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Planning A Photography Trip
John Nixon, Master PhotographerFort Worth Camera Club
Oct. 9, 2018
Topics
• Determine location
• Research location
• Type of transportation
• Equipment
• Work the scene
• Back up images
• Processing and Output
Determine Location
• This is the fun part. Where are you going and what are you going to shoot.
• Local, National, or International.
• Dream Location for Photography or a Family Trip.
• Is it on your Bucket List.
• I will be going to Chaco Culture National Historical Park for night photography in September. Research time.
• How will you get there?
• Where will you be staying?
• What is available at the site?
• What will you need to bring?
• What information is available about the Site?
• What Weather conditions and environment will you be working in.
• These are all question you need to answer to Develop your plan.
Websites to Research
• Flickr, Google Photos, 500px, Smug Mug, web searches, and talk to those that have been there.
• Professional Photographers’ websites.
• Goggle Earth.
• Maps and Books.
• Your Photography Club or a Photography Club in the area.
• Area web sites.
• Photo Apps like Photopills.
Equipment• Mode of Transportation
• Car or Plane/Rail/Bus
• What type of Photography are you gong to do?
• Sports
• Wildlife
• Landscape
• Night
• Street
• Macro
• Abstract
• Architecture
Equipment• Equipment I bring to every shoot.
• Tripod and sometimes a monopod.
• Lens and Sensor cleaning equipment.
• Back or Belt Pack.
• Flashlight and gels.
• A rain cover for camera and back pack
• Extra batteries and Battery Chargers
• Back up Camera
Equipment• Proper Clothing and boots.
• Intervalometer or remote trigger for camera.
• Lens filters (ND, Polarizer).
• Lenses needed for the type of Photography you are going to do. Wide angle, Telephoto, etc.
• Phone.
• Computer with External hard drives to back up images.
My equipment list for Chaco
• Two cameras (D850 and D500).
• D750 infrared camera for middle of the day.
• Three flashlights with gels.
• On camera flash.
• Lenses (17-35 2.8, 10-20 3.4 for D500, 70-300 f4, and 24-70 2.8).
• Two tripods.
• Back pack and belt pack.
• Filters for daylight shooting.
• Camping equipment including food and water.
On-Site• I shoot in RAW with the camera in manual. ( JPEG-256 tone variations per channel while 14
bit RAW equates to 16,000 tone variations per channel).
• I expose to the right without clipping the highlights.
• You have done your research so you have an idea of what you want but stay flexible.
• Scout the area to determine the composition you want before you set up your tripod.
• Do not be afraid to move around and change your view of the scene. Raising or lowering your cameral position can have a dramatic impact on your image.
• Police your Borders and study scene to eliminate distractions. Photography is as much about what we eliminate from the scene as what we include.
• Check your image for sharpness and proper exposure.
• Vary your settings to capture different versions of the scene.
• Vary Depth of Field and amount of motion.
• Change focal length. Get in close for detail shots.
On-Site• Be deliberant in what you shoot. Do not spray and pray.
• Look for the decisive moment and then shoot.
• Work the scene.
• Pay attention to the light and adjust accordingly.
• Think about how you are going to process the image when you get home. Do you need to take multiple exposures for HRD, Pano, high key or low key, etc.
• Take time to enjoy yourself. It is the journey which is most important.
Processing Images
• Software Programs I use.
• Lightroom, Photoshop, Nik (Silver Effects Pro), Helicon, Photomatix, Zerene Stacker and Topaz.
• Import and Back up images using Lightroom and Chronosync.
• Make at least two copies. I make three with one in a gun safe in my Garage.
• Add Global key words to images during import.
• Apply basic processing as a preset during import.
Processing Images• I use lightroom for managing all of my images, editing about 75% of the image,
exporting and printing my images. Most of my tone and color adjustments are done in Lightroom.
• I use Photoshop for cloning, healing, final tone and color adjustments and using plugins like Nik or Topaz as layers.
• I use Helicon for all my focus stacking projects.
• I use Photomatix or Lightroom for HDR conversions.
• I use Lightroom or Photoshop for stitching panos.
• I use Nik Silver Effects Pro or Topaz B&W for black and white conversions.
• I have started to experiment with Topaz Detail for sharpening but I am not comfortable with it so I use the Nik sharpening tool when I print an image.
• I use an Epson 3000 with Red River Paper to print my images.
Editing• First task after import is to evaluate the images.
• Reject images that are not sharp, poor exposure, or test photos.
• Assign a star ranking to those that I consider good or exceptional.
• Go through the ranked photos and assign two or more stars to those that are exceptional. I repeat this process until I am satisfied with my final picks.
• I Develop only those images that I consider exceptional.
• I Wait a month or more then repeat the process I just described to ensure you have not missed something.
Review• Poor planning produces Poor Results.
• Determine location and Type of Photography.
• Pack accordingly.
• Think about processing while shooting.
• Processing cannot correct poor technique.
• Taking the picture is only half of the process. Digital Processing is the other half. Software makes the image pop.
• Get out there and shoot. It is a lot of fun.