Do you use GPS to get to weddings?

Does any one use a gps system to get to their weddings during the wedding

seasons?

Mike, unless the wedding is local and I know exactly where it is, I use my GPS religiously. However, I still print out Mapblast directions as a backup. I have been stired in the wrong direction before and I never rely on one system.

Just got a TomTom for Christmas, I'm looking forward to using it this season. Love it!!!

I use my garmin constantly and don't know how I got around without it!

Yep, me too. I use maps.google.com for the hardcopy and then my GPS to take me there. Really helps keep you from getting turned around too much. Sort of like being able to jump into an airplane and actually see where you are! I always ask the bride for address specifics so I can program the GPS.

My husband just got one of the ATT Tilt phones with GPS and google maps. Looking forward to using it this season. Would of been handy last season out here n California since not all highways or exits are marked very well. I do wonder if it would of helped for a wedding that I shoot down in Esconido (?). Apparently only Mapquest doesn't try to take you over the mountain dirt fire-truck only road.

Absolutely 100%! I check out the trips between the venues a week or two in advance (e.g. brides house to the church) using my SatNav just to make sure then use it again on the day so I can find an alternative route nice and easily if there are sudden surprise roadworks.

I have one, hardly use it because I know my way around pretty well. I'm heading to Utah next week for a photo shoot, so I'll use it then.

I use it to get to almost every wedding, I too like George print out a hard copy (google maps)also

Yes, yes I do...... I have a Garmin Nuvi 360. Can't live without it now.

One of my second shooter got a GPS for Christmas 2007; he installed it and bragged. :-)

 

We photographed a beautiful wedding on Jan. 4, 2008 and he got lost going to the reception hall. (insert sniggles and snickers here) I got there before him even though I took a wrong turn too.

 

I'm sure he'll get there quicker more times than I will in the long run though. I wish I had a GPS system too.

Nope. I make sure I know where I'm going BEFORE the day of the wedding.

 

You make sure your batteries are charged, you have memory cards, you have your gear in order before the wedding, why wouldn't you know where you need to be before the wedding.

 

Technoligy isn't perfect, and it does fail.

I mapquest where I'm going BEFORE the weddding day, I have my cell phone, the name of the church and venue, their address and telephone numbers, an emergency cell number for the bride....all of which I double check and confirm on Monday or Tuesday before the wedding. But, I'm still looking forward to using that TomTom!

 

While technology is a good thing, I doubt that photographers that are prepared (and carry backup gear for their backup gear) would rely solely on a GPS system on the day of the wedding.

GPS + iPhone = never lost :)

I agree with Jon Curtis! We would never cover a wedding that we have not already visited the site long before the actual event. If you are using a GPS the day of, and it is your first trip, you are already in trouble...

Like John Curtis, I prefer to know not just where I'm going in advance, but also what the venue is like.

 

I see so many posts here about "why did my photo's come out poorly" that could have been prevented if the site was visited ahead of time. So, that first recon trip to check out the lighting challenges, serves as a practice run on the drive.

 

Also, it's helpful to get some local information on traffic patters and how they vary during the week. For example, is there a staduim, casino, or racetrack in the area that could double your drive time on a Saturday?

 

Now, having said all that, I do use my Tom Tom as well, just because it makes it easier and gives me a constant ETA.

I use Honda's navigation system in my Pilot SUV but have also used Garmin and Magellan in rental cars. I don't know how I lived without them. But keep in mind that these plus Google, Mapquest and Yahoo all work from a common database and that there are mapping errors in that database. They all consistently tell that I have arrived at my in-law's house about four houses before I am actually there. They tell me that the home of one of my kids' friends is on the opposite side of the street and down half a block. To get to one of my wife's friend's home, it tells me to turn left when you have to turn right. Other times for business addresses in an office park, it will take me to the street address along a major road, but give no clue whatsover where the business is within the office complex. So while these are a major help, I agree with those who recommend that you check out a wedding and all its locations at least a day ahead.

I have photographed weddings in San Diego, Philadelphia, Wisconsin, Maryland, North Carolina, and South Carolina. I am available to travel when needed. I am not always able to visit the location prior to the wedding. Therefore, in those cases, I pack my GPS and Map Blast maps. However, when working a wedding locally, I always visit the site before the wedding day and when I do that for the first time, I use my GPS. In addition, I use my GPS when I go to a seminar, conference, or off-site photo shoot. My GPS is a valuable tool and I use it often.

Yes, but I agree with everyone who uses a backup plan. Those things are not always right, if road construction has changed overpasses and interchanges especially. Trust me, more than one argument has erupted between my husband and I over his insistence that technology is always right!

They are GREAT for seeing where you're going without a map to distract you... especially in downtown areas!