The idea of creating a shot list is nothing new. It’s a concept that’s been around since the dawn of photography, and it’s so easy to incorporate into your photography workflow. I research what’s unique about the place so that I know what to be on the lookout for and then I make a list of all the categories of images I’d like to capture before I even set foot in a location. I find the more I know what I’m looking for, the more likely I am to find it. It really is as simple as that.
Scouting trips are essential to laying the groundwork for the future photo tours I lead to any country, but even more so to this landlocked nation, about the size of Switzerland, but with only about 700,000 inhabitants. During a scouting trip I have a chance to meet, assess and bond with the local guide(s); visit the sites our group will visit; have the experiences they’ll be having; figure out the best times of days to be in certain locations and from where to shoot; and even test out the hotels, modes of transportation, restaurants and other services we’ll be using.
Traveling may be on your list of things to do for the Holidays. So we all know too well that, capturing the essence of a location can come across as too tourist attraction. How about immortalizing in that, this is what part of the city, country or village is about.