How far are you willing to travel for that special capture.

chuck

chuck

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Very much a Newb but I did have a question:

I've walked a good 3 hours and come up with total rubbish, how far (you could say on average) do you wait/travel to get good shots ?

Would be interesting to get responses from a range of photographers for example macro shots as apposed to landscape are there certain things to wait for or times of day best for shooting for your category.
Thanks
 
As in many sports, landscape is often best early or late in daylight hours. Often known as the golden hour for the lovely quality of the light.

Light or quality of light is often the key to many great photographs.
 
Drove 175 miles at 3:30 in the morning for a Trash the Wedding shoot, it was one of the most memorable togging days I've ever had, and for all the right reasons.
Great setting, watching the sun rise and a great bunch of people.
 
As far as I can afford to, which hasn't been very far recently. My sports car has just been written off though, and although I'm not entirely happy about it, the diesel beater I replace it with should allow me to travel further. :thumbs:
 
I think I'd go as far as a weekend away for something I really wanted.

At the moment I am toying with the idea of a trip up the west coast to Durness as there some stunning landscapes waiting to be photographed.
 
artyman said:
I've done a 140 mile round trip for a 15 second chance to shoot a steam loco.
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Wow. That's more than I was expecting, do you still have the shots ?
15 seconds how did you feel after it had passed ?

I wouldn't be able to handle the pressure!! haha
 
Don't be put off, I'd say the majority of my treks results in rubbish pictures. It was until I realised that I ought to aim for a 1% ~ 3% keeper-rate that my esteemed sort of picked up. That, and the circumstances don't always favour your photographic journey :shrug:

The key to what you've experienced, is to keep going back there until you get the shot that takes your breath away. Having been there, you now know the terrain and some of the vintage points. Study the environment, and try to predict the best times.

Golden Hours, and Blue Hours are some of the best times to shoot Landscape & Nature; if that's of any help?

For Landscape & Nature, I'd go as far as my health & wallet will allow; and as you expend into this hobby you'll find yourself stretching further and further.
 
I travel quite a bit to go to various interesting locations but the thing I have learnt is to stop looking for the obvious at any location. Put the camera down and go and sit somewhere for a while and look around for a while and quite often you'll see an opportunity that otherwise might have been missed.
 
New Zealand, however many miles that is. Twice, and I'll go again within the next 2 or 3 years. Plus quite a few other faraway places.

Also got up at 3am three times to get some sunrise shots, and walked about 10 miles around Calcutta streets taking photos. And I'm still way too fat.

Last month I had a 4am rise, 50 mile drive, 3/4 mile trek and uphill climb in near darkness over rocky terrain for a sunrise shot that never appeared due to cloud. Such is life.
 
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I've been up at 4am for vehicle shoot that go on all day, arriving home late at night.

At the moment I'm considering an early morning start next week, ride to the south coast for a certain shot for an assignment, then go onto work.

Basically, if it's achievable, then distance is no object
 
I'm driving down from Leicester to Lands End this weekend on Sunday for some landscape photography. Around 5 and a half hour drive one way if I'm correct.

Camp over for a couple of nights, hopefully get some good photos :)

And then drive back on Tuesday.

And then on Wednesday me and a mate are heading off to Cad West to see if we can get some aeroplanes.

So yeah, I'll travel! :lol:
 
chuck said:
Wow. That's more than I was expecting, do you still have the shots ?
15 seconds how did you feel after it had passed ?

I wouldn't be able to handle the pressure!! haha
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Overcast white skies hid the steam.. Grrrrrrrrrrrr

Img_2651c.jpg
 
i wouldnt want to walk too far but i'd drive upto an hour maybe a lil more for a great photography spot.

I've just decided i might pop over to bolton abbey for some pics - or up towards kendall an hour or so drive away - get away from the maddening crowd
 
4hr, 160 mile round trip at 10pm. Conditions weren't right at the location so went back a few weeks later. Test shots aside I took one pic, and that's all I went for. Be posting it next week.
 
As far as it takes and funds permitting

I have gone up to 150 miles for light trails

Edit: last winter a 150 mile round trip to collect some salmon I had being smoked for Christmas turned into a 450 mile epic road trip because I had my camera with me ;)

Matt
MWHCVT
 
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I am usually stuck using public transport but I shoot what's around me, living in Tamworth I've found to be surrounded by some nice countryside which I need to go out and shoot in the golden hour, once I've used what's around me only then will I think about travelling further. If I go on holiday I always find out the best photo spots etc and times of sunrise/sunset so I can guarantee some nice images.
 
I went up to the Farne Islands from West London so I could shoot Puffins; that's a few miles. :D

Steve
 
I travel anywhere if I think it's that 'one shot I must bag'. For personal projects, I have driven for about 9 hours straight to location without a pee break. Commercially, I have flown for 13 hours (lots of pee breaks)
 
been to London for some urbex. Would go abroad as well.
 
I would say a couple of hundred miles isn't unusual for landscape/wildlife photographers, time wise you might have to wait days to get the right lighting but I would think a few hours is more lightly.
Certainly not every shoot will produce images, I walked for about 3 hours each way just before Christmas and there was sod all there when i got to the place I was going, ok I did get a few shots but there wasn't a picture there if you know what I mean, add that to an houes drive each way and it's a day gone.
 
I don't really have a say in the jobs i get sent on so distance depends, but the weekly norm for me is a 200-mile round trip each day. However, although i work to a brief/picture list and I know the kinds of things I'm going to shoot, those 'wow' shots don't come each time I'm out. I'd say that in a week's worth of shooting (so upwards of 1000 miles and many hours) I'll come back with 1500-2000 shots but out of those, probably three or four will the ones I really am proud of.

I'll go as far as saying that those 'perfect' shots do come quicker with experience. It's by no means easy but I've found that over time, I'm getting more attuned to spotting and knowing how to get a shot but it's totally down to right time, right place on the end on many occasions....
 
Caught a flight from Leeds/Bradford airport at 5am to do a full day wedding in Amsterdam, flew back on the same night.
 
155 miles this morning. Up at 5am, left at 5:30, made Boscombe beach for 7am for an hour, then onto work for 9am.

Hopefully the pics will be OK :D
 
For me, it is not so much about how far, as how early in the morning I get up. Many early starts throughout the winter, travelling an hour upwards to catch the morning light. It is not so easy now due to the times:shake:
 
I regularly travel 250+ miles round trip for no guarantee of a shot, but when you do get the shot then its worth it.
 
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