Who overlands for the purpose of photography?

[Etoimos]

Anyone out there doing overland trips where one of their main purposes is to capture images?

 

[garrett.stacker]

If it ain't for photography, it's probably for for bikes. Occasionally I'll photography specific trips just to get cool pictures. I'm actually planning one this weekend!
This photo is one of my favorites I've gotten.

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[brien]

Not one of my main purposes by any means, but it's definitely an important by-product of almost all of my adventuring.

 

[nickburt]

Very much a by-product of our adventures.

But I have been known to take off, just for the purpose of getting images.

 

[Road]

Anyone out there doing overland trips where one of their main purposes is to capture images?

Interesting question, especially in a time when so many are accused of "doing it for the gram" and with several articles published recently about the effect of social media and beautiful, hip, images increasing outdoors visitors at rates up to seven times greater than population increase.

I had all my pro gear with me last long trip and only twice, I think, used it in the four months I was gone. Used my phone a lot, though the trip was intentionally not about creating images but about gathering gear for future trips where the primary goal would definitely be about photography with greater efficiency and effectiveness.

So, yep, my next long trip is aimed more specifically at creating a variety of types of images. Solo trips for this sort of venture work best for me, though I'd jump at the chance to have an assistant or partner along who is as into the creative process as I am.

 

[Etoimos]

Interesting question, especially in a time when so many are accused of "doing it for the gram" and with several articles published recently about the effect of social media and beautiful, hip, images increasing outdoors visitors at rates up to seven times greater than population increase.

I had all my pro gear with me last long trip and only twice, I think, used it in the four months I was gone. Used my phone a lot, though the trip was intentionally not about creating images but about gathering gear for future trips where the primary goal would definitely be about photography with greater efficiency and effectiveness.

So, yep, my next long trip is aimed more specifically at creating a variety of types of images. Solo trips for this sort of venture work best for me, though I'd jump at the chance to have an assistant or partner along who is as into the creative process as I am.

Can't say that I'm aware of the "doing it for the gram" issue, or that I'm opposed to that being the motivator for people to get outdoors. Now overcrowding without the infrastructure/resources to handle it can be an issue. If you have links to those articles I'd be interested in reading them.

Back on topic. Your last sentence gets more to the point of why I posted this thread. I love taking photos and would love for them to be a much larger part of my overlanding trips. But as you say, that is something that is better solo most of the time. However, over the last several months I've been wondering what it would be like overlanding with other photographers were the purpose of the trip was the images captured in remote locations.

 

[Road]

Can't say that I'm aware of the "doing it for the gram" issue, or that I'm opposed to that being the motivator for people to get outdoors. Now overcrowding without the infrastructure/resources to handle it can be an issue. If you have links to those articles I'd be interested in reading them.

Back on topic. Your last sentence gets more to the point of why I posted this thread. I love taking photos and would love for them to be a much larger part of my overlanding trips. But as you say, that is something that is better solo most of the time. However, over the last several months I've been wondering what it would be like overlanding with other photographers were the purpose of the trip was the images captured in remote locations.

I'll send you the links.

I've led a ton of photography workshops over the years for in-studio and urban street shooting and plan on at some point leading small group workshops on a variety of outdoor and travel photography. It's one of the reasons I've gathered the travel and camping gear I have, so I can sleep up to 6-8 people at a time in a base camp arrangement from which we venture out for different photographic challenges.

Traveling and shooting with several people can be an interesting challenge. Everyone has different ideas on what/where/when/how/why etc. There are lots of ways to do it and it's often best to have people of similar skill and objectives in small groups. I'm open to discussing being part of something like that.

That said, there are a ton of workshops out there already that offer trips to various parts of the country. I know of some that come yearly to the coast of Maine and Acadia Natl Park, for example.

 

[Etoimos]

The idea of an overland photography workshop had crossed my mind and there would definitely challenges to it.

I also agree that an overland photography group would need to be small, 2-4 people/rigs max and that the skill level needs to be close between everyone. Personally I'm not very good at landscapes, but I'm pretty good at wildlife and excel at automotive photography (used to shoot for car magazines). It could be fun going with people that excelled where in your area of weakness.

 

[Graeman]

The photography theme of Overlanding is what my wife is into. She loves taking pictures of wildlife - especially birds of prey. I camp to get away from the extreme high temps here in Phoenix. I would love to get her into some photography workshops.

 

[David C Gibbs]

This opens a whole new can of Worms... I love my "Old School" Nikon SLR and Lenses, bought a Digital Video and Fuji 6.0MP, up-graded the iPhone, that takes killer photos & videos. It's really hard to justify taking 100lbs of Camera, tripods, Lenses, and film, when I can pull out the iPhone, zoom in, snap and go... I know, I know - you can't compare Depth & Field.

On long-planned trips, we take everything. I love shooting Black & White film and have a local processor - to develop it. He also has a great enlarger and can print to canvas. $$$

Idaho has lots of great typography, vistas, white water, wildlife, etc...
DCG

 

[Etoimos]

I cut my teeth on slide film back in the day and miss the old school days sometimes (but not often). I was out of photography for several years and then made the jump to digital.

I still carry and use my phone for pics while I'm out shooing with my "real" cameras. Its a tool like any other piece of gear to me.

 

[Boort]

@Etoimos

I can say that Photography brought me back to overlanding. I've always enjoyed car camping, and getting off the beaten path. Always took a camera on my adventures, First my k1000 then for years my Mamiya 645 gear. Went digital in the last 5-6 years and started to get serious about it. Ended up falling in with a group of night photographers that I met on a workshop in Utah. We now get together a few times a year and have been planning longer and further trips. Headed out for the Super bloom in DVNP2 years ago and could not get to parts of the park we wanted to visit. That got me researching what it would take to safely get there and back. Eventually lead me here....

Boort

 

[wearepachari]

Great topic! Once we get our build done photography and filmmaking will be a key focus of our overland travels. I’m not a professional by any means currently but photo/video stuff has been a hobby that I’m looking to take to a more pro level after 15 years in tech.


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[JimInBC]

I usually plan trips around photography, not always the whole trip but at a minimum parts of it. Always a combination of film and digital. I scour maps, weather, lunar solar cycles, and usually tides, to know when and where to go along the route.
My son enjoys making videos when we are out so likes to come along on my early morning walks.
I get up before the sun a lot and this works out well when with the family wants to sleep in, and if I am lucky coffee is ready when I get back.

I miss Kodachrome.

 

[spoonible]

When I'm by myself I'll go out for photography and bring my truck with me, sometimes. Then I'll overland in my boots for a couple miles. I'm after that glade, that fell, that inversion, that milky way. How I get there is second to my destination. I've always gone solo - as I've not found like-minded people who understand why I do the things I do.

When I'm with my friends or family we'll go out and I'll bring my camera with me, sometimes.

 

[Quicksilver]

It's not the main purpose for me, but it is a big part of most trips. I consider myself an amateur photographer, so I'm always experimenting to see what kind of shots I can get. This just gives me more opportunity to go out and find cool stuff to shoot.

 

[HappyOurOverlanding]

Anyone out there doing overland trips where one of their main purposes is to capture images?

Photography wasn't the main purpose why I got into Overlanding. It was because some experienced overlanding good friends wanted to show my wife and I some great sites that most won't see (Family, friends). And because they wouldn't experience these sites, I brought along my camera to capture some of the places. Even when I went Scuba diving, I'd capture shots to share with family and friends. In fact, I took up underwater photography first which I now humorously call underlanding. I eventually bought a DSLR for land shots.

Now I carry a camera and a couple lenses all the time whether it's under or over landing to share with family, friends and new friends.

 

[Insydmyhedphotos]

I

Anyone out there doing overland trips where one of their main purposes is to capture images?

Do

Anyone out there doing overland trips where one of their main purposes is to capture images?

I do. On my birthday last year I took a drive out Cleghorn Ridge. I intended to see a sunset. I saw a thunderstorm developing and watched it closely. It appeared as though it would be a fairly exciting electrical show. Having just lost my house in a legal battle with my mother and subsequently all of my Earthly belongings... That's a whole different story... I decided that I would follow that storm because I had nothing better to do and nowhere in particular to go. I had been homeless for about 3 weeks at this point. So I followed that thunderstorm North. I followed that storm on and off the highway through the desert pass Ridgecrest and over the hill into Lake Isabella. It was 2:30 in the morning when I finally got there night snapped a bunchnight snapped a bunch of killer shots. I did not mean to go that far and and I did not intend for it to become a long distance or long-term thing. I just decided to follow a thunderstorm. That next morning as I awoke staring at the Kern River in all of its Glory I was looking at the pictures I decided that I would travel with my camera make a name for myself and photography. I'm still on that Journey. Along the way I've been stranded without gas without food without a whole bunch of stuff mostly though I was stranded without any kind of real living quarters. I was sleeping in my Jeep but it was fairly uncomfortable. I also didn't have any decent way of cooking or storing food. So along this journey I built my Jeep into a rather functional mini RV. Complete with a 6-foot bed mattress storage containers lining the sides a homemade candle burning stove and candle burning reflective heater. Everything that I put in that jeep I found in a trash pile either on the side of the road or at someone's house. Now I can live in the jeep indefinately and if im being honest will have a very difficult time adjusting to living in a house again. It seems I'm no longer house trained LOL. I recently returned to the mountains where I started to hone my skills as I waited for a Supercross internship to begin with my camera. Internship that came about because I was traveling with my camera and shot particular race in Lake Elsinore California just randomly didn't even know what was going on. In early January my last two cameras were stolen that ended my internship however it did not dampen my spirit. And only served to solidify my resolve and determination to earnto earn a good living as an outdoor off-road and adventure photographer. It took 8 weeks to buy a dslr again. But that didn't deture me either. In the middle of the night, just minutes after hearing there might be clean up work after the king if the hammers event i took off from Big Bear Lake Who travel only on dirt roads from where I started to Johnson Valley OHV. And of course take pictures every step of the way. This is the only trip that I've used my cell phone on andand I was quite pleased with how it performed however just was not the same as holding a giant DSLR in my hands. I wasI was glad when the money came along that I'd be able to get a new one. Now whatever new area I am in I make it a point and a plan to go out into the hills in my Jeep and take and take pictures. There are lots of good reasons to overlanding Family Friends camping The Great Outdoors etc. For me the reason to go overlanding is to take beautiful pictures of things that most people can't get to and share them with them. I love it.

 

[kappels]

Anyone out there doing overland trips where one of their main purposes is to capture images?

I would say it’s 50/50 for me. I’m a designer by day, and photographer every other second I can squeeze it into the day. I’ve always been interested in photos, capturing and archiving moments since I can remember.

Overlanding brings me joy for so many reasons, but being able to bring my camera and capture what is around me is an added bonus. When we get ready to pack for a trip, my camera is always on the checklist. You never know what you may capture, and photographs are a great avenue to storytelling.


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[MoreGone]

For me overlanding and photography were both passions, at different times that eventually came together.

I have been offroading since I got a license. Mostly just day trips and some camping. Not multi-destination trips setting up camp at different locations. About 6 years ago I got into photography. I went "all in" on photography for a couple of years but wasn't offroading much at that time. As things go, I started getting back into offroading again. Now equipped with skills and gear, the two go hand in hand for me.

Lately I haven't been as focused on photography, but I think thats just being real with myself that I am taking away from the enjoyment of nature for what? More pics similar to stuff I have already got. Unless it's something "portfolio" worthy, I am don't put as much emphasis on photography as I have in the past. And I am fine with that.

I really want to get better at astrophotography but man it is hard to get up in the middle of the night after a day of offroading, disturbing the wife in the process, depriving myself of sleep only to do it all again tomorrow. But there are many years ahead for all the shots and trails I want to get!