Taking your passion for portraits out in the wild is one of the really exciting assignments a photographer can get. Whether you are going out into nature to photograph a great sunrise, a phenomenal river or to capture some other wonder of nature or if you are deciding to visit an untravelled area to take photographs that tell the story of a people, the safari nature of the trip is the same.
Safari is a different terminology for such a trip because like that hunter going into the far into the woods to hunt bear, you are going to the unknown to get that perfect photograph. Your preparations have to be expert. Your discipline on the road must be focused. But above all, your relentless desire to go after what you went for as you hunt the prize you want to bag, not with a bow and arrow but with your digital camera.
One big obstacle to stay clear of is over packing for your adventure. It’s easy to do because you may have the desire to bring all your camera gear “just in case”. First of all, if you have every piece of photography equipment you own with you, the likelihood that something will get broken or stolen is pretty good. So you have to know how to strip down your travel gear to just what you have to have to get the job done.
Do you have the understanding that if this experience is new to you? One way is to do a few “trial examples”. Just as you went out and did practice photographs when you were learning your craft, take one or two test trips to the next town. Do these without the pressure of a deadline or a deliverable that you have to complete. A camper to to snap photos at a local park in the furthest city a big population will come into vision what is needed and what is not. Then repeat the exercise to take photographs out in the country where you may have to backpack your equipment in. You will find out pretty fast what “stuff” is worth the extra weight and what needs to stay home.
Your photographic safari is a business trip to you and you have a mission. But your mission is about more than just going somewhere to get a snapshot. Just as every picture has personality and soul, the more you become part of the environment where you are traveling, the better your “eye” will be to capture the perfect photo.
Yes, you have to keep your mind sharp and keep the focus on your photography trip and stay on schedule. But don’t forget to relax and have a blast on your photography trip. If you are going to take a picture of a natural wonder, like Mount Rushmore, for example, spending time visiting with other photographers going to that sight or talking to locals may surface some locations and secrets about the site that other photographers would not get if they just came, snapped a photo and left. Use the “down time” to charm the other travelers and let them charm you. Not only will you have more photos to choose from, you will have a lot more fun.
Finally, as you reach your destination, your preparations need to pay off and you need to let them pay off. Here is where focus and the eye on the target is very important. It is so easy, especially when traveling, to become obsessed with the equipment, than with the set up and with your settings.
Do all of that before you leave, or in the hotel room the night before. On location, the session is about your subject, not your equipment. Your equipment is there to serve you. Don’t worry about it. Trust yourself that you did a good job getting ready. You have awesome camera lenses and camera bodies and you have prepared the lenses, checked the batteries and done all the right things. These preparations are crucial in the beginning for successul photo mission.
Now you pay attention to what you’re photographing. Your all angles of your photograph to determine if it tells the story that you know this photograph has to tell. Here is where the artist in you works creatively with the photographer to produce a photo that you will genuinely be proud of. And if you hear what the profesional is teaching and get that shot, it will be a photography safari that comes home having “bagged the big one” to add to your study room for sure.
Author: Richard Rives, Photographer in San Antonio Texas. Visit our senior portrait gallery or our family portrait gallery
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