So it seems that many of my new clients are opting in for more fun stuff for their wedding photography. Have you thought about a Photo Booth. Last year seemed to start the photo booth craze and this year it’s really taking off. I just did a test for a city background photo booth. This is going to be fun, we are planning on leaving a lighted set-up near the reception, with a camera attached to the computer. Shots are going to be taken, downloaded and printed right at the reception, it is going to be a lot of work, but the images will come out amazing. Maybe you should think about doing it, or just using a plain white background would be really cool too!

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So there is a possibility of me heading to Honolulu, Hawaii in the next few weeks. Granted this is not a wedding job for me, but a commercial one. The idea behind this is the same for wether you are shooting a wedding or commercially. There are so many things that you need to consider when traveling to go on a photo shoot. So here is what I have been doing to get ready. When I first heard about this job, I have to say I was very excited. That’s probably because I am a surfer and I have never been to Hawaii, and what better place to surf then there. But this post isn’t about surfing.

So on to the prep for this shoot. Research, Research, Research. You can’t go wrong with spending hours on the computer searching for anything about the place you are going to shoot. I researched hotels, This job is to be done on the cheap, but you have to remember that when you are shooting you still want to be comfortable. So these are the things I looked for in a Hotel. Non-smoking rooms, breakfast bar, and one that is close to the location that I am shooting at, and also close to decent restaurants. Speaking of restaurants, I also did a search on local places to dine, I researched their menu’s and more importantly their prices. When you put together a budget for your trip you don’t want to come up short and be left with paying extra expenses out of your pocket. I usually find out exactly how much I would mostly likely be spending a day and add 15% to that price. It will keep you from spending your own money. For those of you that drink the occasional alcohol beverage, you are on your own with that money. I highly recommend not drinking excessively on assignments. 1st you don’t want to show up with a hangover and not be at the top of your game, but more importantly you don’t want your client to look down on you, then never use you again, because you couldn’t follow through. 2nd if your client knows you charged them for your alcohol, you’re more then likely never getting called again to shoot for them.

Obviously you will also be looking for flights to reach your destination, I try to find the cheapest flight with out slicing my own throat. You don’t want to travel for 24hrs straight. 1 layover is OK, but 2 or more, is just insane. I suppose that would be different depending on how far you travel, but inside the United States, don’t go over 1 layover. You wouldn’t want to be too worn out, and also risk the chance for bad weather at one of those layovers and miss a flight.

Shooting commercially these days is expensive with shipping your lighting gear on a plane. I leave all my lights at home. Local camera rental shops are abundant especially in very touristy places. More then likely it is going to be cheaper to rent for 1 or 2 days then to add $50/bag for bringing your own equipment, plus you don’t have to worry about the airlines breaking or stealing your gear. I once heard that if you travel with your gear and you want to use a lock on your bagage, you should put a starter pistol in each bag… but not your carry on! You will need to claim this at the check in counter, but they will allow you to lock your bag, and they(the airlines) will make sure they don’t loose a firearm. I have to say I have never done this, it’s just a rumor. But if you try it, make sure to let me know if it worked.

So you’re thinking to yourself at this point… why on earth would I want to go through all of this for a job. Well some of you may not, but I love to travel, and living in Ohio during the winter, really makes you want to get of here. And what better way to go to a warm place, You don’t have to pay for a thing, and actually you get paid to go! Free “mini-vacations” are worth all of the stress that it takes to get prepared when you live in a place where Cabin-Fever is overly abundant during the winter.

So those are just a few of the things I have done, when time gets closer to actually leaving, I will be checking and double checking all of my equipment to make sure it’s in great shape, I’ll have a backup camera and tons of extra batteries, I’ll make sure my laptop comes with me, and portable hard drive to back up from the computer, but I will also back up straight from my CF cards to my epson 40GB hard drive/viewer. I do not want to go on location if there is any possible way to loose my work. It may be a little excessive, but you never know what’s going to happen. I guess I’m like a boyscout, it’s better to prepared.

I’ll be keeping everyone up to date on what happening with this job. So make sure to follow me on twitter and facebook. There will be tons of updates on exactly what else I’m doing, as well as twit pics!

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