What is it really like to be on a photography assignment?
Travel photography is about journeying into the unknown. Experiencing and capturing new places for the first time. About seeing a different part of the world, than what most people do. It’s about adventures, meeting new people, trying new food and hard work. Hard work most of all. And the love for travel. It’s about happiness, fulfilment and passion. About creating something new and exciting. Inspiring others to leave the comfort of their homes and see new places. In this post I describe what it is really like to be on photography assignment and use one of my trips as an example.
When the zip went up on my tent, I hadn’t been sleeping much. In fact I was already awake when one of my porters came with some coco tea and told me “Amigo, amanecer pronto”. I got dressed and stumbled out of my tent, into the freezing Peruvian morning. Still complete darkness with a bit of light in the horizon. I was high up in the Peruvian Andes. In an altitude of 4000+ meters.
I grabbed my gear and started walking towards the destination I had scouted out the following evening. I set up, and just sat and marveled at the landscape. Still couldn’t believe how fortunate I was to be in this exact place in that moment of time. I got my photos, and even though the weather didn’t cooperate, I was still happy with what I got away with.
You see, when you are on a photography assignment, you are most likely fulfilling a contract, meaning that you need to create a certain amount of photos. Obviously, you want to create the best photos possible, meaning you have to be out for the best light.
After sunrise I headed back to the camp for breakfast. By the time I arrived, everything was already packed up, and I sat and enjoyed the food, in the most amazing surroundings. After breakfast, a long grueling hike in the Andes mountains awaited me. 15+ km in an altitude of between 4000 and 5000 meters. With all my photography gear on my back, this was going to be as hard as the previous day.
What it’s really like to be on a photography assignment
Even during breakfast I was focused on taking photos, and looking for anything interesting happening around me. When on assignments like this, it’s very likely that the client want’s a variety of different photos. So even though I’m more focused on landscapes and stunning scenery, I also had to do food photography, photograph the guides, take portraits and so on.
During the hike I was constantly on the lookout. Though quite strenuous, I constantly walked around with my camera in hand as I didn’t want to miss out.
What it’s really like to be on a photography assignment
I love doing “hero” photos when traveling, but the more “normal” photos are often just as important to the client. When doing assignments like these the most important thing is to have the clients wishes in mind. After all, you are creating for them. Of course with your own personal style. It’s important that you stick to your own style, and don’t change it because you “think” the client wants something else. There is a reason why they chose to collaborate with you in the first place after all.
On trips like this I almost never allow myself to relax. My mind is constantly fixated on what I need to produce for the client I’m working with.
However there is a reason I love doing this. When you love what you do, it doesn’t feel like work. Sure, many of the photos I wouldn’t take if I was doing the trip just for myself, but nevertheless, I was still looking for the same things, and would have done the trip, even without a collaboration.
Walking 15 kilometers per day, surrounded by mountains, there was constantly a photo to be taken. At times, I had to constrain myself, from simply photographing everything. We saw local villagers, alpacas, rivers, lakes and the astonishing mountains. When we finally made it to the camp, I was so extremely tired. Not only from hiking, but also from taking photos. It sounds strange, but it can actually be quite hard to photograph the entire day. However I wasn’t ready to call it a day, as I still had the sunset, and some night photography in front of me.
As was the case during most of my trip, I was very unlucky with the sunset, but got some stunning night photography. However we don’t control the weather, and we can only work with what we have got. Luckily the overall experience was absolutely incredible. Both the trek, and working together with the company.
After sunset I headed back to camp for some dinner, and then once again, out for some star photography. When I finally stumbled back towards the tent, I was ready to call it a day, and a few hours later, I had to repeat the entire process.