The Planning of a Photographic Adventure - What Goes Into It

Even though I have slowed down considerably as I plunge feet first into my late 60's, the adventurous boy who ran rough and tumble in his youth still stirs inside. He is lying somewhat dormant and restless, but waiting for an opportunity to rise up again. Luckily for me, I've learned to temper those youthful desires to stay reasonably within the physical capabilities of my more advanced age. Ever so often, those youthful desires surface rather abruptly and threaten to overwhelm my more practical and educated physical capabilities with adventurous ideas. When they do, well...I actually enjoy the thought of once again torturing...or rather challenging myself to jump headlong into a grand adventure.

In my youth I did a lot of headlong plunging without very much planning or thinking. The results were adventurous to say the least, but more often disastrous. But, I learned a great deal of how not to do certain kinds of things and I learned that a little bit of planning goes a very long way to if not prevent disastrous results, to at least temper the results toward a more successful undertaking.

Heading out to undertake a Photographic Adventure can seem like an exciting idea, but experience has taught me to real in expectations to at least take a pre-look at what I want to accomplish and then weed out the chaff to the point the actual adventure becomes practical. So, this is where I am currently, planning a photographic adventure more extensive than any I have ever attempted; a five day onsite solo adventure to photograph and video my favorite place; Oklahoma's Tallgrass Prairie. The idea is to create a video production about photographing and exploring this amazing landscape and will require attempting to capture the images in ways I've never tried before.

I would not ordinarily attempt such a thing except I am rather familiar with the location and because of that I feel confident I can plan around it accordingly. I'll be heading over that way the first week of May. A good time for it will be warm but the oppressive Oklahoma summer heat will not have arrived yet, plus the prairie will be green but not yet grown up to its full summer heights, and the Bison calves will have been born in March or April and will start to become lively and playful by that time.

Not only will I be shooting photographs, I will be shooting video footage. This requires some careful thought about what I really need for I will be carrying most of this gear with me so it needs to be practical, useful, and as easily carried as I can make it. I do have a rather large camera bag, but it is too small for all of my gear, so I have to pack only what I will use for that particular photo shoot. Sometimes I will be shooting relatively close to the road, other times I will have to hike in possibly up to a mile or so.

The video footage will be the most challenging. What I must avoid are static videos where there is no or very little movement involved. Might as well take pictures. So between now and then I will be practicing shooting video and adding movement to the action. To do this I will use a DIY Jib, a devise that allows you to swing and rise the camera from ground level to about seven feet high and keep the camera on an even plane. It also serves to smooth out the panning of wide area shots.

To capture enough video footage to make a video production requires a series of planned shots. To do this I will use a shot-list outlining the kinds of video footage I want to capture. Most of the footage will be relatively short clips 10 to 20 seconds in length that will be stitched together along with still photographs and audio to create the finished production. Many of the clips will simply be transitional footage that takes the viewer from one situation into another.

In addition to this I will be story boarding the program just so I will have a good idea of the kinds and number of video clips and still images I want to capture. (Several Dozens will be required). This story board is simply a guide and not so much a locked down this is what I must do script. Too many things can interfere with planned shooting, so I'll remain flexible and adjust as the conditions dictate. The story board will give me a good place to start and a basic photographic footage direction to take.

I know the kinds of photographs I want to capture, the problem will be the weather. Will it cooperate or cause havoc? From my experience, the weather rarely does exactly what you want it to do, you just have hope for the best and adapt to what nature gives you. I figure over the course of five days, I will at least have one or possibly two days of the kind of weather I want. The rest I'll just have to work in as best as I can.

As with all landscape photography the best light generally occurs early or late, but I will be able to shoot all day long because many of the video clips will be close ups of the various fauna and plants found on the preserve. This will prevent me from becoming bored and complacent during the middle of the day waiting for those elusive great lighting moments that may or may not occur. I figure I will have plenty of shooting to keep me busy all day long and still have some grand opportunities to capture those amazing moments of light early and late in the day.

Time lapse photography can create amazing video moments provided you have the correct situation to shoot and that requires the movement of clouds. I plan on capturing ample time lapse footage both during the day and of the night sky if the conditions allow for it.

Some of the anticipated problems hopefully will not become show stoppers. The weather of course will be the biggest factor.  In fact it may be the main problem factor or it could be the main reason the results turn out fantastic. Only time will tell.

Planning a Photographic Adventure is a daunting challenge. What do I need, where do I stay, what if this or that happens, how do I do certain things, and can I do certain things all become valid questions that must be answered or dealt with when on location. Heading out on such an adventure without some kind of a plan can cause you to miss opportunities. Knowing the basics of what you want to accomplish provides you with a script of how to proceed, but being flexible and adapting to changing conditions is also important. Most importantly, having a personal vision of what you want to accomplish becomes the driving force behind the success or failure of the project. Preparation, Planning, Adaptation, and Execution are all important elements to employ when wanting to create a high quality production. The planning and preparation process can become part of the most enjoyable portion of the adventure, but a photographic adventure is exactly what it means...an adventure fraught with challenges and frustrations tempered by exciting revelations and success.

The Themed Shoot - Focusing on One Area

Too often I will find myself shooting random shots and most of the time with random results. I have discovered, the hard way, better results usually occur when I do two things; Shoot a Theme and Focus on One Area. 

Shooting a Theme simply means to have a purpose for your photo shoot. Things like flowing water, or big skies, Old Barns, or street photography are good themes to think about, but the concept is as diverse as the number of people using a camera. The only limitations comes from your own imagination. Focusing on One Area is a way to concentrate your efforts. By doing so, you begin to develop your photography seeing skills and will find more detail. It also helps you to refine the composition.

A themed shoot really does help you develop a critical eye. It causes your mind to concentrate on identifying objects that fit the theme and that will open your mind to seeing ordinary things in a new and exciting light. You begin to look at the world in a more focused manner and often a simple glimpse of something will trigger your photographer instincts to take a second look.


Landscape photography can be as broad and diverse as there are opportunities to shoot. The idea when focusing on one area and shooting a theme is to explore the diversity of your selected location and discover all of the various angles, atmospheres, and energies. When shooting a particular place try not to limit yourself to one lens angle. Instead explore the various looks you will achieve by using a wide angle or medium telephoto, and then focus in on specific eye catching points with a longer zoom lens. The different looks you achieve by employing this technique will often surprise you. What looks good with a zoom will often look great when that particular focused content is incorporated into a wide angle shot and then by moving in a bit closer you can eliminate some distracting elements that simply do not belong in the image.

If you have followed this blog very long at all, you will know the Tallgrass Prairie region is one of my favorite locations to shoot. It provides an almost never ending array of photo opportunities and is a great example of Focusing on One Area. When focusing on an area such as this, what it has to offer photographically starts to build on itself. You will identify specific locations seen in the middle of the day as potential early morning or late afternoon shooting opportunities. The next time around those same locations will possess a completely new look when seen under different lighting conditions. The beauty of focusing on one area is you build an opportunity list of subject matter and when the seasons change, the weather changes, or just because you can, you have a ready made place to start and from there, you can branch out and search for newer, fresher, locations.

I have also discovered how staying away from a favorite location for an extended amount of time will reinvigorate your ability to see it again with a more critical and creative eye. Places you may have bypassed before suddenly appear interesting. The landscape may have changed slightly, just enough to reveal what might have been hidden before as something possessing unique and challenging subject matter.

Shooting a themed approach brings you closer to your subject. It creates a more intimate and personal photographic moment and hopefully a more enjoyable and productive outing. Focusing on One Area while shooting a theme helps you to concentrate on what is truly important photographically. You begin to see the world with fresh eyes and identify details that may have otherwise been overlooked.

Doing More With Less - Simplify Your Composition

Composition as it relates to photography is a complex concept filled with so many subjective solutions it becomes difficult to narrow down the subject to a simple yet effective way of applying it. One concept does stand alone in its effectiveness that works well for beginners and more advanced photographers alike. That concept is to do more using less or put another way, simplify.

I suppose one of the most damaging of errors most people make when creating a photograph is to try to capture everything in one image. This almost never works in a composition as it tends to create a great deal of clutter that distracts from the main subject of the image. In fact, it often obscures the main subject so much that the image loses its focal point and becomes uninteresting.

As a photographer my purpose is to create order out of all the visual chaos. Sounds easy but it is not always so. The trick is to learn how to visually focus in on what is truly important. You do this by asking yourself a very specific question; What am I seeing that is truly capturing my attention?

Where does your eye keep going? More often than not if you can answer that question, you will discover the best solution to your photograph. When looking for the answer, the idea then is to simplify everything down to its basic elements and compose your image based on what you discover. You will find that by using less in your image you will actually create more. Doing more with less is a great way to learn how to compose images.

Isolating the most important part of your composition is an effective way to do more with less. I will often use a long focal length lens, something like 200mm to 500mm, to help me find and isolate what is most important. The long lens will by it nature create a blurred background and this alone will enhance that sense of subject isolation. However you can also isolate in other ways. Sometimes I will use a wide angle lens and use a dark or bland or uncomplicated background to isolate my composition. The sky for instance works well for this.

When trying to isolate your subject always think in the context of what fits. Simplifying your composition does not always mean your image will lack for complex details. What it means is everything that shows up is there for a reason and does not interfere with the composition. Nothing appears out of place. This does take some practice to develop your artistic eye, but is something even beginning photographers can grasp.

Doing more with less is a great way to develop your seeing skills. It is a matter of answering the question of what is most important about what I am seeing, then focus in on the answer.