered a replacement battery. If the battery had not been replaced I would have run the battery calibration procedure to make sure it was in tip top shape. I make sure that the hard drive on the laptop is clear and has sufficient storage space for the shoot.

I check out each Compact Flash / SD card by shooting a series of shots. My card reader is tested to make sure they properly read the cards and I test my HyperDrive that I used to download images to in the field to make sure it is working properly and I clear off all previously stored images (double check to make sure they have been downloaded first) to maximize the storage capacity. I import the shots into my photo software and make sure it's functioning properly.

If I am planning a major trip to a location I hadn't previously visited, I spend time on-line researching the location I also check on articles in photo magazines as well as contacting photographer friends who have visited the sight. I am interested in finding out as much as possible about the peak season, the best time of day, and unusual opportunities or any challenges of the location. This information would be filed away on my laptop for access when I arrive at the shoot.

For my tours each year I do a reconnaissance trip, leaving very early one morning and visit nearly all of the sites in one very long day to make sure we'll get no unpleasant surprises when visiting the site. I also call other photographers seeking information specific to each year.

Thinking about the planned itinerary and the subjects I expect to be photographing, I create a list of equipment to bring. I try to make sure I have everything I'll need, but no more. Usually the more equipment I have the poorer the shots I come back with. I don't want to have to carry too much, but don't want to miss the best shots. If flying, I try to find ways to double up equipment to reduce the size and weight, for example if planning on some macro shooting, I'd bring an extension tube rather than a macro lens, I'd consider if I need both a 300 mm lenses and an 80 - 200 mm zoom, perhaps the 80 - 200 with a teleconverter would suffice.

If I haven't already done so now is the time to book the hotel and flights. I make sure I have both hard copy and copies of these in the laptop so they don't get mixed up.