How long do you spend at each location before moving on?

In the past I wanted to see and do so many things, over time I have slowed my itinerary down. It takes time to checkin and checkout and pack and unload your stuff etc and one doesn't want to be driving or flying so many hours.

 

Just curious to know how you guys plan your trips. Do you spend a good few days at each location before moving onto the next town or city? Do you simply just spend a couple of days at a single location for your trip and then return home?

 

 

Cheers.

I've found it to be a tradeoff, depending on exactly what your interest is, and what your time constraints are. Often I'll notice an appealing subject midday, which I know will be much better photographed at sunset or right after sunrise, so I may alter my agenda to get back at that time. Advance planning can help a lot, as well as knowing what you expect to shoot, the prevailing weather conditions, and the optimal time of day. The tradeoff is that see and do often don't fit well with capturing great shots IMHO..it is usually one or the other.

What's the purpose of your trip - sightseeing or photographing? For me, if it's the former, I bring my camera with me and hope for decent light and interesting situations whenever I can get it. If it's the latter, then I make that a priority. For example, on a trip to Borobudur in Indonesia, I knew I really wanted to get some beautiful sunrise/sunset shots, but that it would be iffy with the weather. So even though the area (and the site) isn't worth much more than half a day, I spent two days there, so I could get 2 sunrises and 2 sunsets. In a way it was nice to slow down and even be able to experiment, something I can't really do when photographing on the fly. So for me, when photography is main purpose of the trip, I do tend to slow down and spend more time in certain places when I can, because I know I'll be frustrated (photographically-speaking) if I don't. I also try to avoid checking in and out of hotels as much as possible - I find you can lose so much time doing this while travelling - if the place is not worth 2 nights or more, then more often than not, I don't bother, or try to make a day trip out of it. Of course, there are some exceptions.

So even though the area (and the site) isn't worth much more than half a day, I spent two days there, so I could get 2 sunrises and 2 sunsets

to emphasize how important it is to make your own mind up on this, my opinion of Borobudur is completely different to Rachelle's. I spent 12 months there, over 3 years (3-4 months at a time), and adored the place (the area not so much the site). I never photographed the temple, at either sunrise or sunset, but did photograph the locals.

 

different strokes etc…

If there is something(s) that I know I want to do, I plan around it. If that adds a day, I evaluate the schedule and add the day, if I want to.

Example, getting up at 3 am to drive up to Mt. Haleakala to shoot the sunrise, means that I had to rest/nap in the early afternoon, to make it thought dinner and evening, or end the day early at about 6pm.

Example2, shooting the shuttle launch required 2 trips. On day 1, a recon trip which took several hours, to look for a good vantage point. Then on day2 getting up EARLY to be at the selected vantage point before sunrise, to stake out our spot, before the CROWD arrived. Again a day that required early afternoon rest, to make it through dinner. All this took away time from Disney World, so we had to stay longer.

 

If sight seeing, I just pad the trip a bit to give me time to discover thing and shoot.

If you are part of a tour, you just have to make do as best as you can. This sometimes means not being with the group for some things, to give you time to shoot. Example shooting the harbor lights at night, meant splitting away from the group before dinner.

If I am traveling to an area for the first time (e.g., Iceland), I do broad research on locations and customs, then set a rough itinerary to cover as many locations as possible. I take time to stop along the way, and arrange for lodging in the afternoon, depending on my progress. I might spend nor more than 10 minutes on these stops, depending on the location, but often every kilometer or so. I have certain compositions and subjects in mind, but try to look for new angles, and always, do a 360 before moving on.

 

I do more detailed research for subsequent trips. For Iceland, my interests are in history and geology, particularly vulcanology and glaciation, and concentrate on those areas. I also take more time brushing up on the language, if appropriate. It might be trip 3 or later before the time of day becomes a key issue, although I might spend two or more days near certain landmarks. I still take advantage of what I see along the way, making the best of what I have to work with. A hand-held GPS is good to have, and can be used to geotag photos in Lightroom.

 

Interesting thing about Iceland is that the "golden hour" is most of the day in early Spring. The sun never gets much more than 20 degrees above the horizon, 40 degrees in Summer. It doesn't get really dark until about 2 am. Many days, the wind blows thumb-sized rocks across the road. It can snow, covering the land, then be gone in 15 minutes. Needless to say, protective filters are essential, and a portable sensor cleaning kit.

 

Near Bifrost, IC

My preferred mode is to have a list of "targets" that I want to see. Then to have my own transportation and drift from place to place as I feel the urge.

 

Frustrating as it can be, sometimes, there are some advantages to a photography-centered tour.

 

Otherwise you can spend a lot of time just getting to where you want to be and have a lot of red tape to cope with.

 

I find it is pretty much impossible to go on trips with my own agenda. If I go with other people they tend to prefer urban cities, very few would consider going to a rural town or national park, maybe at best as a same day return day-trip. They may be still in bed or at the shopping mall or having dinner and I can just have a stroll away with my camera for some shots but that is about it.

 

I think multi city trips to most people maybe less desirable unless you are doing an extensive trip. For most people's time and budget they're prob going to one or two places and then branch out from that.

 

I relate to it like painting and fishing. If one is going to a single place for some hours they are not gonna get a lot of friends. :D

Edited May 27, 2017 by RaymondC