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Go On A Photography Vacation This Year!

Dec 31, 2015 by JP Danko 2 Comments

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White Sands National Monument New Mexico

Thinking back over this past year, there’s one thing that stands out for me as something that was immensely enjoyable, fulfilling and really helped me to forget about the day to day grind of running a photography business…I went on a photography vacation.

For one week in July I clocked over 3000 miles on a rental Kia compact travelling across the US southwest.  Using a good old fashioned paper map and sticking to the back roads as much as possible, I started in Albuquerque New Mexico, made my way up through Bisti/De-Na-Zin, past Shiprock to Monument Valley Utah, back down through Arizona and eventually to White Sands in New Mexico (I will publish a more detailed account of this trip in a future article).

I didn’t have any particular itinerary or schedule in mind except to make sure that I was at the right place at the right time to create the best photos I could. I was solo for the first half of this trip and joined by my wife for the second half.

This is the first time I have travelled somewhere solely for the purpose of photography – and if you’re a photographer its something that I highly recommend.

In this article I thought that it would be fun to post a few of my favorite photos from the trip and try to inspire you to try something similar.

A Sightseeing Vacation Vs A Photography Vacation

The big difference between a sightseeing vacation and a photography vacation is your day to day schedule.

During this trip, every day started with getting up a couple of hours before sunrise to photograph blue hour and golden hour around dawn, then packing up, checking the map and driving to my next destination during the day (and possibly a nap). I tried to arrive wherever it was I was going by mid afternoon so that I would have time to scout locations and possibly hike into a more remote location and set up camp if necessary. Then I would photograph evening golden hour and blue hour and well into the night.

shiprock new mexico JP Danko

The Mighty Kia Crapola at Shiprock, New Mexico

My entire schedule from meal times (mostly peanut butter and jam sandwiches) to travel times (driving and hiking during ugly daylight) to campsite locations (staying as close as possible to locations I wanted to photograph) revolved around making sure that I was at the right place at the right time to maximize my chances of capturing an amazing photo.

I did take a day to relax and cool off up in the mountains but for the most part the entire trip was focused on photography.

Oliver Lee Memorial State Park New Mexico

Camping at Oliver Lee Memorial State Park, New Mexico

Highlights

My goal here is to hopefully inspire you to get out there and do something similar – so I thought that I would just share a few of my favorite photos from the trip.

Hiking and lookout at Sandia Peak, Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Sandia Peak Golden Hour, Albuquerque, New Mexico

bisti de na zin backcountry camping milky way

The Milky Way in the Bisti Badlands, New Mexico

Man (40) hiking in Bisti/De Na Zin Wilderness Area in New Mexico at sunrise.

Hoodoos at Dawn in the Bisti Wilderness Area, New Mexico

Man (40) hiking at Monument Valley Utah at dusk under colorful evening desert light.

Monument Valley Utah at Dusk

Man (40) standing on sand dune with Milky Way galaxy in White Sands National Monument New Mexico

The Milky Way in White Sands National Monument, New Mexico

Man (40) hiking on white sand dunes with vibrant clear blue sky in White Sands National Monument New Mexico

Early Morning in White Sands National Monument, New Mexico

Woman (40) walking in White Sands National Moument, New Mexico in late afternoon with vibrant blue sky (polarized).

Late Afternoon in White Sands National Monument, New Mexico

Where To Next?

As I have said, I found the entire experience to be extremely liberating and it helped me to rediscover the pure joy of photography

On a normal vacation, I always feel guilty about staying up all night to take pictures and then wasting the next day napping – but on this trip my primary reason for being there in the first place was photography, so I felt like I had permission to put in the work that it really requires to come home with the kinds of photos I had envisioned.

My kids are still a little young to appreciate the kind of schedule that a photography vacation requires, but I’m thinking once they gain a little bit more of an appreciation for photography and hopefully their own interest in the craft of photography, a family trip to Iceland or southern Africa will be in order…

Man (40) jumping off of top of sand dune in White Sands National Monument, New Mexico with pure blue sky.

Dune Jumping in White Sands National Monument, New Mexico

What Do You Think?

Is this the year to go on your own photography vacation?

Have you already done a trip like this? What was your experience?

Leave a comment below and let us know!

Very Large Array Socorro

Make sure your rental has a full size spare tire and lots of gas if you take this road to the Very Large Array Radio Observatory near Socorro, New Mexico

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Filed Under: Inspiration Tagged With: new years resolution, Photography, travel photography, vacation

JP Danko: from diyphotography.net

About JP Danko

JP Danko is a commercial photographer based in Toronto, Canada. JP
can change a lens mid-rappel, swap a memory card while treading water, or use a camel as a light stand.

To see more of his work please visit his studio website blurMEDIAphotography, or follow him on Twitter, 500px, Google Plus or YouTube.

JP’s photography is available for licensing at Stocksy United.

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