Stressless Vacation Photos, A Social Media Cheat Sheet, and Email Templates

Oh boy, we are getting close to the launch of the Creative Class.

Good and happy Friday, everyone.

Glad you are here and so grateful for your support.

The summer heat is breaking a bit for us in the deserts. We are looking for cooler temps of less than 113 next week. Yes, we are also insane.

I hope you are having a great midsummer week.

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If you are going on vacation, I wrote this little article to help you navigate the tricky matter of making photographs while also making sure your spouse or partner doesn’t smother you with a pillow. Or, you know…

In the middle of Nevada. Photo by Don Giannatti

Making Photographs on Vacation with Less Stress

It’s 5:25 in the morning, and I am sneaking out of a motel room when it is still dark. I probably look like someone nefariously sneaking around in the cool, dim light of vacancy signs and a glowing Saguaro cactus at the Siesta Motel (our favorite old-time motel).

Sitting on the back of the SUV, I slid my boots on, slipped into the front seat, and started the car with the lights off to not awaken the occupants of the little Durango, Colorado, motel.

Once I was headed for the street, I turned on the lights, hit the Serius XM radio to channel 67 (Real Jazz), and filled the cab with some tasty Thelonious Monk.

This was not a clandestine operation, nor was it a salacious affair. It was me doing number three on my list of making photographs on vacation.

I was slipping out to take advantage of the dawn light while my wife continued to sleep, most likely dreaming of me.

Or anything else, probably more likely, but… hey.

Going on vacation can be tricky for photographers. We love to make photographs, travel, make more photographs, see the sights while photographing them… you know what I’m talkin’ about.

Like addicts.

And this can cause stress when you are all trying to enjoy the time together while also having your own desires and expectations.

We have been taking road trips and vacations together, including with my three girls, for over 40 years.

And I have learned a few things about how vacations and photography can both be done without even a drop of blood being spilled.

Or any need at all for stitches, bandages, couples therapy, or grouchy attorneys who suck.

I have developed a checklist for making sure vacationing photographers do not end up in some dank church basement on a Tuesday evening introducing themselves to a group of glassy-eyed strangers with “Hi, I’m Don, and I’m divorced.”

I grabbed this shot of cool yellow flowers while wandering around the shopping district of a little beach town. Photo by Don Giannatti.

Here are my top ten ways of keeping stress levels low while still being able to make the photographs you want while out and about on the byways and highways of vacationland.

1. Manage expectations.
   Think about where you're going and figure out the things you want to photograph the most. Remembering that it is vacation and that you are sort of required to be present at least 60% of the time, you must choose priorities. You aren’t on assignment; you are on vacation. And by vacation, I mean “not assignment”.

2. Choose your gear well.
   Yeah, I know you wanna grab that big ol Tenba filled to the brim with primes, zooms, even a Lens Baby or two. Add in the lighting kit, stands, gels, rails for the video of the surfers off the pier, 26 extra cards, a boom. Wait, you don’t need a boom. Or do you? Maybe. OK, grab it and a few reflectors, and that should do it.
   Inventory the gear, so after your partner throws it into the ocean along with all of your hopes and dreams of actually photographing surfers, you can try to get your insurance to pay for it. That won’t happen, of course, but it will keep you focused on remembering this article.
   Take the simplest gear you can. I will generally take my Lumix DC-ZS80, a true pocket marvel that performs really well. It isn’t great in low light, but when it is low light, I am having dinner and drinks with my family. I have been known to take a Lume Cube along for shots at dusk.

3. Understand the expectations of others.
   My wife doesn’t want to get up at O-dark-thirty to catch the early light while freezing her butt off sitting in the car waiting for me. I know that, so I will get up early, go out quietly, get my shots, and then get back to the hotel before breakfast.
   When it is late in the afternoon, she will catch up on correspondence as I take an hour or so to stalk imagery. I’m always back and ready for dinner. And yes, I carry the camera in my pocket, but I only use it for shots that do not take me away from the moments we are enjoying.

4. Stop worrying about missing something.
   What you think you may be missing is not as important as what you will actually be missing as you are stuck waiting for the light, waiting for the perfect moment, while your significant other sits alone at the table wondering if you have finally fallen into some craggy canyon or secluded lake.
   Those dinners and moments together are precious; there are plenty of photographs to be made another time.

5. Learn to make photographs quickly.
   Walking along the sidewalks, mountain trails, or beaches, it is easy to grab a shot or two without slowing down the adventure. Know when to shoot ’em and when to scoot by ‘em.

6. Get your traveling partner excited about making images.
   Help your partner see what is around them, and get them excited to see and make images that you both are excited to make. My wife will often take out her iPhone and we shoot together, making even more great memories of a wonderful vacation.
   Watching her get excited about the colors and textures and moments of our world makes it even more special for me.

7. Plan shooting breaks in your itinerary.
   There are many times when I see something I need to shoot. And we give each other free passes to do that on occasion, but we use those times sparingly on vacation (liberally on a photo road trip).
   Instead, since it is a vacation, plan on visiting places just to photograph as part of a loose set of expectations and itineraries. For instance, we spent a two-week fall vacation in Brian Head last summer. I knew we both needed to decompress from a hectic summer, so I kept my desire to shoot incessantly under control. But we did schedule a trip to Torry and the Escalante just for the experience to shoot it.

8. Don’t edit your photos on vacation.
   I know, I know, we just have to see those images right away. And “I’m only going to download them to see what I got” turns into a 6-hour marathon editing session with you slumped over the laptop applying a second layer of glow to bring out the highlights and... Well, no.
   There is nothing more exciting for anyone’s partner than a super intensive evening spent watching you edit photos. Bring on the popcorn, we goin’ crazy! Wait till you get home, and have a second wonderful vacation experience by seeing those photos stream into your Lightroom grid. (PRO tip: If you absolutely must see your images right away and know that you cannot control this urge I have two words for you: Shoot. Film.

9. Photograph your partner.
   You have a chance to make photos with someone in them for scale. Have them stand on the edge of the viewpoint to give it context, or have them sit in the little coffee shop to give it some life. I am not talking about taking portraits, I mean making them a part of the scene so there is a human element when it is needed. We see it all the time, with people standing in the landscape and adding a bit of color. And you have someone with you to make that happen. Sweet.

10. Create a vacation book.
    Get your partner excited about next year’s vacation and the photograph that will inevitably accompany it with a beautiful, hardcover book for the nightstand or coffee table. Seeing the moments they conspired with you to photograph so meaningfully displayed can help them buy into the idea of doing the same thing every year. And that is going to be a bonus memory for you to share.

Downtown Carpinteria. Shot while waiting to be seated for lunch.

All in all, it can be a challenge to make photographs on vacation, and I never expect to do my best work during those trips.

However, I am frequently surprised at what I am able to come up with, and how much fun my wife and I have doing it.

I honor her desire to lounge on the beach, and she honors mine to stay until sunset to get that pier in the frame with the sun behind it.

Win. Win.

So enjoy your time together on vacation, and make as many photos as you desire without leaving your partner standing around wondering what to do while you crawl between two fence posts laying on your back to try to get the “No Pedestrian Traffic” sign out of your frame.

I would add that vacations are always better with Tacos, but that is just my taco fetish and really has nothing to do with the article above.

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A Cheat Sheet for Instagram Posts for Photographers

Coming up with ideas for Social Media Posts is like running in the desert with no water. Photo by Don Giannatti. Model: Bri Austin.

Sometimes it is harder to come up with what to post on your Instagram than it is to produce the post itself.

Here are some ideas for you.

Six-Month Food Photographer
Six-Month Product Photographer
Three-Month Lifestyle/Portrait Photographer

Grab 'em, modify 'em, use 'em.

August is the start date.

Go here for the Cheat Sheet.

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Premium Members:

Five Ideas That Hold Your Photography Back

And a cool email strategy.